Texas Basketball 2023-24

[troph 25223]

On 5/19/2023 at 8:39 PM, Hank_Hill said:

Tom Brady and I are both awkward white guys who crush hot Brazilian ass, why shouldn't I make it in the league?

I have a wake board boat (and a sailboat) and my wife is afraid I’ll leave her and crush puss. I can has league contract too please? 
 

PJ was strong enough and has a wingspan that is just freakishly abnormal that made him a boss. not sure Brock has those two physical traits, despite his slaying potential.

[cochamps 1885]

1 hour ago, HookEm said:

I don't think it is a problem at all to sign Caleb Love.  The guy is a year removed from leading his team to the National Final game while earning All Tournament honors.  I have no doubt that Hunter, Love and Abmas could figure out how to coexist as a 3-guard lineup (probably the best one in the country).  Love has the size to play the 3 at the college level.  He wouldn't be a ball dominating guard in that case, but rather a primary scoring threat off the wing.  

He's probably not coming here anyway so it doesn't matter, but none of the UNC fans were shitting on him a year ago. Did he suddenly forget how to play basketball? 

  Evidently.  <Duane Thomas>

[HtownHorn 15232]

1 hour ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Feels like we should take Kaluma with one of the guards don't you think? But I guess just take whichever 2 want to come. 

I don't like the fit of Kaluma at all. He didn't play the perimeter for Creighton last year, it was Scheierman. Kaluma is a 4 in college, if he was an elite wing defender, he'd be a 1st round pick and stay in the draft. Texas doesn't need another 4, they have plenty of minutes taken up with Disu, Cunningham, and Onyema. All who were better defenders than Kaluma last year.

[shadow_operative 15932]

it's 2023, there is no more 1-2-3-4-5 limeup. every year we get closer to postionless basketball. it doesn't matter if a guy fits an antiquated mold, it only matters if he can fill a role that his team needs to be filled. it all comes down to how well a guy fits in RT's system, and until we actually have an idea as to what that system is, i'll take a guy like kaluma all day. 

[Rickylovesweed 15503]

9 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

I don't like the fit of Kaluma at all. He didn't play the perimeter for Creighton last year, it was Scheierman. Kaluma is a 4 in college, if he was an elite wing defender, he'd be a 1st round pick and stay in the draft. Texas doesn't need another 4, they have plenty of minutes taken up with Disu, Cunningham, and Onyema. All who were better defenders than Kaluma last year.

I think there is a question of fit between the 3 and 4 but those guys you mentioned aren't better defenders than Kaluma IMO. He can really guard on the perimeter and interior. 

 

[Rickylovesweed 15503]

30 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

it's 2023, there is no more 1-2-3-4-5 limeup. every year we get closer to postionless basketball. it doesn't matter if a guy fits an antiquated mold, it only matters if he can fill a role that his team needs to be filled. it all comes down to how well a guy fits in RT's system, and until we actually have an idea as to what that system is, i'll take a guy like kaluma all day. 

I don't think it will matter in this scenario with 2 guards.

I find it very unlikely Love or Spencer would both be willing to come here. I know they can play the 3 but that would essentially be 5 good guards on the roster. It just seems very unlikely both of those guys would be willing to come here. 

I would think this almost has to be Kaluma + either Spencer or Love. 

 

[Lonestar88 5170]

Positions don’t matter anymore, but spacing does. Kaluma, Disu, and Shedrick are a tough sell from that standpoint. And Kaluma ain’t going anywhere to come off the bench.

I like Spencer the most because I want shooting. He’s been pretty transparent about simply looking to get paid, so you know what that recruitment will be about.

I wouldn’t be apoplectic about landing Caleb Love, but I’d be skeptical. UNC clearly did not want him back. They paid big to get Armando Bacot and RJ Davis to come back, that effort and money was not there for Love.

[Rickylovesweed 15503]

If we are taking 2 of those guys I still think Kaluma is worth the take even if he does project to the 4 due to spacing. Personally, I think he's probably better than every "big" we have on the roster not named Disu. 

Now would that piss off some other guys like Shedrick and Onyema? I'm not sure. 

Ideally, I think I would prefer a Kaluma at the 4 and Disu at the 5 compared to Disu at the 4 and Shedrick at the 5. The Kaluma and Disu frontcourt has a lot more versatility with a rim protector coming off the bench in Shedrick if need be. Now is Shedrick cool with that? No clue. They do have a model for success with Bishop coming off the bench last year. 

If we're talking an ideal starting 5 a Hunter, Abmas, Spencer, Kaluma, and Disu starting 5 looks to be the most balanced and versatile lineup. 

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Rickylovesweed

[Hank_Hill 20032]

Showing interest in one of the current top 4 guards in the portal when we need a 3rd guard is a big red flag guyz. Nevermind we’re also recruiting the other 3, erroneous!

[shadow_operative 15932]

6 hours ago, Hank_Hill said:

Showing interest in one of the current top 4 guards in the portal when we need a 3rd guard is a big red flag guyz. Nevermind we’re also recruiting the other 3, erroneous!

another brilliant contribution to the discussion. can't wait to see what insights and information you bring next. 

question though- you think the Mavs would be smart to sign trae young? do the suns need to go sign james harden? you think joel embiid would be a good fit in minnesota alongside kat and gobert? those would probably be smart moves, right? who cares about chemistry or team needs, just sign every good player you can and say fuck it, like shaka did! 🙄 

Edited May 22, 2023 by shadow_operative

[Js1 87179]

My god I hate the off-season 

[HookEm 2509]

Finally got around to looking at KU.  I'm not sure that they are head and shoulders better than us, especially if we pick up another good player in the portal.  Yes, they got some good recruits and have done well in the portal, but they lost a TON from their team last year including:

• Jalen Wilson (Big 12 PoY)
• Gradey Dick (2nd team All-Big 12)
• Kevin McCullar (3rd team All-Big 12) - He may actually come back, but it is getting more unlikely
• MJ Rice - #27 recruit ('22)
• Zach Clemence - #43 recruit ('21)
• Zuby Ejiofor - #43 recruit ('22)
• Bobby Pettiford - #98 recruit ('21)
• Joseph Yesufu - 12.7 mpg

This is basically a total rebuild for KU as they only return 27% of their points and 34% of their minutes and from this year. 

[HookEm 2509]

Here is there team as currently constructed (bold are returning):

• G – Dajuan Harris – 8.9 PTS, 2.5 TRB, 6.2 AST – 5yr SR - Big 12 DPoY – 6’1
• G – Arterio Morris – 4.6 PTS, 1.4 REB – Soph (From Texas) – 6’3
• G – Nicolas Timberlake – 17.7 PTS, 40% 3PT%  - 6yr SR – 2x 1st Team CAA  (From Towson) – 6’4
• F – KJ Adams – 10.6 PTS, 4.3 TRB – JR – Soph – Big 12 MIP – 6’7
• C – Hunter Dickinson – 18.5 PTS, 9.0 TRB, 1.8 BLK – SR – 3x 2nd Team Big 10  (From Michigan) – 7’1

• G – Elmarko Jackson - #20 recruit (’23) – 6’3
• F – Parker Braun – 7.7 PTS, 5.8 TRB – 5yr SR  (From Santa Clara) – 6’8 
• C – Ernest Udeh – 2.6 PTS, 1.8 TRB - # 28 recruit (’22) – 6’11
• G – Chris Johnson - #50 recruit (’23) – 6’4
• F – Marcus Adams - #101 recruit (’23) – 6’8
• G – Jamari McDowell - #108 recruit (’23) – 6’4

• G – Wilder Evers (walk on)
• G – Charlie McCarthy (walk on)
• G – Michael Jankovich (walk on)
   

[shadow_operative 15932]

if the people here who don't want to actually contribute to this discussion could please whine and make their uninformed, snarky comments in their heads and not in this thread, that would be great. 

picture this discussion happening in person. there's a group of dedicated texas basketball fans sitting at a table discussing the current recruiting that's going on right now, only to have people like HH and JS1 behave like literal children, just buzzing by every now and then to interrupt the conversation with inane whining and childish interruptions. can the kids go play in the ball pit and let the adults talk about Texas basketball without totally unneeded interruptions? is that too much to ask?

[Js1 87179]

3 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

if the people here who don't want to actually contribute to this discussion

Question - what discussion? Bc you poo poo every opinion that doesn’t agree with your opinion, you unhinged psychopath 

[MAUFRAIS 6739]

You guys playing cards?

[shadow_operative 15932]

13 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Finally got around to looking at KU.  I'm not sure that they are head and shoulders better than us, especially if we pick up another good player in the portal.  Yes, they got some good recruits and have done well in the portal, but they lost a TON from their team last year including:

• Jalen Wilson (Big 12 PoY)
• Gradey Dick (2nd team All-Big 12)
• Kevin McCullar (3rd team All-Big 12) - He may actually come back, but it is getting more unlikely
• MJ Rice - #27 recruit ('22)
• Zach Clemence - #43 recruit ('21)
• Zuby Ejiofor - #43 recruit ('22)
• Bobby Pettiford - #98 recruit ('21)
• Joseph Yesufu - 12.7 mpg

This is basically a total rebuild for KU as they only return 27% of their points and 34% of their minutes and from this year. 

heading into last season KU had lost 1st team AA/big xii poy ochai agbaji, current nuggets contributor christian braun, the best player in the FF david mccormack, and 3x all-conference senior guard remy martin, and they looked to be in way worse shape than they are now. kj adams barely played and averaged 1 ppg that season and was going to have to be a starter/30 mpg guy the next season. ku finally looked prime to have a real deal down year. all they did was outright win the toughest league in the history of cbb. they're in much better shape right now than they appeared to be going into last season. no way i'm doing bill self.

 

18 top 10 finishes since 2000. they are the yankees, everyone else in this league is a AAA club. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by shadow_operative

[HookEm 2509]

Fair.  We also took 2 out of 3 games from them (in beat down fashion) and kept them from getting the Kansas City regional, which likely cost them a Final Four.

[shadow_operative 15932]

*doubting. i'm not doubting bill self. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

4 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Fair.  We also took 2 out of 3 games from them (in beat down fashion) and kept them from getting the Kansas City regional, which likely cost them a Final Four.

[Davis Lane 6005]

17 hours ago, MotownHorn said:

Donald Trump will never be president! 

Doomed.

[txhorns 2421]

2 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

heading into last season KU had lost 1st team AA/big xii poy ochai agbaji, current nuggets contributor christian braun, the best player in the FF david mccormack, and 3x all-conference senior guard remy martin, and they looked to be in way worse shape than they are now. kj adams barely played and averaged 1 ppg that season and was going to have to be a starter/30 mpg guy the next season. ku finally looked prime to have a real deal down year. all they did was outright win the toughest league in the history of cbb. they're in much better shape right now than they appeared to be going into last season. no way i'm doing bill self.

 

18 top 10 finishes since 2000. they are the yankees, everyone else in this league is a AAA club. 

No one is saying that they won’t be really good this season.  They are the Big 12 title favorite heading into the season.  They aren’t unstoppable though, especially if a key injury happens.  

[shadow_operative 15932]

1 minute ago, txhorns said:

No one is saying that they won’t be really good this season.  They are the Big 12 title favorite heading into the season.  They aren’t unstoppable though, especially if a key injury happens.  

??? i was responding to a post which said that ku wasn't clearly better than us with the reasoning being all of the talent they lost. 

[txhorns 2421]

3 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

??? i was responding to a post which said that ku wasn't clearly better than us with the reasoning being all of the talent they lost. 

You’ve stately repeatedly that we won’t compete for the conference championship because of Kansas.

[shadow_operative 15932]

5 minutes ago, txhorns said:

You’ve stately repeatedly that we won’t compete for the conference championship because of Kansas.

there's a whole bunch of reasons that this team is not going to compete for a conference title if we don't add any more players. what is the point of your posts? hookem says ku isn't all that much better than us because they lost some guys, i point out that they were in worse shape last year due to losing lots of talent and they still handily won the league. where in any of this am i calling them unstoppable? 

[shadow_operative 15932]

13 minutes ago, txhorns said:

You’ve stately repeatedly that we won’t compete for the conference championship because of Kansas.

also, this is not true. here is what i have said: as of today, we are not close to being as good as ku. period. 

this is what always happens on this board. this why 90% of the people reading these threads never post. because you say one thing, and a bunch posters somehow play telephone with it, and two pages later your "i think we should give hunter fewer minutes" post turns into, "tyrese hunter deserves to die on national tv."

also, anyone who actually has the balls to give their own original thoughts and opinions invariably finds himself being quoted by a gaggle of posters who never contribute anything to any discussion hitting him with responses like, "hey why don't you stfu and go jerk off your micro dick you fat bitch retard, hurrrrrrrr!!!!!"

god damn man. a motherfucker can't even say that kansas is better than we are without it turning into some bombasticized hill that i have to die on. 

[CashMcCoy 3414]

Adam Zagoria dropped an article on Cam Spencer’s recruitment taking shape. If this is really an NIL-oriented recruitment, then it seems like we are at least making a decent offer.

The list includes defending national champion UConn, former Big East powerhouse Georgetown, blue bloods Kentucky and Indiana, and NIL-equipped programs like Miami and Texas.

[Firemans4Horn 18528]

The ignore button has made reading this thread manageable. 

[Lonestar88 5170]

4 hours ago, HookEm said:

Here is there team as currently constructed (bold are returning):

• G – Dajuan Harris – 8.9 PTS, 2.5 TRB, 6.2 AST – 5yr SR - Big 12 DPoY – 6’1
• G – Arterio Morris – 4.6 PTS, 1.4 REB – Soph (From Texas) – 6’3
• G – Nicolas Timberlake – 17.7 PTS, 40% 3PT%  - 6yr SR – 2x 1st Team CAA  (From Towson) – 6’4
• F – KJ Adams – 10.6 PTS, 4.3 TRB – JR – Soph – Big 12 MIP – 6’7
• C – Hunter Dickinson – 18.5 PTS, 9.0 TRB, 1.8 BLK – SR – 3x 2nd Team Big 10  (From Michigan) – 7’1

• G – Elmarko Jackson - #20 recruit (’23) – 6’3
• F – Parker Braun – 7.7 PTS, 5.8 TRB – 5yr SR  (From Santa Clara) – 6’8 
• C – Ernest Udeh – 2.6 PTS, 1.8 TRB - # 28 recruit (’22) – 6’11
• G – Chris Johnson - #50 recruit (’23) – 6’4
• F – Marcus Adams - #101 recruit (’23) – 6’8
• G – Jamari McDowell - #108 recruit (’23) – 6’4

• G – Wilder Evers (walk on)
• G – Charlie McCarthy (walk on)
• G – Michael Jankovich (walk on)
   

Udeh is in the portal.

[Rickylovesweed 15503]

Texas and UCONN may split between Spencer and Love. 

[MoJames 8258]

21 hours ago, HookEm said:

Brock is great but I can't see him doing any better than 3rd Team All-American.  C'mon. 

Well at least Brock could keep his grades up.

[CashMcCoy 3414]

8 minutes ago, Lonestar88 said:

Udeh is in the portal.

The depth behind the admittedly elite Dickinson/KJ duo is suspect. Also not a lot of length or true shooting threats beyond Timberlake. They don’t have anything like Wilson/McCullar/Dick in terms of a wing, not even a Brock. They’ll need 2-3 true freshmen ready to be in the rotation (especially Elmarko), Arterio to make the jump we thought he’d make here, and Timberlake to match his Towson production versus tougher comp. This past year’s KU roster was much better on paper IMO.

They do have Bill Self and Allen Fieldhouse, so they still should be the favorite and will finish top 3. But if Texas actually ends up with two more talented players then I think there would be an argument for that roster. I love the potential outside shooting team being built, and think the Disu/Shedrick combo is going to be lethal. If they somehow pulled Spencer and Kaluma, I’d start booking accomodations in Glendale.

[shadow_operative 15932]

4 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

If we get Spencer, then this is likely to be the best outside shooting team at Texas since the year we had KD, Augustin, and Abrams.

spencer is the dream for me at this point, and again, with so many former Longhorns in the pros who have vocally supported RT, we really shouldn't be losing out on too many NIL battles. 

[Rickylovesweed 15503]

Kaluma also has potential as a shooter. Just needs to translate more to actual play but he shot the ball well at the combine. He's not a 3 point shooter but he can definitely spot up and hit shots. 

 

[MuellerHorn 4624]

7 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

heading into last season KU had lost 1st team AA/big xii poy ochai agbaji, current nuggets contributor christian braun, the best player in the FF david mccormack, and 3x all-conference senior guard remy martin, and they looked to be in way worse shape than they are now. kj adams barely played and averaged 1 ppg that season and was going to have to be a starter/30 mpg guy the next season. ku finally looked prime to have a real deal down year. all they did was outright win the toughest league in the history of cbb. they're in much better shape right now than they appeared to be going into last season. no way i'm doing bill self.

 

18 top 10 finishes since 2000. they are the yankees, everyone else in this league is a AAA club. 

Yeah, Bill Self is gonna Bill Self. They'll be fine.

[HookEm 2509]

Here's my take on a KU player by player comparison with what we currently have on our team. 

Starters

• G – Dajuan Harris vs. Tyrese Hunter – Even.  Both should be in the mix for All-Conference honors this year
• G – Arterio Morris vs. Max Abmas – Big advantage Texas. Morris will be improved but isn’t yet in Abmas’ class.
• G – Nicolas Timberlake vs. Brock Cunningham – Moderate advantage KU but I would rather have Cunningham.
• F – KJ Adams vs. Dylan Disu – Moderate advantage Texas. Both good players, but Adams has never played like Disu in March.
• C – Hunter Dickenson vs. Kadin Shedrick – Big advantage KU.  Shedrick will be good, but Dickenson is a former All-American.

Bench

• G – Elmarko Jackson vs. Chendall Weaver – Slight advantage UT.  I’ll take the proven sophomore.
• F – Parker Braun vs. Ze’Rik Onyema – Moderate advantage UT.  Onyema has been the better player to date. Braun may not even get minutes.
• G – Chris Johnson vs. Alex Anamekwe – Slight advantage KU but neither will matter
• F – Marcus Adams vs. TBD – Advantage UT.  We will get someone more impactful than a fringe top-100 freshman.
• G – Jamari McDowell vs. TBD – Advantage UT.  We will get someone more impactful than a fringe top-100 freshman. 

Bottom line is that they will be HEAVILY relying on their freshmen for depth. And outside of Elmarko Jackson, they are more in the 50-100 range and not 5-star instant impact players. Right now I would call it pretty close to even, and maybe a slight edge for us.  If we get somebody better than Cunningham into the starting lineup, then I would say we have the better roster. 

Granted they have Bill Self and we don't and that changes everything. But I bet if you gave him the choice of our roster and theirs it would be a hard decision for him.

[Lonestar88 5170]

12 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Here's my take on a KU player by player comparison with what we currently have on our team. 

Starters

• G – Dajuan Harris vs. Tyrese Hunter – Even.  Both should be in the mix for All-Conference honors this year
• G – Arterio Morris vs. Max Abmas – Big advantage Texas. Morris will be improved but isn’t yet in Abmas’ class.
• G – Nicolas Timberlake vs. Brock Cunningham – Moderate advantage KU but I would rather have Cunningham.
• F – KJ Adams vs. Dylan Disu – Moderate advantage Texas. Both good players, but Adams has never played like Disu in March.
• C – Hunter Dickenson vs. Kadin Shedrick – Big advantage KU.  Shedrick will be good, but Dickenson is a former All-American.

Bench

• G – Elmarko Jackson vs. Chendall Weaver – Slight advantage UT.  I’ll take the proven sophomore.
• F – Parker Braun vs. Ze’Rik Onyema – Moderate advantage UT.  Onyema has been the better player to date. Braun may not even get minutes.
• G – Chris Johnson vs. Alex Anamekwe – Slight advantage KU but neither will matter
• F – Marcus Adams vs. TBD – Advantage UT.  We will get someone more impactful than a fringe top-100 freshman.
• G – Jamari McDowell vs. TBD – Advantage UT.  We will get someone more impactful than a fringe top-100 freshman. 

Bottom line is that they will be HEAVILY relying on their freshmen for depth. And outside of Elmarko Jackson, they are more in the 50-100 range and not 5-star instant impact players. Right now I would call it pretty close to even, and maybe a slight edge for us.  If we get somebody better than Cunningham into the starting lineup, then I would say we have the better roster. 

Granted they have Bill Self and we don't and that changes everything. But I bet if you gave him the choice of our roster and theirs it would be a hard decision for him.

I’d bet money Elmarko Jackson starts over Arterio.

[MotownHorn 1899]

3 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

spencer is the dream for me at this point, and again, with so many former Longhorns in the pros who have vocally supported RT, we really shouldn't be losing out on too many NIL battles. 

You keep saying this. Do you really think TJ Ford or KD is just gonna throw $250K RT's way and say "This money is for Spencer?"

I don't think that's how it works.

[Hank_Hill 20032]

9 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

another brilliant contribution to the discussion. can't wait to see what insights and information you bring next. 

question though- you think the Mavs would be smart to sign trae young? do the suns need to go sign james harden? you think joel embiid would be a good fit in minnesota alongside kat and gobert? those would probably be smart moves, right? who cares about chemistry or team needs, just sign every good player you can and say fuck it, like shaka did! 🙄 

Lol wut. My point is we are in contact with one of the top guards available as well as 3 others. We haven’t signed anyone, including Love. Being present in the portal for all best options for a position of need isn’t a red flag. Go off though.

[shadow_operative 15932]

20 minutes ago, MotownHorn said:

You keep saying this. Do you really think TJ Ford or KD is just gonna throw $250K RT's way and say "This money is for Spencer?"

I don't think that's how it works.

is that what i said? 

[MotownHorn 1899]

22 minutes ago, shadow_operative said:

is that what i said? 

What does this mean then? I truly don’t get it. What’s the correlation between former players suppprting RT and NIL money?

“with so many former Longhorns in the pros who have vocally supported RT, we really shouldn't be losing out on too many NIL battles.”

[KingBobo81 568]

What does this mean then? I truly don’t get it. What’s the correlation between former players suppprting RT and NIL money?
“with so many former Longhorns in the pros who have vocally supported RT, we really shouldn't be losing out on too many NIL battles.”

It means the pros are finally matching Drew Gressett and Hat Creek making it rain on Texas bball.

[shadow_operative 15932]

36 minutes ago, MotownHorn said:

What does this mean then? I truly don’t get it. What’s the correlation between former players suppprting RT and NIL money?

“with so many former Longhorns in the pros who have vocally supported RT, we really shouldn't be losing out on too many NIL battles.”

if you really can't come up with anything in between "i don't understand what you're saying at all" and "KD isn't going to personally fork over $250k for spencer" then i doubt i can help you, but against my better judgment i'll try.

we have more recent nba vets than 99% of other schools. many of those guys played for RT and love him. those guys publicly and privately went to bat for RT in support of him getting the job. they want him to do well; they want Texas to do well. you don't think that our collective nba alum base can/will drop a few pennies in the bucket to help Texas and RT sign a kid here and there? 

Edited May 23, 2023 by shadow_operative

[MotownHorn 1899]

So you’re just assuming that pros are gonna contribute to an RT NIL slush fund? Is there any evidence that’s happening at Texas? Is it happening at any other schools? 

[Hank_Hill 20032]

1 hour ago, MotownHorn said:

So you’re just assuming that pros are gonna contribute to an RT NIL slush fund? Is there any evidence that’s happening at Texas? Is it happening at any other schools? 

I think he’s saying that there’s no excuse for them not to  be. Which, I agree with, tweets mean fuck all. But, not my money.

Edited May 23, 2023 by Hank_Hill

[CashMcCoy 3414]

From last week before the Hunter news was out, but good article on Abmas from The Athletic.

Spoiler

About 200 miles of interstate highway separate Dallas and Austin, but Max Abmas never stopped there. The latter city was always on the way to something else, or an ever-growing skyline breezed by on the drive home. The state capital was a figment. Never a destination. Never the place Abmas needed to be.

While Austin still isn’t the end of the line, it’s now a necessary stopover that will dictate every move from here.

Four years of scoring a bunch of points at Oral Roberts, plus a couple dips into the NBA Draft process, amounted to a bit of a basketball time loop, in which Abmas kept waking up in the same place with the same things to prove despite his best efforts to move forward. In a few weeks, though, he’ll be wearing Texas practice gear. He’ll be a Big 12 guard. He’ll have the same questions to answer, only with a better chance to do so definitively.

“To those on the outside, it shows me playing at the highest level,” Abmas says on an evening in early May. “It’s a gauntlet, night in and night out. Playing against these stronger, faster, longer, athletic guys, they’re more of your prototype NBA-type bodies. That’s what scouts want to see. I know how much time I put in the gym. I know the things I’m capable of. It’s about those at the next level, those higher-ups making those decisions, and what they need to see to feel comfortable.”

Portal season produced more than a few intriguing player-program matches, and we’ll enumerate more of them below. Max Abmas and Texas, though, resonates as a potential escape from a flat circle. Across four seasons in the Summit League, Abmas scored 2,561 points, shot better than 50 percent from 2-point range and 38.8 percent from 3-point range. He also never grew. He’s still listed as a 6-foot guard, and that’s with the help of some generously soled shoes; at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine, Abmas checked in at a fraction above 5-foot-10 barefoot. There is absolutely no other reason why he will still be a college basketball player in 2023-24.

The dynamic at Abmas’ new program, meanwhile, is fascinating, because of the responsibility potentially foisted on him. Going to Texas and fitting in with a deeper, more talented roster seemed to be the play at first. Then transfers and five-star recruit decommitments scattered that talent. A potential backcourt mate and returning lead guard, Tyrese Hunter, dipped his toe into the draft waters. While Hunter didn’t receive an invite to either the NBA Draft Combine or the G League Elite Camp and therefore is likelier than not to play at Texas next season, the sum of the changes prompts a thought: Is Abmas going to wind up having to do all the stuff he’s done for four years, just so the Longhorns have a chance? Does he actually have a better opportunity to prove himself than he even initially thought?

Rodney Terry, fully immersed in his first overloaded offseason as Texas’ head coach, put it to Abmas like he put it to Marcus Carr for the 2022-23 season: Don’t worry about what “kind” of guard you are, other than a good one. “We told the same type of thing to Max,” Terry says. “Come in and be the best version of yourself. We’re not trying to change who you’ve been over the course of your career. You’re a guy who can score the ball at a high level, but you can also make the guys around you better.”

Really, it’s the ultimate weatherglass for up-transfers, in the form of a kinetic 175-pound human. When Terry began his research on Abmas, his first call went to his friend and new Oral Roberts coach Russ Springmann, and much to Terry’s surprise the most revealing feedback had little to do with Abmas’ scoring. “He said this is a kid that’s so competitive, when you challenge him to guard, he can be a really good defender as well,” Terry says. That’s a must for the defensive-minded Texas coach, of course. Abmas indeed will have to find his way offensively against that bigger and longer and better competition, and to address that the Longhorns staff rolled clips of how they deployed Carr on and off the ball over the last couple of seasons. Carr has a couple inches or more on Abmas, yes. Every extra bit of height matters. Still, it’s as close to a like-for-like comparison as is available. “When you talk about trying to go where they want to go in the future, in terms of playing professional basketball, you’re going to play with multiple ballhandlers and decision-makers at a high level all the time,” Terry says. “He really embraced that he could play with another really good playmaker, potentially.”

Abmas, in fact, could be an improvement in at least one crucial area.

Texas and Oral Roberts ran similar amounts of screen-and-roll action in 2022-23, but the Longhorns’ ballhandlers averaged 0.723 points per possession in those scenarios (23rd percentile nationally) while the Golden Eagles averaged 0.875 PPP (88th percentile), per Synergy Sports. Abmas was in screen-and-rolls on nearly 30 percent of his total possessions and averaged 0.915 PPP as the finisher in those scenarios. “I understood what they envision,” Abmas says, “and how they’ve done it already.”

It’s tricky to use Abmas’ past performance against power-conference competition as a gauge. The 80 points across three NCAA Tournament games in 2021 look great. The three points against Houston and the 12 points against Duke last season, not so much. But Oral Roberts also didn’t have as much complementary offense lately to help offset schemes designed to choke off its star guard, at least against higher-level teams. Life in Austin will be different, regardless of the roster churn. Texas has established talent, even if Hunter is not among it. It will not be Max Abmas or bust.

But he also might be even a bit more important than he anticipated.

His first impression of Austin, he says with a laugh, is that it is “kind of the opposite of Tulsa.” Which is precisely the point. Abmas might, at last, be in a place where he’ll get everything coming to him, one way or the other. “To other people probably, I don’t pass the eye test of being this real big guard that can do (everything),” Abmas says. “But for me, it is what it is. I’m big on controlling what you can control. I know I can control my work ethic, how much time I put in the gym. That way, when the lights come on, I can go out there and show what I’ve been working on.”

 

[MotownHorn 1899]

1 hour ago, Hank_Hill said:

I think he’s saying that there’s no excuse for them not to  be. Which, I agree with, tweets mean fuck all. But, not my money.

Just seems like a big leap from supportive tweets to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars changing hands 

But I don’t pretend to know how big money NIL deals work 

[shadow_operative 15932]

people on surly got together to pool money for NIL deals. you don't think that our former players (i'd estimate that RT's former players have close to $500m in career earnings, if not more) can get together and organize something to help the school that gave them scholarships, an education, the best times of their lives, etc? you don't think they'll do that for the coach/mentor they've known since HS, whom they care about, and who they want to see succeed at Texas? 

[shadow_operative 15932]

as a matter of fact, if i'm cdc and ive got all of these former players telling me i should hire RT, im 100% asking each of them just how invested they are in RT, well before i ever give him the long term gig. 

[Hookem2147 22031]

Update from Gerry 

In the last 48 hours Texas has had zoom calls with North Carolina transfer CG Caleb Love and Rutgers transfer SG Cam Spencer. 

Love could be trending towards at Texas vs. Arizona battle. 

Spencer has UConn (Huskies are prioritizing him), Georgetown, Texas, and a couple of others in the mix. 

Basketball is currently in a NCAA dead period until May 26, which means both players could make decisions without making any more visits. Or in the case of Spencer, zero visits. 

Now we wait.