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Outstanding Article on Jai Lucas

Posted by Trips Right on May 6th, 2009 under Basketball

The Star-telegram’s Mike Jones did a terrific piece on Jai Lucas and how he’s impacting the program.

If you’ve been around the site the last few months you know I’ve been singing Jai’s praises. And when it comes to assessing Jai as a player, I think a lot of folks get bogged down in the minutiae when evaluating his game. Choosing to focus on wingspan, hand size, and height in this instance is a mistake if it stops you from getting to all the skills and intangibles Lucas brings to the table especially when you consider the pieces to the puzzle already on campus.

Granted, not paying attention to these details can get NBA GM’s fired, but the college game, a purer form of basketball, requires, well, basketball players and Jai is exactly that.

This article reaffirms everything I’ve been saying about the transfer guard. He’s short, sure, I get that. But you can’t discount the importance of things like growing up around an elite level of basketball, playing pick up ball with current NBA’ers and holding your own, a tough mental makeup that’s forged from being on the big stage your whole life, so on and so forth. And in case you were wondering, Jai would have been the second best perimeter shooter on the team last year. I don’t know about you, but the basketball purist in me likes a made jumpshot every now and again.

My favorite part of the article are these comments from Springmann, and I’m guessing it was Dexter Pittman’s favorite part of the article as well.

AUSTIN — During a team practice session, Texas was working on a play designed to feed the ball into the post, where center Dexter Pittman had re-emerged as a late-season force.

When redshirt Jai Lucas, taking his turn at the point, did not immediately acknowledge the upwardly thrust hand of the 6-foot-10 center, assistant Russell Springmann called a halt to the action.

“Did you not see him?” Springmann asked, wondering how the guard could have missed a target that without Cooley Pavilion walls could have been seen from nearby I-35.

Lucas had more than an appropriate explanation for his apparent oversight.

“He said he wanted to dribble back towards the middle of the floor to force the help-side defender to get out of there, then come back on the drag and throw Dex the ball,” Springmann related.

“I’m like, ‘Good answer!’ Heck, I was just going to say if the big guy has his hands up, throw him the ball.”

This kid is going to be nails for us and he’s coming into the perfect situation. It’s a great time to be a Texas Basketball fan.

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21 Responses

  1. Gate_of_Horn said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 7:10 am

    That was a really good article. Sounds like he’ll fit well with the team more than just position-wise. His demeanor as a teammate sounds like something everyone can appreciate, and I liked his comment about Coach Barnes at the end.

  2. Vasherized said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 7:36 am

    In your opinion, Trips, who is the closest approximation to Jai from any current or former collegiate player?

    It seems like he does everything well but what is he best at and how do you think Barnes will use him in the lineup?

    Springmann is one of the funnier coaches on the team, almost by accident. He’s so down home and honest that he says whatever’s on his mind. I was watching a practice with him right before the season started and the guys were doing 15 full court wind sprints to make up for all the missed free throws during practice. There’s not much room on the near side line of Cooley so we’re pretty tight against the wall and Dex is running on the edge. He’s about to keel over and starts careening towards right where we’re standing and Springmann shouts “Look out! Train off the tracks!!” Dex righted the ship and managed to chuckle while sucking for air. I was a few inches away from a trip next door to Brackenridge.

    Justin Mason and Varez Ward finished nearly every sprint tied for first place, an early sign of the competition we saw evolve between the two over the course of the season. It will be interesting to see how Barnes dices up the minutes next year with those two.

  3. Steve Nebraska said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 8:50 am

    Doesn’t hurt our Houston area recruiting, either.

  4. Black Scholes said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 8:55 am

    Trips – the basketball talk you’re sparking here is outstanding. Thanks.

    I hope Ward sees his future in Austin. I’ll be really disappointed if the kid decides to transfer.

  5. Hippie said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 9:33 am

    I agree with BS, love the hoops talk Trip. speaking of recruiting, I was always under the impression that Barnes and JL Jr didn’t always have the best relationship. Was that the case? If so, does the current circumstance boost our position in Houston?

  6. scagnetti said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 9:35 am

    Excellent again, Trips.
    Yer makin longhorn basketball continue to resonate and longer in our minds!
    Lovely reminders and tips from Trips.
    Can’t wait. 2009-2010 will be a great year for HornSports.

    Hook ‘Em!

  7. Scipio Tex said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 10:49 am

    He shall be known henceforth as: Jai Gideon.

  8. GoHornsGo90 said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 11:42 am

    Not good! Have to catch a lot more balls in basketball than as a defensive back ;)

  9. Trips Right said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 11:43 am

    Gate, thanks, Mike Jones hit all of the right points here.

    Vash, I don’t know, the examples are legion. Pick any undersized shooter with a high basketball IQ and you’ll come close to the mark. Let’s see, Jay Burson, Jeff Lebo, Will Avery, John Lucas III, etc. Any of those would fit the bill. Add the finishing ingredients of Pitt, Hamilton, Bradley, and maybe James, and you’re talking about the perfect complimentary player. Vash, I also wanted to thank you for the great close to the action insight. Love it, and keep it coming.

    Steve, no it doesn’t. And it looks like those that were holding their breath because of the potential harm a dust-up would cause, can exhale a little bit now.

    Black Sholes, thanks man. Varez’s play vs. Duke hopefully carries the day.

    Hippie, thanks. I don’t know that JL Jr didn’t like Texas, I think it was more a case of Texas being on a different page from a recruiting standpoint. But yes, this helps with our recruiting in Houston if everything holds. My 6 year old has played hoops with Jai, and I can tell you Jai’s always liked Texas. I can also tell you that Jai’s a very humble, down to earth young man.

    scagnetti, thanks partna. It’ll be fun

    Scip, I’d agree with you if Blake was a better football player than Christian Scott.

  10. Uncle Bevo said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 12:31 pm

    For decades, the Gomers have been exclaiming, “You better kick us when we’re down!”

    Perhaps that should have been our rallying cry this past year in basketball.

    As much as I always look forward to football season, I am waiting with baited breath for basketball season this year, which is unusual for me.

    Hook ‘em.

  11. Black Scholes said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    Have to wonder if a Jai Lucas growing up in Houston, with the exposure he received and a Dad who in addition to the World Team Tennis career for which he is best-known was also on some of the great Maryland Terrapin teams, is not ultimately a result of the TJ Ford tree.

    TJ, still paying it back.

  12. Facebook User said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    Exactly, Scholes.

    TJ begat Durant and so on. He’s the fountainhead.

  13. HenryJames said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    Shawn Kemp begat them all.

  14. Trips Right said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    I like this Henry James kid.

    Good point Scholes.

  15. Bob in Houston said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    Before TJ, the program wasn’t really any better than it had been under Penders. Once TJ arrived, with Boddicker, Thomas, Ivey, etc., already on campus, they were ready to go.

    It’s now between top five and top ten nationally.

  16. Bob in Houston said:

    May 6th, 2009 at 2:42 pm

    Oh, and Mike Jones is an excellent writer.

  17. dutchie said:

    May 7th, 2009 at 4:28 am

    Mike who?

  18. GingerBalls said:

    May 7th, 2009 at 3:16 pm

    I am quite worried about the Jayhawks heading into the EC next year. The similarities between the two teams with the excellent recruits and experienced talent coming back should result in an exceptional battle for the league crown.

    I can only hope the rest of the Big 12 competition gets us both ready for Final Four runs, ala ‘03.(With better results for the Big 12 of course)

    As much as OU wants to think it has a case for the Big 12’s second best program, it is pretty evident who it is.

  19. Sug Knight said:

    May 7th, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    The fact that a transfer is schooling an assistant coach is a good example of why our offense blew ass last year.

    I would really love for us to bring in an assistant with some idea of how to run an offense.

  20. The General said:

    May 8th, 2009 at 4:12 am

    “He said he wanted to dribble back towards the middle of the floor to force the help-side defender to get out of there, then come back on the drag and throw Dex the ball,”

    I just creamed my drawers.

  21. Billy Gillispie said:

    May 8th, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    Hey, I’m available.

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