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J’Covan Brown. Where He Fits In

Posted by Trips Right on August 18th, 2009 under Basketball, Recruiting

We’ve discussed at length what to expect from the 2009-2010 Longhorn Basketball team. We’ve projected personnel combinations and schemes. We’ve hit on minute distributions. And we’ve made some great friends along the way…

Many of the threads felt like the following.

Awe. The memories.

What we haven’t done is discuss the ever increasing possibility that J’Covan Brown, the talented guard from bitch kicking Port Arthur, will join this talent laden squad at some point in the season. Even more encouraging is that even the most discriminating observers of Longhorn intra-squad pickup games see a budding star while watching the 6-3 guard going up against current and former Longhorn stars alike.

And That’s the thing. Nobody had any idea Brown was THIS good. This dominant. And this adept at running the show. That’s right, I’m not talking about being dominant at the already log-jammed 2 spot. I’m talking about dominating the lead guard position where J’Covan is making plays for himself and others in these high octane games. It’s this playmaking ability that has set the Texas Longhorn basketball intellegentsia on its collective ear. Including Rick Barnes. Hell, we all knew Brown could shoot it and score it. We all knew he had elite size for college guard. But when casual and diehard Longhorn Hoops fans fantasized about morphing the playmaking ability of Dogus Balbay with the shooting and perimeter scoring threat of Jai Lucas to form the ideal point man, they, quite frankly, may have got what they wished for in this talented yet enigmatic player.

But that’s the catch. J’Covan’s explosive temper and notorious lack of self control on the basketball court are well chronicled. The already cliche’d J’Covan joke involves the number of fist fights he’ll get into with uber-intense Avery Bradley before Brown even steps on the floor in an official game for Texas. And, therein lies the problem with placing your national championship dreams in the fiery lead guard’s basket.

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Have to keep the big man fed.

When you have all the talent Texas has, especially upper classman talent, your 1 guard should be a steadying, calming influence. Does it help if he’s as talented as Derrick Rose? Sure. Especially if that guard is your go-to-guy or at least one of your top two options. But even Derrick Rose deferred to Chris Douglass Roberts most of the time. Remember, Texas has one of the premiere Power Forwards in the game, the premiere Center, and some talented NBA one and done wings that need to be fed to keep ideal chemistry and continuity. Obviously Balbay and Lucas thrive at this nuanced point guard skill, but can Brown? What happens when Damion James or Varez Ward drop a “pass me the fucking ball J’Covan” after the freshman guard selfishly charges leading a 2 on 1 break? Even if it’s an honest freshman mistake and not a case of “trying to get mine”, can the young guy swallow his pride, take the criticism, and defer to the older guys?

On the filpside, if Barnes’ strong father figure presence can somehow help exorcise Brown’s hot temper demons and be the discipline influence in the young man’s life, then you have one hell of a starting five. Wrap your head around this group.

Brown is the perfect athletic combo 1, Bradley is your versatile 2, Hamilton is an NBA caliber 3, James is an athletic rebounding and finishing 4, and Pittman is one of the best 5’s in the land. Sick. At least on paper. Throw in depth at every position for good measure.

If Brown can’t handle the responsibility of being the catalyst, glue guy, or playmaker, then you risk alienating portions of your team by making J’Covan the starter over guys with skins on the wall. I liken it to the talented North Carolina teams that never gelled because they were too talented and plaqued by jealousy. Sure, they could field two separate teams that would have gone deep into the tourney but the two squads didn’t like each other because the upper classmen like Montross and Salvadori were in their minds “established”, and underclassmen like Wallace and Stackhouse knew they were already better than the senior starters. There was no Balbay or Lucas to bridge the gap and tie individuals together on that team. And no, Dante Calabria doesn’t count. That’s the true value of Lucas and Balbay on this squad.

So there are two scenarios that Coach Barnes, could or should go with, with respect to Brown’s sudden emergence as a would-be star.

First, let’s say J’Covan displays the maturity necessary to run a major college basketball team. I’m talking deferring to teammates and knowing when to hunt his own offense. If it can happen anywhere in the nation it will happen at Texas under the disciplined guidance of Rick Barnes. Brown’s ability to slide right in and run the show for the Horns is obviously the best scenario, making the Horns the odds on favorite to win the whole enchilada if Texas wasn’t the favorite already.

The domino affect of J’Covan at the 1 allows Avery Bradley to do what he does best, make athletic plays going to the goal or utilizing his strength which is the lost art of the midrange game. Brown’s presence also gives Hamilton bonafide shooting cohort to attack zones, and it further opens up the floor for Damion James and Dexter Pittman. In a word, UNFAIR.

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These cats didn’t defer to upperclassmen.

The second scenario, which is more likely in my humble opinion, is that Brown is not quite up to the lead guard task. Combo scoring guard, sure, but full blown PG, not likely. Remember, I think point guards are born and not made. In this scenario if I’m Barnes, I’m bringing Brown off the bench to “get his”. I take playmaking off of his plate and I do that by putting him on the floor with Lucas or Balbay. I tell him he’s a 1 or 2 scoring option with Hamilton on the floor along with James and Wangmene or Chapman. I run sets for the young guy, and try to free him up for instant offense Vinnie Johnson style. Long term, I’m trying to build his confidence and give him game experience before taking the proverbial next step which is running the show. More than likely, I’d experiment with Brown at the 1 against non-conference lesser lights and go from there, looking for any sign of disgruntlement from player and teammates alike.

But in the end, keep in mind there’s a solid chance you’ll see Brown mature over the course of the season and go from scenario two to one. Or, he might rip off his shirt and try to strangle Hamilton during a game and go from 1 to 2. But all that’s on Barnes and it’s the kind of behind the scenes chemistry decision I trust Rick with.

In any event, it’s just another interesting thing to watch for during the upcoming hoops season. Stay tuned.

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56 Responses

  1. SL Xpress said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 11:53 am

    I think you should have watched him in some games, first.

    He has been perfectly willing to defer to others. He wants to win. Period. When he’s the most talented scorer on the team by a long shot, he’s going to want the ball in his hands, and he’s going to want to be a scorer. He’s admittedly not like DJ Augustin, in that he’s going to worry about team chemistry first. But when he has teammates like the ones he’ll have on this Texas team, he’s not going to mind giving the ball up.

    His problems haven’t involved selfishness. They’ve involved referees, and calls not going his way (no excuses for some of his behavior in this regard) and head coaches using their position to try to get a payday out of J’Covan, rather than trying to make him a better player/person.

    I’m not as willing as you to go into what J’Covan brings to this team until he is actually given the go ahead by the clearinghouse.

    I will say that Gerry Hamilton has been talking up this guy’s ability to run the ball/screen game since J’Covan’s freshman year in high school — which at this point, seems like it was 7 years ago.

    I mean, he’s no Jai Lucas in that regard, but who is?

  2. 8straight said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    I love me some Longhorn football but what card carrying, Bevo loving Orange Blood couldn’t get excited about this basketball season?

  3. uthookem said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:06 pm

    So, when will we hear about the j’clearinghouse?

  4. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:15 pm

    SL, I don’t think you read the article. But given where your head is at, it would be too dark to read anything other than yesterday’s breakfast menu.

    The fact of the matter is that I never typed about J’Covan being selfish. My point was that it’s tough to give the keys to the car to a freshman, especially when that freshman has a history of being a hot head. Especially when he’s a Johnny come lately on an established team. That’s all. I don’t get how you could perceive that as a slight to Brown. It’s a legitimate concern if you’ve followed the game.

    As for the high school screen/roll game, come on, you typed it yourself. J’Covan’s never been surrounded with this type of talent, so who actually knew how good a distributor/decision maker he could be?

    Rick Barnes didn’t know.

    I mean Rick Barnes is no Gerry Hamilton in that regard, but who is?

  5. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:17 pm

    By the way, before anyone freaks out, I think Gerry’s awesome. I just enjoy tweaking SL’s nose as much as he enjoys tweaking mine.

  6. Ricky said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:17 pm

    This clearinghouse shit is really too much. How long are players supposed to wait for a decision (much less us overeager fans!)? Are they so full of themselves that they are going to exhume Ed McMahon’s sticking corpse and have him trotted around handing out the approvals?

  7. Nordberg said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    You guys seem pretty onfident that he’ll get j’cleared.

  8. SL Xpress said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    It’s amazing all the things Rick Barnes doesn’t know about recruiting.

    I think he’s a hell of a talent evaluator. He just can’t be bothered with that shit until it’s absolutely necessary. That’s why he has assistants.

    So of course Barnes didn’t know.

  9. HenryJames said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:24 pm

    We need an Emile Zola tag for any future posts about Brown.

  10. SL Xpress said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:38 pm

    Were these quotes from your article, or somewhere else?

    “Hell, we all knew Brown could shoot it and score it.”

    “…and some talented NBA one and done wings that need to be fed to keep ideal chemistry and continuity.”

    “Obviously Balbay and Lucas thrive at this nuanced point guard skill, but can Brown? What happens when Damion James or Varez Ward drop a ‘pass me the fucking ball J’Covan’ after the freshman guard selfishly charges leading a 2 on 1 break? Even if it’s an honest freshman mistake and not a case of ‘trying to get mine’….”

    “I’m bringing Brown off the bench to ‘get his’.”

    “I tell him he’s a 1 or 2 scoring option….”

  11. SL Xpress said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:45 pm

    Nordberg,

    I don’t have any connections to the NCAA Clearinghouse. The highest levels of the UT athletic department don’t have any connections to the NCAA Clearinghouse. The Japanese civil service wishes they were as insulated from pressure as the Clearinghouse bureaucracy appears to be.

    In the past, the clearinghouse has acted with a pseudo passive aggressive behavior, where they don’t want to punish kids who appear to have met the minimum standard, but they don’t want to reward players like J’Covan who did it in such an unconventional way.

    Kids like that, they find a middle ground where they refuse to clear them until right before school starts — or even right afterwards, so the kid has to late enroll.

    However, the stuff at USC and the details that came to light about Derrick Rose may have a negative impact on this.

    I guess my feeling is if they were going to deny him, they would have done it already, but we’ll see. In any case, I’m in more of a wait and see mode than Trips Right is.

  12. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    HJ,there isn’t a whole lot of controversy on how good a player he is. He’s better than expected according to a lot of folks you should trust including but not limited Hamilton.

    People differ on how affective Brown can be running the point, mainly because he’s never had to do it. He’s always been the guy that had to go get buckets. Can he pass, sure? But there’s more to running the point than passing. You have to be somewhat of a diplomat especially when you’re dealing with players that have talent and seniority.

    Keep in mind that there are a lot of guys on this Texas team in a contract year or feel they might be owed something from the program, and J’Covan’s temperament might not be best suited for managing the emotions that are going to be involved on a micro level and a macro level.

    It’s easy to say, hey, go beat Kansas, but it’s much more complicated when you throw in the fact that James came back to school, Pittman’s trying to be a lottery pick, Bradley and Hamilton are pitched as one and dones, Varez didn’t transfer, Lucas did, Balbay is putting off pro ball, etc. and so forth.

    Or, Brown may come out and channel Roger fucking Staubach and run this team like he does in scrimmages. Who knows?

  13. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:50 pm

    SL, you’re right, I should have typed Brown was a taller, darker Chris Corchiani.

  14. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 12:59 pm

    “Hell, we all knew Brown could shoot it and score it.”

    “…and some talented NBA one and done wings that need to be fed to keep ideal chemistry and continuity.”

    “Obviously Balbay and Lucas thrive at this nuanced point guard skill, but can Brown? What happens when Damion James or Varez Ward drop a ‘pass me the fucking ball J’Covan’ after the freshman guard selfishly charges leading a 2 on 1 break? Even if it’s an honest freshman mistake and not a case of ‘trying to get mine’….”

    “I’m bringing Brown off the bench to ‘get his’.”

    “I tell him he’s a 1 or 2 scoring option….”

    I’m confused? How do these quotes make J’Covan out to be some kind of black hole. I was merely pointing out that Brown’s a great scorer who is going to be asked to get other great scorers involved if he’s running the point.

    And there’s going to be a lot of politics involved with shot distribution for all these great scorers. That’s reality. I wasn’t slighting the kid.

    Do you think J’Covan is up to this task when the lights come on? It’s a legitimate concern.

  15. SL Xpress said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    I have no idea if J’Covan is up to the task or not. I do know he can be a playmaker/distributor with the right parts around him.

    It isn’t the other players he’s going to have a problem with — other than I don’t necessarily see a whole lot of deferring going on, as far as that goes — as much as it will be the referees (when a call doesn’t go his way) and Barnes (when Barnes gets in his shit).

    But I figure if he makes it through practices, we’ll have a good idea as to how he’s going to respond as the season goes along. He’s always going to be a wildcard, who can blow up at any time. The hope is that being at Texas will help him get that part under control. If it doesn’t help, then Brown isn’t going to want to stick around for very long anyway.

  16. SizzleChest said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

    I think Barnes is going to play it conservative until Lucas is playing games. But if Brown keeps up or exceeds what he’s doing in scrimmages and Barnes doesn’t turn him loose, it could have equally troublesome consequences.

    I mean, shit, if J’Covan is showing this much now, his teammates, much less his coaches, won’t be able to deny it. Sometimes those kinds of questions answer themselves, but that assumes good team chemistry in the first place. If we don’t have that or it falters over the course of the season, we may still get to where we want to be, but it’s not going to be as easy.

  17. not to early for BBALL said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

    Colin Cowherd: “I can tell you right now who’s gonna win the Big XII it’s gonna be Kansas”

    WRONG

    The only thing that can stop Texas this year is bad chemistry. For the first time as a fan I feel like UT has a thoroughbred team up and down the roster. In the recent big years 06 and 07 I felt like the Longhorns were great but still not quite elite sort of like a Missouri football fan the last 3 years.

    We had journeyman players, coached up players, overachievers. Now we have bigtime talent across the board. Barnes has to take advantage of this moment.

  18. 2000-2004 Mack Brown said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    “Barnes has to take advantage of this moment.”

    I hear ya.

  19. Texoz said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

    As mentioned above, this is a very complex combination of high level talent. IMO, this year will hinge on Dexter & Damion making this their team. Damion’s had chutzpah, but Dex came to campus as a polite, gentle giant. However, each year Dexter has lost weight while gaining some bad boy attitude. Being hungry will make you a little grumpy.

    If they are the only two alpha dogs, and everyone respects that and realizes just how good this team might be, then the chemistry just might work.

  20. Bob in Houston said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 4:18 pm

    Watching Trips and SLX post is like mixing East Coast and West Coast rap.

  21. CloseToJumping said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 4:23 pm

    I thought Ketchum had already indicated that Brown had qualified? He said as much in May and then reiterated it this past weekend. Why are you guys typing like he hasn’t qualified yet?

  22. Vasherized said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    Because it’s not a done deal and the clearinghouse is notorious for fucking with kids.

    Anything being reported is based on optimism that it will happen soon.

  23. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 4:26 pm

    Bob, yes, now Sailor Ripley is going to hire someone to kill Bobby Bragg. Then SLX and Gerry Hamilton will come out with an album that calls for a squashing of the violence.

    Mysteriously, I’ll get shot and killed, and little bloggers will wonder if I’m actually dead or alive somewhere ala Elvis. Scipio will then remake an old Police song as a tribute to me.

    Geoff Ketchum fills the void with a boy band.

    HenryJames will find Christ and disavow gangsta blogging.

  24. SL Xpress said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 4:32 pm

    Vasherized, quick on the uptake as usual.

  25. GingerBalls said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    “Texas has one of the premiere Power Forwards in the game, the premiere Center”

    Sorry to be a grammar-nazi…but I don’t think you meant they are putting on their first Broadway show. Unless this was translated from French and we are using the feminine form. I don’t really know what I’m talking about, but I was confused.

  26. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    I prolly could have dropped the “e”, but I’m cosmopolitan.

  27. Vasherized said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    Trips has always favoured the European spelling when discussing the premier centre in all of college basketball.

  28. GingerBalls said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 5:10 pm

    Solid reasoning Trips, I should have assumed as much.

    I think KU has written the manual on getting players through the ‘house just before deadline, maybe Barnes should consult it.

  29. Magnus Bleuveigner said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 5:12 pm

    My ex-fiance had Pittmans dad in one of her rotations out in Rosenberg a few years back. She basically said that he was the bitchiest whine bags ever. At that points I definitely had my doubts about Big Dex. It’s nice to see big fat guys hit the treadmill and take advantage of their good fortune. I would have thought that Kendrick Perkins would have ate himself out of the league by now. We need to get Cody and Whaley over to the basketball trainer whose name escapes me. Springman?

  30. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 5:28 pm

    Thanks for that GB.

    A buddy of mine had an experience with Ginger’s balls down in Matamoros. It might as well have been Ginger’s Adam’s apple.

  31. GingerBalls said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 5:41 pm

    Didn’t mean that to be a put down at all Trips. I celebrate your right to be cosmopolitan.

  32. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 5:50 pm

    No, not at all Gingerballs, no offense taken. Your username just reminds me of that fateful spring break. Good times.

    Anytime a young man is ruined by the discovery of unexpected genitalia, it’s hilarity that needs to be celebrated. Your post is fine.

  33. The General said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 6:18 pm

    there is no point guard skill that J’Covan does not possess. i have seen him play, and i would not say he was a selfish player (though it is hard to tell when scoring is always the right decision).

    i don’t think it can be stressed enough how different the UT campus and PA is from one another. if J’Covan can get past that shit, he can be a point guard. i think he can get past it, but that is just me. there are a couple of hundred things that need to fall into place before jcovans on court ability is the only mitigating factor.

  34. SizzleChest said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    Ginger balls, are you related to Seamus, the Irish Apple Bag?

  35. GoHornsGo90 said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    I’m interested to see just how much better J’Covan would have to be than Jai to take the starting spot…If he’s really as good as advertised we have so many playmakers that it should be impossible for anybody to stop us. Our second string could make the Big Dance. Hopefully Rick will unleash them instead of trapping them in that terrible run-in-circles offense that we ran with A.J. the past few years.

  36. SL Xpress said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 7:31 pm

    Jai is a competent player. He has a very good mind set for the point guard position.

    He’s also 5′9, with limited athleticism, and he’s an inadequate defender. He still might be the best option to finish games, but as a starter, I’m unconvinced he would beat out Balbay whether or not J’Covan makes it in.

  37. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 7:41 pm

    Balbay would have a hard time beating a girl’s junior varsity shooting guard at horse.

    As for being small and an inadequate defender, please name the last point guard that was able to post up an opposing guard in the college game more than a handful of possessions. This isn’t the NBA.

    Until Balbay can hit a 15 footer, he shouldn’t be anything more than a defensive specialist on this club. He gives opposing teams outs on the defensive end.

  38. SL Xpress said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 7:55 pm

    He’s having to grab on to players to have any hope of slowing them down in practice. We’re not talking about post defense. We’re talking about staying in front of anyone at any spot on the floor.

    Jai can make shots. I’ll give him that. He can also run an offense.

    Balbay isn’t an option if they’re going to run Mason and Hill out there with him, but if he has Pittman/James/Bradley/Hamilton on the court, he isn’t going to be the liability he was last year in the half court.

    I will say, though, that Lucas can make free throws, and Balbay can’t — and he isn’t going to be remarkably better at it this year — which is why Balbay has no business finishing games.

    If the team wants to play uptempo, though — and supposedly they do — then Balbay will play more minutes than Lucas, if we ignore Brown as an option. Which I will, until the clearinghouse tells me otherwise.

  39. Kafka said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 8:05 pm

    WRT defensive and rebounding ability, how does J’Covan compare to Balbay and Ward?

    Does everybody think Balbay is superior to Ward? If so, why? It seems to me that they are not that far apart WRT to defense, rebounding, ball handling, and athleticism while Ward is clearly a better outside shot and a better passer than Balbay. Ward is also a little bigger than Balbay. Balbay also had an injury which is going to hinder his shooting practise/progress. Has Balbay returned from Europe yet?

  40. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 8:06 pm

    That’s not what I’m hearing but I’ll defer to you. However, I bet you Jai gets more minutes this year if Balbay continues with his shooting woes.

    A couple of questions for you, though. Don’t you think teams zone the hell out of Texas if Balbay’s in? And if so, are you comfortable with Jordan Hamilton being the only bonafide zone buster on the floor?

    As for closing out games, I think that’s a bit overblown. You can go hack a shack early in the second half to get the same result, unless you’re willing to concede giving up Balbay playing in the second half.

    The real issue is giving teams options defending the Horns by having a total non-shooter at a perimeter position on the floor. If we plan on trapping and running, that’s a different story. But when was the last time a team won a national championship with a nonshooter at the point guard spot? Khalid El Amin is all I could come up with, but he could shoot from 15.

  41. Trips Right said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 8:08 pm

    Kafka, Ward is certainly a better offensive player than Balbay. If Varez is charged with ball handling responsibilities however, I’d have to have Jordah Hamilton in the ball game to take pressure off as a point forward in case the opposition went to some sort of full court man pressure.

  42. longhornmatt said:

    August 18th, 2009 at 11:22 pm

    If Lucas is really as woefully inadequate on defense as is being suggested, then I would prefer to see us let Brown and Bradley play the majority of minutes at PG. Both of them have the skill to play the position – in fact both of them are likely better suited for our system than Lucas or Balbay – and we have plenty of depth on the wing to make up for Bradley playing fewer minutes at the 2/3 spots.

    I would gladly take more minutes for Ward or James sliding over to the 3 in spurts over sabotaging our offense with Balbay or our defense with Lucas (though I’m yet not convinced Lucas is THAT much of a liability).

  43. Kafka said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 6:06 am

    I didn’t see that much problem with Ward’s ball handling last season and it is probably significantly improved this season. My guess is that the offense runs through the 2 (i.e. Bradley) quite a bit this season (like when Durant was at UT) so there is less need for a play making point guard.

    The main requirements for the point guard will be to minimize turnovers, hit the wide open 3 reliably, make the entry pass, run a fast break, penetrate/finish, and play excellent defense.

    It won’t be important for the point guard to be able to get his own shot, diagnose defenses, or even run the offense that much.

    I won’t get too excited about the prospect of J’Covan playing until he is cleared by the clearing house. I also can’t see Barnes putting up with any tantrums/rage by J’Covan. If a player cannot control his temper, he is going to be riding the pines.

  44. Bartoncreek said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 7:04 am

    I’m kinda liking our potential three headed monster at the point:

    J’Covan
    J’Lucas
    No J’Balbay

    Sorry, just had to get that out of my system.

  45. SkyMonkeyHorn said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 7:42 am

    Not holding my breath with JB and the clearing house, he may not play at all this year ,worst case.
    I have not seen JB play since last year but I will say that if JB keeps his mouth shut and plays PG that he has the makings to be an All American before he is through with UT.
    If he clears his play will dictate how the others react as in chemistry/ leadership. JB competes at a level greater then most UT players at this point. I make that assumption based on my eyeball evaluation of JB in AAU/PA gyms.
    This kid is a diamond in the rough and IF Barnes finds the right button to punch then the sky is the upside. I have seen this kid take 2-3 shots in a half and handle out 7-8 dimes and have all his team looking like NBA players.

    If Damion, Dex,maybe Mason show some leadership in helping with his attitude it also will show on the court.

    Lots of “IF” but I will wait until JB hits the court for the reals to see how it works.
    The main thing I see is that Barnes is the key to this year as he has been since he arrived at UT. With this much talent all stars on their teams and also on the playground Barnes will have to mello out and do more teaching then yelling. This could also turn out the best year for a RB’s team with little guidance and a gentle approach.
    Ward is not a full time PG.
    JLucas is good on offense, I question how is he going to handle bigger guards just as quick as he is on defense.
    Balbay has all the tools and always showed he had a shot before comming to UT. He did not have to make the 3 in Euro play but finish or dish but he will give you 5-9 assists per game and defend the ball as well as Ward/Mason maybe even Bradley.
    Who is going to press us with the handles we have. Who has the defense we can throw at them.
    But even if JB does not make it, it’s still RB coaching that is the key here until one or two of the players steps up.

  46. uthookem said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 8:23 am

    I am officially more excited about basketball than football. I think it all deals with expectation. For football, I can be either extremely happy or extremely disappointed in this season. One loss, and the season is a waste.

    With basketball, many options lead to happiness – winning the Big XII season and/or tourney, making it to the Final Four, winning it all.

    Hook ‘em!

  47. Vasherized said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 8:59 am

    This is the first season I can remember where expectations were this high for both teams and could actually be considered realistic.

  48. uthookem said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 11:29 am

    And, the same could be said for the baseball team as well, Vasherized.

  49. SkyMonkeyHorn said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 11:58 am

    Yeah Yeah but what about the cheerleaders who has the hotties as a squad, BB, FB, Baseball, soccer, softball etc. think about it what is a mnc if there are no hotties???

  50. Trips Right said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

    The El Paso Diablo Diamond girls were the hottest cheer squad I ever laid eyes on. Imagine 2 eva longoria’s, a salma hayek, a couple three catherine zeta jones’, and a girl named Lupe from Fausto’s strip club.

  51. Kafka said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    I did not see Balbay having all the PG tools last season. If Dex was on a diet where he could not eat before Balbay hit Dex with an entry pass, Dex would starve.

    Balbay was terrible shooting outside and his shooting form looks screwed up. He does not hit free throws well so he can’t play at the end of close games (how weird is that?) He didn’t always seem to take Barnes’ instruction that well. Switching between the rules/style of play of from Europe and the NCAA probably isn’t helpful, either.

    Lucas will probably get plenty of playing time if Barnes can figure out how to hide him on defense (and Barnes is good at that). Maybe Dex and Lucas will be on the court together at the same time quite a bit (Barnes will play a zone to protect both of them on defense).

    If Dex is in great shape and J’Covan is cleared and composed, this could be an absolutely amazing team.

  52. Barrett Matthews said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 4:37 pm

    “But when was the last time a team won a national championship with a nonshooter at the point guard spot? Khalid El Amin is all I could come up with, but he could shoot from 15.”

    Other UConn team, Trips, with Taliek Brown at QB. Guy was left Balbay open all day, but it’s still an easy game when you have the two best players in the country in Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon on your team.

    Avery Bradley is not a PG or even a combo guard. He is an off guard and needs to stay there or he won’t live up to his potential.

    Here’s a scary thought. Who does Lucas guard when we play Kansas essentially for the Big 12 championship? Collins, possibly the best player in the country and a bulldozer? No. Xavier Henry, who’s had an NBA body since he was like 12 and is 9 inches taller than Jai? Fuck no. That leaves Tyshawn Taylor who is also solidly built and is still 6 inches taller than Jai plus a solid playmaker. He will get abused. This is what happened to D.J. and A.J. when we played Memphis and it’s going to cost us a championship this year if we don’t get it figured out. Count me as one who is psyched to hear abut the JB PG potential, which I have been calling for awhile now. Talent/playmaking ability/scoring/size/athleticism is unlimited for this team if he is the lead guard.

  53. Trips Right said:

    August 19th, 2009 at 5:38 pm

    I put him on Morngingstar or Taylor, and dare KU to run offense through them. If they want to make a living iso-ing Taylor in the post and going away from Aldrich, Henry, or Collins, then have the fuck at it. Again, this ain’t the NBA.

    Or, we can zone.

    Let’s talk Balbay. Are you willing to play him for big minutes, essentially handing over rest and relaxation to the engine that makes Kansas go, Sherron Collins. Not too mention you’ve essentially put the burden of perimeter scoring on Bradley, a kid that’s not a pure shooter, instead taking away his ability to get to the rack and hurt folks with his midrange. Unless we plan on trapping and running, I’m not sold on Balbay getting big minutes. At least the non-shooting version of Balbay.

  54. SkyMonkeyHorn said:

    August 20th, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    Ok how about putting the 5 best players on the court during NBA time of the game. Wait your right this is not the NBA forget that.

    How about Dex,Hamilton,Bradley,James and Ward.
    Offense and defense,toughness,handles.

    Now the question is who is hot this game.(wait for the season)
    Balbay if the team needs to apply ball pressure and spread the court.
    What if Lucas is the next Nash and runs the team well.

    How about Avery PG, Hamiltion SG, James as a SF/PF, Johnson PF and DEX as half the court.
    Going big to our advantage, rebounding,offense,defense,toughness again

    How about Wang, James ,Hamilton, Bradley, Balbay. Quick uptempo, interchange players to the scheme best suited for them.

    I would assume that RB will keep players to 25 minutes or so, James a little more, Jordan, Avery maybe 30 minutes.

    Lots of different type teams to run out at KANSAS, Uconn, Sparty, UNC, Duke etc. the matchup tend to favor UT in most areas. RB in the hot seat to win big this year with the talent he has.

    Yet we have not even looked at the last 5 players on the bench who are going to contribute well this year……

  55. Bob in Houston said:

    August 20th, 2009 at 2:23 pm

    Barnes has seemed to have this idea about how hard players are capable of playing. He talked about how after coaching up Royal Ivey, he asked Ivey how long he could play if he played as hard as Barnes would want, and Ivey said he could play 20 minutes.

    I’d like to see that kind of effort out of this group, since the talent (or at least the potential) is there.

    Along the lines of what SMH said above me, since I’m not willing to pick the fives, but if you had a first five and a second five, what would they be? I’m thinking along the lines of if they could stay even with good teams with the second-line guys.

  56. JKates said:

    August 24th, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    Gerry has reported (assist to elzzup) – Brown is cleared!

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    To leave or stay?