No no I'm talking about moving there to play basketball. You just don't get to go play for oak hill cause you think your good or want to play for them. Just like bishop gorman in football.
Basketball recruiting
- Thread starter utisdabomb12
- Start date
No no I'm talking about moving there to play basketball. You just don't get to go play for oak hill cause you think your good or want to play for them. Just like bishop gorman in football.
Oh. My bad bro! You are right. You have to be recruited there basically. A friend of mine from work her daughter went there and then wake forest. Sorry man.
Well, it certainly doesn't suck to have 5-star PF P.J. Washington say this about your head coach: "He's just a wonderful human being."
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http://texas.247sports.com/Article/...orns-head-coach-Shaka-Smart-Hes-just-46221552
HOUSTON – P.J. Washington wanted to throw an easy in-bound pass, but the only problem was Shaka Smart wouldn’t have it.
Smart instructed Michael Porter Jr. to be so close to Washington that the five-star prospect could “smell his breathe.” Washington did eventually get the pass in, and he could only laugh about Smart’s enthusiasm on the floor.
“It’s great,” Washington said. “He’s just very passionate about what he does. He wants to win.”
Washington is one of 12 players who earned a spot on the USA U18 roster for the FIBA Americas U18 Championships, a team which Smart is the head coach.
"I'm excited to have the USA across my chest," Washington said.
A 6-foot-8, 215-pound power forward, Allen is already quite familiar with Smart. Actually, the pair has spoken weekly for quite a while now. Washington, a consensus five-star prospect, is one of Texas’ top targets in the 2017 class, and he’s enjoying his time learning from Smart in Houston.
“It’s great,” Washington said. “He’s a great coach. He bonds well with you on and off the floor with everybody. He’s just a wonderful human being. I love playing for him.”
Texas is one of four schools currently in serious contention for Washington along with Arizona, Kentucky and North Carolina. Washington said he plans to make an official visit to all four of those schools during football season, and he hopes to make a decision shortly after that.
A prospect who has been on the recruiting radar since ninth grade, that winding road is finally coming to an end for Washington.
“For me it’s been real long, and I’m excited about it (coming to an end),” Washington said. “I’ll take officials to those four schools for sure, and then I’ll make a decision.”
When considering schools Washington said he looks for a few things: a great program, coach and the ability to develop.
In Texas’ case, Washington is already a fan of Smart, and he’s also already familiar with the program.
“I like the facilities,” Washington said. “I like the way they develop their players. I like the rest of the coaching staff. They’re really cool with my family. I just like what they’re doing with the whole program.”
Washington, an athletic 4 who averaged 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds this year on the EYBL circuit, also believes he would fit well in Smart’s up-and-down system. It’s a system that he’s getting a little taste of during the USA trials.
“He likes to rebound and run, and I love doing that,” Washington said. “It’s easy buckets on the offensive end and get stops on the defensive end.”
Location isn’t on the list of Washington’s top considerations, but that could potentially push Texas over the top when it comes to his recruitment.
Washington goes to school in Las Vegas at Findley Prep – he moved there as a sophomore – but he’s from Frisco. He said he's thought about coming home to the Lone Star State to play in college.
"I look at it a lot," Washington said. "I feel like I could do well in Texas, and I feel I have a lot of a fans here in Dallas. I feel like it could happen here.”
Washington is rated as the No. 16 player nationally and the No. 7 overall power forward, according to the 247Sports Composite.
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http://texas.247sports.com/Article/...orns-head-coach-Shaka-Smart-Hes-just-46221552
HOUSTON – P.J. Washington wanted to throw an easy in-bound pass, but the only problem was Shaka Smart wouldn’t have it.
Smart instructed Michael Porter Jr. to be so close to Washington that the five-star prospect could “smell his breathe.” Washington did eventually get the pass in, and he could only laugh about Smart’s enthusiasm on the floor.
“It’s great,” Washington said. “He’s just very passionate about what he does. He wants to win.”
Washington is one of 12 players who earned a spot on the USA U18 roster for the FIBA Americas U18 Championships, a team which Smart is the head coach.
"I'm excited to have the USA across my chest," Washington said.
A 6-foot-8, 215-pound power forward, Allen is already quite familiar with Smart. Actually, the pair has spoken weekly for quite a while now. Washington, a consensus five-star prospect, is one of Texas’ top targets in the 2017 class, and he’s enjoying his time learning from Smart in Houston.
“It’s great,” Washington said. “He’s a great coach. He bonds well with you on and off the floor with everybody. He’s just a wonderful human being. I love playing for him.”
Texas is one of four schools currently in serious contention for Washington along with Arizona, Kentucky and North Carolina. Washington said he plans to make an official visit to all four of those schools during football season, and he hopes to make a decision shortly after that.
A prospect who has been on the recruiting radar since ninth grade, that winding road is finally coming to an end for Washington.
“For me it’s been real long, and I’m excited about it (coming to an end),” Washington said. “I’ll take officials to those four schools for sure, and then I’ll make a decision.”
When considering schools Washington said he looks for a few things: a great program, coach and the ability to develop.
In Texas’ case, Washington is already a fan of Smart, and he’s also already familiar with the program.
“I like the facilities,” Washington said. “I like the way they develop their players. I like the rest of the coaching staff. They’re really cool with my family. I just like what they’re doing with the whole program.”
Washington, an athletic 4 who averaged 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds this year on the EYBL circuit, also believes he would fit well in Smart’s up-and-down system. It’s a system that he’s getting a little taste of during the USA trials.
“He likes to rebound and run, and I love doing that,” Washington said. “It’s easy buckets on the offensive end and get stops on the defensive end.”
Location isn’t on the list of Washington’s top considerations, but that could potentially push Texas over the top when it comes to his recruitment.
Washington goes to school in Las Vegas at Findley Prep – he moved there as a sophomore – but he’s from Frisco. He said he's thought about coming home to the Lone Star State to play in college.
"I look at it a lot," Washington said. "I feel like I could do well in Texas, and I feel I have a lot of a fans here in Dallas. I feel like it could happen here.”
Washington is rated as the No. 16 player nationally and the No. 7 overall power forward, according to the 247Sports Composite.
PEACH BASKETS
By Timmy P.:
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Texas Basketball; lots of guard and wing recruiting happenings; the staff working round the clock for the July evaluation period; a couple of Horns (and a bunch of targets) making the squad for Team USA.
Let’s get to it.
Guard/Wing Recruiting
This is likely to be a recurring theme with Shaka moving forward. Shaka’s system is (wants to be?) built on big, fast, skilled wings who can attack on both ends of the floor and give him the matchup versatility that can make Havoc such a weapon. The last class was, largely, 'big' heavy out of necessity. Jarrett Allen and James Banks were about as good as any frontcourt freshman haul in the country. Dylan Osetkowski chose Texas over Arizona (among others) and Mareik Isom both fills a need (big shooter) and comes in as a local kid who will be a great locker room guy.
But with those four in the fold (along with the commitment of Royce Hamm for 2017 already in the bag), the Longhorns have been able to look a little shorter in their sights. Though only slightly, honestly.
Let’s break down the guys that Texas is in on for their guard/wing positions in the 2017 class.
Charles O’Bannon Jr. – the Las Vegas Bishop Gorman prospect (6’5”) has had Texas at the top for months now and little has changed between him and the Longhorns. O’Bannon’s ability to score from anywhere in the halfcourt is high level, even amongst top flight recruits. He’s a plus athlete and comes as a player who has played against top competition for years already.
Prediction: Texas leads. There is pressure to stay on the west coast, and that pressure will stay. Still, Texas has done a great job with him and I think they land him…75%
Savion Flagg – a wing from Alvin, TX, Flagg (6’6”) has the type of all-around game Shaka covets from a big wing in that he’s as skilled as a rebounder/passer as he is as a scorer. Flagg has a ways to go as a scorer (and probably more closely resembles a combo forward than he does a guard), but the sky is the limit and Texas will be deep enough at guard/wing to give him the time he needs. Plus, his athleticism and feel for the game will see him on the court early wherever he goes.
Prediction: A&M will be tough to beat, but Texas is 50/50 with them right now and Flagg likely won’t drop before the end of the summer. Along with O’Bannon, Flagg is right there at the top for UT, but it’s a tough call…45%
DJ Harvey – the Maryland product set up a visit in Austin this week and will give Shaka his shot to land the 6’4” playmaker. Harvey’s an up and down kind of prospect both in his recruiting and how he produces against top talent, but he’s still a safe bet to be an impact player at the high D1 level.
Prediction: not sure. A couple of people I spoke to this week on the east coast were surprised Texas was one of the three named for his officials this week. But they were also surprised that neither Arizona nor Duke were on that list. We’ll see. Texas gets first crack at him and that could be a big deal…25%
Brandon Rachal – Louisiana’s multi-sport star, Rachal is a coveted wide receiver as well as being a rising star on the hardwood and might be the most intriguing prospect of the group. Built in same type of mold as Kerwin Roach, Rachal oozes potential with his body control, strength in traffic and ability to make plays on both sides of the floor, but will he ever be more than an athlete playing basketball?
Prediction: there’s some buzz here, and I think there’s merit as, again, athletes like him will get their chance with Havoc and the wing spots should give him whatever time he needs to progress…65%
Jarrett Culver – Lubbock Coronado’s wing prospect is another player who reminds of Kameron McGusty from the last cycle and you just get the feeling he’s going to be an impact guy wherever he ends up. Texas, for their part, hasn’t shown him the kind of “love” they have other recruits to this point, but if he’s a plan B, he’s a damn good one.
Prediction: I get the feeling he’s going to be an odd man out when all is said and done, but there are plenty of scenarios where he could land in Austin…20%
Jordan Usher – the 6’7” wing from Georgia has a chance to be a nice player for somebody and Texas has watched him a few times this July. Still, I don’t believe his offer is committable at this point.
Prediction: don’t see it happening as of the middle of this month…10%
July Evaluation Period
It might seem overkill, but high level recruits (as used to being fawned over as they are/should already be) love having coaches, especially head coaches, at their July games. So, you can get a great sense of which recruits teams are prioritizing by watching where the staffs go and who they are watching.
For what it’s worth, Texas has been steadfast in their recruitment of Matt Coleman (point guard from Oak Hill Academy) for years. Since building a relationship with Coleman while still at VCU, Shaka has personally overseen this recruitment and been a shadow for the blue chip point guard every step of the way.
Other players Texas has prioritized…PJ Washington, Brandon Rachal, Charles O’Bannon Jr, Gerald Liddell, Matthew Mayer, Trae Young, Grant Sherfield, Joey Baker…will any of those guys end up in burnt orange? Tough to say, but Texas’ staff has made some good calls in that group.
Team USA
Jarrett Allen, Matt Coleman, PJ Washington and Trae Young were all (pretty much) locks to make Team USA’s u18 team which will be coached by Shaka this month as they head to the FIBA Americas Tournament. James Banks was less of a sure thing.
Still, to have five guys of importance to the UT program getting direct exposure to Shaka for a sustained amount of time could pay huge dividends down the road.
But one player who continues to make Texas waves over the last couple of months is while being under the proverbial radar is Jarred Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is a top-five kind of talent in a class of talented kids in the first place. Unfortunately for him, he suffered a foot injury earlier this year which has limited his playing over the summer and kept him from making the Team USA squad which he otherwise likely would have.
However, that didn’t keep Vanderbilt from heading down to watch the Team USA tryouts/workouts this week that were going on in Houston. And, according to more than one source who was there, Jarred was most often seen hanging around Banks and Allen during the entire time.
Many don’t give Vanderbilt to Texas the kind of credence it deserves. Even me, honestly. But there are a few connected folks who tell me Vanderbilt favors Texas in a big way right now and is the kind of kid who needs Shaka in his life (as strange as that is to write).
There’s a long ways to go in this one, but don’t be surprised if the public chatter for Vanderbilt and the Horns grows as time passes this cycle.
By Timmy P.:
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Texas Basketball; lots of guard and wing recruiting happenings; the staff working round the clock for the July evaluation period; a couple of Horns (and a bunch of targets) making the squad for Team USA.
Let’s get to it.
Guard/Wing Recruiting
This is likely to be a recurring theme with Shaka moving forward. Shaka’s system is (wants to be?) built on big, fast, skilled wings who can attack on both ends of the floor and give him the matchup versatility that can make Havoc such a weapon. The last class was, largely, 'big' heavy out of necessity. Jarrett Allen and James Banks were about as good as any frontcourt freshman haul in the country. Dylan Osetkowski chose Texas over Arizona (among others) and Mareik Isom both fills a need (big shooter) and comes in as a local kid who will be a great locker room guy.
But with those four in the fold (along with the commitment of Royce Hamm for 2017 already in the bag), the Longhorns have been able to look a little shorter in their sights. Though only slightly, honestly.
Let’s break down the guys that Texas is in on for their guard/wing positions in the 2017 class.
Charles O’Bannon Jr. – the Las Vegas Bishop Gorman prospect (6’5”) has had Texas at the top for months now and little has changed between him and the Longhorns. O’Bannon’s ability to score from anywhere in the halfcourt is high level, even amongst top flight recruits. He’s a plus athlete and comes as a player who has played against top competition for years already.
Prediction: Texas leads. There is pressure to stay on the west coast, and that pressure will stay. Still, Texas has done a great job with him and I think they land him…75%
Savion Flagg – a wing from Alvin, TX, Flagg (6’6”) has the type of all-around game Shaka covets from a big wing in that he’s as skilled as a rebounder/passer as he is as a scorer. Flagg has a ways to go as a scorer (and probably more closely resembles a combo forward than he does a guard), but the sky is the limit and Texas will be deep enough at guard/wing to give him the time he needs. Plus, his athleticism and feel for the game will see him on the court early wherever he goes.
Prediction: A&M will be tough to beat, but Texas is 50/50 with them right now and Flagg likely won’t drop before the end of the summer. Along with O’Bannon, Flagg is right there at the top for UT, but it’s a tough call…45%
DJ Harvey – the Maryland product set up a visit in Austin this week and will give Shaka his shot to land the 6’4” playmaker. Harvey’s an up and down kind of prospect both in his recruiting and how he produces against top talent, but he’s still a safe bet to be an impact player at the high D1 level.
Prediction: not sure. A couple of people I spoke to this week on the east coast were surprised Texas was one of the three named for his officials this week. But they were also surprised that neither Arizona nor Duke were on that list. We’ll see. Texas gets first crack at him and that could be a big deal…25%
Brandon Rachal – Louisiana’s multi-sport star, Rachal is a coveted wide receiver as well as being a rising star on the hardwood and might be the most intriguing prospect of the group. Built in same type of mold as Kerwin Roach, Rachal oozes potential with his body control, strength in traffic and ability to make plays on both sides of the floor, but will he ever be more than an athlete playing basketball?
Prediction: there’s some buzz here, and I think there’s merit as, again, athletes like him will get their chance with Havoc and the wing spots should give him whatever time he needs to progress…65%
Jarrett Culver – Lubbock Coronado’s wing prospect is another player who reminds of Kameron McGusty from the last cycle and you just get the feeling he’s going to be an impact guy wherever he ends up. Texas, for their part, hasn’t shown him the kind of “love” they have other recruits to this point, but if he’s a plan B, he’s a damn good one.
Prediction: I get the feeling he’s going to be an odd man out when all is said and done, but there are plenty of scenarios where he could land in Austin…20%
Jordan Usher – the 6’7” wing from Georgia has a chance to be a nice player for somebody and Texas has watched him a few times this July. Still, I don’t believe his offer is committable at this point.
Prediction: don’t see it happening as of the middle of this month…10%
July Evaluation Period
It might seem overkill, but high level recruits (as used to being fawned over as they are/should already be) love having coaches, especially head coaches, at their July games. So, you can get a great sense of which recruits teams are prioritizing by watching where the staffs go and who they are watching.
For what it’s worth, Texas has been steadfast in their recruitment of Matt Coleman (point guard from Oak Hill Academy) for years. Since building a relationship with Coleman while still at VCU, Shaka has personally overseen this recruitment and been a shadow for the blue chip point guard every step of the way.
Other players Texas has prioritized…PJ Washington, Brandon Rachal, Charles O’Bannon Jr, Gerald Liddell, Matthew Mayer, Trae Young, Grant Sherfield, Joey Baker…will any of those guys end up in burnt orange? Tough to say, but Texas’ staff has made some good calls in that group.
Team USA
Jarrett Allen, Matt Coleman, PJ Washington and Trae Young were all (pretty much) locks to make Team USA’s u18 team which will be coached by Shaka this month as they head to the FIBA Americas Tournament. James Banks was less of a sure thing.
Still, to have five guys of importance to the UT program getting direct exposure to Shaka for a sustained amount of time could pay huge dividends down the road.
But one player who continues to make Texas waves over the last couple of months is while being under the proverbial radar is Jarred Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is a top-five kind of talent in a class of talented kids in the first place. Unfortunately for him, he suffered a foot injury earlier this year which has limited his playing over the summer and kept him from making the Team USA squad which he otherwise likely would have.
However, that didn’t keep Vanderbilt from heading down to watch the Team USA tryouts/workouts this week that were going on in Houston. And, according to more than one source who was there, Jarred was most often seen hanging around Banks and Allen during the entire time.
Many don’t give Vanderbilt to Texas the kind of credence it deserves. Even me, honestly. But there are a few connected folks who tell me Vanderbilt favors Texas in a big way right now and is the kind of kid who needs Shaka in his life (as strange as that is to write).
There’s a long ways to go in this one, but don’t be surprised if the public chatter for Vanderbilt and the Horns grows as time passes this cycle.
Wherever 2017 five-star combo guard Trae Young (North; Norman, Oklahoma) goes, he usually attracts a crowd. After dominant performances that helped lead his team to the Peach Jam title, Young, the nation’s No. 14 overall prospect, made the Team USA 18U roster. And when the USA team scrimmaged on Wednesday night, the first night of a July live evaluation period, John Calipari, Bill Self, and Lon Krueger arrived to keep eyes on him.
“Notre Dame has called, Georgetown has called, I’ve been talking to them a little bit. The same schools that are recruiting me then are still heavily on me now. Kentucky, Oklahoma, Washington, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech is even in there,” said Young about any new schools trying to join the mix and if the usual suspects were still after him hard.
Young also was able to rattle off the coaching staffs that watched him at the Peach Jam, including how many coaches were there. Like pretty much all top prospects, he notices, and that’s why coaching staffs always get a seat for their top targets’ games.
Living in Norman, Oklahoma means he hears from the hometown fans often, especially after Buddy Hield turned into the superstar that he did.
“It’s crazy because some fans they’re like that sometimes because they’re so in love with their school and want me to stay home. I definitely get that sometimes growing up in Norman, especially with Buddy Hield blowing up. That comes around sometimes,” he said, and added that it’s never over-the-top or bad.
Oklahoma has made Young a priority, and Krueger has been watching him often.
Another school that has watched him a ton is Texas. Young recently visited Austin in early June.
“It was great. Had a great time. Got to tour the whole campus. Got to see it all and spent a lot of time with coach Smart and the staff and with Jarrett Allen and Andrew Jones,” he said. “It was nice. Loved the campus. I grew up a UT fan.”
Yes, that last sentence isn’t just a line to make some fans happy. Young brought up his Texas fandom over a year ago when I first talked to him, and he isn’t afraid to say that growing up in Texas – he was born in Lubbock – made him a fan of the Longhorns.
“I grew up the biggest Texas fan in the world. I was born Texas so whenever you’re born in Texas, the only thing you want to do is go to the biggest school in Texas,” he said.
It still seems like Kentucky is going to be tough to beat in this one, and hometown Oklahoma is going to put up a big fight as well. But the Longhorns have been lurking for a while, and have gotten Young on campus once this spring/summer and once last one as well. I’m not saying to get your hopes up, but Young speaks positively about Texas and growing up in Texas.
He stated that he plans to take all five official visits, but doesn’t have any planned at the moment (McComas)
******
Another 2017 prospect that recently visited Texas is Alvin (Alvin) guard/wing Savion Flagg. Our friend in the industry, Scott Phillips (follow him on Twitter @phillipshoops), caught up with the nation’s No. 61 overall prospect recently at the Under Armour Finals in Georgia and got his thoughts on the recent Texas visit.
“I met with the coaching staff, [saw the] facilities. Everything is beautiful; everything is great,” Flagg said of his Texas visit.
Flagg has been one of the biggest risers on the circuit this season, and he’s built a solid relationship so far with the Texas coaches.
“We have a real good relationship. I have a real good relationship with all of the coaches at Texas,” Flagg said.
And the Longhorns have a couple of current players working in their favor.
“They just got a big piece in Jarrett Allen. [Allen] and Jacob Young are two of my good friends,” Flagg stated.
Flagg stated that he plans to narrow down his list at the end of July, and will pick out official visits. There’s some chatter that Texas A&M could be tough to beat for Flagg, but the Longhorns have positioned themselves very well here. (McComas)
*********
When the Longhorns take the floor for the 2016-17 hoops opener, they’ll be without five key seniors and Isaiah Taylor. So obviously there will be some youth in the mix that will need to step up, and some leadership that will have to emerge.
Spoke some with freshman big man, and Team USA 18U member, James Banks about the culture being developed right now at Texas, and he had some intriguing, candid things to say.
Even though he’s just a freshman, Banks, who is a very passionate player that talks a ton the moment he steps on the floor, believes he and all his teammates are encouraged to be vocal and try to lead no matter what age they are.
“Yeah, because you have to remember every freshman was just a senior, so I was a leader at my high school. When you get here not only are we a young team, but nobody is really feeling themselves so much that they can’t take a little, you know what I’m saying? Most of it is just talking – being that floor general or anchor on defense. Guys really encourage it,” he said about still being able to be vocal even though he’s a freshman.
Banks noted that everyone, from freshmen to seniors, are always in the gym and working on something. It sounds like a good amount of players’ spare time is spent in the gym, or watching film, or doing something to get better at basketball.
Smart is a big believer in building “teamship” and a connected team, and the Longhorns are doing things off the court like bowling, and sand volleyball.
“It builds culture. It starts off the court being able to trust your teammates, being able to love your teammates. Because these are your brothers. This is who you’re going to go through war with. This is who you are going to struggle with, like the volleyball,” said Banks. “This is who you’re going to have fun with, like the bowling. It’s fun. It's building character and culture so it doesn’t feel like you step on the court and it’s not your family; this is somebody you want to throw it up to and someone you want to see. So wanting everyone else to succeed. Coach says this all the time when you want to win and you want to see others do well, that’s when great things happen for everyone, including yourself.”
And according to Banks, people around campus are feeling the excitement in addition to the team.
“It’s definitely growing. The excitement is growing. Everyone stops you, ‘oh you play basketball I can’t wait to go watch. I’m excited about this year.’ It’s a lot of excitement,” said Banks. “The coaches are excited. The team is excited. We’re trying to build on that days on top of days and weeks on top of weeks.”
Just a reminder, but now that 2017 point guard Matt Coleman (Oak Hill Academy; Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) is officially a part of the USA 18U team, look for him to release a list of schools while he's overseas playing (games begin July 19th). That's what he told OB in June in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the USA trials, and that hasn't changed.
It would be a massive shock if Texas isn't on that list. Smart basically followed Coleman around all of last weekend at the Peach Invitational, and is, obviously, spending time with him now with USA Basketball. He is the top target for the Longhorns. (McComas)
“Notre Dame has called, Georgetown has called, I’ve been talking to them a little bit. The same schools that are recruiting me then are still heavily on me now. Kentucky, Oklahoma, Washington, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech is even in there,” said Young about any new schools trying to join the mix and if the usual suspects were still after him hard.
Young also was able to rattle off the coaching staffs that watched him at the Peach Jam, including how many coaches were there. Like pretty much all top prospects, he notices, and that’s why coaching staffs always get a seat for their top targets’ games.
Living in Norman, Oklahoma means he hears from the hometown fans often, especially after Buddy Hield turned into the superstar that he did.
“It’s crazy because some fans they’re like that sometimes because they’re so in love with their school and want me to stay home. I definitely get that sometimes growing up in Norman, especially with Buddy Hield blowing up. That comes around sometimes,” he said, and added that it’s never over-the-top or bad.
Oklahoma has made Young a priority, and Krueger has been watching him often.
Another school that has watched him a ton is Texas. Young recently visited Austin in early June.
“It was great. Had a great time. Got to tour the whole campus. Got to see it all and spent a lot of time with coach Smart and the staff and with Jarrett Allen and Andrew Jones,” he said. “It was nice. Loved the campus. I grew up a UT fan.”
Yes, that last sentence isn’t just a line to make some fans happy. Young brought up his Texas fandom over a year ago when I first talked to him, and he isn’t afraid to say that growing up in Texas – he was born in Lubbock – made him a fan of the Longhorns.
“I grew up the biggest Texas fan in the world. I was born Texas so whenever you’re born in Texas, the only thing you want to do is go to the biggest school in Texas,” he said.
It still seems like Kentucky is going to be tough to beat in this one, and hometown Oklahoma is going to put up a big fight as well. But the Longhorns have been lurking for a while, and have gotten Young on campus once this spring/summer and once last one as well. I’m not saying to get your hopes up, but Young speaks positively about Texas and growing up in Texas.
He stated that he plans to take all five official visits, but doesn’t have any planned at the moment (McComas)
******
Another 2017 prospect that recently visited Texas is Alvin (Alvin) guard/wing Savion Flagg. Our friend in the industry, Scott Phillips (follow him on Twitter @phillipshoops), caught up with the nation’s No. 61 overall prospect recently at the Under Armour Finals in Georgia and got his thoughts on the recent Texas visit.
“I met with the coaching staff, [saw the] facilities. Everything is beautiful; everything is great,” Flagg said of his Texas visit.
Flagg has been one of the biggest risers on the circuit this season, and he’s built a solid relationship so far with the Texas coaches.
“We have a real good relationship. I have a real good relationship with all of the coaches at Texas,” Flagg said.
And the Longhorns have a couple of current players working in their favor.
“They just got a big piece in Jarrett Allen. [Allen] and Jacob Young are two of my good friends,” Flagg stated.
Flagg stated that he plans to narrow down his list at the end of July, and will pick out official visits. There’s some chatter that Texas A&M could be tough to beat for Flagg, but the Longhorns have positioned themselves very well here. (McComas)
*********
When the Longhorns take the floor for the 2016-17 hoops opener, they’ll be without five key seniors and Isaiah Taylor. So obviously there will be some youth in the mix that will need to step up, and some leadership that will have to emerge.
Spoke some with freshman big man, and Team USA 18U member, James Banks about the culture being developed right now at Texas, and he had some intriguing, candid things to say.
Even though he’s just a freshman, Banks, who is a very passionate player that talks a ton the moment he steps on the floor, believes he and all his teammates are encouraged to be vocal and try to lead no matter what age they are.
“Yeah, because you have to remember every freshman was just a senior, so I was a leader at my high school. When you get here not only are we a young team, but nobody is really feeling themselves so much that they can’t take a little, you know what I’m saying? Most of it is just talking – being that floor general or anchor on defense. Guys really encourage it,” he said about still being able to be vocal even though he’s a freshman.
Banks noted that everyone, from freshmen to seniors, are always in the gym and working on something. It sounds like a good amount of players’ spare time is spent in the gym, or watching film, or doing something to get better at basketball.
Smart is a big believer in building “teamship” and a connected team, and the Longhorns are doing things off the court like bowling, and sand volleyball.
“It builds culture. It starts off the court being able to trust your teammates, being able to love your teammates. Because these are your brothers. This is who you’re going to go through war with. This is who you are going to struggle with, like the volleyball,” said Banks. “This is who you’re going to have fun with, like the bowling. It’s fun. It's building character and culture so it doesn’t feel like you step on the court and it’s not your family; this is somebody you want to throw it up to and someone you want to see. So wanting everyone else to succeed. Coach says this all the time when you want to win and you want to see others do well, that’s when great things happen for everyone, including yourself.”
And according to Banks, people around campus are feeling the excitement in addition to the team.
“It’s definitely growing. The excitement is growing. Everyone stops you, ‘oh you play basketball I can’t wait to go watch. I’m excited about this year.’ It’s a lot of excitement,” said Banks. “The coaches are excited. The team is excited. We’re trying to build on that days on top of days and weeks on top of weeks.”
Just a reminder, but now that 2017 point guard Matt Coleman (Oak Hill Academy; Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) is officially a part of the USA 18U team, look for him to release a list of schools while he's overseas playing (games begin July 19th). That's what he told OB in June in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the USA trials, and that hasn't changed.
It would be a massive shock if Texas isn't on that list. Smart basically followed Coleman around all of last weekend at the Peach Invitational, and is, obviously, spending time with him now with USA Basketball. He is the top target for the Longhorns. (McComas)
War Room:
Texas’ 2018 basketball class will likely be a small one, and the Longhorns have seemingly identified a few top targets already like Gerald Liddell (Cibolo Steele), Jaedon LeDee (Houston Kinkaid), Matthew Mayer (Austin Westlake) and others. A name that needs to be included as a top priority for Texas is College Park (Woodlands) guard Quentin Grimes.
Grimes, who looked like the 6-4 he’s listed at, picked up a Texas offer after the first live evaluation period in late April, and recently visited Texas in June.
“It was good. Coach Smart is real nice; real nice campus, good training [style],” he said about the Texas visit, which was his second.
The Longhorns were one of the programs to immediately jump on the nation’s No. 38 overall prospect early, and some big names have since joined the mix during the guard’s explosion as one of the premier 2018 prospects. Grimes listed Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Arizona, Kansas and Marquette as the schools recruiting him the hardest, and he has offers from all of those in addition to “10 others.”
Look for Grimes to make it to some campuses in the fall (he has a visit planned to Oklahoma, maybe Kansas, and said he’d like to get to some more during the fall).
Texas assistant Jai Lucas was at Grimes’ first game on Thursday. (McComas)
*********
This is the time of the year that college programs start making huge pushes to try to land commitments from players set to begin their senior seasons. Could 2017 Cristo Rey Jesuit (Minneapolis, Minnesota) forward Jericho Sims be one of those guys?
It’s starting to sound like Texas is making a big push for the athletic, versatile 6-8 forward that showed some inside-outside ability today in addition to great leaping and some athleticism. After Darrin Horn watched him a ton last weekend, Lucas was watching him today after Texas watched him last night too.
When I asked Sims if he had an official visits picked out, he only responded with one school.
“I’m supposed to take a visit to Texas before the school year starts,” he said, adding that it would probably be in August.
Texas’ message to Sims has been they like him so much they believe he could contribute right now.
“They actually think I could play right now for their team – combo four type. I know they have a lot of athletes on their team, so they get up the floor really quick,” said Sims, who also stated he hears a lot from Shaka Smart and Horn.
Sims, the nation’s No. 146 prospect overall that opened with a 14-point, 12-rebound performance Wednesday night at Adidas, is a very quiet kid. However, he did add that in addition to Texas the schools on him the hardest right now are Minnesota, Xavier, and Iowa State. Ohio State recently offered last week.
Because of his ability to handle the ball and really get up-and-down the floor, Sims looked like an ideal fit for what Texas likes to do on both offense and defense. There aren’t 145 better players in the 2015 class. (McComas)
********
Another 2017 combo-forward that Texas is recruiting and has a shot at is Prolific Prep (Napa Valley, California) four-star prospect Ira Lee. The nation’s No. 50 overall prospect listed Cal, Texas, Auburn, Georgia Tech, USC, and Arizona as the schools making him a priority right now. On that list are two schools that Lee wants to get to for an unofficial visit soon.
“I think in August I’m probably going to take a visit to Texas and probably Cal too. Unofficial visits. I’ll probably take officials in October,” said the 6-7 forward.
Since Texas has been recruiting him for basically a year now, Lee and the Longhorns’ head coach have developed a bond.
“Me and coach Smart are close. He’s a real genuine dude,” said Lee. “Everyone knows how he coaches. He’s an uptempo guy, that’s what kind of player I am. I think that’s how we clicked. And as a person in general, we clicked too because he’s a real great dude.”
Lee stated that location isn’t a factor for him, and that Texas believes his game fits what it likes to do well.
“He wants a combo forward that can push it, handle the ball, and make decisions,” Lee said about Smart’s message to him. “That’s what I think I thrive in, and that’s what he’s been preaching to me for a while, and I feel like I can get that done.”
Lee was born in Arizona, and moved to Los Angeles when he was 12. His father played football at USC and for the Raiders. So there are definite West Coast ties and most believe he ends up staying on that coast. However, it’s not a lock from what we’ve heard. (McComas)
Texas’ 2018 basketball class will likely be a small one, and the Longhorns have seemingly identified a few top targets already like Gerald Liddell (Cibolo Steele), Jaedon LeDee (Houston Kinkaid), Matthew Mayer (Austin Westlake) and others. A name that needs to be included as a top priority for Texas is College Park (Woodlands) guard Quentin Grimes.
Grimes, who looked like the 6-4 he’s listed at, picked up a Texas offer after the first live evaluation period in late April, and recently visited Texas in June.
“It was good. Coach Smart is real nice; real nice campus, good training [style],” he said about the Texas visit, which was his second.
The Longhorns were one of the programs to immediately jump on the nation’s No. 38 overall prospect early, and some big names have since joined the mix during the guard’s explosion as one of the premier 2018 prospects. Grimes listed Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Arizona, Kansas and Marquette as the schools recruiting him the hardest, and he has offers from all of those in addition to “10 others.”
Look for Grimes to make it to some campuses in the fall (he has a visit planned to Oklahoma, maybe Kansas, and said he’d like to get to some more during the fall).
Texas assistant Jai Lucas was at Grimes’ first game on Thursday. (McComas)
*********
This is the time of the year that college programs start making huge pushes to try to land commitments from players set to begin their senior seasons. Could 2017 Cristo Rey Jesuit (Minneapolis, Minnesota) forward Jericho Sims be one of those guys?
It’s starting to sound like Texas is making a big push for the athletic, versatile 6-8 forward that showed some inside-outside ability today in addition to great leaping and some athleticism. After Darrin Horn watched him a ton last weekend, Lucas was watching him today after Texas watched him last night too.
When I asked Sims if he had an official visits picked out, he only responded with one school.
“I’m supposed to take a visit to Texas before the school year starts,” he said, adding that it would probably be in August.
Texas’ message to Sims has been they like him so much they believe he could contribute right now.
“They actually think I could play right now for their team – combo four type. I know they have a lot of athletes on their team, so they get up the floor really quick,” said Sims, who also stated he hears a lot from Shaka Smart and Horn.
Sims, the nation’s No. 146 prospect overall that opened with a 14-point, 12-rebound performance Wednesday night at Adidas, is a very quiet kid. However, he did add that in addition to Texas the schools on him the hardest right now are Minnesota, Xavier, and Iowa State. Ohio State recently offered last week.
Because of his ability to handle the ball and really get up-and-down the floor, Sims looked like an ideal fit for what Texas likes to do on both offense and defense. There aren’t 145 better players in the 2015 class. (McComas)
********
Another 2017 combo-forward that Texas is recruiting and has a shot at is Prolific Prep (Napa Valley, California) four-star prospect Ira Lee. The nation’s No. 50 overall prospect listed Cal, Texas, Auburn, Georgia Tech, USC, and Arizona as the schools making him a priority right now. On that list are two schools that Lee wants to get to for an unofficial visit soon.
“I think in August I’m probably going to take a visit to Texas and probably Cal too. Unofficial visits. I’ll probably take officials in October,” said the 6-7 forward.
Since Texas has been recruiting him for basically a year now, Lee and the Longhorns’ head coach have developed a bond.
“Me and coach Smart are close. He’s a real genuine dude,” said Lee. “Everyone knows how he coaches. He’s an uptempo guy, that’s what kind of player I am. I think that’s how we clicked. And as a person in general, we clicked too because he’s a real great dude.”
Lee stated that location isn’t a factor for him, and that Texas believes his game fits what it likes to do well.
“He wants a combo forward that can push it, handle the ball, and make decisions,” Lee said about Smart’s message to him. “That’s what I think I thrive in, and that’s what he’s been preaching to me for a while, and I feel like I can get that done.”
Lee was born in Arizona, and moved to Los Angeles when he was 12. His father played football at USC and for the Raiders. So there are definite West Coast ties and most believe he ends up staying on that coast. However, it’s not a lock from what we’ve heard. (McComas)
If anyone was interested Shaka was the coach of the 18u USA team and they ended up winning the Gold. Congrats to Shaka and Team USA and to both of the future longhorns on helping bring home the Gold. Be excited about our future with Shaka!
Hook 'Em
Hook 'Em
Ketchum:
Well done, Shaka …
Proud to have our group represent @usabasketball AND @UTAustin with honor and class. #HookEmpic.twitter.com/y05rDuc9wL
— Texas Basketball (@TexasMBB) July 24, 2016
Although winning gold at the FIBA Americas U18 was expected, leading the team to an undefeated record and a championship win over fellow undefeated Canada on Saturday night was still a win/win situation for second-year Texas coach Shaka Smart.
Not only did Smart get a chance to work with a couple future Longhorns in a competitive setting, but these types of events are perfect for promoting his profile on a national stage.
Still, let’s not kid ourselves. Spending a few weeks with James Banks and Jarrett Allen this summer is a pretty significant development when you consider the need for both to come in and make an immediate impact this season. Before having them in a team setting with the rest of his players, Smart has had a chance to coach both kids hard, while also building them up through the experience and environment.
Bottom line - this was a good week for Texas basketball.
Well done, Shaka …
Proud to have our group represent @usabasketball AND @UTAustin with honor and class. #HookEmpic.twitter.com/y05rDuc9wL
— Texas Basketball (@TexasMBB) July 24, 2016
Although winning gold at the FIBA Americas U18 was expected, leading the team to an undefeated record and a championship win over fellow undefeated Canada on Saturday night was still a win/win situation for second-year Texas coach Shaka Smart.
Not only did Smart get a chance to work with a couple future Longhorns in a competitive setting, but these types of events are perfect for promoting his profile on a national stage.
Still, let’s not kid ourselves. Spending a few weeks with James Banks and Jarrett Allen this summer is a pretty significant development when you consider the need for both to come in and make an immediate impact this season. Before having them in a team setting with the rest of his players, Smart has had a chance to coach both kids hard, while also building them up through the experience and environment.
Bottom line - this was a good week for Texas basketball.
New commit for Shaka. Beat out the likes of Kansas, UConn, Florida, tOSU, etc.
Minneapolis, MN (Cristo Rey Jesuit HS)
Power Forward
Ht 6-8 Wt 190
CLASS OF 2017
4 star (0.9694 grade)
http://247sports.com/Player/Jericho-Sims-85289
http://www.startribune.com/four-sta...ms-commits-to-texas-over-minnesota/391732671/
Jericho Sims didn't schedule any recruiting trips after his official visit to Texas -- and now we know why.
The Cristo Rey Jesuit senior forward gave an oral commitment to the Longhorns on Monday night. He was also strongly considering Minnesota. And Sims recently received a scholarship offer from Kansas.
A 6-foot-9, 220-pound four-star prospect, Sims visited Austin, Texas over the weekend and apparently was blown away by coach Shaka Smart's staff and players.
"I just feel like I fit in the most there and not just with the players, but the coaches and the assistant coaches," Sims told Scout.com's Evan Daniels.
Sims' father, Charles, played for the Gophers in the 1970s with Flip Saunders and Mychal Thompson. He also had a brother, Dominique, who played football at the U. But the family connection to the Gophers wasn't enough to keep him home.
Now Gophers coach Richard Pitino needs to turn his full attention toward landing Champlin Park teammates McKinley Wright and Theo John. Wright, a 6-foot point guard, is scheduled to visit Minnesota this weekend.
Minneapolis, MN (Cristo Rey Jesuit HS)
Power Forward
Ht 6-8 Wt 190
CLASS OF 2017
4 star (0.9694 grade)
http://247sports.com/Player/Jericho-Sims-85289
http://www.startribune.com/four-sta...ms-commits-to-texas-over-minnesota/391732671/
Jericho Sims didn't schedule any recruiting trips after his official visit to Texas -- and now we know why.
The Cristo Rey Jesuit senior forward gave an oral commitment to the Longhorns on Monday night. He was also strongly considering Minnesota. And Sims recently received a scholarship offer from Kansas.
A 6-foot-9, 220-pound four-star prospect, Sims visited Austin, Texas over the weekend and apparently was blown away by coach Shaka Smart's staff and players.
"I just feel like I fit in the most there and not just with the players, but the coaches and the assistant coaches," Sims told Scout.com's Evan Daniels.
Sims' father, Charles, played for the Gophers in the 1970s with Flip Saunders and Mychal Thompson. He also had a brother, Dominique, who played football at the U. But the family connection to the Gophers wasn't enough to keep him home.
Now Gophers coach Richard Pitino needs to turn his full attention toward landing Champlin Park teammates McKinley Wright and Theo John. Wright, a 6-foot point guard, is scheduled to visit Minnesota this weekend.
After receiving a big commitment Tuesday morning from Cristo Rey Jesuit (Minneapolis, Minnesota) 6-9 forward Jericho Sims, who is in line for a large jump in the Rivals150 rankings when they come out, Texas is probably done in the frontcourt for 2017. Sims joins Davis (Aldine) combo-forward Royce Hamm, who has the look of a player that’s going to be a pick-and-pop four-type in college that can also play inside and a little outside.
Texas has been recruiting Norcross (Norcross) forward Rayshaun Hammonds aggressively for a while now, but with both Sims and Hamm in the fold that likely affects Texas’ desire to recruit another forward. That being said, Hammonds could maybe play on the wing a little bit, and not too much is known about his recruitment presently besides the fact that he recently tweeted out an odd final nine that included Texas.
Final 9
— shaundon (@shaun_coolin)August 29, 2016
Another player that fits that mold is Ira Lee. Lee, who attends Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, California, and included Texas in his top five. Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi reported a while back that Lee is scheduled to visit Texas on an official visit the weekend of September 30th. But when you consider that he scheduled visits to Cal and Arizona the two weeks after the Texas visit, it’s probably a little unlikely the Texas visit happens because Cal and Arizona have long been rumored to be leaders.
The names to follow the most right now with Texas 2017 basketball recruiting are Oak Hill Academy point guard Matt Coleman, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nevada) wing/forward P.J. Washington, Westfield (Spring) shooting guard Jase Febres (September 10th scheduled official visit), Victory Prep (Houston) wing Jarred Vanderbilt, and Natchitoches (Natchitoches, Louisiana) guard/wing Brandon Rachal. D.J. Harvey and Chuck O’Bannon Jr. should also be followed, but it doesn’t seem like Texas is pursuing those two as aggressively as others.
Texas remains in really good shape for Coleman, and although there has been a lot of speculation about UNLV and Washington after his father, Paul, was named the head coach at Findlay Prep, we’ve heard that this still has the feel of a Texas and Kentucky battle with Arizona strongly in the mix as well. Obviously, that could change, but the first signing period is just a little over two months away. Washington just announced he’s scheduled to take an official visit to Texas, his last of his four scheduled ones, October 28-30. (McComas)
******
We don’t expect any surprise official basketball visitors for this weekend, but there’s a chance Texas is able to reel in a couple names over the next day to get on campus Sunday. After all, it is Texas hoops’ Alumni Weekend and the Notre Dame game is, obviously, a hot ticket. (McComas)
Texas has been recruiting Norcross (Norcross) forward Rayshaun Hammonds aggressively for a while now, but with both Sims and Hamm in the fold that likely affects Texas’ desire to recruit another forward. That being said, Hammonds could maybe play on the wing a little bit, and not too much is known about his recruitment presently besides the fact that he recently tweeted out an odd final nine that included Texas.
Final 9
— shaundon (@shaun_coolin)August 29, 2016
Another player that fits that mold is Ira Lee. Lee, who attends Prolific Prep in Napa Valley, California, and included Texas in his top five. Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi reported a while back that Lee is scheduled to visit Texas on an official visit the weekend of September 30th. But when you consider that he scheduled visits to Cal and Arizona the two weeks after the Texas visit, it’s probably a little unlikely the Texas visit happens because Cal and Arizona have long been rumored to be leaders.
The names to follow the most right now with Texas 2017 basketball recruiting are Oak Hill Academy point guard Matt Coleman, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nevada) wing/forward P.J. Washington, Westfield (Spring) shooting guard Jase Febres (September 10th scheduled official visit), Victory Prep (Houston) wing Jarred Vanderbilt, and Natchitoches (Natchitoches, Louisiana) guard/wing Brandon Rachal. D.J. Harvey and Chuck O’Bannon Jr. should also be followed, but it doesn’t seem like Texas is pursuing those two as aggressively as others.
Texas remains in really good shape for Coleman, and although there has been a lot of speculation about UNLV and Washington after his father, Paul, was named the head coach at Findlay Prep, we’ve heard that this still has the feel of a Texas and Kentucky battle with Arizona strongly in the mix as well. Obviously, that could change, but the first signing period is just a little over two months away. Washington just announced he’s scheduled to take an official visit to Texas, his last of his four scheduled ones, October 28-30. (McComas)
******
We don’t expect any surprise official basketball visitors for this weekend, but there’s a chance Texas is able to reel in a couple names over the next day to get on campus Sunday. After all, it is Texas hoops’ Alumni Weekend and the Notre Dame game is, obviously, a hot ticket. (McComas)
War Room:
Texas hosted a number of 2018 unofficial visitors this past weekend, but this weekend it will host two 2017 official visitors – Davis (Aldine) forward, and Texas commitment, Royce Hamm and Westfield (Spring) guard Jase Febres. Hamm also visited the previous weekend, but here’s why he’s back in Austin again an on his official visit: as we’ve written about before, he and Febres are very, very tight. So not only will Texas be hosting Febres, who recently made his debut as the No. 63 player overall in the updated Rivals150, but it’ll have his close friend reinforcing the Longhorns’ pitch.
We caught up with Febres very briefly before his official visit began – he landed in the Austin airport Thursday night – and he’ll approach his visit wanting to know, more specifically, about his potential role at Texas.
“I just need to know what my role on the team would be in more detail,” Febres said. “Really just focusing on my fit on the team. I want to talk to Shaka more about my role. I already have a family feel about Texas. Everything is positive. Just my playing time, and more information about how they’d want to use me and my fit.”
Already, the 6-5 guard, who is most well-known for his ability to get off a quick jumper from anywhere, has a general idea that Texas would use him to do a bit of everything as a guard and not just as a sniper.
“They want me do everything. The way they play… they sub and go fast. Just more in detail about it,” he said.
Febres mentioned that family feel above, and he is coming off a recent unofficial visit to Texas. Hamm accompanied him on that trip as well, and it’s safe to say the Longhorn commitment has been doing some constant recruiting of Febres.
“Oh yeah. He’s been texting me all the time. He doesn’t want me to pass up the opportunity to play with him and to be able to play together… playing with him would be a plus.”
Our feel? If Texas knocks this one out of the park this weekend with Febres in attendance, it is going to be hard to beat. Playing time, role on the team, and fit are things Febres definitely weighs and thinks about. But if what Texas tells him in more detail is what he’s looking for, it will be in prime position down the stretch.
From what we’ve heard, Houston, where Febres just took an official visit too last week, is the main competition for the Longhorns right now. He has official visits planned to Stanford next week, and Baylor the following week. He’s told OB in the past he wants to decide and sign during the first period (middle of November). (McComas)
*****
In case you missed it this past weekend, the recruitment of Texas’ top target, 2017 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) point guard Matt Coleman became interesting once reports emerged that Kansas and Duke both extended scholarship offers.
A little context: at this time of the year, programs often have their “boards” established, and at this time of the year, the dominoes start to fall. For example, the sudden threat of Syracuse beating Duke for five- star point guard Quade Green and Kansas point guard target Makai Ashton-Langford committing to Connecticut result in dominoes falling, and programs moving on to other targets (although there’s still a very real chance Green ends up at Duke). Hence Coleman suddenly receiving offers from Duke and Kansas because we know it’s not like Coleman just suddenly made huge improvements, and there weren’t any evaluation periods recently. Originally, from what we heard from people across the country, there was some thought the Duke offer was a bit up in the air because it was unclear how much Duke liked the four-star point guard as a prospect. But we were told by multiple people this week that the Duke offer is legit.
Thursday, national reports emerged that Coleman scheduled five official visits – Duke (9/16), Stanford (9/30), Kansas (10/15), Syracuse (10/22), and Texas (10/29).
The interesting aspect about the official visit to Texas, which we confirmed, is it’s the same weekend five-star P.J. Washington is visiting as well. Both Coleman and Washington have spoken before about playing together, including in our story from June in Colorado Springs, Colorado at USA Basketball.https://texas.rivals.com/news/usa-basketball-talkative-coleman-is-a-player-others-want-to-play-with
Duke getting the first crack might, understandably, worry Texas fans, but I can’t imagine Coleman making a decision before visiting Texas, who was thought to be the leader, and still is, in my opinion, prior to the Duke and Kansas offers. Texas is, by far, the program on that list that has recruited Coleman the longest and hardest, which are aspects he’s spoken before about noticing. Shaka Smart was his coach at USA Basketball, and coached Briante Weber at VUC, a Virginia native that is very close to Coleman. Then again, Kansas and Duke just jumped in the mix and ended up on the list.
We’ll see how it all unfolds, but I’m of the opinion, right now, that Texas remains in very good shape for Coleman. (McComas)
******
After Texas received a commitment from 2017 big man Jericho Sims, we mentioned it might be done in the frontcourt, and that probably meant Texas would pull back from four-star combo-forward Ira Lee. Lee positioned his Texas official visit after Cal and Arizona, who are thought to be the clear leaders.
So it wasn’t a surprise last night that Lee tweeted out an updated official visit list that didn’t include Texas after his original one weeks ago did.
Texas hosted a number of 2018 unofficial visitors this past weekend, but this weekend it will host two 2017 official visitors – Davis (Aldine) forward, and Texas commitment, Royce Hamm and Westfield (Spring) guard Jase Febres. Hamm also visited the previous weekend, but here’s why he’s back in Austin again an on his official visit: as we’ve written about before, he and Febres are very, very tight. So not only will Texas be hosting Febres, who recently made his debut as the No. 63 player overall in the updated Rivals150, but it’ll have his close friend reinforcing the Longhorns’ pitch.
We caught up with Febres very briefly before his official visit began – he landed in the Austin airport Thursday night – and he’ll approach his visit wanting to know, more specifically, about his potential role at Texas.
“I just need to know what my role on the team would be in more detail,” Febres said. “Really just focusing on my fit on the team. I want to talk to Shaka more about my role. I already have a family feel about Texas. Everything is positive. Just my playing time, and more information about how they’d want to use me and my fit.”
Already, the 6-5 guard, who is most well-known for his ability to get off a quick jumper from anywhere, has a general idea that Texas would use him to do a bit of everything as a guard and not just as a sniper.
“They want me do everything. The way they play… they sub and go fast. Just more in detail about it,” he said.
Febres mentioned that family feel above, and he is coming off a recent unofficial visit to Texas. Hamm accompanied him on that trip as well, and it’s safe to say the Longhorn commitment has been doing some constant recruiting of Febres.
“Oh yeah. He’s been texting me all the time. He doesn’t want me to pass up the opportunity to play with him and to be able to play together… playing with him would be a plus.”
Our feel? If Texas knocks this one out of the park this weekend with Febres in attendance, it is going to be hard to beat. Playing time, role on the team, and fit are things Febres definitely weighs and thinks about. But if what Texas tells him in more detail is what he’s looking for, it will be in prime position down the stretch.
From what we’ve heard, Houston, where Febres just took an official visit too last week, is the main competition for the Longhorns right now. He has official visits planned to Stanford next week, and Baylor the following week. He’s told OB in the past he wants to decide and sign during the first period (middle of November). (McComas)
*****
In case you missed it this past weekend, the recruitment of Texas’ top target, 2017 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) point guard Matt Coleman became interesting once reports emerged that Kansas and Duke both extended scholarship offers.
A little context: at this time of the year, programs often have their “boards” established, and at this time of the year, the dominoes start to fall. For example, the sudden threat of Syracuse beating Duke for five- star point guard Quade Green and Kansas point guard target Makai Ashton-Langford committing to Connecticut result in dominoes falling, and programs moving on to other targets (although there’s still a very real chance Green ends up at Duke). Hence Coleman suddenly receiving offers from Duke and Kansas because we know it’s not like Coleman just suddenly made huge improvements, and there weren’t any evaluation periods recently. Originally, from what we heard from people across the country, there was some thought the Duke offer was a bit up in the air because it was unclear how much Duke liked the four-star point guard as a prospect. But we were told by multiple people this week that the Duke offer is legit.
Thursday, national reports emerged that Coleman scheduled five official visits – Duke (9/16), Stanford (9/30), Kansas (10/15), Syracuse (10/22), and Texas (10/29).
The interesting aspect about the official visit to Texas, which we confirmed, is it’s the same weekend five-star P.J. Washington is visiting as well. Both Coleman and Washington have spoken before about playing together, including in our story from June in Colorado Springs, Colorado at USA Basketball.https://texas.rivals.com/news/usa-basketball-talkative-coleman-is-a-player-others-want-to-play-with
Duke getting the first crack might, understandably, worry Texas fans, but I can’t imagine Coleman making a decision before visiting Texas, who was thought to be the leader, and still is, in my opinion, prior to the Duke and Kansas offers. Texas is, by far, the program on that list that has recruited Coleman the longest and hardest, which are aspects he’s spoken before about noticing. Shaka Smart was his coach at USA Basketball, and coached Briante Weber at VUC, a Virginia native that is very close to Coleman. Then again, Kansas and Duke just jumped in the mix and ended up on the list.
We’ll see how it all unfolds, but I’m of the opinion, right now, that Texas remains in very good shape for Coleman. (McComas)
******
After Texas received a commitment from 2017 big man Jericho Sims, we mentioned it might be done in the frontcourt, and that probably meant Texas would pull back from four-star combo-forward Ira Lee. Lee positioned his Texas official visit after Cal and Arizona, who are thought to be the clear leaders.
So it wasn’t a surprise last night that Lee tweeted out an updated official visit list that didn’t include Texas after his original one weeks ago did.
From: Tim Preston
The Longhorns Basketball program hosted a couple of important visitors this weekend.
Current UT commit Royce Hamm (6’8” forward out of Aldine Davis) came in after pledging to Shaka Smart on July 1st.
He was accompanied by his close friend, and fellow four-star recruit, Jase Febres out of Westfield.
Febres, the 6’5” shooter, has seen his stock rise from a borderline top 150 player, to a borderline top 50 one. Jase’s size and, in particular, his shooting range and consistency make him a terrific fit for Smart who has made a habit of picking up tall, multitalented guards during his time in Austin.
Febres will likely make his visit to Stanford next weekend and Baylor the weekend after that, but don’t be surprised if a commitment decision were to come out any day. Could be today. Could be at the beginning of next month.
Regardless, Texas looks good for the senior guard.
Elsewhere, much has been made of Texas’ point guard target Matt Coleman’s offers from Kansas and Duke over the last few weeks.
Coleman, as has been stated multiple times around here and elsewhere, I’m sure, has been the subject of a years-long recruiting process between him and the Texas staff dating back to when Coach Smart was at VCU.
Kansas, I’ve been told, is not a concerning factor. Duke, on the other hand, may well be. That’s speculation, to be clear, but an AAU coach in the Charlotte area who I spoke to has close Duke ties and they think they’re right in it.
That, as an understatement, would be devastating for Shaka and the program. Not that Coleman’s the greatest recruit ever, but to have that kind of relationship blow up a month before signing day because of an offer from one of the top three programs in the country.
Tough to deal with, but a reality nonetheless.
For what it’s worth, I expect both Coleman and Febres to end up Horns before the early signing period.
The Longhorns Basketball program hosted a couple of important visitors this weekend.
Current UT commit Royce Hamm (6’8” forward out of Aldine Davis) came in after pledging to Shaka Smart on July 1st.
He was accompanied by his close friend, and fellow four-star recruit, Jase Febres out of Westfield.
Febres, the 6’5” shooter, has seen his stock rise from a borderline top 150 player, to a borderline top 50 one. Jase’s size and, in particular, his shooting range and consistency make him a terrific fit for Smart who has made a habit of picking up tall, multitalented guards during his time in Austin.
Febres will likely make his visit to Stanford next weekend and Baylor the weekend after that, but don’t be surprised if a commitment decision were to come out any day. Could be today. Could be at the beginning of next month.
Regardless, Texas looks good for the senior guard.
Elsewhere, much has been made of Texas’ point guard target Matt Coleman’s offers from Kansas and Duke over the last few weeks.
Coleman, as has been stated multiple times around here and elsewhere, I’m sure, has been the subject of a years-long recruiting process between him and the Texas staff dating back to when Coach Smart was at VCU.
Kansas, I’ve been told, is not a concerning factor. Duke, on the other hand, may well be. That’s speculation, to be clear, but an AAU coach in the Charlotte area who I spoke to has close Duke ties and they think they’re right in it.
That, as an understatement, would be devastating for Shaka and the program. Not that Coleman’s the greatest recruit ever, but to have that kind of relationship blow up a month before signing day because of an offer from one of the top three programs in the country.
Tough to deal with, but a reality nonetheless.
For what it’s worth, I expect both Coleman and Febres to end up Horns before the early signing period.
If losing one recruit is devistating for your program then your program is in trouble. That's not the case at Texas. Would it suck? Absolutely, but it happens. To call it devistating is a pretty big overstatement
If anyone's still interested in Longhorn basketball after this past runaway clown car of a season, Cibolo Steele SF Gerald Liddell, the No. 2 player in Texas and the No. 40 overall player nationally in the 247 composite for 2018, committed to Texas today.
Big-time get for the Horns. Maybe we'll get out of the first weekend of the tournament again before I die.
http://texas.247sports.com/Bolt/Four-star-SF-Gerald-Liddell-commits-to-Texas-105977322
Big-time get for the Horns. Maybe we'll get out of the first weekend of the tournament again before I die.
http://texas.247sports.com/Bolt/Four-star-SF-Gerald-Liddell-commits-to-Texas-105977322
I appreciate the basketball love. We need to keep getting studs.
A quick rundown on the Longhorns’ four main recruiting targets in the 2018 class. Yes, I think the list is four now:
Keldon Johnson (G – Oak Hill Academy; Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) – Ever since the official visit to Maryland, it sounds like people close to the five-star guard prefer he stay closer to home. Obviously, Maryland is close by. Kentucky isn’t too far either, and it is making a hard push and selling Johnson on being the guy. That’s going to be tougher to do when/if Zion Williamson and Bol Bol jump on board, but it is what it is. And Kentucky is gaining momentum as well.
So, where is Texas? Well, it doesn’t sound like it’s in the position it was prior to the Maryland visit, and the threat of location always loomed. If this was just Keldon making a pick, I think Texas would win out. However, the Maryland visit complicated things and created a lot of discussion in his camp. This recruitment still could go a few ways, but decision-time is looming for the five-star.
Quentin Grimes (G – College Park; The Woodlands) – Grimes, rated as the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2018 class, will take his fourth and final official visit to Marquette this weekend. Following his recent official visit to Kansas, who is still thought to be the leader, I’ve heard his recruitment could be closer to 50-50 (Texas-Kansas) than people think. Grimes is a big fan of Shaka Smart, and the Texas official visit was a great one.
From what I’ve heard, he plans to decide in around a month, which would put a decision right around the first signing period, although it’s possible he holds off some, which could be caused by adidas’s link to the FBI investigation and Kansas being an adidas school.
Grimes wants to play some point guard in college, and could do that alongside Matt Coleman next year like Andrew Jones will this year. With five-star point guard Devon Dotson committing to Kansas, that makes playing point guard more crowded. Texas has made it clear Grimes is skilled enough to run point, and would be able to at Texas. That’s a priority to him.
Kamaka Hepa (F – Jefferson; Portland, Oregon) – The Alaska native keeps a low profile on the recruiting scene, and his AAU coach Mike Plank told me earlier this week a decision could come within the next two weeks. Since he has yet to schedule any other official visits, Gonzaga and Texas remain the two biggest contenders, and it could go either way, although I’d give Texas the slight edge.
Courtney Ramey (G – Webster Groves; Webster Groves, Missouri) – As we reported earlier today, Shaka Smart made the trip to Missouri to see Ramey today, and I think the Longhorns are close to making a big move for the nation’s No. 39 overall product. A one-time Louisville commitment, Ramey decommitted following the FBI investigation that led to Rick Pitino leaving Louisville.
Prior to his commitment to Louisville, Texas was one of the main teams Ramey was considering, and it remained in contact after the commitment. Recently, the Longhorns reaffirmed their interest once he opened up his recruitment.
Summary: I think Texas will sign one difference-maker at guard, and remains even or better to sign Hepa. (McComas)
******
A few hoops team notes:
--- An example of what Texas is going to ask freshman Matt Coleman to do took place during Wednesday night’s Texas Tip-off. The stats he needed to hit focused on his team (win) and getting other guys their shots.
“It’s why he’s going to be special. Not talent. Team. His (talent) is the team,” a source said referencing his unique ability to make everyone around him better.
--- I get the sense from talking to people that Texas really likes the potential of its starting five and then the first couple of players off the bench. If the Longhorns can get more, they could develop into a really good team. Smart repeatedly, on Monday, mentioned the importance of staying healthy, which I think alludes to both his excitement about his main pieces and also the youthfulness of the depth beyond them.
--- Dylan Osetkowski is going to be the main focal point of the Texas offense. Is Mohamed Bamba a better player? Yeah, probably. I’ve had multiple people tell me he's the best big that’s played at Texas, and there’s still room for a lot of development as a player this season. But Osetkowski is going to be the guy that makes the Longhorns go.
--- If Andrew Jones and Kerwin Roach, Jr. consistently dedicate themselves on the defensive end, a couple people I’ve talked to think the 2017-18 Longhorns will be a better defense than last year’s group that finished No. 21 in efficiency nationally. Think top 10, potentially.
Offense? We’ll see. Guards have to prove they can make plays and knock shots with the help of their promising frontcourt, but as Wednesday’s scrimmage showed, there’s already more depth to the half-court offense than most games last season. (McComas)
Keldon Johnson (G – Oak Hill Academy; Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) – Ever since the official visit to Maryland, it sounds like people close to the five-star guard prefer he stay closer to home. Obviously, Maryland is close by. Kentucky isn’t too far either, and it is making a hard push and selling Johnson on being the guy. That’s going to be tougher to do when/if Zion Williamson and Bol Bol jump on board, but it is what it is. And Kentucky is gaining momentum as well.
So, where is Texas? Well, it doesn’t sound like it’s in the position it was prior to the Maryland visit, and the threat of location always loomed. If this was just Keldon making a pick, I think Texas would win out. However, the Maryland visit complicated things and created a lot of discussion in his camp. This recruitment still could go a few ways, but decision-time is looming for the five-star.
Quentin Grimes (G – College Park; The Woodlands) – Grimes, rated as the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2018 class, will take his fourth and final official visit to Marquette this weekend. Following his recent official visit to Kansas, who is still thought to be the leader, I’ve heard his recruitment could be closer to 50-50 (Texas-Kansas) than people think. Grimes is a big fan of Shaka Smart, and the Texas official visit was a great one.
From what I’ve heard, he plans to decide in around a month, which would put a decision right around the first signing period, although it’s possible he holds off some, which could be caused by adidas’s link to the FBI investigation and Kansas being an adidas school.
Grimes wants to play some point guard in college, and could do that alongside Matt Coleman next year like Andrew Jones will this year. With five-star point guard Devon Dotson committing to Kansas, that makes playing point guard more crowded. Texas has made it clear Grimes is skilled enough to run point, and would be able to at Texas. That’s a priority to him.
Kamaka Hepa (F – Jefferson; Portland, Oregon) – The Alaska native keeps a low profile on the recruiting scene, and his AAU coach Mike Plank told me earlier this week a decision could come within the next two weeks. Since he has yet to schedule any other official visits, Gonzaga and Texas remain the two biggest contenders, and it could go either way, although I’d give Texas the slight edge.
Courtney Ramey (G – Webster Groves; Webster Groves, Missouri) – As we reported earlier today, Shaka Smart made the trip to Missouri to see Ramey today, and I think the Longhorns are close to making a big move for the nation’s No. 39 overall product. A one-time Louisville commitment, Ramey decommitted following the FBI investigation that led to Rick Pitino leaving Louisville.
Prior to his commitment to Louisville, Texas was one of the main teams Ramey was considering, and it remained in contact after the commitment. Recently, the Longhorns reaffirmed their interest once he opened up his recruitment.
Summary: I think Texas will sign one difference-maker at guard, and remains even or better to sign Hepa. (McComas)
******
A few hoops team notes:
--- An example of what Texas is going to ask freshman Matt Coleman to do took place during Wednesday night’s Texas Tip-off. The stats he needed to hit focused on his team (win) and getting other guys their shots.
“It’s why he’s going to be special. Not talent. Team. His (talent) is the team,” a source said referencing his unique ability to make everyone around him better.
--- I get the sense from talking to people that Texas really likes the potential of its starting five and then the first couple of players off the bench. If the Longhorns can get more, they could develop into a really good team. Smart repeatedly, on Monday, mentioned the importance of staying healthy, which I think alludes to both his excitement about his main pieces and also the youthfulness of the depth beyond them.
--- Dylan Osetkowski is going to be the main focal point of the Texas offense. Is Mohamed Bamba a better player? Yeah, probably. I’ve had multiple people tell me he's the best big that’s played at Texas, and there’s still room for a lot of development as a player this season. But Osetkowski is going to be the guy that makes the Longhorns go.
--- If Andrew Jones and Kerwin Roach, Jr. consistently dedicate themselves on the defensive end, a couple people I’ve talked to think the 2017-18 Longhorns will be a better defense than last year’s group that finished No. 21 in efficiency nationally. Think top 10, potentially.
Offense? We’ll see. Guards have to prove they can make plays and knock shots with the help of their promising frontcourt, but as Wednesday’s scrimmage showed, there’s already more depth to the half-court offense than most games last season. (McComas)
I really like this team. When Taylor decided to leave I knew year 2 would be a struggle for Shaka. This team has the potential and expierence to really show what we can expect going forward.
Shaka needs to make a good showing this year or he's probably going to be in trouble. Texas is paying him way too much money for what little he's shown so far.
He would probably have to have a disaster of a season to be in much trouble. Year 1 was ok. Made it to the tournament lost on a buzzer beater. It happens. If we have another year like last year he’s probably in trouble. I doubt that happens though. Talent wise this is probably the best team Texas has had in a while. 2 probable first round draft picks. Maybe a 3rd.
College Park (The Woodlands) 2018 five-star guard Quentin Grimes wrapped up his official visit process with his trip last weekend to Marquette. Marquette again presented an intriguing opportunity, which would allow Grimes to be the featured piece on a quality team with some nice parts around him.
But I heard it didn’t intrigue him enough. What probably worked against Marquette is the timing of the official visit because it sounds like Grimes is worn down by the recruiting process, and wants to get things over.
What does that mean? Well, multiple people have told me that the nation’s No. 11 player is essentially down to Kansas and Texas. While I still believe, based on the information I’ve gathered, Kansas still leads, it seems like Texas is slowly closing the gap; the Longhorns haven’t been able to get over the hump yet, but they’re maybe as close right now as they’ve been at any other point of this recruitment. And they still have their final in-home visit to use, which will happen next week. I believe Kansas recently used their final visit earlier this week.
One way to tell Texas is a legitimate option? From what I’ve heard through some AAU connections, Kansas is doing its best to paint itself in a positive light and is getting a little nervous about Texas’s standing in the recruitment.
Grimes attended Wednesday night’s Texas versus Texas A&M exhibition at Rice, and I heard he and Shaka Smart spoke on the phone after the game. What’s working the most right now for Texas is proximity and comfort; Grimes and Smart’s relationship is the best among the head coaches recruiting the very talented combo guard, who would play some point at Texas similar to Andrew Jones playing it last night for extended minutes.
Meanwhile, Kansas is trying to sell Grimes on teaming with Devon Dotson to be the next Devonte' Graham and Frank Mason, but if Romeo Langford picks Kansas as expected and both Malik Newman (likely) and Marcus Garrett (extremely likely) return for next season, it’s not easy to find a lot of minutes for Grimes.
Basically, Kansas still holds an edge, but Texas is gaining momentum at the right time with a decision looming. (McComas)
******
As for five-star Keldon Johnson, heard that Texas head coach Shaka Smart was in Virginia today seeing him. No one seems to have a firm feel for which way this recruitment will go. (McComas)
******
If you missed it, we reported earlier that Jefferson (Portland, Oregon) forward Kamaka Hepa will decide soon, according to his AAU coach Mike Plank. Per Plank, Hepa, the nation’s No. 46 prospect, will make a decision by Monday, and is expected to announce after the weekend.
My feel on this one, as it stands right now, hasn’t changed: Texas slightly ahead of Gonzaga. (McComas)
******
Maybe this was overlooked after Texas’s 73-69 win over Texas A&M in Wednesday night’s exhibition at Rice to benefit the Rebuild Texas Relief Fund. Maybe it wasn’t.
Jericho Sims has a lot of people around the Texas program excited right now after his performance against Texas A&M. The performance didn’t result in the kind of numbers people go nuts about, but they were solid. The 6-9 freshman from Minnesota scored six points, grabbed two rebounds, and led his team with three blocks. But keep this in mind: that was Sims’s first game ever against a collegiate team, and he faced arguably the nation’s best frontcourt.
I asked Shaka Smart after the game about Sims, and he described the jump in competition for the Minnesota product as a “quantum leap” before adding that his freshman “didn’t play with any type of fear.”
In the face of future lottery pick Robert Williams, bruising, All-SEC junior big man Tyler Davis, and skilled senior Tonny Trocha-Morelos, Sims didn’t blink. And until freshmen out on the hardwood against good veteran college opponents, coaches don’t know for sure how they’re going to respond. Sims, who is an extremely quiet young man by nature but is slowly coming out of his shell, responded by playing with impressive strength, and constantly competed. And he created quite a buzz by doing so.
It should be repeated that it’s going to take Sims a while to get fully acclimated to college basketball. Smart mentioned at Big 12 Media Day Sims is very hard on himself, and will have to learn how to leave one play behind and go on to make the next one. But after his showing against Texas A&M, he created as much positive conversation as any player on the Texas roster. (McComas)
But I heard it didn’t intrigue him enough. What probably worked against Marquette is the timing of the official visit because it sounds like Grimes is worn down by the recruiting process, and wants to get things over.
What does that mean? Well, multiple people have told me that the nation’s No. 11 player is essentially down to Kansas and Texas. While I still believe, based on the information I’ve gathered, Kansas still leads, it seems like Texas is slowly closing the gap; the Longhorns haven’t been able to get over the hump yet, but they’re maybe as close right now as they’ve been at any other point of this recruitment. And they still have their final in-home visit to use, which will happen next week. I believe Kansas recently used their final visit earlier this week.
One way to tell Texas is a legitimate option? From what I’ve heard through some AAU connections, Kansas is doing its best to paint itself in a positive light and is getting a little nervous about Texas’s standing in the recruitment.
Grimes attended Wednesday night’s Texas versus Texas A&M exhibition at Rice, and I heard he and Shaka Smart spoke on the phone after the game. What’s working the most right now for Texas is proximity and comfort; Grimes and Smart’s relationship is the best among the head coaches recruiting the very talented combo guard, who would play some point at Texas similar to Andrew Jones playing it last night for extended minutes.
Meanwhile, Kansas is trying to sell Grimes on teaming with Devon Dotson to be the next Devonte' Graham and Frank Mason, but if Romeo Langford picks Kansas as expected and both Malik Newman (likely) and Marcus Garrett (extremely likely) return for next season, it’s not easy to find a lot of minutes for Grimes.
Basically, Kansas still holds an edge, but Texas is gaining momentum at the right time with a decision looming. (McComas)
******
As for five-star Keldon Johnson, heard that Texas head coach Shaka Smart was in Virginia today seeing him. No one seems to have a firm feel for which way this recruitment will go. (McComas)
******
If you missed it, we reported earlier that Jefferson (Portland, Oregon) forward Kamaka Hepa will decide soon, according to his AAU coach Mike Plank. Per Plank, Hepa, the nation’s No. 46 prospect, will make a decision by Monday, and is expected to announce after the weekend.
My feel on this one, as it stands right now, hasn’t changed: Texas slightly ahead of Gonzaga. (McComas)
******
Maybe this was overlooked after Texas’s 73-69 win over Texas A&M in Wednesday night’s exhibition at Rice to benefit the Rebuild Texas Relief Fund. Maybe it wasn’t.
Jericho Sims has a lot of people around the Texas program excited right now after his performance against Texas A&M. The performance didn’t result in the kind of numbers people go nuts about, but they were solid. The 6-9 freshman from Minnesota scored six points, grabbed two rebounds, and led his team with three blocks. But keep this in mind: that was Sims’s first game ever against a collegiate team, and he faced arguably the nation’s best frontcourt.
I asked Shaka Smart after the game about Sims, and he described the jump in competition for the Minnesota product as a “quantum leap” before adding that his freshman “didn’t play with any type of fear.”
In the face of future lottery pick Robert Williams, bruising, All-SEC junior big man Tyler Davis, and skilled senior Tonny Trocha-Morelos, Sims didn’t blink. And until freshmen out on the hardwood against good veteran college opponents, coaches don’t know for sure how they’re going to respond. Sims, who is an extremely quiet young man by nature but is slowly coming out of his shell, responded by playing with impressive strength, and constantly competed. And he created quite a buzz by doing so.
It should be repeated that it’s going to take Sims a while to get fully acclimated to college basketball. Smart mentioned at Big 12 Media Day Sims is very hard on himself, and will have to learn how to leave one play behind and go on to make the next one. But after his showing against Texas A&M, he created as much positive conversation as any player on the Texas roster. (McComas)
Quick update on freshman big man Mohamed Bamba, who suffered a concussion in Sunday’s practice and missed Tuesday’s game:
We’ve heard that Bamba continues to progress well, and that his presence around the team during Tuesday’s game represented that he’s progressing well through the protocol. No one has expressed concern about the concussion and his status moving forward, and Shaka Smart said Tuesday he was hopeful Bamba would be back Saturday. After Friday’s practice, the medical staff will likely make a determination about his Saturday status, or update his recovery.
We’ve heard that Bamba continues to progress well, and that his presence around the team during Tuesday’s game represented that he’s progressing well through the protocol. No one has expressed concern about the concussion and his status moving forward, and Shaka Smart said Tuesday he was hopeful Bamba would be back Saturday. After Friday’s practice, the medical staff will likely make a determination about his Saturday status, or update his recovery.
A couple hoops recruiting nuggets:
--- The Texas staff was back out on the road recruiting. At the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, Texas assistant Mike Morrell watched 2019 big Isaiah Stewart of La Lumiere, and top 2018 Texas target Courtney Ramey is currently playing.
--- With more visits still upcoming for Ramey, it remains too early to speculate about leaders. They continue to take the process slowly.
--- Stewart is emerging as a top priority for Texas in the 2019 class along with five-star Austin Westlake big man Will Baker, Guyer (Denton) four-star wing/combo forward Jalen Wilson, five-star point guard Josiah James, and more. Those are some names to definitely follow.
--- The Texas staff was back out on the road recruiting. At the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, Texas assistant Mike Morrell watched 2019 big Isaiah Stewart of La Lumiere, and top 2018 Texas target Courtney Ramey is currently playing.
--- With more visits still upcoming for Ramey, it remains too early to speculate about leaders. They continue to take the process slowly.
--- Stewart is emerging as a top priority for Texas in the 2019 class along with five-star Austin Westlake big man Will Baker, Guyer (Denton) four-star wing/combo forward Jalen Wilson, five-star point guard Josiah James, and more. Those are some names to definitely follow.
Texas lands seven-foot five-star C Will Baker of Westlake High over UCLA.
I know that enthusiasm for Texas basketball is at or near a 20-year low, but this is very good news. Not following basketball recruiting closely in general lately, but what little I've read indicates that Baker is much more offensively polished than Allen or Bamba and is also likely to be a multi-year player.
https://247sports.com/college/texas...ar-C-Will-Baker-of-Austin-Westlake-124431122/
Texas lands five-star center Will Baker
Shaka Smart and Texas added a third piece and the biggest — literally and figuratively speaking — to this point in the 2019 recruiting class. Austin Westlake five-star center Will Baker committed to the Longhorns on Friday during a ceremony at Westlake High School.
The No. 20 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Baker is the third verbal commitment earned by Smart and the Longhorns in the current recruiting cycle. Baker joins a class that includes four-star forward Kai Jones (Wolfeboro, N.H./Brewster Academy) and four-star Fort Bend Elkins guard Donovan Williams.
The 7-foot, 235-pound Baker chose Texas over UCLA with Georgetown and Stanford among the schools that pursued him. One of Baker’s most recent trips to the Forty Acres was for the Texas Tip-Off event in October where current Texas point guard grabbed a sign from a fan encouraging Baker to pick the Longhorns and flashed it in front of the elite big man.
Baker must have received the message because he’s now in the fold. Baker’s commitment gives Smart a verbal commitment from a five-star big man for the third time in the last four recruiting cycles as Baker follows Jarrett Allen in 2016 and Mohamed Bamba in 2017.
Allen and Bamba both spent one season at Texas before declaring for the NBA draft. Allen was the 22nd overall pick in 2017 by the Brooklyn Nets while Bamba was selected No. 6 overall in 2018 by the Orlando Magic.
With a comparison made between Baker and three-time NBA All-Star center Marc Gasol, 247Sports Director of Basketball Recruiting Evan Daniels filed a positive scouting report on Baker in September that suggests he’s a piece Smart and Co. can build around for the future.
“Baker has good size, a sturdy build and a strong base for a center prospect,” Daniels wrote. “He carves out good position in the paint, is a good area rebounder and has immense potential on the offensive end. Has good hands and nice touch around the goal. He is a confident shooter from mid- and long-range, and has value in this area. Has an impressive feel for the game and is a very good passer. He’s also a capable rim runner that plays and competes on both ends of the floor. Consistency can be an area for improvement, as well as continuing to develop his post counters. Baker is tracking as a multi-year college player.”
This story is developing.
I know that enthusiasm for Texas basketball is at or near a 20-year low, but this is very good news. Not following basketball recruiting closely in general lately, but what little I've read indicates that Baker is much more offensively polished than Allen or Bamba and is also likely to be a multi-year player.
https://247sports.com/college/texas...ar-C-Will-Baker-of-Austin-Westlake-124431122/
Texas lands five-star center Will Baker
Shaka Smart and Texas added a third piece and the biggest — literally and figuratively speaking — to this point in the 2019 recruiting class. Austin Westlake five-star center Will Baker committed to the Longhorns on Friday during a ceremony at Westlake High School.
The No. 20 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Baker is the third verbal commitment earned by Smart and the Longhorns in the current recruiting cycle. Baker joins a class that includes four-star forward Kai Jones (Wolfeboro, N.H./Brewster Academy) and four-star Fort Bend Elkins guard Donovan Williams.
The 7-foot, 235-pound Baker chose Texas over UCLA with Georgetown and Stanford among the schools that pursued him. One of Baker’s most recent trips to the Forty Acres was for the Texas Tip-Off event in October where current Texas point guard grabbed a sign from a fan encouraging Baker to pick the Longhorns and flashed it in front of the elite big man.
Baker must have received the message because he’s now in the fold. Baker’s commitment gives Smart a verbal commitment from a five-star big man for the third time in the last four recruiting cycles as Baker follows Jarrett Allen in 2016 and Mohamed Bamba in 2017.
Allen and Bamba both spent one season at Texas before declaring for the NBA draft. Allen was the 22nd overall pick in 2017 by the Brooklyn Nets while Bamba was selected No. 6 overall in 2018 by the Orlando Magic.
With a comparison made between Baker and three-time NBA All-Star center Marc Gasol, 247Sports Director of Basketball Recruiting Evan Daniels filed a positive scouting report on Baker in September that suggests he’s a piece Smart and Co. can build around for the future.
“Baker has good size, a sturdy build and a strong base for a center prospect,” Daniels wrote. “He carves out good position in the paint, is a good area rebounder and has immense potential on the offensive end. Has good hands and nice touch around the goal. He is a confident shooter from mid- and long-range, and has value in this area. Has an impressive feel for the game and is a very good passer. He’s also a capable rim runner that plays and competes on both ends of the floor. Consistency can be an area for improvement, as well as continuing to develop his post counters. Baker is tracking as a multi-year college player.”
This story is developing.
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