This week on TCH LiVE is our 5 Year Anniversary Party hosted by Matt Berkey & Solve For Why Team!
Friday March 6th @ 6PM- 5/10 NLH (Hosted by Matt Berkey)- on TCH LiVE!
Saturday March 7th @ 12:30PM- $300 + $40 Buy-In NLH Tournament (Hosted by Matt Berkey)-with $30,000 GTD prize pool!- Final Table Streamed on TCH LiVE!
Sunday March 8th @ 6PM- 5/5 NLH (Hosted by Matt Berkey) on TCH LiVE!
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(Ketch)
The biggest story on the 40 Acres this week has been the rebirth of the 2020 Texas basketball season, as Shaka Smart's team has caught fire in putting together a five-game win streak and seems to have one foot in the door as a possible NCAA Tournament team, especially if it can win at home on Saturday against Oklahoma State, which would clinch the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Big 12 Tournament.
Over the course of the last few days, what is starting to come into picture is just how important that three-point winner from Mat Coleman could prove to be for Smart.
In a span of about of about 2 1/2 weeks, this run by the basketball team has seemingly moved Smart from the land of the "about to get my walking papers" to "still has some life" to ...
Saved his job?
Speaking to a high-level source within the Texas sports universe on Thursday, the sentiment seems to be yes.
"I don't think anything is final, but I think that shot might have absolutely saved his job," the source said. "Deep down, (Chris Del Conte) does not want to pay a 10 million dollar buyout if he doesn't have to. Shaka might make this easy on him, assuming his team makes the Tournament."
According to this source, this isn't a situation where Del Conte is itching to take action. He likes Smart. He wants Smart to succeed. He also feels some compassion for some (not all) of the cards Smart has been forced to deal with over the course of his tenure in Austin. Plus ... he'd rather not have to swallow the $10+ million.
Also, although my source wouldn't come right out and say it, the knowledge that returning Smart for another season could mean the difference between Greg Brown III ending up a Longhorn or not, is another advantage that Smart has going for him at a time when he's been able to invent some job-saving momentum out of thin air.
Still, I pressed my source about the apathy that has been felt about the program, which has translated to horrible home crowds throughout this season.
"Nothing is complete. If the team were to get its ass kicked on Saturday, all bets are off," the source told me. "What would that mean for the Tournament? Does it mean we're suddenly looking at the Big 12 Tournament with everything on the line? Maybe. But I think that Coleman shot might have done it. I think the justification that Del Conte might have been looking for anyway fell right into his lap when that shot banked in.
"When you think about the money that would be involved in making a change, you're not really talking about 10 million dollars. You might as well be talking about 30 million dollars for a reboot."
The source paused.
"For basketball."
There was another pause.
"I think that Coleman shot was that big."
One final thought from the discussion of my source. His sense about the landscape surrounding a decision on Smart is that everyone involved is a little unsure of what would happen following a Smart removal. The grapevine on John Beilein is that no one seems quite sure if he's even ready for another job following his disaster in Cleveland and beyond that, it doesn't seem that those close to the program believe there's a darling out there that would represent an apple in the eye of Del Conte..
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(From Suchomel)
A couple weeks ago, we checked in with sources out West to get some thoughts on the players on that coast that Texas had offered. This week, it’s time to turn our focus to the state of Florida. We caught up with a couple different sources in the Sunshine State to get their thoughts on the Longhorns’ top targets in the state.
WR Mario Williams – Plant City – “It's gonna be interesting with Mario because he's a guy that I thought may go to Oklahoma for a while but I don't think he's probably going there. He likes LSU. There a few other teams he likes too. Florida is high on the list. If he leaves the state, I think Texas has a shot. If not, I think it'll be Florida. I think that visit is going to mean a lot to him. He doesn’t know what to expect down there. So we'll kind of see what he sees and how he feels after.”
WR Agiye Hall – IMG Academy – “Texas could be in the picture with him. A lot of schools have kind of pulled off. I don’t think he’s a take right now for Clemson or Alabama. He rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with some of the things he did when he left his old school to go to IMG, or the way he left. Oklahoma still wants him. I think that’s where he’s going to land because that’s maybe the biggest school where he’s a take right now. If Texas wants to get in there, I think they can because I think when push comes to shove, he may not have a lot of options. He’s a really good player.”
WR Troy Stellato – For Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons – “I think whoever gets him is going to get a steal. I don't really know where he's leaning. I didn’t mention Texas the last time I talked to him but that doesn't mean that won’t change after he visits.”
WR Marcus Burke – Jacksonville Trinity Christian Academy – “Texas has a real shot with him. He’s not going to have a ton of options so he doesn't have the Alabamas of the world yet. I think he's a good player though. I think he likes Texas, so I think that one will be interesting. I think they’ve got a really good shot there. Texas is the one he talks about the most.”
WR Jaden Alexis – Coconut Creek Monarch – “He's kind of blown up dig this spring. He’s a really fast kid. I honestly don’t know a lot about him yet. He has a lot of offers and his film looks good but I don’t know who is standing out for him right now.”
LB Branden Jennings – Jacksonville Sandalwood (FSU commitment) – “You know, if FSU doesn’t have a good year, nobody is locked in with them. Or Miami. We’ll see. He has a legacy there, so there’s some pull there, but I think if things go wrong he could be interesting.”
CB Omarion Cooper – Lehigh Acres – “He's a really good player. I think he does like Texas. I’ve talked to him about Texas in person. I think they’ve got a shot there. I’d put them pretty high on his list.
ATH Terrion Arnold – Tallahassee John Paul II Catholic – “He was in Georgia and he's moved around a little bit so I don't know him a ton. He's had a really good spring so people are really start talking about him now. I have not heard him mention Texas but I haven't talked to him in a bit so that could have changed. He started in Georgia, then he moved to IMG, then he left IMG and moved up to Tallahassee.”
ATH Christian Leary – Orlando Edgewater – “He’s a really fast kid, a track kid. He does like Texas. I’ve talked to him recently and he mentioned Texas. I think he’s really interested in them. I don't think he's visited yet but he’s mentioned that he wants to.”
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Texas put an offer on the table for Austin LBJ safety Andrew Mukuba on Sunday and while there’s definitely an interest on Mukuba’s part, it feels like the Longhorns may have some work to do. More on that in a minute.
Mukuba on getting the Texas offer …
“It’s pretty awesome. I live 10 minutes away from school. It gives me a chance for my people to watch me because I don’t live too far from campus,” Mukuba said.
The 5-11, 181-pound Mukuba said he had a pretty good idea the Texas offer was coming, but he wasn’t expecting it until later in the spring. The UT offer actually came on the same day he was taking an unofficial visit to Oklahoma, and Mukbua will be visiting Arizona on April 4. A Texas visit will likely happen this spring as well.
With Oklahoma the presumed runaway leader for Mukuba’s teammate, Latrell McCutchin, the Sooners may have a leg up in this race. Sunday’s visit to Norman certainly didn’t hurt OU’s chances.
“It was amazing. I really liked the coaching staff, just the environment and the atmosphere of the whole place,” Mukuba said.
Mukuba is now up to about 25 offers, and he said he doesn’t have a leader right now. He hopes to narrow his list this spring and then commit sometime this summer.
His thoughts on Texas …
“They’re building a winning program, have a lot of guys that are going to change the program,” Mukuba said. “It would be pretty cool if I was one of those guys.”
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When I spoke to Tucson Salpointe offensive lineman Jonah Miller in early February, I mentioned on the board that I was close to putting a FutureCast in for the Rivals250 member. A little risky to put a pick in so early on an out-of-state guy, but Miller was pretty open in our conversation that his interest in Texas was sky high.
Grapevine word I received this week stemming out of Arizona is that the Longhorns are on top of Miller’s list. He’s already visited UT twice unofficially, he does not plan on staying in state for college, and there’s talk that he’d love to block for Bijan Robinson at the next level.
Obviously, it’s a deep year in the state of Texas for offensive linemen but it sounds like there’s a very real chance Miller could be part of this class if things come together.
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Defensive end Jordon Thomas is another guy who looks good for this class (my FutureCast pick for Texas is in) and while Thomas hinted this week that he could be close to a decision, it sounds like things could play out a little longer than expected.
Word I heard this week is that Thomas wants to wait to decide until his senior season. Texas and Texas A&M are out in front, but LSU is another school to keep an eye on for a potential visit.
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Texas put an offer on the table for 2022 Duncanville defensive end Omari Abor on Wednesday. Abor already holds offers from the likes of UT, OU, Auburn, Michigan and Baylor, so it’ll be a hotly-contested race for the 6-4, 244-pound sophomore.
I’ll follow up with Abor for his thoughts on the UT offer soon, but he told me on Wednesday, shortly after getting the Texas offer, he’ll likely be talking with the UT staff soon to set up a Texas visit for this spring.
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(McComas)
Unfortunately for Greg Brown III and Vandegrift, their hoops season ended in frustrating fashion earlier this week. Former UT defensive back Greg Brown Sr. learned a lot about his son during his senior season.
“Just learned that he’s a better guy than I will probably ever be to be able to deal with all the jealousy and envy… don’t get me wrong, it’s not everybody. It’s a lot more than I would have expected out of teammates and refs. I get the opponents. They’re supposed to hate you. I’ve never seen someone have to deal with so much crap. I really thought his resolve and his demeanor and the way he handled himself was amazing,” said Brown’s father about what he learned about his son during his senior season at Vandegrift. “All about helping other people. Puts them before himself. I’m very proud of him. Most wins in school history… I’m one of those people. I’m old school. I think winning matters. I know a lot of people these days like stats and stuff, but I think winning matters. I think it was great to go out 33-3.”
Speaking of winning, it’s the main thing Brown, his family, and their inner circle are considering the most when evaluating programs. But it’s not about how much a team is winning this season. Rather, Brown and his group view which programs they're considering would best allow Brown to win next season.
“We’ve kind of been seeing styles of play, how Greg would fit, different team fits, different players… not too concerned of the win-loss records of the schools just because I think if you put Greg on any of these schools they win instantly another 3-7 games. And so, haven’t really been looking win-loss; looking at the fit, and how they would utilize him and what would be best to win,” responded Mr. Brown. “Where and with what guys would it be best to win with. That’s the first and foremost thing that we’re looking at – where can Greg next year and play with who and win."
Among the reasons why Brown will continue to not rush into a decision is because they want to see what the 2020-21 roster is projected to look like.
“That’s going to be one of the biggest decisions of who is coming back, coming in… it’s not about anything else but winning. Winning cures all. It’s about winning. So, that’s kind of our thought process,” said the father of the five-star prospect. “Where can we go and win? I’m personally, I’m a Texas grad and I love when the Longhorns do well in sports… Greg doesn’t look at it like that. He’s more looking at where he can fit and go there and win, and be a part of a team that first wants him to be there. Teammates that aren’t jealous, aren’t feeling a certain type of way about him. They just want to win and genuinely like him.
“From looking at all the different programs, you could see where he can fit in and help them in every instance. Some maybe ideal for what we’re thinking for next year. Some are more ideal for playing professionally. With that being said, for us I keep going back to this it’s all about winning. Where can he can and win?”
Something to keep in mind about Brown feeling wanted and knowing the roster, he's spent more time on the Texas and more time talking to Texas players than any other school.
As for the Longhorns, Brown and his father have noticed how hard Texas has been playing during its five-game win streak.
“Honestly, it just goes to show that if that you go out and play hard… if you have guys that just play hard, anything is possible,” he said.
Even though Brown’s season is over, he’s preparing for the Jordan Brand Classic and McDonald’s All-American Game. And don’t expect an imminent decision from Brown because his high school season is over.
“We’re not even thinking about it to be honest. We’re waiting for the season to end to see what guys are staying, what guys are leaving and what guys are coming in type of deal,” said Mr. Brown about when a decision could come for his son. “We’ll make a decision after that. The season will end early April. And then after that we’ll probably wait another week and a half and talk about who is doing what and people start deciding if they’re going to stay or leave… we’ll start dwindling things down.”
Suddenly, one thing that could play into the eventual decision-making process is Memphis’s issues with the NCAA regarding former player James Wiseman.
“At the end of the day, that’s another reason why we’re waiting to see how the NCAA treats the programs we’re looking at. It is on our radar, yes. We’ll have to see what happens,” he said about Memphis. “We’ll have to see if it’s something we want to deal with or might be something we stay away it. We are letting everything play out and then sit down and discuss each program and what we think is a plus for the program or what we think could be a minus.”
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