AAS: Damion coming back

Glad to see him return to the 40
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Ecstatic about Damion!!! Right choice DJ.
Does anybody know how likely it really is that J'Covan will be eligible? I have an uneasy feeling about him academically.

I'm so pumped - can't believe we have to wait through summer and football season...I'm ready for some UT basketball NOW!!!!
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I think we'll be damn good this season, but I think talk of a championship, a No. 1 or 2 preseason ranking, or a Final Four Favorite, is premature. James, along with Pittman, will provide some senior leadership and, hopefully, a dominant presence inside. But, we'll have four talented, yet young and unproven, new players in the mix (Bradley, Hamilton, Williams, Lucas). I won't be suprised if they struggle at times getting used to the college level and building team chemistry.

But no doubt, the Horns should be fun to watch.
 
We're adding a lot more firepower. Lucas, Hamilton,bradley and Williams have games that extend 20-25 ft out. Last year it was just Abrams with Atchley and Mason reluctant to shoot.
We have insdie and outside players this year.
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It's hard not to get excited about next year. It should be Barnes' most talented (and deep) squad yet. Yes, we are countin on a lot of young guys. But, that's pretty much what it has come to these days. And, I think we have enough seasoned folks to complement the young guns.

I'm really looking for Pittman to continue to step things up. Our post game including Gary, Damian, Clint, ... is gonna be nasty. Assuming these guys can knock down jumpers (like they are supposed to), we are gonna have one helluva inside/outside game.
 
I wouldn't think the scholly is a deal breaker, but PT will certainly be. Texas is stacked, particularly in bigs with Dex, James, Wangmene, Hill, Johnson, and Chapman. I'd think someone there is going to want minutes. And I'd think one guard will likely be out of the mix next year when they were getting PT last year.
 
No, LonghornCougar. Different outlets reported that based on his father making statements, but I told people at the time not to believe it.

As far as hearing it before, yeah TXSNOS. Because he hasn't made it through yet. His paperwork was submitted about a month or two ago. Because he's been out of high school for a year, and attended a couple of schools, the clearinghouse is going to delay acceptance just out of principle. It's how they work.

They may even say that he's not eligible, although I'm not anticipating that.

Bradley was only recently cleared by the NCAA, and we're still waiting on Hamilton, too. Both of them were for similar reasons as Brown. They went to multiple high schools. I fully expect Hamilton to make it through, and while I'm not as confident on Brown, I'm still pretty confident he's going to be fine. I just don't know what the timing will be. Heck, no one does.
 
So with the draft tonight, I want to take this thread back to its original topic...Damion James.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad he is coming back and I think it is a wise decision. But I want you to explain this to me.

I understand that the NBA likes PF's who play inside that are 6'9" or above. Three of the top PF's in the draft are James Johnson (6'7", 257 lb), Dejuan Blair (6'6", 277 lb), and Tyler Hansbrough (6'8", 234). How can they say James isn't tall enough at 6'7" - 6'8" with a 7' wingspan? Of course, James is not as much of an inside banger as these guys, but he is more versatile. I figure James could be at least as effective as Bradon Bass for the Mavs at some point early in his career. James has a similar body type as Bass and could be a similar type player, but I think James is more explosive and is a better 3pt shooter.

Ok, so the NBA also likes SF's who can handle that are 6'7" and above. James clearly doesn't have as good a handle as some of the top SF or other tweener prospects, and is not polished enough in his all around offensive skills as they would like, but he will continue to work on that. He definitely has the athleticism to do it. I am pretty sure he can also do well on defense defense against other SF's if he has the desire to do it.

The same crap happens in football with RB's in the NFL. Sometimes they claim a guy who is 5'11" and 210 is to small to be an every down back, but then you see guys who are 5'9 and 200 lbs doing it perfectly well. I think scouts and reporters can talk themselves into just about anything.
 
I think James would have done fine in this draft. I feel like he made a somewhat emotional decision to come back to UT against the advice of the people around him. I think it says a lot about his love for UT, and how good his all around experience has been for him to return. He's going to be a critical part of anything Texas is able to accomplish this year. I would really like to see him rewarded for his decision with a potentially higher draft position next season.
 
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