Here we go again....

MobiusHorn

MobiusHorn

100+ Posts
Season is over early, first round loss and one key player likely gone for NBA (Brown) and another that is just learning, putting feelers out (Kabongo). Two key positions gutted if they both leave and back to rebuilding again. (One gone for sure, goodbye J'Covan.)

I'm getting sick of this and blame Barnes. Frankly, I have been a Barnes enthusiast since he arrived and now I'm getting sick of the early Tourney exits and waving goodbye to the best players as they leave early for the NBA, most of them one year before they really should do so.

Is this all we have to expect from Longhorn Basketball? F this. Give me back Abe Lemons (yes, I know, this is for comparison purposes only).

Somebody give me a reason to think that things are going to change because all I see now is more of the same for the foreseeable future.

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Sometimes I wonder what a good young coach like Butler's Brad Stevens, VCU's Shaka Smart, or even Lehigh's Brett Reed could do at Texas with their vast resources.

It is what it is though, so I just go with the flow, supporting the team and hoping for something good as I'm swept downstream.
 
"Somebody give me a reason to think that things are going to change because all is see now is more of the same for the foreseeable future."

OK, assuming the scenario you state is correct (Brown leaving), here's what we have on the roster for next year:

PG:
Kabongo
Felix
Gibbs

SG:
Lewis
McClellan

F:
Holmes
Bond
Papapetrou
Lammert

Post:
Ridley
Ibeh

So first of all, we're already deeper than 2012. Secondly, we've actually created "roles" on the roster for some of the new guys, as opposed to the jack-it-up theory that has been prevalent in the Barnes system since our last Elite-8 run. Felix is a pleasant 10-minute-per-game respite from Kabongo, whose ceiling is actually quite high. Lammert is a Boddicker-type who can specialize in one thing better than anything we've had since 2004. Ibeh, despite his shortcomings, will actually play post defense (unlike what we saw happen under the basket on Friday).

Thirdly, and probably the most important thing, Ridley is supposedly coming to campus. He's the best true center prospect we've had since Mihm. He has similar tools to Aldridge. He's not as quick as Thompson, but he won't need it if he's in position and the guards are playing well.

I'm predicting a starting lineup of Ridley, Bond, McClellan, Lewis, Kabongo. Holmes might as well be considered a co-starter. I think we'll play a lot more like a complete unit next year, instead of the one-man show we had to rely on this year. Think of the improvements we saw to total team play from 2002 to 2003. That young group of guys grew up quickly and became one of the most (if not the most) intimidating, deep units in the country.

2012 was the aberration year, and I mostly blame the system of losing guys ridiculously early. It would surprise me if we didn't get to the Sweet-16 in 2013.
 
Side note just saw on tv coverage.... 4 Big Ten teams already in Sweet 16, with Purdue giving Kansas all they can handle.
And said this... Michigan State is going to their 10th Sweet 16 out of the past 15 years.

Tom Izzo is getting good results from his recruiting, player development and style of play. Is he that much different from how Barnes runs this program? He seems to be getting more consistent good results.

To repeat a graphic I put up the other day...
He does not carry a young team into the tournament this year, and probably never does.

MSU.jpg
 
There's no way Kabongo is ready to go the NBA. He's got a lot to learn. Regarding Izzo, is it that he recruits players that are not as talented coming out of HS as what we see here and then molds his players during their time at Sparty to play well as a team? Or do the players just love playing for Izzo and feel they want to learn all they can while in college? Don't know what the percentage of players that play at MSU leave early compared with the Horns. It would be interesting to find out what the dynamic is at MSU or even Kansas for that matter.
 
Toss up with Brown, I can't imagine he will be drafted that highly. On the other hand does he thinks he gains anything by staying another year.

He is a great student now, maybe he wants to get that degree and check out the business world. Maybe he wants another crack at a title.

Also didn't they say the other day that he has a child now? Maybe he needs the money quickly. I say 55-45 he stays, my guess anyway.
 
JCB does not strike me as a guy that'd be drafted highly this year or next. He's a great college player whose skill set does not translate as well into the pros. His lack of athleticism relative to other pro players cannot be made up for with savvy like he does now. He could be highly aware of this and decide to go for the $ now before risking injury and you can't really blame him for that.
 
Interesting thought for sure about the monster being Texas football. I see Rick Barnes as a great recruiter and decent coach. I salivate for news on Texas hoops and I am unable to find anywhere in the Indianapolis area with access to the Longhorn Network. So I think that $300 million dollar albatross will ultimately kill Barnes' ability to attract top talent. You couple the timing of the LHN with both Tech and OU getting good coaches, and Scott Drew somehow not being drug to the matt by NCAA, and I see us making a change in a few more years anyway. I think Barnes is on borrowed time, whether we support him or not. Just factors out of his hands at play to strangle off the talent pipeline. The less-than enthusiastic crowds of 7,000 in the Erwin Center don't help. But the lack of TV access is far bigger deal. I'd say that is the monster, eith breathing down our neck, or more accurately, simply throttling our neck as a hoops program. Our only hoop is ESPN sees that single school chanels, just aren't a large enough draw, and cancels the deal when up for renewal. .
 
Kabongo is gone.

Good ridenance. Give me J' Brown for 3 years and Gary Johnson for 4 years any time over these damn prima donas. Don't mind losing Kabongo, he did nothing for us this year. I will miss Brown and I really hope for the best for this kid. He had a hard time even getting into Texas. Hope he gets some good money in Europe.

I do not agree with the posters who think that is what Barnes tells these recruits. "Just give me one year and go make a fortune".

Kentucky seems to also be in the same position; However, being the top franchise in college basketball, they can continue to restock with the best one and doners. Duke gets the top all americans with the top academics, that is why they keep their.

The only solution is to recruit less talented kids I guess.

Maybe Kabongo and Joseph can be roommates with the Austin Toros. Althought both will have the last laugh, they will be millionaires and most of you will graduate with $25,000 in student loans.
 
The only real solution is for the NCAA to bring uniformity to their sports. Why have one rule for draft eligibility for one sport, and different ones for others?

Make it like is is for baseball, if your coming to college your committed for 2-3 years before you can get drafted and leave.

If your coming to college for one year only, your not a true college athlete ( here for an education too) your just a hired athletic gun.

If college athletics suffers some lack of quality because players go pro right out of high school, then so be it.

Sometimes you have to just do what is right and suffer the consequences if there are any.
 
El Squared-more.
The following year we had 4 (thats right-FOUR) starting seniors !!!!!
TJ would've come back if not for the injury possibility.
We still made sweet 16 that year

Barnes has completely lost the ability to keep any of these guys until thet develop enough to be truly competitive at this level. We have been a promising team that is too young to win for about a decade now, & I am really sick of Barnes because of that. His priorities obviously suck for the fans as well as the University. You just can't expect to win with new frosh trying to
carry the load, even when they are as great as DJ & KD.
JCB could become nationally famous next year if he led this team to a Big 12 title & deep into the tournament. He could prob compete for the Naismith, & you can't convince me that he wouldn't make more $$$ long term if that happened.

HOOK 'EM,
Texdoc.
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It does feel like ground hog day with all of these one and dones.

But one of the more systemic issues is UT is a football school and hoops is just an appetizer for spring football. What Rick Barnes deals with year in year out is what Mack dealt with at UNC.

I think the question of Barnes keeping his job or not depends on how committed the UT community is to basketball. It also has to be more student friendly. This will never happen, but the way to improve the homecourt atmosphere is to put student seating all around the floor and not just the backboards. But LF members will have none of that. Also, I think the location of the Erwin Center relative to the campus is also an issue. At Moore-Hill, I could see DKR literally from my window.

Despite all that, Rick Barnes has done a great job with the program and I think with the level of committment to basketball we show he should keep his job. You can't just throw away 14 straight tourney appearances.
 
I think Rosner's AAS article (noted in other threads) is an interesting read and very informative. Reading between the lines, it certainly explains a lot about why Texas is getting this train of kids that appear to only want one thing (the NBA) as soon as possible (a place to showcase their talents). Frankly, I don't want just a line of one and dones. I've seen what the result is for the program and it's not pretty.

If Texas is viewed as a showcase for one and dones, I think it falls squarely in Barnes' lap. I'm ready for a change, 14 straight tourney appearances notwithstanding. There are a lot of young coaches that would be worth taking a chance on who can change the perception of the program.

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but, a top-quality coach is gonna demand a facility on-campus that is student friendly. I think this is why Dodds, etc. are happy with Rick. Rick is not going to make any demands, and will continue to make the tourney.

The problem for us is that our expectations as fans are different than Belmont's. imo.

I can't ever see Dodds doing anything, as long as Rick makes the tourney.
 
The further Billy Donovan goes in the tournament this year, the worse it looks for Barnes. BD has gotten it done and continues to get it done at a football-first school and he is doing it with (arguably) less talent than Rick Barnes.
 
…with Purdue giving Kansas all they can handle. oops!!!

Tom Izzo is getting good results from his recruiting, player development and style of play. oops!!! (as of last night)
 
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