Texas needs a big man

H

hornpharmd

5,000+ Posts
Seems like we haven't had a really good big man in awhile. I am looking at the recruits that Barnes has signed or verballed recently and here are the sizes:

2011:
6-8, 180
6-2, 160
6-3, 185
6-5, 185
6-5, 236

2010:
6-3, 230
6-2, 213
6-9, 240
6-2, 205

That is only 2 guys over 6-5. Daniels at 6-8 needs to add some size to that frame. Thompson is a legit power forward but you wonder if he even stays for more than a year.

Seems to me one of the weaknesses in the Texas lineup the last few years has been the lack of size down low. Even when Durant was here he had to play in the low post to give us a rebounder. Everyone knew he should be playing more on the wing but they had to move him around b/c we had nobody else down low.

We don't need a monster scorer down low. Just a guy that can get some rebounds, clog up the lane, and play some interior defense.

With all of these smaller guards you would think we would have a true point guard and we haven't had that the last 2 years either.

Thoughts?
 
"We don't need a monster scorer down low. Just a guy that can get some rebounds, clog up the lane, and play some interior defense."

This.

Barnes hung his hopes on Dex improving for the last four years, much to the detriment of recruiting decent 6'9"-ish guys who can actually defend.

I know Klotz had his "issues," but what I wouldn't give for someone that could actually play a game similar to his this last year. That alone would have been enough to sustain more of a run against tough opposition. There's only so much the PJ Tuckers and Gary Johnsons of the world can do for you in those situations, thanks to physical limitations.

It all starts and ends with the guard play, but just a single big guy who can do little things well would be a vast improvement.
 
2010 Thompson is the 6'9' PF the others are football players that played basketball but are signed as football players.
Cory Joseph, who might sign with Texas is 6'3"
 
Good point Horns11 about Tucker. Another example of a guy that was forced very often to play out of position. He was a mismatch for many a guard on the outside but had to play too close to the bucket too often.

I took a look at A&M's recruits coming in. They may not be getting the top end talent that Texas is getting but they are getting size.
 
And they have been coaching up that size for a few years now. Even though they have some flaws, it's easy to see how far their overall game has come down low.

Meanwhile, we've been stuck in this quagmire where we took what we could get for big guys since Aldridge left, and they're not even capable of producing MINUTES, let alone boards, blocks, and the little things.
 
Thompson definitely isn't going pro after one year (of course neither was Bradley
rolleyes.gif
), so we should be good on that front. Other than that, we are completely lost right now. Daniels is a SF pretty much all the way, and has the frame of a middle school kid.
 
From what I saw in his televised games, I'm content keeping Thompson in as a PF/post guy on defense, even if he's a liability in other basketball regards. "Anything" is an upgrade from "nothing."

On a side note, which assistant is in charge of the big men? You know... the guy who is supposed to be running post drills with them at Cooley nonstop? I remember watching Klotz run drills for HOURS at the RecSports Center back around 2000-01. Is anyone with Chapman and Wangmene doing this? I'm confused as to why we refuse to get big men involved in games when it was such a priority of our offense from 1999-2007.
 
Look around College Basketball there are not that many big dudes they really are great or even very good. One of the top big guys this year is the Center from Kansas and he isn't great. Texas has guys will some size but they just need to improve as players.
 
We don't need our big men to be great. I'm not necessarily talking about the next Chris Mihm. We just need them to be serviceable.

Sure, they can foul out every couple games or only score 4 points sometimes. But we need someone who can do big man things, like rebound and block, without looking like he's completely lost, inept, or out of shape.
 
ok, maybe not prolific but he was a productive role player. And he individually defies the claim that there aren't many big dudes (that) really are great or even very good. I would say Zoubek is an example of a 'good' center; if not prolific. 11 Boards, 7 points a game in the tournament on 65% FG isn't terrible.
 
We just need to teach Chapman, Hill, Wagmene basic defense like is done in youth basketball...stand in the paint near the basket with your arms straight up, don't jump or reach for the ball, and let them initiate make contact with you. Once you do that, turn around and box out for the rebound.

That would be an improvement over whatever it is they were doing this season.
 
Duke is the first team in a long time to win without a legit low post threat. Shows how utterly terrible college basketball was this year.
 
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