Inside Texas Basketball: Part II
by Scipio Tex on Nov 16, 2010 11:25 PM CST
in Texas Longhorns and Other Basketball
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PrintA couple of other things to pass on -
Strong emphasis on our big men developing face-up games, particularly Johnson and Thompson.
Even Hill. Why? We're at a size disadvantage and the best way to exploit it is to use our mobility to attack the rim or shoot a little step back jumper after we fake the drive. It also complements the screen game and helps us to rebound offensively backside. We also think it's the only way to get opposing bigs into foul trouble with this bunch. Similarly, when our bigs get a good entry pass, before face up, first check is to a cutter. You saw that with Tristan Thompson's feed to Jai Lucas against La Tech.
We've also seen the time GJ has spent on his jumper. It's getting out quicker and he can now shoot it on a bounce out off of a screen - not just the wide open elbow jumper. Let's be clear - he's not Rip Hamilton, but he's adding to this midrange game because he knows he'll have to be able to log minutes at 3 if he wants to get run in the NBA or Israel/Turkey/China. Gary shoots a couple of hundred jumpers from 10-18 feet every day and he's absolute money on that shot now.
Still teachable moments....
During the scrimmage, Johnson got a ball in the post, did a drop step, and attempted to reverse dunk as Thompson defended him well. GJ bricked and Barnes went apeshit. "Can you not do what we've taught you? Can you not do what we've drilled every day a thousand times? Again!"
Johnson was fed in the post again, faced up, faked a drive, and then nailed a feathery 12 footer. Barnes screams,"Goddamn this is an easy fucking game if you'll do what you're supposed to Gary."
Which brings me to the next subject - favoritism. Barnes has no favorites. All players are coached the same, to the same standards. Johnson is clearly a guy Barnes loves and respects, but that means nothing when he messes up.
By the way, the consistent thing my source was surprised and impressed by was the team's total transparency. This should have been a dog and pony show. It was anything but. It was six hours of straight basketball junkie heroin. Barnes coached as if no one else was in the gym with loads of intensity, and any question asked of Wright, an assistant or a player was answered candidly and squarely. He was pretty blown away.
***
John Lucas led Chapman, his son, and three walk-ons on a series of drills. Mentioned that the NBA has no use for immobile big men now and even 7 footers must be able to run the court and finish. The goal is for a big man to run up, back, and up again - 3 court trips - in less than 15 seconds. Most college big men do it in 20. Lucas also pointed at his son and said,"This little guy has to play with maximum effort, nail threes, and get physically stronger if he wants to have any future in basketball anywhere. He can't do 2 of the 3. Or 1 of the 3. He must do all 3. Or he is of no value." Basically, the message conveyed was that on the basketball court John Lucas sees his son through the eyes of a coach, not a father.
So If you've ever wondered about soccer parenting from John Lucas, I wouldn't sweat it. BTW, Jai is the hardest working and probably the coolest player on the team. I'm starting to realize that we should be appreciative of what he brings instead of lament what he is not.
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Can we just shit-can the 2010 college football season and only focus on hoops? I’m not necessarily expecting a deep run into the tournament from this team, but I’m expecting to be entertained and excited. At the very least I don’t expect to be embarrassed.
by Mr. Orange on Nov 16, 2010 11:36 PM CST reply actions
Great stuff, Scip. Got the link up over at M2M. The Barnes news is encouraging. This is a big year for Rick, not only to prove he has the coaching chops, but to impress the 2012/2013 Texas talent (which is in embarrassing abundance).
Todd Wright is a Greek god.
Good news on Hamilton; I’m expecting a big year and a jump to the Association.
Disappointing news on J’Covan. Despite the hard work to get eligible, he’s still exhibiting immaturity issues? Yeesh.
Seeing if Matt Hill and Alexis Wangmene develop will be intriguing for this club. Hopefully it’s a positive and some of that rubs off on Chappy next year. A Chapman redshirt, plus some added development, would be a boon for a club that’s going to have the same precious little frontcourt depth next year.
by jc25 on Nov 16, 2010 11:40 PM CST reply actions
Just awesome. Do these symposiums? Happen often? Do other teams participate in this type of back stage access? I’m guess I’m asking what was the occasion and does John Lucas attend the practices regulary. I’ll hang up and listen
by Mysterious Package on Nov 16, 2010 11:45 PM CST reply actions
John Lucas doesn’t attend practices regularly. He gives the program plenty of space. He’s the anti-Craig James.
This was a coaching clinic. This was the first one offered this year.
by Scipio Tex on Nov 16, 2010 11:47 PM CST reply actions
Many were questioning the quality of our coaching during/after last year. Can anybody give me a quick overview of the quality of assistant coaches we have in basketball, please? I don’t keep as much with MBKB since I moved away from TX. Is this a staff that can develop players?
by DonGato on Nov 17, 2010 12:43 AM CST reply actions
This is fascinating stuff. Can you expand on Utah’s philosophy on offense? I know Sloan is still there but all I really know about Utah’s offense is Stockton/Malone pick and roll.
by honkdada on Nov 17, 2010 2:44 AM CST reply actions
That transparency in practice has always been there. The difference is there’s an actual system now for the kids to buy into. Pretty cool.
RIP Garden Gnome.
May you reincarnate with the physique of Jameer Nelson by January.
by Vasherized on Nov 17, 2010 7:35 AM CST reply actions
Epic teaching moment from Barnes! Great 2-part article on the team. This team really sounds like it is getting after it. I know we’re going to take some lumps early due to a number of things, i.e. youth, 4 new starters, new system, but if the team can keep its nose to the grindstone then we could do some damage after January. The influx of two frosh talents with equally high work ethics and hoops IQ was much needed.
by RLong68 on Nov 17, 2010 7:39 AM CST reply actions
Thought I’d mention the comments Reid Gettys made about how much he respects John Lucas. There was a moment in a game where John Lucas was shown pointing to his left wrist and Gettys pointed out that most players don’t have a dad who catch your eye and gesture to make your guy go left.
by Bob in Houston on Nov 17, 2010 8:00 AM CST reply actions
nice part II. The concept of transparency in a coaching staff is novel and welcome. Maybe it only works in years like this after a humbling. In football, would be nice, but I can also understand why they keep things bottled up.
What’s so refreshing about these two articles, though, is the commitment to regeneration shown in both coaches and players. The arrogance that Barnes seemed to display last year (or maybe stubbornness is a better word) gave way to a willingness to tear down structures both psychological and real and start over from the ground up. Glad to hear the program has such tough minded people at its helm, and I’ll be watching with an understanding eye this year and rooting hard for Jai Lucas to make an impact.
Incidentally, why did Varez Ward leave? Was he part of last year’s problem?
by mashtun on Nov 17, 2010 8:04 AM CST reply actions
I liked Varez, but saw some interesting body language on the bench when I was at a few games. His intensity seemed to stay with him and appeared a bit bearish. Don’t know if that was an issue, but just noticed it. Obviously, that intensity serves him well on the court and his tenacity was appreciated.
by texoz on Nov 17, 2010 9:02 AM CST reply actions
I feel the need for banal football-related sarcasm, so … no, I won’t do it.
Props to Barnes for his self-assessment and adjustments. Props to the team for buying into it (minus, perhaps three j’quarters of a J’Covan, but hopefully he’ll keep coming around). Play hard in a sensible system and we’ll be there for ya, fellas – win or lose.
by BEHorn on Nov 17, 2010 9:57 AM CST reply actions
Great read.
- Sometimes it takes a “dark night of the soul” moment to motivate you to make real, necessary changes. It’s not a surprise to see Barnes take this step (a little late, maybe). It’s a mark of a person who is truly striving for excellence.
- J’Covan Brown sounds like a prima donna. He’s not nearly good enough to justify acting like such a prick – especially to people who are there to support his entitled ass. Grow up, pull your head out of your ass, or feel free to head on back to PA.
- Barnes screams,"Goddamn this is an easy fucking game if you’ll do what you’re supposed to Gary."
I’d pay cold, hard cash to hear Mack Brown jump his players like this. Tough love is a good thing.
by Levander Williams on Nov 17, 2010 9:59 AM CST reply actions
these 2 posts made me feel great about this team. even if they lose every other game at least i know they get it and are doing everything in their power to win. great stuff!
by Savage Henry on Nov 17, 2010 10:32 AM CST reply actions
Trips is going to stop hatin’ on Jai, the Oz Munchkin, the midget, the guy who Trips takes bigger dumps than? I don’t know, Scip. Just don’t know.
by beowulf on Nov 17, 2010 11:05 AM CST reply actions
Great reads Scip. You’ve got a wake-me-up-when-football’s-over kinda basketball fan fired up to watch this team perform. This type of insight, especially in light of the soul-searching and subsequent awakening that is revealed within it, is just fantastic content. Thanks.
A question: Are there no repercussions from Barnes for Brown’s immature asshatery?
by ACE on Nov 17, 2010 12:07 PM CST reply actions
ACE -
I think you see the repercussions in Brown’s minutes.
by Scipio Tex on Nov 17, 2010 12:28 PM CST reply actions
mashtun — read somewhere he wanted to transfer closer to home to be near his sick mother. He grew up in Alabama so Auburn makes sense. Can’t blame him for wanting to leave after last season’s disaster anyway. Sucks cuz his performance against Duke in the Tourney two years ago was a real eye-opener.
by tjarks on Nov 17, 2010 1:12 PM CST reply actions
Just when I think I’m out for good, Scipio Tex grabs hold and pulls me back in again.
by OldTimeHorn on Nov 17, 2010 5:15 PM CST reply actions
So, I jump in my car after work tonight, around 6:00, and I’m about to change the radio channel from 104.9 when I notice Ketchum is talking about the basketball team. So I listen for a few minutes and it was as if he were reading directly from Part I of Scipio’s report. Funny, that. I guess he has the same sources.
by Bobby Jack Akina on Nov 17, 2010 8:28 PM CST reply actions
I am working on something about the Jazz offense and how it pertains to the Horns, but my opinion is this is good short term and potentially very good long term.
by The General on Nov 17, 2010 9:15 PM CST reply actions
Fantastic. Let us know if you want us to hold your calls.
by Sailor Ripley on Nov 17, 2010 11:25 PM CST reply actions
Bobby Jack -
If he attributes where he got it originally, I have zero problem with that.
by Scipio Tex on Nov 18, 2010 11:14 AM CST reply actions
Scip,
posted this on part I, but wasn’t sure you would see it.
Scip,
Not trrying to start a war, but do you have any response to Gerry Hamilton on 247 saying it simply is not true that Barnes and the staff spent 6 weeks with the Jazz. He seems to know his stuff better than anyone when it comes to ut basketball.
He goes on to say he knows 2 staff members for sure did not go and that he doubts any went.
by nice work on Nov 18, 2010 2:19 PM CST reply actions
nice work -
Wasn’t aware of Gerry’s beef. I’m glad if he corrected an error though.
Peter Bean from BON asked me the same thing as he’d heard Barnes was only there for two weeks.
The guy who was at the event said Barnes told him that they spent 6 weeks with the Jazz. Or maybe I misheard it.
My assumption was total staff time – not Barnes parked in Salt Lake City for a month and a half. Obviously, he can’t do that. He did go to SLC for a lengthy time and for the reasons stated above. That’s the relevant issue.
Or, quite possibly, my source misheard “we traveled to Utah and spent 6 weeks on the offense.” 4 of those weeks may have been in Austin doing the staff install, for all I know.
Passing on stuff from another party is like playing telephone, right? What you want to get right is the important info. Not counting all of the doorknobs in Zanzibar.
The clear takeaways of this story are:
1. Barnes self-reflected hard and came to the same conclusions about last year that we did
2. He took counsel from smart people
3. He sought out the Jazz and Sloan as the solution in a determined way – not some one day clinic chat
4. He’s implementing substantive changes – already evident
5. He wants to take the program to the top and not settle for good
More minor takeaways, but interesting nonetheless, would be J’Covan continued need for growth, Jordan’s change in ‘tude, why Jai plays, substantial practice reps to offense, what a Rick Barnes practice feels like, Todd Wright being a badass, and the interesting NBA-Lucas takes.
As for the J’Covan thing, there are a lot of people out there who want to enable him and blame Barnes for holding him accountable. Same with Hamilton. They were out in force last year when the ship sank, which was easy to do considering Barnes’ poor handling of the team. They didn’t consider the behavior of the players themselves.
The more I talk to people in the know though, I’m actually more sympathetic to what Barnes is trying to do and I’m less interested in the macro opinions of guys who want to run our basketball program like an AAU enterprise.
We’re not Kentucky or Oklahoma. I’d like to keep it that way.
by Scipio Tex on Nov 18, 2010 2:46 PM CST reply actions
So why was Rick James having sex for weeks and learning to play Jazz on Hee Haw?
by Art Vandelay on Nov 18, 2010 3:04 PM CST reply actions
thanks for the response and appreciate your work.
If the last week or so is any indication, it will be intresting going forward to watch the interaction and territory squabbles between BC, 247 and Obloods.
by nice work on Nov 18, 2010 3:04 PM CST reply actions
Barnes did spend some time in Utah, but it wasn’t 6 weeks. As far as I know, the rest of the staff did not. In addition, the quote from Barnes isn’t a direct quote, because he doesn’t cuss in practice anymore.
by unknown on Nov 18, 2010 3:22 PM CST reply actions
nice work -
No, it really won’t be that interesting.
It will mostly be watching people with bad reading comprehension and limited mental horsepower who like to start shit trying to justify spending $9.95 a month for info that’s in the public domain.
by Scipio Tex on Nov 18, 2010 3:53 PM CST reply actions
unknown -
I know some who would beg to differ on Barnes cussing. I know he cut it way down. It doesn’t bother me one way or the other.
Thanks for the clarification on the rest. Yeah, it’s pretty clear Barnes wasn’t in Utah for 6 weeks. Sorry if it read that way.
by Scipio Tex on Nov 18, 2010 3:55 PM CST reply actions
Scipio, good read.
“They were out in force last year when the ship sank, which was easy to do considering Barnes’ poor handling of the team. They didn’t consider the behavior of the players themselves.”
Barnes is the Head coach, the ball has to stop in his corner. Barnes did do a poor job handling the team and individual players but he still is the coach. I question why JCB and Ham were not benched/suspended during the season if their behavior/ “tude” was so bad as to split the team. Barnes is still a hardass and demanding which is fine with me but I am glad that he took a serious look in the mirror . The first time the team plays bad and does not stay within the system being implement his behavior will tell a story if the glasses are not tinted.
This team has the makings of a real good team and the chemistry to do some good things and hope we play like a team and go far into the dance.
by skymonkeyhorn on Nov 18, 2010 4:08 PM CST reply actions
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