I know it's football, football, football the week of ou, but with the recent commit from Jordan Hamilton and his other brother Jordan Hamilton , I thought it would be a good time to get an unbiased, straight talk assessment. So naturally, I called up my AAU coaching friend to get an unwashed scouting report on Texas' talented newcomers. For those who missed it, this cat isn't all that enamored with Texas the school, so anything from him is pretty unvarnished.
If Hamilton's the glitter then Bradley's the glue.
To set this up, I asked him to talk to coaches on the AAU circuit, his players, and college coaches he's in contact with, and this is what he came up with.
Shawn Williams--Sharp shooting wing forward. Perhaps the best long-range shooter of the crew. However, people from Dallas and throughout the US have questioned his athletic ability. While he is able to consistently hit open 3’s and dunk the ball (but don’t expect him to posterize anyone), he has no natural ballhanding skills. No shake. Big enough to defend bigger wings but not enough lateral quickness to defend two's. Avery Bradley will make him a better player, but once Jordan Hamilton committed to Texas, we are sure that Shawn Williams said, "Damn". Atleast for a year.
Is Shawn an insurance policy now that Texas has gotten Jordan Hamilton?
Our assessment: Yes!
Will he have been a strong contributor without Hamilton? Yes!
Avery Bradley –2G/PG Awesome! Awesome! The best pick-up of the entire 09 class for Texas. He is the reason why Jordan Hamilton is coming to Austin. This kid can flat out score the ball from anywhere inside the arena. He has the best pull-up mid range shot in the country. Whoever recruited this kid to UT deserves a RAISE!!! AB, as we call him, will NOT disappoint any Texas fans.
Can he play the point is the question that many have.
Our assessment is: He will be able to make the transition to PG for the NBA.
Jordan Hamilton –WF/PG/2GHoly Shit Batman! Bradley and Hamilton 2Gether????? Texas will be playing on NBC, CBS, ESPN, on a weekly basis UT fans. UT fans have no idea what this young man can do on the court. A young T-Mac, but without the Major Hops. Bucket here, assist there, rebound here, playing the point for awhile there. And he is from Compton right? Keep him off of 6th street til he understands the Texas way of life. He’s a Beast Athletically. However, he can also be a BEAST emotionally.
Will Jordan be able to bring a huge national following to Texas?
Our assessment: YES!
Will Jordan be able to keep his temper under control at Texas?
Our assessment: With the great coaching staff and elite players around him, the answer is……….90% yes.
Tristan Thompson. –F Not sure what UT is doing, but, this is another amazing catch. Tristan played with grassroots Canada this past spring/summer and many people like his upside. He is not quite the phenom of AB or Jordan's caliber, but he is a very good player that will catapult UT into the #1-5 in the US if Hamilton is one and done. And regardless of a loss or two, this team will compete for a national championship.
Will Tristan be one and done?
Our assessment: We doubt it. Unless he really develops his offensive game in his first year. Great complimentary player based on athletic ability alone.
I'll post a bit more on how I see these studs fitting into the core group of experienced talent already on campus. The first link above has a pretty strong discussion about how the bigs' floor time will be allocated. The second link makes fun of HenryJames and that's a very important contribution as well.
OU sucks.