Over at SBN Dallas, Jonathan Tjarks published an email exchange we had about the ongoing Big 12 Tournament, the Texas Longhorns, the Baylor Bears, and the rest of the post-season.
Here's a quick teaser. Click over there to check out the whole thing.
JC: More problematic is what the future holds if this doomsday scenario occurs: both Myck Kabongo and J'Covan Brown both go pro after the season, and Cameron Ridley, who remains committed to Texas but unsigned, winds up not coming to Austin. If that happens, the 2011 and 2012 recruiting classes are chock full of nice complementary pieces but no elite stars to elevate Texas back to the perennial Final Four contention that fans expect.
You have a good pulse on the NBA. Do you think Kabongo and Brown are Longhorns next year?
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Tjarks: Without the ability to test the waters (which the NCAA rather hilariously banned to "protect student athletes" last year), J'Covan would be crazy to declare. 6'1 200 guys in the NBA with his athletic ability have nearly perfect skill-sets; he needs to get his field goal percentage to at least 45% and his assist: turnover ratio to 2:1 next year.
Kabongo is a much more interesting decision. Personally, when you look at athletic ability, overall floor game and perimeter shooting, I think he's the most well-rounded PG prospect in the country. If he stays, hecould be a lottery pick in 2013, but UT does have a history of losing guys too early. If I'm Barnes, I'm getting Cory Joseph on the phone and having him tell Kabongo how much fun it is to develop in the Rio Grande Valley.