With the combination of a poor basketball season and an article written recently by a guy (C.J. Moore) in Kansas who was trying to defend Rick Barnes, I've been really thinking a lot about this Texas Men's Basketball program.
In the article Moore states "What if [barnes] left Texas? Would the Longhorns be better off?" ...I have one answer to that. Yes. Yes a thousand times over.
Article: http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=2515
Of course my "yes" depends on the coach that is brought in... No average joe would do the trick. But The culture of Texas basketball is flawed.
In the article, Moore raises good points. And I'll admit that there is no question Rick Barnes has elevated this program to a new high. But he has reached his ceiling, and has been stuck there for years now. And I strongly disagree with the overall argument Moore is trying to make. One that is defending Rick Barnes and basically saying "get off his back".
Being a senior at The University of Texas, I sometimes have the opportunity to talk to people I know who are close to the athletes; who hang out with the athletes when they aren't in front of reporters or cameras. One of my friends who I sometimes speak with is close with the Texas basketball team. Today I ran into him on campus and began asking him how the team was holding up through this rough season. I'm not going to quote him directly because I didn't write down what he said word for word so you can take this for what it is, but he went on to tell me the team was doing alright. But that the players weren't huge fans of the culture Barnes has created. And that it's been that way for some time now. He added that the players were even beginning to be honest with recruits and telling them like it is. Telling them that if they want a good culture to try a place like Kentucky. It was disheartening to hear that. And I don't blame the players at all. They were being honest. But this reiterated to me that the culture of the Texas basketball program is flawed and not where it should be at a school like The University of Texas.
Take from this what you want. It was a short conversation with a friend of mine who knows the entire Texas basketball team on a first name basis with every player. Rick Barnes may have elevated the program and put some players in the NBA. But I still believe the culture of the team needs to be improved, and that will only happen if Texas goes in a new direction at Head Coach.
Hook'em
In the article Moore states "What if [barnes] left Texas? Would the Longhorns be better off?" ...I have one answer to that. Yes. Yes a thousand times over.
Article: http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=2515
Of course my "yes" depends on the coach that is brought in... No average joe would do the trick. But The culture of Texas basketball is flawed.
In the article, Moore raises good points. And I'll admit that there is no question Rick Barnes has elevated this program to a new high. But he has reached his ceiling, and has been stuck there for years now. And I strongly disagree with the overall argument Moore is trying to make. One that is defending Rick Barnes and basically saying "get off his back".
Being a senior at The University of Texas, I sometimes have the opportunity to talk to people I know who are close to the athletes; who hang out with the athletes when they aren't in front of reporters or cameras. One of my friends who I sometimes speak with is close with the Texas basketball team. Today I ran into him on campus and began asking him how the team was holding up through this rough season. I'm not going to quote him directly because I didn't write down what he said word for word so you can take this for what it is, but he went on to tell me the team was doing alright. But that the players weren't huge fans of the culture Barnes has created. And that it's been that way for some time now. He added that the players were even beginning to be honest with recruits and telling them like it is. Telling them that if they want a good culture to try a place like Kentucky. It was disheartening to hear that. And I don't blame the players at all. They were being honest. But this reiterated to me that the culture of the Texas basketball program is flawed and not where it should be at a school like The University of Texas.
Take from this what you want. It was a short conversation with a friend of mine who knows the entire Texas basketball team on a first name basis with every player. Rick Barnes may have elevated the program and put some players in the NBA. But I still believe the culture of the team needs to be improved, and that will only happen if Texas goes in a new direction at Head Coach.
Hook'em
Last edited by a moderator:
