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This is the beginning.
This is my first entry into Horn Sports with the new column, ~Monday Morning Horn~. It’ll will be here every Monday morning for the foreseeable future, giving you all the latest happenings in the world of the Texas Longhorns Athletic programs and the Big-12 in general. So, get your Starbucks, and pull up a chair.
***- At this moment, Â Rick Barnes and Texas Hoops aren’t looking well.
The Horns dropped a 64-59 heart-breaker at home to No. four ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday at the Erwin Center, a game that was a national broadcast on CBS.
A game in which Texas blew an 11-point lead in the second half.
A game where the 2012 Alamo Bowl champion Texas football team was honored at halftime.
A game in which prized shooting-guard Keith Frazier was on an official visit for Barnes and company.
A game in which Barnes’ troop’s led for a majority of the contest. You can find positives here and there. Sheldon McClelhan can be special. But you can’t help but think Myck Kabongo really would not have made that much of a difference. The best possible outcome from this monstrosity of a 2012-13 season is that all the members of the team return intact, without any guys bolting for the NBA.
I once doubted Kabongo’s return to the Forty Acres after this season and the way the NCAA basically held him hostage. But if he doesn’t show something in this small window of a month of basketball, he may not have a choice but to return for his junior season. He has potential, but scouts want production from him specifically. In that scenario, Texas would no longer have the youngest roster in all of Division I NCAA hoops. This is a group with great developmental potential. Ridley, Holmes, and Ibeh are all All-Conf type players. Felix has a decent handle and moxie. When asked how old (losing) this was all getting, Barnes replied,” Pretty old. We do a lot of things well. But we don’t win because we don’t do it when the game is on the line.”
So, as I said that Texas Hoops isn’t well, it’s more just young and inexperienced. I do have a problem with the 2013 recruiting class. and it’s non-existence. But that’s for another week.
***- Mack Brown and his guys are out recruiting hard and fast this past week. The Longhorn’s staff hit pledges high school’s and fieldhouses. Talking to kids, getting a reassurance of the young men’s commitment to Brown’s small but distinguished Class of 2013.
With signing day two weeks away, Texas has held firm at 13 signees. In the next 12 days, I can see UT extending another 6-10 offers to committed and non-committed high school talent. With the recent attrition of three seniors who will graduate early (Kyle Kriegel, Thomas Ashcraft, and Trey Graham), Texas now has a few more available slots to fill. Horn Sports will update daily on the days leading up to Signing Day 2013.
A good sign for Longhorns fan’s could be found in East Texas this past week. Coach Brown stopped by to visit Gladewater DT sophomore Daylon Mack. The 6-foot-2, 298 lbs bulldozer also plays Wildcat and Fullback on offense. He’s a sure-fire 5-star propsect who’s only getting stronger. Daylon Mack boats offers from Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Baylor,…you get the picture. Coach Brown has also offered Mount Pleasant WR K.D. Cannon, a 4-star athlete, who may be the top rated at his position in Texas. Oklahoma used to be the junior’s leader, but know he’s more open as ever.
Irving OL Rami Hammad ( 6-foot-5, 320 lbs) took an unofficial visit to Austin this past weekend. Â The Baylor de-commit will make his decision on Wednesday, with Texas seemingly in the lead, followed by Oklahoma, TCU, and Baylor. Contra Costa College (JUCO) OT Desmond Harrison is set to announce this week as well. I’d say UT has a 25% chance of the landing the mammoth left-tackle with two years eligibility remaining. UPDATE : Harrison committed to Texas Monday afternoon. He chose UT over ASU, USC and OU. The ’13 OL class is one of the best in the Mack Brown Era.
Probably the top two Center’s in East Texas will be attending Texas Junior Day in February in Austin. Nacogdoches OL Jacob Bragg and Jasper OL Terrell Cuney will be visiting in the near future. That’s two great signs for a program needing offensive lineman depth. The addition of Lewisville Hebron safety Jamal Adams to the Junior Day roster is equally impressive.
***- I want to say congratulations to former Texas LB and current Cleveland Browns’ Emmanuel Acho for receiving his degree this past December. And even more thrilled to see Vince Young back in school, working towards his degree. It speaks volumes of the emphasis Mack and the school’s academic support teams put into players current AND former getting their degree and becoming successful.
Three Longhorns will be represented in the 2013 Senior Bowl, to be aired on the NFL Network on Saturday, at 3PM (CT). Wide-reciever Marquis Goodwin, Defensive end Alex Okafor, and Safety Kenny Vaccaro will suit up in one of the best showcase games for NFL scouts and coaches.
I hope you enjoyed spending your Monday morning with me. On a side note, I have recently accepted the position of Managing Editor for HornSports.com. Aaron and I are dedicated to bringing you the very best in Texas Longhorns coverage and Texas sports in general. We will continue to add new features to the site, including a high school column that will post every Friday night. It will produce stories from the best in Texas High School football, and sports overall, including Longhorns recruiting in every sport.
It’s time to jump on board in 2013, the best is yet to come.