https://www.hornsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/mmh_lg.jpg
Thanks to Mack Brown, I learned something new about the Texas football program last week.
When watching his Tuesday press conference, he coined the phrase,’ mom-and-popping’.
I always thought of mom-and-popping as the small hardware store downtown, where my grandfather would frequent for parts to help out the smaller scale store against the corporate giants. You spent a little more money there, but it was for the good of the community. Not what I would think referring to the so-called recruiting juggernaut in Austin.
He said that the staff and him had been “mom-and-popping” it here for a long time, in regards to recruiting and personnel. The head coach/CEO of the richest collegiate program in amateur sports history is telling me that he’s been ‘running his store an old fashioned way’ ???
You have the Taj Mahal of resources at your disposal and you’re telling us you are running this program, by the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition No.2 , ‘ small scale ” ???
If that’s not a red flag into the symptoms of contentment, I don’t know what is. It’s the quality or state of being content, and it will kill everything in it’s path. Football records included.
I hope that this new found direction of bringing in high-level, talented evaluators translates into success. It’s definitely helped other top-5 NCAA programs such as Oregon, LSU, and Alabama. It seems silly not to. And willful.
On Tuesday, Texas football hired Patrick Suddes as the new director of player personnel. He comes from Alabama, and worked with Nick Saban at LSU, Miami Dolphins (NFL) and the Crimson Tide. He’s also familiar with current Longhorn’s coaches, Major Applewhite, Bo Davis, and Stacy Searles. He brings a wealth of college/NFL experience, and expertise. And hope.
All that, and Spring is right around the corner.
I see evidence of this everyday. The NCAA, Big-12, and Texas high school basketball tournaments. The diamond boys and girls are rounding into form. It’s cold, and warm, then colder, and warmer. Easter candy is readily available. Such is life of spring sports in the great state of Texas.
And the Longhorns Men’s sports concluded a unusually productive week.
Actually, try 6-0. Undefeated sounds good no matter where you put it. Plus, you can’t lose a scrimmage. I don’t think….
The Longhorns held their first scrimmage of the spring on Thursday. To help summarize; David Ash is showing more mobility, the two Nick’s, Jordan and Rose, are still too close to call in the kicking department, Tevin Jackson may have hurt his shoulder in a collision, and the logjam at the #3 WR spot, Marcus Johnson, Cayleb Jones, and Kendal Sanders, has yet to be resolved.
Brown remarked about the faster tempo, also noting it was the first time at a UT practice where the quarterbacks got hit, accidentally of course. But it goes to show you the physical nature of the practices has increased, something that could only benefit this team, and reminded everyone that Ash has still not thrown an interception this spring. So, there’s that.
Defensive-coordinator Manny Diaz talked about the defensive backs, notably Adrian Phillips and Carrinton Byndom, being more physical, and youngster’s Sheroid Evans and Orlando “Duke” Thomas emerging from the pack in the secondary.
Here’s another interesting note I received from a coach at the 2013 UIL State basketball tournament in Austin last week. Former Texas football commit, who de-committed and signed with Alabama, and current Fort Worth Arlington Heights power forward, A’Shawn Robinson, played in the Class 4A semifinals on Thursday against Rosenberg Terry. After Robinson’s squad was eliminated, instead of shaking hands and receiving his customary UIL medal, he refused to shake hands, blurted obscenities to his opponents, and did not accept his medal.
This may not have anything to do with his future in football, but it goes along with a pattern he’s displayed as an high school athlete. Of the handful Texas commits that have switched schools over the years, notably Louisiana’s Ryan Perrilloux in 2005, Robinson is the only player I’ve felt was better NOT to attend the Forty Acres. I’ve heard numerous reports about his laziness, inability to play hard every snap, and overall negative attitude towards teammates that leads me to believe Mack and company dodged a bullet with the troublesome malcontent. If there is one coach in the college ranks who won’t tolerate that, it’s Saban.
The Men’s hoops team had a positive vibe to it this week, to say the least. It started with former player, T.J. Ford tweeting that Orlando, Florida 4-star shooting guard, Demarcus Croaker, had become the newest member of the burnt orange basketball team. After digging for a few minutes, we received this tweet directly from Mr. Croaker himself.
@justinwells2424 @hornsports no I haven’t made a decision yet but be on the lookout for my decision soon
— Demarcus Croaker (@Dcroaker5) March 6, 2013
I think that about sums it up.
Then Barnes’ bunch opened the week with a, 79-70 defeat of the Baylor Bears in Austin. It was the first time in 17 games that the Horns beat a hoops squad (Men’s and Women’s) from Waco. Sheldon McClellan continued his late season surge with 23 points, while Myck Kabongo’s stat line read; 19 points, six rebounds, and eight assists. Ioannis Papapetrou added 13.
The Red Raiders were the next team to fall victim to the Horns, as Texas finished Big-12 regular season play with a, 71-69 OT triumph in Lubbock on Saturday. Texas overcame being down 16 at one point, and an 0-for-12 shooting night from Kabongo. McClellan went for a game-high 28 points, and setup the Horns with a TCU matchup in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big-12 tournament on Wednesday at 8:30 pm.
After the baseball team went 0-4 last week, the Horns turned the tide, starting with a Tuesday night victory over UT-Pan American, 5-1, behind a Brooks Marlow 2-run shot, the first home run of the year for the Longhorns.
Then Texas swept UC-Santa Barbara this past weekend at home in convincing and dramatic fashion.
Parker French went eight strong during Friday’s, 5-1 win, surrendering one run, on five hits. Mark Payton’s two-run triple highlighted the opening-series victory. Then C.J. Hinojosa stepped up Saturday and delivered a walk-off 2-run double in the ninth, for the 3-2 win. The freshman sensation at shortstop has a ‘clutch gene’, considering his penchant for late game heroics. He had a walk-off hit versus Nebraska on Feb. 23rd.
On Sunday, Texas pushed 11 runs across the plate in an, 11-6 win to complete the weekend sweep of the Gauchos.
The only negative was the dismissal of junior outfielder Cohl Walla, who was let go for violation of team rules. Walla was a Baseball America Freshman All-American after hitting 8 home runs, and driving in 40 his first season. He was 0-for-4 this year.
“We are extremely disappointed in the release of Cohl,” said Texas coach Augie Garrido. “We see him as an exceptional athlete and it’s disappointing that we didn’t do more to help him stay focused in order to reach his full potential. We are proud of the fact that he is going to graduate from The University of Texas and will do everything in our power to help him sign a professional contract.”
Quote of the Week: “Â No, I think self-evaluation is something that a lot of people have trouble doing. I’ve never had trouble with that. I mean, if we are not doing something right, I can admit that to myself and the staff and get it fixed and move forward. That’s what you do. And to coach at a place for going on 16 years, you’re going to have your ups and your downs, and we’ve had those.” -Â Texas coach Mack Brown
Thanks for spending your Monday with us, and hope you have a great week. Hook’Em Horns !!!
