In anticipation for Shaka Smart’s second season on The 40 Acres, HornSports college basketball writer Chris Flanagan will go in-depth on the Texas men’s basketball team. This week, we preview the freshmen class of the Texas Men’s Basketball team.
The Freshmen
The Class of 2016 comes in as one of the highest ranked recruiting class in Texas history. Texas ranked 5th in the country according to the composit rankings of 247Sports. That’s the highest ranking since 2011. While the 2011 class will likely never be remembered for their time at Texas, the 2016 freshmen class will have the opportunity to set the tone of the Shaka Smart era.
Superstar: Jarrett Allen
It’s tough to project who will be the superstar of a class that hasn’t yet played a minute on the hardwood, but Jarrett Allen is the gem that many coaches across the nation wanted. The Austin native kept things extremely quiet, so much so that he didn’t announce he was committing to the Longhorns.
Jarrett Allen will likely be the starter at the 4 spot to begin the season. Allen is already projected as a lottery pick by NBADraft.net. This will likely be a one and done season for Allen and there is no doubt with the lack of depth in the front court that he will get plenty of playing time.
Hidden Gem: James Banks
Staying with the big man, the Indiana native snubbed all his home state schools to be a Longhorn. Many people were surprised that James Banks made the U18 USA Basketball team but it’s easy to see why he was selected. He’s long, fast and tough down low. He is the perfect center for the system that the Longhorns want to run. While Shaq Cleare has the edge in experience, I wouldn’t be surprised if Banks becomes the starter at center when Big 12 play rolls around.
Other Members
Andrew Jones
The 5-star combo guard will be trying to get some playing time this year with a deep guard rotation. The McDonald’s All-American is a great ball handler but doesn’t have that lightning quick first step like Isaiah Taylor had. However, he is so long with his stride that he is deceptively fast. Expect Andrew to stay 2-3 years at Texas and potentially one-and-done if he has a breakout season.
Jacob Young
Jacob Young was the first to commit to the 2016 class and has an impressive lineage of basketball excellence. His Dad, Michael Young, is the 3rd highest scorer in Houston Cougars history as a member of Phi Slama Jama. His brother, Joe Young, was named Pac-12 player of the year averaging nearly 20 points a game. Not to be outdone, last year he lead the AAU circuit in scoring at nearly 30 points per game, including a 50 point game. Now, with a deep guard rotation, I wouldn’t expect 50 point games anytime soon and I wouldn’t be shocked if he redshirts this year to build scholarship depth for the Longhorns.
Overall Preview
The expectation is for this talented group of freshmen to perform right out of the gate. The front court guys will be expected to handle the load for the team, as there is only a rotation of 4 big men for the entire year. The guards will likely get the chance to play but I don’t expect to see them contribute as much as the big men.
Texas opens the season against Incarnate Word Academy on November 11th in Austin.
