Tag: matt coleman

Lakers conduct draft workouts with six participants Wednesday

The Los Angeles Lakers worked out six prospects Wednesday for the NBA draft process.

The NBA draft always takes plenty of work in advance in order for teams to be confident with their selections when the draft clock begins ticking.

The Los Angeles Lakers have the No. 22 overall pick in this year’s draft, barring any trades.

With the draft date of July 29 fast approaching, the Lakers are continuing the evaluation process by conducting individual workouts with players.

Los Angeles also interviewed several players at the NBA draft combine in June, like Corey Kispert of Gonzaga, Trey Murphy III of Virginia and more.

Los Angeles’ preparation continued Wednesday as they worked out six prospects, via Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation:

These players aren’t projected to be first-round draft pick options for the Lakers, and it’s uncertain if they’ll go in the second round, too.

The Lakers could be doing more due diligence to add talent to the South Bay Lakers of the G League or during Summer League in Las Vegas.

From those six players, Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Cody Riley are small-ball big men, which are the type of players usually playing center in the G League.

Matt Coleman, LJ Figueroa, Alan Griffin and Jason Preston are all guards capable of knocking down 3-pointers on solid volume.

Preston is arguably the best prospect L.A. could add to evaluate further. At Ohio this past season, he averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 51.4 percent from the field on 12.4 attempts and 39 percent from deep on 4.1 attempts. He’s listed as 6’4″, making for an intriguing player.

Preston talked with Lakers media after his session and had this to say, via Ryan Ward:

Los Angeles’ roster doesn’t comprise of many young prospects, so with the limited cap space L.A. is dealing with this summer, trying to find hidden gems could be a worthwhile investment.

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Updated NBA draft projections for Texas Longhorns prospects after lottery

Where are Texas’ top 2021 NBA draft prospects projected to land post-lottery?

The NBA held the draft lottery a few days ago, and excluding the remaining four teams left in their respective conference finals, we know the 2021 NBA draft order.

Four prospects from the University of Texas hope one of those teams will call their name called during draft night. Whether that is a reality for all four remains to be seen.

Texas’ top two prospects are power forward Kai Jones and forward Greg Brown III. Jericho Sims is an interesting prospect who is flirting with returning back to school, while Matt Coleman will likely go undrafted.

Here is where the four Longhorn prospects are projected to land during or post-draft.

Two Texas players go in first round of ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft

In the latest NBA mock draft, both Greg Brown and Kai Jones are selected in the first round. UT has not had two players picked since 2011.

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Shaka Smart’s final impression in Austin will always be the failure to win during March Madness. During his six seasons, Texas never won a tournament game. Abilene Christian proved to be too much this season, even though the Longhorns were a three seed.

Had Texas won in the round of 64, it is a real possibility Smart is still the head coach. Winning the Big 12 tournament after an 11-6 conference record was a major leap forward from years past. Most importantly, at least two of Smart’s players are expected to be drafted in the upcoming NBA draft.

Greg Brown, Matt Coleman, and Kai Jones are all going to take their stabs at the next level throughout the next couple of months. Brown was always seen as a one-and-done prospect, while the other two have been on campus for multiple seasons. Whether or not all three get drafted is yet to be seen.

In the latest ESPN mock draft, both Brown and Jones are selected in the first round by the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies respectively. Both are currently competing in the NBA playoffs, meaning neither player would be a lottery pick.

Texas has not had two players selected in the same draft since Tristian Thompson and Jordan Hamilton both went in the first round of the 2011 draft. Only four Longhorns were drafted from 2012-2020.

Here is what ESPN had to say about Memphis selecting Jones:

One of the deepest teams in the NBA, the Grizzlies could stand to add some explosiveness and versatility in the frontcourt to shore up their depth in an attempt to establish themselves as contenders in the Western Conference. Jones is a versatile defender who showed some promise as a floor spacer to complement his rim-running, offensive rebounding and finishing prowess, giving him plenty of upside to grow into long term.

Coming into the season, Brown was projected to be one of the top 14 picks in the draft. He has fallen to a fringe first-round pick and is selected by Utah at No. 30 overall.

Coming off a phenomenal regular season, the Jazz can afford to swing for the fences in picking Brown, a raw prospect who was a top-10 recruit a year ago. The Jazz don’t have much depth at power forward, and Brown’s budding perimeter shooting and potential defensive versatility give him a solid foundation to build on as he continues to round out his skill level and decision-making.

As for Coleman, he was not projected to get picked on July 29. Despite leading the Longhorns in assists for four seasons, the point guard would have to test the undrafted free agent waters.

What Shaka Smart, players said after the crushing loss to Abilene Christian

Texas’ season came to an inexcusable end on Saturday night with a loss to Abilene Christian. See everything they said after the early exit.

Texas’ season came to an inexcusable end on Saturday night with a loss to Abilene Christian. Since Shaka Smart took over six years ago, the Longhorns have only made the NCAA Tournament three times. Zero trips have resulted in a Round of 64 win.

At the end of the day, despite the Big 12 tournament championship, the Longhorns’ season will be classified as a disappointment. There was plenty of talent at each position throughout the roster. Greg Brown, Kai Jones, and Jericho Sims all project as first-round picks, while Matt Coleman could be a second-round guy. Even Smart’s most talented roster was not able to get it done late in March.

After the game, Texas was an emotional bunch. A season full of COVID-19 difficulties, a lot of mental strength and higher expectations will bring it out of you when it is all said and done. Emotions poured over into the postgame press conference.

See what Shaka Smart and players had to say after the game

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Pregame buzz as Texas prepares to face Abilene Christian in the NCAA Tournament

Fans, players and media members can’t contain their excitement as Texas inches closer to their NCAA Tournament opener.

March Madness is one of the most exciting events across all sports. Continue reading “Pregame buzz as Texas prepares to face Abilene Christian in the NCAA Tournament”

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No. 6 Texas falls to Oklahoma State in double overtime

The Texas Longhorns skid continued on Saturday as they fell to Oklahoma State in double overtime. The Cowboys won 75-67.

The rough stretch for Texas basketball continues after falling to Oklahoma State in double overtime on Saturday. Continue reading “No. 6 Texas falls to Oklahoma State in double overtime”

Texas Basketball: Five things we learned from the Maui Invitational

UT’s season began in spectacular fashion, winning the Camping World Maui Invitational. Here are three things we learned from the tournament.

Texas’ season began in spectacular fashion, winning the Camping World Maui Invitational. Wins over Davidson, Indiana and North Carolina have already put Shaka Smart in an excellent position to make the NCAA Tournament.

Tight games against Davidson and North Carolina were outside a historic blowout of Indiana. The Longhorns showed how dangerous they can be on the offensive end while playing energetic, lockdown defense.

Now, Texas will move onto the rest of the nonconference schedule and conference play. A game against Villanova plus Big 12 opponents are going to be quite the mountain to climb. The journey has just begun for the Longhorns.

Here are three things we learned in Texas’ championship run:

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Texas wins the Maui Invitational with buzzer beater over North Carolina

Texas’ Maui Invitational ended with the lifting of a trophy, beating North Carolina 69-67. Matt Coleman hit the game-winning shot.

Texas’ Maui Invitational ended with the lifting of a trophy, beating North Carolina in the championship 69-67. Matt Coleman played the hero role, hitting the game-winning step-back jumper with 0.1 seconds left.

In what started as a back and forth game, Texas was eventually the team able to settle down and hit their shots. A 12 point halftime lead never felt safe with all of the talent North Carolina holds. A second-half push came from the Tar Heels but late, clutch shots won the tournament.

Coleman was fantastic throughout, leading both teams in scoring with 22 points. He shot an important 3-6 from behind the arc and 9-16 in total. Not only was he the best player for the Longhorns today but throughout the entire tournament.

Texas did a fantastic job containing North Carolina’s young guards on the offensive side of the floor, holding Caleb Love to five points. R.J. Davis finished with 11 points but five came from the free-throw line. He only shot 3-11 from the floor.

Garrison Brooks was still an issue down in the post. The preseason ACC player of the year led North Carolina with 18 points. While he did deal with a turned ankle late in the first half, Brooks came back and hit shots when he was called upon.

Much like Brock Cunningham was the star against Indiana, Royce Hamm was that for Texas on Wednesday. He only finished with two points but had four blocks and five rebounds. Even more of what he does will never show up on the stat sheet. Shaka Smart’s role players have taken a step up.

Player of the game – Matt Coleman

No words needed. 22 points, three assists, and one game-winning shot.

Highlights

Next up – Villanova on Sunday at noon on ESPN

Thought it would get easier for the Longhorns? Nope. Another top 15 team is on the slate as No. 12 Villanova will be heading to Austin. The Wildcats are 3-1 on the season, already getting a victory over Arizona State. Jay Wright’s squad is consistently one of the top programs in all of college basketball.

Texas must play with the same fight and defensive effort to pull off another crucial resume-building win. Villanova already averages nearly 80 points per game in just four games. Point guard Collin Gillespie is the household name but forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earle is budding into a star.

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Texas Basketball: Longhorns smother UT-Rio Grande Valley 91-55

The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team handled their business on Wednesday night. They beat UT-RGV 91-55, led by Courtney Ramey.

The Longhorns men’s basketball team got their season started against UT-Rio Grande Valley. Courtney Ramey got the scoring going early with their five points of the game. It was clear there was a talent gap between the two teams. Texas returned their entire team from a season ago with the addition of Greg Brown, more on him in a moment.

The story of the first half was the transition offense and play of Kai Jones. He led the team in the first half with 11 points and four rebounds at the half. Texas built a 45-29 lead heading into the break. Brown struggled in the first half missing all six of his shots but had two points and six rebounds at the break.

He would open the second half with a ferocious dunk.

As the game wore on, the Texas Longhorns team showed off their length and athleticism. K. Jones was able to showcase his hops with a few dunks off passes from Matt Coleman and Ramey. The Longhorns built their lead up to 81-53 late in the second half with just under five minutes to go.

Brown played much better in the second half went on, he recorded a double-double in his first collegiate game. The Longhorns expanded their lead to over 30 points in the closing minutes.

Courtney Ramey led all scorers in this game. At times looked sloppy but Texas handled an inferior opponent, which hasn’t always been the case for Shaka Smart in early nonconference play. Five Texas players would finish with double-digit scoring.

Final Stats:

Player Shooting Points Rebounds Assists Steals Blocks
Ramey 7-11 20 5 6 1 1
Coleman 6-10 17 1 5 1 1
Brown 2-9 11 10 0 0 0
K. Jones 6-6 14 8 0 1 0
Sims 1-3 4 10 0 1 1