Tag: texas longhorns basketball recruiting

Texas Basketball: The case for hiring Kentucky HC John Calipari

John Calipari has four top ten commits and the No. 1 recruiting class in college basketball.

The Texas Longhorns have been mentioned as a team that could poach Kentucky head coach John Calipari. The Wildcats’ coach has struggled in recent years but is worth considering for Texas.

For starters, recruits are buying into his resume and track record of producing NBA players. The veteran coach has produced players like Marcus Camby, Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, John Wall and many others.

Presently, Kentucky has the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation with four Top 10 recruits. That list includes the No. 1 and No. 2 overall players in the 2023 basketball recruiting class.

Given the experience Texas loses next season, Calipari would presumably hit the ground running on the recruiting trail to replace the Longhorns’ NBA departures. If the Longhorns were able to win over his 2023 class and retain No. 10 player Ron Holland and and No. 15 player AJ Johnson, their talent advantage overwhelm right away.

Here’s a look at who Calipari has committed to Kentucky.

Why John Calipari would be a risky hire for Texas basketball

There would be risk in hiring Kentucky coach John Calipari.

Kentucky’s John Calipari is one of the most accomplished coaches in college basketball. He will finish his career as one of the best at his craft. Despite his strong resume, his success isn’t certain at Texas.

For starters, that he would leave Kentucky after being given a lifetime contract speaks to the current state of his program. The Wildcats are 10-6 this season and 1-3 in conference play, with a contingent of fans hoping for a new head coach.

The last two seasons weren’t much better for Coach Cal. Last March, his team lost its first NCAA Tournament game to No. 15 seed St. Peter’s. The year before, the Wildcats missed the tournament after going 9-16.

Adding Calipari could lead to a surge in recruiting for Texas. Even so, it’s uncertain how his style of coaching would go over on the Forty Acres.

Texas may still try to poach the national championship winning head coach. We will continue to monitor the coaching search moving forward.

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Texas Basketball: How some potential coaching hires fared on Saturday

Some coaches performed better than others on first Saturday of the Longhorns coaching search.

Texas basketball is still in search of a long-term plan at head coach. Not much changed on that front on Saturday. Continue reading “Texas Basketball: How some potential coaching hires fared on Saturday”

Breaking down Texas basketball’s 56-46 win over Oklahoma State

Texas improved to 13-2 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.

Texas won a low scoring game against Oklahoma State on Saturday. Depending on who you ask, the performance was either ugly or gritty. Given Texas’ past struggles against Oklahoma State, it’s fair to simply accept the win and move forward.

The Longhorns are far from a finished product. The burnt orange faithful have seen it all since a narrow overtime win over Rice.

Kansas State unearthed defensive flaws in its 116-103 win over Texas that Rodney Terry worked to eliminate. The Horns then held Oklahoma State to 46 points.

It was an ugly offensive performance. Texas guards made only 6 of 27 shot attempts in the team’s 31% shooting night. In reality, it was fair to expect the offense to regress following its 103-point scoring performance on Tuesday. Texas guards shot 25-for-45 against the Wildcats.

More important than style points, Texas earned a double-digit conference win in Stillwater. The team will face crucial games against against TCU and Texas Tech in its next two games.

Texas improved to 13-2 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.

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Texas begins life after Chris Beard against Oklahoma State on Saturday

So far, Texas is 0-1 in the trap game portion of the conference schedule.

Texas travels to play Oklahoma State on Saturday. It will carry added significance for the team as it moves forward. Continue reading “Texas begins life after Chris Beard against Oklahoma State on Saturday”

What the next three games will reveal about Texas basketball

Texas basketball must avoid a letdown early in conference play.

The Texas Longhorns are 12-1 following a huge road win over the Oklahoma Sooners. After navigating a tough nonconference schedule the team is about to face a new test altogether. Continue reading “What the next three games will reveal about Texas basketball”

No. 2 Texas earns resounding win over Arkansas Pine Bluff, 88-43

Bishop, Mitchell and Cunningham combined to make 18 of 22 attempts.

The Texas men’s basketball team got back in the win column on Saturday. The victory erased the sour first loss the team endured against No. 17 Illinois earlier in the week.

The win was a more complete team effort than usual as multiple players saw game time. Christian Bishop led the Longhorns in scoring with 16 points, while Dillon Mitchell and Brock Cunningham both added 13. The trio combined to make 18 of 22 shots from the field.

Freshman forward Alex Anamekwe made both of his scoring opportunities with 5 points in nine minutes of game time.

Elsewhere in college basketball, No. 1 Houston and No. 8 Alabama clash on the court. Memphis hosts No. 11 Auburn while No. 6 Kansas renews its hoops rivalry with Missouri.

The Longhorns will look to navigate a handful of under-the-radar games for the remainder of the month. The next big challenge for Texas will be a trip to Norman to face the Sooners on New Years Eve.

Texas is now 7-1 on the season.

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Texas Basketball Recruiting: Early signing day roundup

Texas had a big Wednesday, signing four players on early national signing day. The group was headlined by four-star SG Tamar Bates.

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Texas basketball had a big Wednesday, signing four players on early national signing day. The group was headlined by four-star shooting guard Tamar Bates. Listed at 6-4 and 175 pounds, Bates is the No. 103 player in the country according to the 247Sports composite.

Shaka Smart’s team currently has the No. 2 overall class in the Big 12. Only the Baylor Bears are ahead of the Longhorns team with the only five-star prospect in the conference in Kendall Brown.

USA TODAY Sports broke down each recruiting class within the Big 12. When speaking of Texas, it talks about how Smart is at the beginning of another rebuild in Austin. With so much experience on the roster, the sixth-year head coach will need depth throughout the lineup beginning as soon as next year.

Here is everything USA TODAY Sports said about Texas’ class:

Smart continuing to build Texas

Coach Shaka Smart’s efforts to rebuild the Longhorns are again in the spotlight, especially with the uncertainty of a veteran roster returning next season. Texas has six seniors and four juniors. Even though every player has the option to play another season, there is no guarantee the veterans will stay. Plus, freshman Greg Brown III could be a one-season star. That leaves lots of possible holes for Smart to fill and is why he’s loading up on talent with four players expected to sign Wednesday.

If Smart wants to continue to rebuild this Texas team, the 2020-2021 season will be a crucial one for him. With the veteran roster and the addition of Greg Brown III, it will be NCAA Tournament or bust for the Longhorns. Anything else will raise questions.

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Thursday Big 12 Morning Rush: Headlines from around the conference

Each morning, LonghornsWire will provide the top headlines in the Big 12. Today, BR, Twitter, and TexasTech.com provide the headlines.

Each morning Longhorns Wire will share the top stories from around the Big 12 Conference. For this edition of the Big 12 morning rush, Bleacher Report, Twitter, and TexasTech.com provide the headlines.

Continue reading “Thursday Big 12 Morning Rush: Headlines from around the conference”

Texas Basketball: Kentucky trying to lure assistant per report

Shaka Smart may be losing an assistant, as UK is looking to steal Jai Lucas. KSR is reporting that Calipari wants Lucas to join his staff.

Head coach Shaka Smart may be losing one of the assistants on his coaching staff, as Kentucky could be looking to steal Jai Lucas away. Kentucky Sports Radio is reporting that John Calipari could want Lucas to join his staff.

“Would be a big get if we could pull that off,” a source close to the Kentucky basketball program told KSR Tuesday morning.

“Jai Lucas is a specialist, knows everyone in the country. Limitless resources,” another source familiar with the situation told KSR on Monday evening. “Could be an assistant like he is now but more of a connections guy. Fits like a glove [at Kentucky].”

He would be replacing Kenny Payne, who recently joined the New York Knicks’ coaching staff.

Lucas joined the Texas staff in 2013 and began as the Texas director of basketball operations. Smart then gave him a promotion, making him an assistant coach beginning in 2016.

He is responsible for the great 2017 recruiting class that included Mo Bamba, Matt Coleman, and Jericho Sims.

Before coaching, Lucas was a player at Texas for two seasons after transferring from Florida. He averaged just under three points a game with 2.9 and 1.2 assists per game during his time in Austin.

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