Texas doesn't lack for talent
Brown leads stable of younger players


Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE
J’Covan Brown leads Texas with a 20.1 points per game average.

Written by
Bill Koch

In the past two years, Texas has lost six underclassmen to the NBA draft. The University of Cincinnati has lost one. That was Lance Stephenson, and he was the first Bearcat to be drafted since Jason Maxiell went in the first round to Detroit in 2005.

While Texas, UC’s opponent in the first round of the NCAA tournament’s East Region on Friday in Nashville, is constantly reloading with a fresh infusion of some of the top players in the country, UC coach Mick Cronin and his staff have put their team together the old-fashioned way – building with players who have stayed for four years and gotten better with experience.

This year is no different. No. 6 seed UC (24-10) starts two seniors, two juniors and a third-year sophomore. No. 11 seed Texas (20-13) starts a senior, a junior and three freshmen, with six freshmen on its roster.

Still, the Longhorns found a way to reach the NCAA tournament for the 14th straight year, aided in their quest by knocking off No. 25 Iowa State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.

“We tell our players don’t ever take this for granted,” Texas coach Rick Barnes said Monday. “It was important to them because they’ve worked extremely hard all year. Based on their reaction, I could tell they’re extremely excited to get in. There are certain things in a program, an expectation. I think our players have alluded to that. When you come to Texas, that’s something that’s expected.”

But Barnes himself didn’t know what to expect last spring after losing his entire starting five from 2010-11, with only one player returning from last season who averaged more than three points. That was junior guard J’Covan Brown, who averaged 9.6 as a sophomore and has blossomed into the leading scorer in the Big 12 this year, averaging 20.1 points.

“With where we were as a program in the spring, we knew we had to try to recreate a culture here and would have to do it with only three returning players, six new players and two players we didn’t even know we were going to get until August,” Barnes said.

But don’t feel too sorry for the Longhorns. Barnes’ six freshmen were the fourth-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to ESPN.com. He wasn’t going about his rapid rebuilding process with six guys off the street.

Brown provided him with a stabilizing force and has carried the load offensively, even though opponents usually gear their defense to stop him.

“Early in the game they’re all jacked up trying to deny him the ball,” Barnes said, “but he’s patient. He went from where he was trying to rush things to where he’s learned to settle in and read it. As the game goes on, he has a pretty good feel for it and knows what he needs to do.”

UC is more balanced, with four players who average in double figures plus JaQuon Parker, who is close with an average of 9.2. UC has some youth, too, with five freshmen and a junior college transfer on its roster and another freshman sitting out this season. But none of the newcomers plays a key role. The Bearcats rely on their old hands, the ones who have been through the wars in the Big East Conference and don’t get rattled when things aren’t going their way.

Perhaps that will give them an edge against the Longhorns. But Barnes is used to doing things this way. He’s constantly reloading because of the high-profile players he has been able to recruit, players who stay at Texas for a year or two and then bolt for the NBA. He’ll take his chances with Brown and his talented youngsters.

“These guys are excited,” Barnes said. “I don’t know if we have had a team here in 14 years more excited than this group. We wouldn’t play that card all year long. We’re not going to use that as an excuse. They’ve all played enough minutes now to know that’s not going to be a factor.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120...t|Sports|p