2011 Texas Longhorns Basketball


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2010-11 Results

Overall: 28-8
Conference: 13-3

Roster

Seniors

Clint Chapman
Alexis Wangmene

Juniors

J’Covan Brown
Andrew Dick
Dean Melchionni

Freshmen

Jaylen Bond
Sterling Gibbs
Jonathan Holmes
Myck Kabongo
Julien Lewis
Sheldon McClellan

Head Coach

Rick Barnes

Key Losses

Texas has lost Jordan Hamilton (18.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Tristan Thompson (13.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Cory Joseph (10.4 ppg, 3.0 apg) to the NBA draft, as well as seniors Gary Johnson (11.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Dogus Balbay (4.1 ppg, 2.1 apg).

Although Hamilton’s 18.6 points per game is impressive, the biggest losses from that starting five are on the defensive end of the floor. Thompson was the conference’s best shot-blocker and Balbay was one of the best perimeter defenders in the country. Johnson was a very intelligent and versatile team player who could guard multiple positions. Last season, the Longhorns led the conference in field-goal percentage defense (.387), three-point field goal percentage defense (.295), rebounding (40.3) and blocked shots (5.08).

Schedule

Date Opponent / Event
TicketCity Legends Classic Regional Round
11/13/2011 vs. Boston University
11/15/2011 vs. Rhode Island
TicketCity Legends Classic Championship Round
11/19/2011 vs. Oregon State
11/21/2011 vs. N.C. State or Vanderbilt
Regular Season
11/26/2011 vs. Sam Houston State
11/29/2011 vs. North Texas
12/3/2011 @ UCLA
12/6/2011 vs. UT Arlington
12/10/2011 vs. Texas State
12/13/2011 vs. Nicholls State
12/17/2011 vs. Temple
12/21/2011 @ North Carolina
12/31/2011 vs. Rice
1/4/2012 @ Iowa State
1/7/2012 vs. Oklahoma State
1/11/2012 vs. Texas A&M
1/14/2012 @ Missouri
1/18/2012 @ Kansas State
1/21/2012 vs. Kansas
1/24/2012 vs. Iowa State
1/28/2012 @ Baylor
1/30/2012 vs. Missouri
2/4/2012 vs. Texas Tech
2/6/2012 @ Texas A&M
2/11/2012 vs. Kansas State
2/14/2012 @ Oklahoma
2/18/2012 @ Oklahoma State
2/20/2012 vs. Baylor
2/25/2012 @ Texas Tech
2/29/2012 vs. Oklahoma
3/3/2012 @ Kansas
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
3/7/2012 First Round Games
3/8/2012 Quarterfinals
3/9/2012 Semifinals
3/10/2012 Championship Game

2011-12 Preview

Longhorns coach Rick Barnes starts the 2011-12 season in the unenviable position of having to replace his entire starting lineup. Strangely enough, Barnes is no stranger to this situation. After making the Elite Eight in 2006, he saw all five starters move on. He will need to call on all of that experience if he is to mold a team capable of mounting a challenge in such a short space of time.

Texas consistently brings in some of the nation’s best recruiting classes, having signed a Rivals.com top 10 class in four of the last six seasons. From a rankings standpoint, Texas has become the best recruiting school in the Big 12. Barnes even signed the best conference player in history in Kevin Durant a few years ago.

The loss of all five starters is going to make it difficult, but J’Covan Brown is as dangerous a scorer as there is in the Big 12. The frontcourt could be found wanting, though Clint Chapman is also a far better player than his averages suggest.

If the Longhorns are going to compete for the Big 12 championship, they will be expecting a massive contribution from Myck Kabongo.  Kabongo will start at point guard and could be pivotal as a creator and defender. Julien Lewis could give the Longhorns some scoring power, particularly with his outside shot. Texas could still emerge as a real contender in the conference this season.

One key player that Texas did not lose was 6-1 junior J’Covan Brown. Brown (10.4 ppg, 2.1 apg) came off the bench last season but this season he will be the star player. He is a bit of a volume shooter, and his overall scoring average could be deceptive as he played only 21.5 minutes per game. He is one of the most dangerous scorers in the Big 12. He scored 20 against UConn, 23 at Kansas, 18 against Nebraska, 21 against Colorado and 23 points in the NCAA Tournament loss to Arizona.

UT was the fourth-best offensive team in the Big 12 last season but it is difficult to forecast where the points will come from this year. Some of them will come from 6-2 freshman Myck Kabongo, rated the No. 2 point guard in the class of 2011 by ESPN. Kabongo is well regarded as a traditional, pass-first point with outstanding ball-handling skills and great defensive potential. Scoring has not been a big part of Kabongo’s game, which perhaps makes him a perfect match for Brown, who will be happy to take on the scoring role.

The Longhorns bring in eight other newcomers, including shooting guards Julien Lewis (25.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Sheldon McClellan (24.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg). Lewis has been described as a streak shooter with range while McClellan is known as one of the best mid-range scorers in the class.

In the frontcourt, the Longhorns return 6-10 Clint Chapman, who redshirted last season after averaging 1.9 points and 1.4 rebounds as a junior in 2009-10, and 6-7 Alexis Wangmene, who averaged 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 2010-11.

UT also added 6-8 freshman Jonathan Holmes (24.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg), a highly rated power forward in the class of 2011. The Longhorns managed a late recruiting coup in 6-6 forward Jaylen Bond (19.0 ppg) who had initially signed with Pittsburgh.

More Big 12 Basketball Predictions

Kansas Jayhawks Missouri Tigers
Baylor Bears Iowa State Cyclones
Kansas State Wildcats Texas Longhorns
Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma Sooners
Texas A&M Aggies Texas Tech Red Raiders
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