DJ Augustin: Big 12 Player of the Year?

by Peter Bean on Oct 9, 2007 11:03 AM CDT in Texas Longhorns Basketball

If you're asking Big 12 coaches, then yes. Augustin was tabbed as the conference's preseason Player of the Year by Big 12 coaches (who could not vote for their own players). Joining Augustin on the preseason All Big 12 team: Darrell Arthur (Kansas), Brandon Rush (Kansas), Curtis Jerrells (Baylor), Joseph Jones (A&M), and Aleks Maric (Nebraska). I have no idea why the team has six players.

In other hoops news, the pairings for the 2007 Legends Classic have been announced, with Texas hosting UC Davis and Arkansas-Monticello on November 16th and 18th at the Erwin Center. Assuming Texas wins their preliminary games, they would advance to the tournament semifinals in Newark, NJ, to play (in all likelihood) New Mexico State. Filling out the bottom of the bracket would be West Virginia and Tennessee.

Update [2007-10-9 17:24:54 by HornsFan]: I got a reader email noting that Texas will advance to the semifinals regardless of the outcomes in the preliminary games. So if you're in the New Jersey area, you can count on the 'Horns being there.

--PB--

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3 post players?

With Arthur, Maric, and Jones all being post players, I'm wondering if there was a tie in the voting, necessitation 6 being on the roster.

by Beergut on Oct 9, 2007 12:14 PM CDT reply actions

UC Davis

is supposed to be pretty good, right? As in challenging Gonzaga for the conference title. I thought I heard that recently.

...til Gabriel blows his horn

by BigTexBD on Oct 9, 2007 12:17 PM CDT reply actions

SI Photos...

SI ranks the Augustin-led Texas backcourt as the ninth best in the nation...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mul...

by jc25 on Oct 9, 2007 1:52 PM CDT reply actions

question

Any idea when single-game tickets will be available?

by SelimSivad on Oct 9, 2007 3:40 PM CDT reply actions

Augustin

was awesome last year, maybe it was just KDurant but it seemed like some games he just lost his touch shooting the ball, he needs to get a better shot for a PG. But he is a very good ball handler and a floor leader.

by Romo9 on Oct 9, 2007 4:39 PM CDT reply actions

joy

I suppose one good thing to come out of two humiliating defeats by the Longhorn football team is that BON has finally picked up its coverage of Longhorn basketball.

There are sometimes complaints here about fans lacking enthusiasm for basketball until the conference season begins. Now is the time to do something about that. Maybe a countdown to start with?

by Caradoc on Oct 10, 2007 11:02 AM CDT reply actions

It's only three weeks until the exhibition game

That's Friday, Nov. 2 against Xavier (La.). Looks like they're only having one this year and are kicking out Barnes' home town school for whatever reason.

I went last year to check the new kids, to see if the hubba around Durant and James had anything to it. They were nervous as cats and KD missed his first seven shots but then he got better. James never did shoot much. The real stat of the night was DJ, who didn't have a single turnover. The scorekeepers would later amend that to one, but I found that incredibly impressive for a freshman PG. That was something which would keep this team grounded.

And it was obvious this would be a hell of a fun team to watch and that KD was one of those special cases where the hubba really couldn't match the talent and skill. But DJ was the glue that pulled everything together and kept it running for as young and inexperienced as they were.

I expect this year to be different; I don't know how but when you lose someone like KD, the whole dynamic will change. But because of the experience and DJ at the helm, it will be as cohesive as it was late in the season last year. They won't have to start over.

Strangely enough I have a personal affection for Dexter Pittman. Whether it is just the capacity of his dramatic change in body shape to become a great story or because he has such potential, I don't know. From a guy who had great feet but couldn't run whatsoever, from a guy who had great touch but very little fundamental basketball skill in the middle, to a guy who once got by on size and strength who is now called on to fulfill his talent with real skill, he remains the enigma which can be a great catalyst for the Horns. Perhaps the unceasing dedication that KD represented rubbed off on him. His upside is just almost unlimited.

Listed at 299 on the current roster, it looks like he will stabilize his weight at 300 or so. His greatest victory last year was toward the last, when he actually began to run the floor at full speed. He has so much to learn in this new body, so much to learn under the basket, but he can add something the Horns have needed: serious muscle and D in the paint. If he emerges - and I realize this may take half a season just to get to such a point - then it will free James and the talented 2s and 3s to do what they do best.

James gave up a last year to play the muscle role and I respect that. I also think it made him a better defensive player; Pittman's possible emergence can free him to develop on the offensive side. Atchley and Hill both showed improvement through the season, so Barnes has a stable base of size that should provide some interesting strategies and allow some freedom for the new swing guys. And this would be unlike the scrimmage last year, where the weight of the season seem to hang heavily on the shoulders of a bunch of freshmen.

Bigger shoulders, more experience, a strong PG and back court; time to rock'n'roll.

by whills on Oct 10, 2007 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions

James on D

I heard (I can't remember where, though) that Barnes said James' strides on defense last year have put him on track to become the league's best defender, in a Marcus Dove mold. We would love for him to become the offensive threat he was in high school, but he already is a force on D down low. I just hope he's been working on his turnaround jumpers and offensive putbacks (that latter we severely needed last year).

...til Gabriel blows his horn

by BigTexBD on Oct 10, 2007 4:01 PM CDT up reply actions

That's high praise from Barnes

and, of course, comes with a push to get better; he's always the motivator.

Like you, I hope James finds his offensive touch and his near-the-basket game. (As well as the big guys.) We'll need every bit of that this year.

Losing KD opens up a lot of scoring for the rest of the team - and I'm sure the new forwards know that, too, - but I don't expect any single person to replace him. The more we get in the paint, hell, within 10', the better DJ and AJ can bomb away outside and keep the opposition spread out.

I do think this will be a fun season, at least 20 wins and maybe more if they jell and find some scoring punch with balance. James is very much the key to much of the season. I gave him a lot of respect last year for doing the hard work down low when we didn't have a hell of a lot of help at times (like when Hill went out for injury for a while) due to our shallow inexperienced depth.

by whills on Oct 10, 2007 9:07 PM CDT up reply actions