Per multiple sources, 2012 San Antoniono F Connor Lammert has committed to Rick Barns and the Texas Longhorns. As BFLT said, this might be the biggest 3* recruit in Barnes' history in order to reinvigorate the program with some positive momentum after the absolutely crushing losses of wings Marcus Smart and Danuel House on the recruiting trail.
Aside from the commitments of Javan Felix and Jaylen Bond over the summer and Sterling Gibbs last spring, UT's basketball program has been reeling since the early departure of Tristan Thompson, Jordan Hamilton, and Cory Joseph and missed opportunities (read: roller coaster of emotions) with DeAndre Daniels, Olu Ashaolu, and Tony Woods.
So while Lammert isn't the big time prospect fans have become accustomed to of late under Barnes, he does inject some life into a program that honestly hasn't had a lot of positive news lately. Analysis of Connor after the jump.
PF Connor Lammert
Bio: 6'9"; 215 lbs.
High School: San Antonio Churchill
AAU Team: D-1 Ambassadors
Strengths: Lammert is your traditional swing-four a la Connor Atchley, although he is much better built and a more physical player. He can rain shots from all over the court and looks effortless from three-point range on in. His face-up midrange game is lethal and is very refined for such a young player.
Aside from his shooting ability, Connor's next biggest asset is a very impressive feel for the game. He's a solid passer with good vision and likes to get his teammates involved. He's also a decent penetrator from the perimeter, where he spends a vast amount of time. These two strengths go hand in hand, and you'll frequently see Lammert penetrate and dish to a wide-open teammate after the opposing team commits to him. I love bigs that have high basketball IQs and a guard's feel for the game, and that's what we're getting in Lammert.
Connor also seems to have decent bounce and touch around the rim, so don't expect as many of the finishing problems that a lot of Texas bigs have had in the past (Wangmene, Hill, Klotz, etc.). Well, I guess Wangmene is currently giving us those problems. But yeah, Lammert finishes with decent authority and can dunk in traffic, albeit against smaller players on tape.
Weaknesses: My biggest complaint with Lammert is he's a completely offensive player who isn't going to give you much on the defensive side of the ball. He's not a shot blocker like Atchley was and he doesn't look like much of a rebounder either. He's a fluid player for a big, but only has decent athleticism.
Another problem is the level of competition on his tapes—horrendous. A lot of the guys he's playing against look like middle schoolers and I don't think there was anybody taller than 6'4" that guarded him.
Finally, Lammert basically has no post moves right now. He's a face-up guy all day long and spends enough time on the perimeter that I'd take no issue with somebody projecting him as a SF offensively. For a big guy, he just doesn't really offer anything inside.
Final Analysis: Lammert is a sure-fire four-year player at Texas, which I'm certain some of you appreciate. We'll use him religiously in pick and pop situations like we did with Atchley, and hopefully Kabongo will stick around for another year to be his D.J Augustin. Myck is basically the perfect guard to play pick and roll/pop with as a big because of his incredible feel on the court, vision, and ability to turn the corner on a pick before the defense can recover in a switch/hedge situation.
Connor's also a great complement to fellow 2012 commit Cameron Ridley, a much more traditional interior player who should be able to cover up a lot of Lammert's defensive and rebounding deficiencies, as well as providing a low-post scoring presence.
Connor Lammert Duncanville GASO Highlights - 7/2011 (via hiscal2020)