Texas Longhorns basketball coach Shaka Smart inked two crucial signees earlier in November in the form of point guard Jacob Young and center James Banks, who you can read more about here.
Smart and assistant coach Mike Morrell made a recent appearance on the Longhorn Network to discuss the pair and how they'll fit into the future of the Longhorn basketball program.
Smart described Young, whose brother plays for the Indiana Pacers, as an "absolute gym rat."
I guarantee he's in the gym right now. He loves to work. He's a great teammate, loves being around other people that love basketball. That's the type of group that we're trying to put together, people that thrive on being in the gym, thrive on competition. He came from a terrific basketball family. Not only does his brother currently play in the NBA, his father played in three Final Fours and played in the NBA and overseas for quite some time.
On Banks, Morrell stressed the player's potential to grow in the program.
James is a unique kid, and he's a great kid. He really fits coach Smart and what coach really values, and what our staff really values in terms of play. Obviously he's a piece of clay right now. James has only been playing for a little less than four years and if you watch him play you can kind of see that in some instances. He's just a kid who he loves to play, he loves life in general, and we want guys that want to have fun playing in the style that we have.
Watch the full video for more on the two prospects.