Burnt Orange Nation - Texas Longhorns Basketball 2013 Season ReviewRomancing each other since 2004https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47839/BONfavicon.png2013-05-08T17:27:33-05:00http://www.burntorangenation.com/rss/stream/40003792013-05-08T17:27:33-05:002013-05-08T17:27:33-05:00Season Review: Prince Ibeh Shows His Potential
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<figcaption>Jamie Squire</figcaption>
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<p>The most physically-gifted Longhorn was raw as a freshman, but his performance showed why he may have the highest ceiling of any player on the entire 2012-13 Longhorns basketball team.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2598117/Prince_Ibeh_Player_Card.png"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2598117/Prince_Ibeh_Player_Card.png"></a></p>
<h4><i style="font-size: 1.25em;">Overview</i></h4>
<p>Prince Ibeh clearly still needs to develop and refine his game -- particularly on offense -- to become a consistently effective center who can play 25+ minutes per game, but his freshman season showed that he was further along the development curve than most expected him to be entering college, and if he can continue to progress along a normal development curve over the next two years, he may well enter his senior season as an elite collegiate center, with disruptive ability on both ends of the floor.</p>
<h4><i>What The Numbers Say</i></h4>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2598157/Prince_Ibeh_Statistics.png"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2598157/Prince_Ibeh_Statistics.png"></a></p>
<p>Ibeh's statistical profile perfectly captures the description offered in the Overview. He was extremely raw on offense, shooting sub-40 percent at the free throw line and struggling to limit turnovers, while playing a fairly small and relatively uninvolved role on the offense. That rawness extended to the defensive end of the floor, as well, insofar as Ibeh fouled at about the same rate Dexter Pittman did as a freshman -- which is to say, enough to foul out by halftime if he played the entire time.</p>
<p>But the numbers also reflect Ibeh's considerable promise, as well. Had he averaged enough minutes to qualify, Ibeh's12.0% block percentage would have ranked in the Top 15 nationally, right up there with Jeff Withey, who finished his senior season as the Big 12's all-time leader in blocks, surpassing Chris Mihm. Within his limited role in the offense, Ibeh performed pretty well, finishing with a solid offensive rating of 95.3 by making nearly 60% of his field goal attempts, as he demonstrated better coordination and finishing ability than was anticipated given his reputation as an offensively-challenged player. He was terrific on the offensive glass and outstanding at drawing trips to the line, where the results were awful but the shooting form wasn't, leading me to conclude he can improve to a 60% shooter from the stripe, which at Ibeh's rate of drawing fouls would be enough to make him a valuable offensive contributor.</p>
<h4><i>Season Highlight</i></h4>
<p>Nobody saw it, but Ibeh finished his season with a tremendous game in which he put it all together on both ends of the floor, playing 23 minutes against Houston in the opening round of the CBI and finishing with 12 points on 4-5 shooting (4-8 from the FT line), with 11 rebounds (7 offensive), just 1 turnover, and 5 blocks.</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tvQ3JzsLcoE?rel=0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h4><i>Season Lowlight</i></h4>
<p>Ibeh wasn't involved enough as a freshman to have a meaningful lowlight, but to the extent we wanted to name one we might choose his two games against Oklahoma State: 11 minutes, 8 fouls, 0 points, and just 1 block.</p>
<h4><i>Season Grade: B</i></h4>
<p>Ibeh was too ineffective from the line and too foul-prone to stay on the floor or he might well have earned an A for his play this year.</p>
<h4><i>Looking Ahead</i></h4>
<p>The expectations will ratchet up next year, but if he starts playing more consistently and begins delivering on his enormous promise, he could very quickly become one of Texas' most valuable assets.</p>
<p>Ibeh will compete for a spot in the starting five next year and should see both his minutes and usage increase. If he can cut down on the fouls, protect the basketball a little bit better, and shoot a respectable percentage from the line, there's no reason he can't be a 20-minute-per-game player for Texas next year who averages around 8 points and 8 boards a game and finishes the season with triple-digit blocks.</p>
https://www.burntorangenation.com/2013/5/8/4313422/texas-longhorns-prince-ibeh-statistics-review-scouting-reportPeter Bean2013-04-22T21:33:15-05:002013-04-22T21:33:15-05:00Season Review: Javan Felix's Baptism By Fire
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<img alt="Felix was brilliant in a 26-point, 8 assist effort against Baylor in Waco." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fcZD28I-8xyZmfHF3SeulFv97CI=/0x139:2821x2020/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/11980385/20130105_jla_aj6_531.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Felix was brilliant in a 26-point, 8 assist effort against Baylor in Waco. | USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Javan Felix demonstrated his ability to play at the collegiate level, but thanks to a baptism by fire also learned a lot about his limitations and how he must improve if he's to be more than a solid reserve.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2516747/Javan_Felix_Player_Card.png"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2516747/Javan_Felix_Player_Card.png"></a></p>
<h4><i style="font-size: 1.25em;">Overview</i></h4>
<p>Unexpectedly thrust into a starting role at point guard thanks to Myck Kabongo's suspension just before the season began, <span class="sbn-auto-link">Javan Felix's</span> introduction to college basketball was baptism by fire if ever there was one. Projected to play 12-15 minutes in a supporting role as Kabongo's back up, as late in the season as February 9th Felix not only led the team in minutes, but his 35 minutes per game average led all players in the entire Big 12.</p>
<p>Felix's collegiate career was not supposed to start that way... but without Kabongo, it was the only way.</p>
<p>All things considered, Felix acquitted himself pretty well across the first three months of the season, before seeing a substantial reduction in minutes upon Myck's return, including just 29 total minutes played over the team's final five games.</p>
<p>All told, Felix's freshman season established both his <i>bona fides</i> as a Division 1 player and the limitations he must overcome if he's to be a player with more value than as a solid reserve.</p>
<h4><i>What The Numbers Say</i></h4>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2516795/Javan_Felix_Statistics.png"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2516795/Javan_Felix_Statistics.png"></a></p>
<p>Felix's overall numbers don't quite tell the full story of his freshman campaign, given the extreme differential in his usage between the first two-thirds of the season and the final 11 games with Kabongo back in the lineup. On the one hand, as his minutes declined -- from nearly 35 to just 12 minutes per game -- his counting stats took a hit, as Felix averaged just 3.8 points, 1.2 assists, and 0.9 turnovers per game over the final 11 contests of the season.</p>
<p>On the other hand, upon playing fewer minutes and being tasked with a complementary rather than lead role, Felix was a more efficient player. After shooting 34% from the floor and 17% from beyond the arc over the first 23 games of the season, over the final 11 contests Felix connected on 42% of his shots from the floor and 44% of his three-point attempts, making 7 of his final 16 shots from downtown after making just 5 of his first 29.</p>
<p>There are a few key numbers that help illuminate the nature of the struggles that Felix faced over the course of his freshman season. The first is Felix's relatively modest 23.2 FT Rate, a reflection of how infrequently the height-challenged point guard managed to earn trips to the charity stripe. By way of comparison, Myck Kabongo's FT Rate in 2012 was 73.2, and the year before that Dogus Balbay's was 45.6.</p>
<p>Second, take a look at Felix's shot distribution numbers -- overall, and particularly at the rim:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2516979/Javan_Felix_Shot_Distribution_Chart.png"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2516979/Javan_Felix_Shot_Distribution_Chart.png"></a></p>
<p>Compare again Felix's shot distribution numbers with those of Kabongo last year and Balbay the year prior:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2517099/Kabongo_and_Balbay_Shot_Distribution_Chart.png"></p>
<p>The third and final set of illuminating numbers are 248, 234, and 96, representing the total field goal attempts on the season for Felix this season, Kabongo in 2012 and Balbay in 2011, respectively. The point guard who was supposed to be a 15 minutes per game reserve wound up taking the most total shots, attempted a lower percentage of those shots at the rim, had the lowest field goal percentage on his shots at the rim, and converted the fewest drives to the rim into trips to the free throw line.</p>
<p>Tying all of that together, Javan Felix was asked on short notice to shoulder a disproportionately large share of the offense on a team that provided little in the way of complementary support, and to do so without possessing the physical skill set to be a primary creator on offense. Felix was in that sense set up to fail -- or at least struggle, which he did. While a more favorable situation in future years should help Felix develop into a more efficient and consistent player, this season also highlighted his key limitations that he'll have to overcome if he wants to be an impact player.</p>
<h4><i>Season Highlight</i></h4>
<p>Felix was absolutely brilliant in Texas' Big 12 opener in Waco, where the freshman played 43 minutes and scored 26 points, with 9 assists and just a single turnover, nearly leading Texas to a huge road upset before falling in overtime.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/haN4JWZp7Io" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<h4><i>Season Lowlight</i></h4>
<p>In Texas' final game before Kabongo's return, Felix finally broke down from all the minutes played with a disastrous performance in Austin against Oklahoma State. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/174487/marcus-smart">Marcus Smart</a> and the Cowboys smothered Felix into a forgettable line of 8 points, 1 rebound, and just 1 assist against a season-high 8 turnovers. Ouch.</p>
<h4><i>Season Grade: B+</i></h4>
<p>Absent any context, Felix's numbers deserve a lower grade, but as discussed extensively above, Felix was in many ways thrust into an impossible situation this year and though he wasn't good enough to lead the team past the challenges it faced without Kabongo, neither was he responsible for the team's struggles, the blame for which fell much more heavily on players like Kabongo for his suspension and McClellan for his inability to step up into a leadership role.</p>
<h4><i>Looking Ahead</i></h4>
<p>With all that said, it's clear that if Felix is to raise his ceiling going forward he needs to develop into a much bigger threat shooting from beyond the arc and learn how to convert drives amidst the trees in the paint into trips to the free throw line. If both of those skills develop to complement the strengths of Felix's game, he'll be a very nice starting point guard for Texas. To the extent that those two skills remain limitations, however, Felix's value will be limited to providing complementary value in more of a reserve role.</p>
<p>Expect the starting point guard job to be Felix's to lose heading into fall practices, but look for incoming freshman Isiah Taylor to provide some of the quality play at point that will protect Felix from being overburdened with a bigger role than he's capable of playing.</p>
https://www.burntorangenation.com/2013/4/22/4254686/texas-longhorns-basketball-javan-felix-player-reviewPeter Bean2013-04-18T17:51:06-05:002013-04-18T17:51:06-05:00Season Review: Papi, the Greek Army Knife
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<figcaption>For a player with such perfect form shooting threes, Papi's struggles at the line were hard to understand. | USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Greek Army Knife was solid or good in virtually every facet of the game, contributing more value and quality minutes than true freshmen typically do. If he is able to improve along a normal development curve, Papi will be an excellent college basketball player for the next three years.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2493457/Ioannis_Papapetrou_Player_Card.jpg"></p>
<h4><i style="font-size: 1.25em;">Overview</i></h4>
<p>Hark back to October and recall that heading into the season, none of us had actually seen Ioannis Papapetrou play basketball. The best guess I offered in my <a target="_blank" href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/basketball/2012/11/9/3613880/texas-longhorns-basketball-2012-13-season-preview">season preview</a> wound up being pretty close to what we would get from the versatile freshman:</p>
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<p>Who is Ioannis Papapetrou? Right now, he's whatever you want to project him to be. That's because none of us have really gotten a chance to see Papapetrou play yet. There simply isn't any film of the Greek export, leaving us to rely on scouting reports of the few who have seen him play in person.</p>
<p>I've spoken to a couple people who've been around the team the past couple months, both of whom managed to elevate my intrigue in Papapetrou even higher than it already was, which is saying something. As one recently wrote me in an email:</p>
<p><em>"Knowing the kinds of players you get off on, you're going to love this kid. He's coordinated, fluid in everything he does, understands the game, and really versatile. We can use him in a lot of little ways to help us get what we're looking for. And he's got consistent mechanics, which most need help with at that age but is a bitch to teach."</em></p>
<p>Needless to say, I'm dying to talk a lot more about Big Papa, but like everyone else I'll have to wait until tonight. Again, right now Papapetrou can be anything and everything we want to project into him, but the real question will be what his warts look like. Nevertheless, based on what I do know about the kid -- or think I know -- I've got a great feeling about his ability to contribute value in a lot of different ways, and can't help but think he might be one of those players who produces value just by virtue of being on the floor.</p>
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<p>That's about right. The Greek Army Knife was solid or better in virtually every facet of the game, contributing more value and quality minutes than you expect from most true freshman. If Papi is able to improve along a normal development curve, Texas will have an excellent college basketball player on hand for the next 2-3 years.</p>
<h4><i>What The Numbers Say</i></h4>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2493391/Ioannis_Papapetrou_Statistical_Profile.jpg"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2493391/Ioannis_Papapetrou_Statistical_Profile.jpg"></a></p>
<p>Papi's numbers were actually better against the more challenging competition presented by Big 12 opponents, improving on his non-conference numbers to average 10.4 points per game on 44% shooting overall, 38% from beyond the arc, and 63% from the line, while playing about 28 minutes per game. Impressive.</p>
<p>Well, except for that free throw shooting. While Papi improved from his horrific start to the season at the free throw line, he still only managed to hit 63% of his freebies during conference play, which is pretty poor for any player but truly bizarre for a kid stroking it at 38% from beyond the arc. I haven't gone back to look at how he's shooting free throws to see if there's an obvious flaw he might correct, but I have done a frame-by-frame break down his excellent form shooting jumpers and there's no reason his free throw percentage shouldn't be north of 75%. My bet is he gets it fixed this offseason.</p>
<p>The numbers confirm the variety of ways Papi contributes value when he's on the floor -- from his underrated defense, to his ability to draw contact and get to the line, to his consistent contributions on the boards. If he can cut down his turnovers and fouls committed by 25% next year, improve his free throw shooting, and continue to score efficiently while taking more shots, he can be a quiet 2nd Team All-Conference type of player.</p>
<h4><i>Season Highlight</i></h4>
<p>Was there any doubt at all what it would be? (Go to the 2:08 mark of the video.)</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kdHpNVw3KFs#t=2m8s" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>A sequence and a shot that no Texas hoops fan will soon forget.</p>
<h4><i>Season Lowlight</i></h4>
<p>Papi didn't have many horrible nights, but if there was a lowlight, then, it probably ought to be the team's loss to Chaminade in the opening round of the Maui Invitational, when Papi fouled out in just 19 minutes of playing time, or any time the Longhorns played -- who else? -- Kansas State. In Texas' three losses to the Wildcats, Papi managed just 7 points per game on 8 of 23 shooting and just 2 of 12 from beyond the arc, with only 2 assists against 7 turnovers. Like everyone else who wears burnt orange, Papi must kiss the purple ring.</p>
<h4><i>Season Grade: A-</i></h4>
<p>All things considered, Papi's debut season met even the more optimistic expectations, as he proved himself valuable on both ends of the floor -- a versatile player with a high basketball IQ, good instincts, and impressive physical skills. Although prone to the occasional concentration lapse and some issues with fouls, when he's dialed in Papi is a terrific, highly underrated defender. The poor free throw shooting was equally confusing and disappointing, but for the most part Papi was a pleasure to watch -- for his style of play, for the value he created, and for his charismatic personality.</p>
<h4><i>Looking Ahead</i></h4>
<p>Papi's ceiling isn't as high as some of the elite players, but as noted above: if he improves along a normal development curve and is able to cut to cut down both his turnovers and fouls committed by 25%, improve his free throw shooting, and continue to score efficiently while taking more shots, he can be a quiet 2nd Team All-Conference type of player next year. He's a lock to open the season as a starter and should average 25-30 minutes per game over the course of the season.</p>
https://www.burntorangenation.com/2013/4/18/4237088/texas-longhorns-basketball-2012-13-season-review-ioannis-papapetrousPeter Bean2013-04-17T16:45:41-05:002013-04-17T16:45:41-05:00UT Basketball Season Review: Sheldon McClellan
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<figcaption>Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Sheldon McClellan has the talent of an elite basketball player but no clue how to be one. Rick Barnes struck out trying to teach him and after a challenging, up-and-down year McClellan is now transferring out of the program.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><i>We continue our review of the 2012-13 Texas Longhorns basketball season with Sheldon McClellan, who announced his decision to transfer out of the program shortly after Texas' season-ending loss to Houston.</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2438711/Sheldon_McClellan_Base.png"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2438711/Sheldon_McClellan_Base.png"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2438711/Sheldon_McClellan_Base.png"> </a></p>
<h4><i>Overview</i></h4>
<p>I devoted a segment of my <a href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/basketball/2012/11/9/3613880/texas-longhorns-basketball-2012-13-season-preview" target="_blank">season preview</a> to the tantalizing potential of Texas' talented sophomore wing, and his importance to this young Texas team finding success:</p>
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<p>It took about 15 seconds last season to see that McClellan doesn't fully understand just how good a player he already is, and I decided pretty quickly [last year] that he's going to be one of those players who suddenly explodes when the light finally comes on... right around his 24th birthday.</p>
<p>What would be a lot more fun, of course, is if he started to put it all together while he was still at Texas. Even if he doesn't get all the way there, if he were to take a leap forward this year, as opposed to just a step, things suddenly become very interesting with this team, because McClellan has as much scoring potential as a college player can hope to have.</p>
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<p>Two games into the season, I wrote about how McClellan <a target="_blank" href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/2012/11/12/3638624/texas-basketball-smothers-coppin-state-62-37">looked like he may well be on the cusp of a big breakout season</a>, but his -- and with him the team's -- season quickly unraveled from there. McClellan found himself out of the starting line up in the Maui Invitational and spent the rest of the season bouncing back and forth between promising outings and mystifyingly weak play.</p>
<p>When the season mercifully came to an end and McClellan confirmed his unhappiness by announcing his transfer, <a href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/2013/3/28/4158808/sheldon-mcclellans-transfer-texas-rick-barnes-hot-seat">I speculated that Rick Barnes shoulders a healthy portion of the blame</a>, but the verdict won't come in for another couple of years when we're able to evaluate whether McClellan was able to make the most of his talents in a different environment or if instead his limitations are of his own making. I won't be surprised either way.</p>
<h4><i>What The Numbers Say</i></h4>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2488513/Screen_shot_2013-04-17_at_2.51.19_AM.png"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2488513/Screen_shot_2013-04-17_at_2.51.19_AM.png"></a> <br id="1366185006165"></p>
<p>Regardless of who deserves to shoulder more of the blame, there's no question McClellan's sophomore season wound up a major disappointment -- and his numbers reflect it. Asked to play a featured, alpha role in the offense, McClellan wound up shooting more jump shots and under-utilizing his exceptional ability to get to the rim and score, and with it McClellan's offensive efficiency cratered.</p>
<p>McClellan's inability to square himself and shoot three-pointers from a consistent base remained puzzling and his 27% shooting from beyond the arc was outright pitiful for a player of his caliber. Given his athletic ability, both Sheldon's work on the glass (decent but unremarkable) and playing defense (consistently lacking, as perhaps reflected in McClellan's freakishly low foul rate) left something to be desired. The only area where McClellan improved and excelled was in scoring with the clock stopped, upping both the rate at which he got to the free throw line and the rate at which he converted them into points.</p>
<p>All told, the bottom line is this: as a pure scorer playing a complimentary role as a freshman, McClellan was terrifically valuable; as the featured offensive player a year later, he really struggled. Whether Barnes handled him the right way or not is debatable, but given the composition of the roster it's hard to fault Texas' head coach for trying to make McClellan embrace the featured role. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a square peg and a round hole.</p>
<h4><i>Season Highlight</i></h4>
<p>Although McClellan's season was disappointing overall, it was far from devoid of good moments; he was the team's leading scorer in 15 of 34 games, after all, including five efforts in which he tallied 20 or more points (four of which were wins). McClellan's best game of the season was probably the regular season finale in Lubbock, when he helped lead Texas to a <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.texassports.com%2Fsports%2Fm-baskbl%2Fstats%2F2012-2013%2Fut31.html&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.burntorangenation.com%2F2013%2F4%2F17%2F4155940%2Fsheldon-mcclellan-transfer-texas-longhorns-basketball-season-review" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">71-69 overtime win over the Red Raiders</a> by scoring 27 points without coughing up a single turnover in 37 minutes.</p>
<p>For me, though, McClellan's season highlight came a month before that, right here in Austin, on the night Myck Kabongo made his season debut. Texas knocked off Iowa State 89-86 in a <a href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/basketball/2013/2/14/3987566/texas-breaks-through-for-win-in-double-overtime-knocks-off-iowa-state">thrilling, double-overtime classic that was one of the best basketball games I've ever attended</a> and which was ultimately won in the second OT by Sheldon McClellan. After a forgettable first 45 minutes and with Kabongo fouled out, McClellan stepped up and scored all 10 points in double overtime, and sealed the game with a critical rebound and steal.</p>
<p>And finally, for a video highlight, let's go all the way back to Thanksgiving and Texas' trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. There wasn't much to like about the way Texas played in that tournament, but from my spot in the bleachers I happened to capture on video what was probably the Longhorns' best play of the entire tournament, when McClellan crossed over his man, drove the lane, and dished a beautiful wrap-around dime to Cam Ridley for the flush.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ToZ4NP3oegU" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<h4><i>Season Lowlight</i></h4>
<p>Following Texas' deflating loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament, the Longhorns limped into their match up with the Houston Cougars in the College Basketball Invitational looking defeated before they'd even played the game. And Sheldon McClellan looked like he'd already made up his mind to transfer, and no longer cared. His play certainly refected it, and McClellan wrapped up his Longhorn career by scoring just 6 points on 2-of-13 shooting.</p>
<h4><i>Season Grade: C+</i></h4>
<p>Whether that grade deserves to be higher or lower probably depends on how much of his struggles were of his own making, and how much blame Barnes deserves for exacerbating McClellan's weaknesses rather than improving them. At his best, McClellan was once again a strong player with elite scoring ability, but at his worst he was once again a liability both for his defense and his inability to keep his head in the game. Overall, McClellan earns a C+ on my report card, awarded credit for his numerous strong performances, but dragged down by his inability to make the most of his abilities and troubling tendency to lose focus.</p>
<h4><i>Looking Ahead</i></h4>
<p>McClellan's decision to transfer ends his journey wearing the burnt orange. As of now, McClellan has yet to decide where he'll play next season, but it won't be in the Big 12. Best of luck to the kid, and I hope he's able to make the most of his immense abilities.</p>
https://www.burntorangenation.com/2013/4/17/4155940/sheldon-mcclellan-transfer-texas-longhorns-basketball-season-reviewPeter Bean2013-04-08T10:09:11-05:002013-04-08T10:09:11-05:00Season Review: Myck Kabongo
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<figcaption>Stephen Dunn</figcaption>
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<p>A mindless compliance mistake cost Myck Kabongo much of his sophomore season, and now an early departure for the NBA appears imminent.</p> <p><i>With the the 2012-13 basketball season in the books, it's time to perform the autopsy on the nightmare of a season. To tip off the season review, I'll be publishing a review of each individual player on the team, to be capped with a lengthy look at Rick Barnes and the current state of the Texas program. Up first: Myck Kabongo, who like Sheldon McClellan has probably played his last game in a Texas uniform. </i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2427345/Myck_Kabongo_Base.png"></p>
<h4><i>Overview</i></h4>
<p>When he played, Myck Kabongo demonstrated meaningful improvement from his freshman debut and succeeded in elevating the Longhorns from "below average" to "NCAA Tournament bubble" team, but the point guard's sophomore season -- and, in all likelihood, Texas career -- ended with fans feeling disappointed and expecting more.</p>
<h4><i>What The Numbers Say</i></h4>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2439367/Myck_Kabongo_Statistics.png"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2439367/Myck_Kabongo_Statistics.png"></a></p>
<p>Kabongo was slightly more efficient on the offensive end of the floor, upping his field goal percentage on two-point shots, substantially elevating his shooting from the free throw line, and cutting down on his turnovers against a slightly improved assist rate. Myck was again elite at getting to the free throw line, with 70% as many free throw attempts (77) as field goal attempts (110), and he converted more of those attempts into points this time around, shooting a solid 79% from the stripe. His peripheral numbers were stronger this year, as well. Myck cut down substantially on fouls caused -- a real problem last year -- while enjoying modest gains in both his steal and rebounding rates.</p>
<p>As for blemishes, the glaring weakness in Myck's statistical profile is his outside shooting ability, which was again right around 30% from beyond the arc. At the college level Myck's poor three point shooting is most painfully felt at the team level, but it will limit him individually at the professional level. If he can't develop a credible jump shot, Kabongo is likely to find himself in a career-long battle with back-of-the-rotation roster spots as a fringe NBA contributor at point guard.</p>
<h4><i>Season Highlight</i></h4>
<p>If Myck doesn't return for a junior campaign, his career will be remembered for the high expectations he was unable to meet more than his accomplishments, but Longhorns hoops junkies will not soon forget his epic performance against Oklahoma in February in Austin, when he delivered one of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/basketball/2013/3/1/4042850/texas-storms-back-from-22-down-to-beat-ou-in-overtime">best 13-minute stretches of basketball ever played at Texas</a>, including a buzzer beater that sent the game to overtime.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zHEiA3cGdUM" height="315" width="560"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YYqoJY1R2Wo" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<h4><i>Season Lowlight</i></h4>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/146214/myck-kabongo">Myck Kabongo's</a> season bottomed out before it even began, when he didn't purchase his plane ticket to a workout in Cleveland, went on to lie about it to UT's compliance office, and despite being fully truthful to the NCAA about it wound up getting hammered with a season-long suspension that was subsequently <a href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/2012/12/21/3793782/myck-kabongo-suspension-reduced-ncaa" target="_blank">reduced to 23 games</a>. It was a mistake of youth, and the punishment did not even remotely fit the crime, but it was also the kind of mistake about which these kids are constantly warned and know better than to make. Kabongo was wronged by the NCAA with the punishment, but in the sense that he put himself in position to get hosed by making an easily avoidable mistake, he has to own some of the responsibility himself. (Which he did, with unwavering strong character.)</p>
<p>For Kabongo's worst performance on the court, look no further than the Big 12 Tournament. After Texas knocked off TCU in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament, the Longhorns' quarterfinal match up with Kansas State presented an opportunity to pick up a win that would guarantee the team at least a .500 season record (securing eligibility for the NIT) and, of course, advance to the Big 12 semis, preserving the team's only chance at an NCAA Tournament berth. Even if Texas' odds of winning two more to make the NCAA Tournament were minimal, the quarterfinal match up with K-State was a high stakes game with the potential to salvage some respectability out of a thoroughly bleak season.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Kabongo turned in what would be by far his worst performance of the 11 games he played, getting badly outplayed by the Wildcats' sophomore point guard <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145558/angel-rodriguez">Angel Rodriguez</a> and finishing with a meager 2 points on 0-5 shooting, and offsetting his 7 assists with 5 turnovers.</p>
<p><i></i></p>
<h4><i>Season Grade: D+</i></h4>
<p>This grade is almost entirely about the suspension, which just killed his and Texas' seasons. Kabongo missed 23 games due to an unfair but easily avoidable suspension, and though he improved his play from his freshman season, Kabongo's ineffective performance against Kansas State revealed him to be limited in many of the same fundamental ways that had been holding him back since his arrival in Austin two years ago. Without Kabongo on the floor for the first two-thirds of the season, the offense was miserable, and though things got markedly better when he did play, Kabongo was still not quite the elite player that his physical gifts suggest he should be.</p>
<h4><i>Looking Ahead</i></h4>
<p>Will there be a potential redemption campaign for Kabongo as a junior? In all likelihood, the loss to Houston marked the end of Myck's time in Austin, as he is widely expected to declare himself eligible for the 2013 NBA Draft, with current projections slotting him near the back of the first round. For a multitude of reasons, it's hard to blame him, not least because of the screw job he received from the NCAA. Would you want to come back to play NCAA basketball after something like that? Me neither.</p>
<p>And so while we must wait a bit longer for Myck's official announcement, the time is nearly here to bid him adieu, closing down the last leg of the Canadian pipeline, which succeeded in delivering promising raw talent to Austin, but ultimately was a resource out of which Rick Barnes and Texas were able to produce very little.</p>
<p>Myck's a good kid and a hard worker, and assuming he departs I wish him nothing but the best. May he and we have better luck going forward.</p>
<p>Hook 'em</p>
https://www.burntorangenation.com/2013/4/8/4188526/myck-kabongo-texas-profile-nba-draft-point-guard-longhornsPeter Bean