A WHOLE NEW ALTITUDE

RICK BARNES HAD A BIG PROBLEM.

Two problems, actually. His team was little and he was losing his best players to the NBA before fans could even learn their names. When the head basketball coach took to the recruiting trail a year ago, he had a blueprint in mind on how to repair the foundation of his program. And within that program, Barnes had a pitch — one he let fly while in front of prospective members of the 2012 class.

“He told me the size was lacking the last year,” five-star center Cameron Ridley said. “There was the opportunity to play and do some big things,” Prince Ibeh added. “Coach told me we were going to have …

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a big front court and that he wanted me to be a big part of it,” Connor Lammert said. “It gave  me the idea Texas was going to do something special.” Special, around these parts, defines a few fleeting memories. One that comes to mind is captured on a mural in a stairway at the Denton Cooley Pavilion, where the Longhorns practice.

From left to right are Brian Boddicker, James Thomas, Brandon Mouton, T.J. Ford and Royal Ivey — caught in time — as they walk forward on a court in New Orleans, their backs turned away from the camera.  They made a penultimate team, with a deep bench, fantastic chemistry, and all the right parts. And only two players from the team became NBA mainstays. We easily forget about the grittiness of that 2002-03 team. Ford’s infectious smile and transcendent passing stole the show, but the Longhorns could get down and dirty with the best of them.

Nationally, they were No. 4 in rebounding, grabbing nearly seven more per game than their opponents. Thomas, a bull in the paint and a pain in the ass for anybody checking him, finished with 16 double-doubles and tied for 10th nationally — a few spots behind Carmelo Anthony, whose Syracuse squad topped Texas in the Final Four. Barnes hasn’t returned to the Final Four since the 2003 appearance, but he’s had two teams fall one game short.

The ’05-06 Longhorns — led in the post by LaMarcus Aldridge, P.J. Tucker and Brad Buckman — finished No. 5 in rebounding and No. 25 in blocked shots. The ’07-08 team lost to Derrick Rose’s uber-talented Memphis team in the Elite Eight. That group didn’t boast a dominant front court — 37th in rebounding — but counted Damion James (6’7”) and Connor Atchley (6’10”) among its best players. A curious five-second call stopped the ’10-11 Longhorns cold in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

At one point they were ranked No. 2 in the nation and fifth in rebounding, led by the 6’8” Tristan Thompson. Size, or a lack thereof, is why Texas (18-14) failed to meet fan expectations last season. They were 90th in rebounds per game. Eleven times they were outrebounded, going 5-6 in those contests. Their two big men — graduates Clint Chapman and Alex Wangmene — played forwards disguised as centers. The trick didn’t work too well. Chapman boasted an improved offensive repertoire, but a thin 245 pounds didn’t offer much defensively. Wangmene averaged nearly one blocked shot per game, but picked up only three defensive rebounds a contest. This season, the Longhorns have a whole new altitude.

CAMERON RIDLEY

FRESHMAN Cameron Ridley is terribly reserved but tremendously huge. He’s barrel-chested, with palms the size of grapefruits and size 18 shoes. His wingspan stretches to 7’6”. He’ll dominate adversaries down low, without saying much at all. “Cam can score at will,” sophomore Jaylen Bond said, “but he’s a little shy.”

The Richmond, Texas product is the prized recruit for the 2012 class. Ridley committed to the Longhorns during the ’10 season, inspired by Thompson. But Cameron Ridley is not Tristan Thompson. Ridley is a hulking, back-to-the-basket behemoth. Thompson is rangy and springy, with a sweet left-handed jumper. And as with Thompson, Longhorns fans will wring their hands this winter over Ridley’s possible early departure. But according to several members of the program, he’ll stay longer than one season. He’s not quite ready for the jump; he still needs some fine-tuning. Don’t mistake “not ready” for “not good.” Players of Ridley’s breed are rare mainstays in the college game.

At Fort Bend High School, Ridley scored 21.5 points per game, pulled in 15.2 rebounds and rejected 5.3 shots. In the McDonald’s All-America game over the past summer, Ridley scored 12 points, grabbed nine boards and swatted away two blocks. “He’s a true post,” Barnes said. “He sees himself as an interior player.” Lammert added, “Cam’s a handful.”

In time, the Longhorns expect Ridley to develop into a full-fledged force under the basket. Barnes told him as much during the recruitment process. “Coach said the offense would run through me and the other bigs,” Ridley says. “We’ll be a better team because we’re bigger and longer.”

PRINCE IBEH

PRINCE IBEH clarifies the pronunciation of his name — “Eee-bay, like the website” — but shakes his head when asked if any clever nicknames have sprung from his last name. Upon watching the freshman from Garland play, it’s  clear why no one ever teased him: Ibeh, an offensive project, will not be “delivering” points any time soon. He will, however, return many shot attempts back to the sender.

Enter his domain with caution. Ibeh blocked five shots per game as a junior at Naaman Forest High School. He’s a natural, dancing around the low block — his mini fro along for the ride. In highlight clips on YouTube, Ibeh often lurches back, baiting his opponent into thinking he has an easy attempt. And just like that, the ball flies into the stands. Sometimes he looks like he has several arms — tentacles, even — spinning like windmills, as he deflects shot attempts left and right.

“Prince is one of the most athletic big men I’ve ever played against,” Ridley said. “Against him, you’ve got to get your shot up really high.” How high? Ibeh stands two inches shy of seven feet. “I put my full hand above the backboard square … I did it yesterday,” said Ibeh, making it sound as routine a task as taking out the garbage.

CONNOR LAMMERT

CONNOR LAMMERT has a late-bloomer quality, like he’s surprised to be on this campus, playing on a court with these players. “I played against Cam in high school and in AAU. I never thought we’d be playing together, let me say that,” Lammert said, before once more repeating, “I never thought I’d be playing with him.

“Now that I am, I’m grateful for him testing me every day,” he added. Lammert, who scored 13 points per game (50-percent shooting) at Churchill High School in San Antonio, presents a different skill set than Ridley and Ibeh. “He has a good touch on his shot,” Bond says. “He can hit the mid-range jumper and he can step back to the 3-point line, too.”

The 6’9” Lammert poses a matchup nightmare for opposing forwards, who have to travel outside the paint to man him up. That’s one less defender for the low-post Longhorns to deal with. Lammert is also athletic enough to run the floor. And with the added size, the players still insist the team’s going to play fast, push the breaks and try to create advantageous mismatches in the space. “Just looking at our roster, we’re definitely more intimidating — but we’re focused on running the court,” Lammert said. “We’re tall but that doesn’t mean we can’t move.”

THE TALENTED freshman class — with five players standing 6’8” or taller — fixes the first of the two problems. But can Barnes fix the Longhorns’ second predicament?  To start, we need to reveal an ugly truth about Barnes’ best teams.

Since the ‘02-03 season, Texas has only reached the Sweet 16 once in consecutive seasons. And the reason behind this gap isn’t a secret — the same great players who propel the team to lofty heights quickly bounce to the next level, treating Austin as a nine- or 18-month layover on their way to the NBA. Unexpected one-and-doners like Avery Bradley, Tristan Thompson and Corey Joseph fissured Texas’ foundation, leaving behind role players to fill the void of star players. The turnover occurs so often that the only two seniors on the team, former walk-ons Andrew Dick and Dean Melchionni have had 30 different teammates while in Austin.

Over time, that doesn’t work. Realizing this, Barnes adjusted his blueprint, beginning with the 2011 recruiting class. He signed a handful of good players with room for improvement, and little chance to jump ship. Many believe that lone five-star, point guard Myck Kabongo, who decided to return for his sophomore season, will leave Texas next year. At least the Longhorns will have one more season with Kabongo — unfortunately the same doesn’t apply to recent blue-chip guards Bradley and Joseph.

The versatility of Kabongo’s class blends nicely with the new one. Sheldon McClellan and  Julien Lewis are capable perimeter scorers who averaged 11 and eight points per game, respectively. Bond and Jonathan Holmes, undersized bigs a year ago, ought to see more playing time on the wing. Holmes spent his summer hoisting up jumpers daily. Holmes attempted 40 3-pointers last season, more than one per game. He made 10 of them.

With a pending move outside, he couldn’t afford to have his shooting touch be a liability. “I focused this offseason on knocking my shot down consistently,” Holmes said. “This year, Jaylen and I get to venture out, and it’s something I’m comfortable with. But I had some work to do in order to call myself a legit forward.”

Barnes is excited about what looks like a fresh start, the chance  to coach a team on a steady way up — with the ability to sustain minor attrition and inevitable injury — and not brace for a championship-or-bust season, after which everybody hops on a direct flight to the NBA Combine. “This is the first time we’ve had a team where our recruited athletes have only been freshmen and sophomores,” Barnes said. “We’ve got a good pulse on this group.” Barnes issued a warning during offseason workouts. He told his team he’d be harsh on them — no more Mr. Nice Guy. And he came through with his promise. Practices are more physical than ever, with the surplus of big bodies to go around. The conditioning is exhausting.

Even in the offseason, the players will come in to work on the weekend. “The chemistry with this group is the best it’s been in a long time,” Barnes added. “It’s a  group that we’ve enjoyed going into practice with every day … I know I want them to be everything that we think they can be.” The ceiling is high. “You get the sense they’re building a real team,” Scott McConnell, the long-time assistant athletics director for media relations and basketball sports information director, said. “Like ’03.”

After all, that’s the golden era at Texas, which is at times jarring: the surnames Durant, Aldridge, Augustin, James, Hamilton, Thompson and Brown have since graced the backs of Longhorns uniforms, yet none of them took a team to the Final Four. The 2012-13 rendition of the Longhorns has work to do. Who will pick up where J’Covan Brown (20 ppg) left off? McClellan and Lewis are the most likely options. Will an NCAA investigation sideline Kabongo for a portion of the season? Javan Felix, a D.J. Augustin doppelgänger, must be ready. Will the height of the freshman class allow Holmes and Bond to flourish out on the wing?

Plenty of questions remain. But there’s optimism, too. And cohesion. Some experience. Depth. Stability. And size. Plenty of size. “You look at it on paper, you see a lot of length and versatility we can use to our advantage,” Holmes said. “It feels good.” 

 

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