Frustrated by Michigan loss, Texas Longhorns already looking toward 2014-15

The blue-blood programs of college basketball – the Dukes, North Carolinas and Kentuckys of the world – never suffer the indignity of rebuilding. They reload, experts say.

During one of the best stretches in program history, Texas flirted with joining that group. Finding success with stars who left after a season or two on the 40 Acres – T.J. Ford, LaMarcus Aldridge, D.J. Augustin, Tristan Thompson and some one-and-doner named Kevin Durant – Texas annually challenged for the Big 12 title and made significant splashes in the NCAA Tournament. Ford’s 2003 team reached the Final Four. Aldridge’s 2006 team lost in the regional final, as did Augustin’s 2008 team. Durant and Thompson saw their only Texas seasons end in the second round.

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Then Texas slipped. The 2012 team flamed out and lost in the opening round. The 2013 team missed the tournament altogether. Fans were frustrated. Players were frustrated, and frustrating. Many left – fans and players alike – leaving Texas in unfamiliar territory. The Longhorns, coming off Barnes’ worst year as a head coach since 1991-92 — the only other time one of his teams lost more than it won – looked headed for another disastrous season.

But a funny thing happened. Texas rediscovered itself, even rebuilt itself, if you prefer. Using a roster much like the ones he had early in his Texas career – none of these Longhorns are expected to leave for the NBA draft – Texas combined the veteran leadership of junior Jonathan Holmes, the development of sophomores Cam Ridley and Demarcus Holland and the youthful infusion of Isaiah Taylor, Martez Walker and Kendal Yancy to put forth a season that caught experts off guard.

“A year from now, we won’t be picked to finish in the bottom half of the Big 12,” Barnes told the Austin American-Statesman last week.

Picked to finish eighth in the 10-team league, Texas got past a pair of early conference losses to challenge Kansas for much of the regular season. That challenge faded late with losses at Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, but the Longhorns finished tied for third with Iowa State. Many look at the Longhorns’ February and March and see another late season slide. Texas finished 24-11 after starting the season 18-4. Those who know the game see something else.

“You can see a program back on the rise again,” Michigan coach John Beilein said of Texas following the Wolverines’ 79-65 takedown of Texas in the NCAA tournament’s third round. “The talent he’s assembled and the year they had, it’s a credit to them.”

Texas can continue that rise two ways. First, the Longhorns who return – and all of them can – must continue to build on the improvements already made. Texas should be very deep in 2014-15, which will allow Barnes to manage minutes and get even greater effort from his improving players.

Ridley, whose left-handed, buzzer-beating, follow-shot gave Texas its first NCAA tournament win since 2011, went from non-factor freshman to dominant-at-times sophomore, raising his scoring from 4.1 to 11.2. Holland also raised his game exponentially while inheriting the role of defensive stopper. His scoring doubled from 3.6 to 7.1 ppg and ranked fourth on the team in rebounding. Holmes (6.4 to 12.8) and Felix (6.8 to 11.6) also saw steep rises in productivity.

And the Longhorns must continue to add talent. Though Barnes found success this season without a lottery pick on the team, it never hurts to have one, as long as he’s the right fit. Durant worked because he worked harder than anyone – and still does. Barnes, and his staff, knows what type of player will fit best in his system, as assistant Rob Lanier explained in the Buffalo News in January.

“It’s our job to go out and get guys who can play for [Barnes],” Lanier said. “It’s our job not to get enamored with guys who are talented and sexy and to really get the right guys who can play for him regardless of how they’re ranked.”

That’s why Texas hopes to land seven-footer Myles Turner, a 5-star player who’ll chose from a number of blue-blood schools including Duke, Kansas, Arizona and North Carolina. If he chooses Texas, Turner can play alongside Ridley as a power forward. With his size, scouts say he’s more comfortable playing facing the basket, according to ESPN.

A year after signing a quartet of guards, Barnes has focused his recruiting on taller players. Texas already has commitments from 6-foot-8 JUCO power forward Obinna Oleka and 6-foot-7 wing Jordan Barnett, who hopes to give Texas a much-needed three-point shooter to complement Felix and Walker, whose confidence surged late in the season. The sophomore-to-be scored in double figures in four of his last five games after scoring 10 just three times in the first 30.

Despite a third-round loss that kept Texas from advancing to the Sweet 16, Barnes looks back on this season and smiles. Not because of what the team accomplished when no one thought they would, but for what they can still accomplish.

“There’s something about this group of guys that all year they’ve believed in themselves,” he said following the Michigan game. “I expect these guys to get better, but they put us back where we need to be and it’s going to be fun to watch these guys continue to grow.”[/s2If]
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