Welcome to Five Questions for... Texas Longhorns.

Here you'll see five of the most pressing questions for the Longhorns and our response to them.  Feel free to contribute your answers in the comments section.

1. What happened to Texas at the end of last season?

2. Rick Barnes gets a lot of heat for being a mediocre coach, but after these articles from Burnt Orange Nation, does the public need to change its tune?

3. How legit is Myck Kabongo?

4. Texas made its money last year with great defense. Who are the key players on the defensive end for the Longhorns this year?

5. A lot is frankly unknown about this year's Texas team. What are the floor and ceiling for this team?

See the answers after the jump...

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Texas A&M Aggies' coach Billy Kennedy announced he's been diagnosed with early stages of Parkinson's disease and will take some time off from coaching. 

At this time, I am heeding the advice of my doctors and addressing the disease and its symptoms. We have begun a long-term treatment plan and recovery. My doctors are encouraged and are telling me I will be able to come back soon.

First and foremost, this is sad news and we wish Kennedy a speedy recovery. In his wake the Aggies will be coached by Glenn Cyprien. From the tones of statements it sounds like Kennedy should be back for at least some of the season. Missing him on the sideline could be especially tough for a team picked near the top of the Big 12, as he's a new coach trying to implement a system with players he didn't recruit. 

Senior Dash Harris released a very thoughtful statement of full support too. This is another story that reminds us all that coaches and athletes are people too, living in the same world as the rest of us. We spend the whole year projecting, praising and criticizing but often forget that the people and families behind the games and press conferences have lives off the floor.

See full statements after the jump.

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Kentucky Sports Radio founder Matt Jones wrote an article for Grantland discussing Kentucky's National Title hopes this week in a series looking at the top five contenders. Most of the article is very insightful. But one point caught my eye in a big way: "[Calipari] knows that he is as good as or better than others in the coaching elite and that his résumé should certainly be considered greater than that of lesser coaches with national titles, like Bill Self, Billy Donovan, and Tubby Smith."

Is Jones implying that John Calipari's resume is that much better than Bill Self? Because looking at facts, they're very similar (with one glaring omission). Jones includes Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun in the top tier. I think there's an argument that Self has coached better than Boeheim, and Izzo and Self aren't irreconcilably separated either (nor for that matter are Boeheim, Izzo and Calipari). Coach K and Calhoun are probably tops with seven National Championships between them, though Calhoun's lack of consistency over the years makes his legacy a little harder to pin down. Regardless, let's get back to Bill Self and John Calipari.

Self was consensus Coach of the Year in 2009 and won TSN's Coach of the Year in 2000. Calipari was consensus Coach of the Year in 1996 and won awards in 2008 and 2009. Both are tremendous coaches with tremendous resumes.

We'll look at the numbers after the jump...

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How will the Baylor Bears fare this season? What will their overall and Big 12 records be? Will they make a postseason tournament?

We'll answer all those questions, plus guess which teams they'll upset and which will upset them after The Jump.

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Welcome to Five Questions for... Baylor Bears.

Here you'll see five of the most pressing questions for the Bears and our response to them.  Feel free to contribute your answers in the comments section.

1. The Bears had tons of hype last season, but never lived up to it. Was it a coaching or personnel issue in your opinion?

2. Speaking of hype, Baylor's got it again this season with a star-studded recruiting class. Which newcomer do you think will have the most impact (Quincy Miller, Deuce Bello or Pierre Jackson)?

3. Perry Jones III may be the most gifted basketball player returning in the Big 12. Where do you think he stacks up for Conference Player of the Year?

4. What defense do you think would be most effective with a group as long and athletic as Baylor?

Finally, the Bears were picked to finish third in the conference. Too high or too low? Do they have a chance to knock off a relatively down Jayhawks team this year?

See the answers after the jump...

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How will the Oklahoma Sooners fare this season? What will their overall and Big 12 records be? Will they make a postseason tournament?

We'll answer all those questions, plus guess which teams they'll upset and which will upset them after The Jump.

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Predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners will up tomorrow, but in the meantime have a look at their schedule. I should note that the 76 Classic includes Oklahoma, Washington State, Boston College, Villanova, New Mexico, Saint Louis, Santa Clara and UC Riverside. Obviously Villanova would be the scariest team out of the bunch, but Washington State shouldn't be shabby either.

And for the record I love the round robin conference schedule.

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This isn't Lon Kruger's first rodeo in the Big 12. Longtime Kansas State fans probably remember Kruger's four seasons with the Wildcats over the second half of the 1980's. Even longer-time fans might even remember him as an assistant coach during the late 1970's. Kruger's head coaching stint with K-State was successful, making the NCAA tournament all four seasons, including one Elite Eight. However, after four years he moved onto Florida and then Illinois before testing the NBA waters and finally coming back to college to coach UNLV. In addition to his Elite Eight with K-State Kruger sports a Final Four on his resume.

But that's what he's done. The real question is what he'll do with an Oklahoma Sooner program in drastic need of a spark. Through solid recruiting, Jeff Capel established the Sooners as a regular challenger in the Big 12. Unfortunately for Capel, high profile problems came with high profile recruits and a combination of poor team chemistry and NCAA violations led to a talent drain in Norman.

The good news for Kruger is there is an established path for success: recruit, recruit, recruit. The question is whether he will be active enough on the recruiting trail to tap into the large pool of Texas talent right next door. Make no mistake, there will be a couple of years of rebuilding no matter how successful Kruger is recruiting. Only time will tell with everything after that.

Oklahoma lost its brightest star Cade Davis to graduation, while coaching turmoil led to a very weak recruiting class. Combine those factors with the fact that the Oklahoma Sooners went 14-18 last year, and there's plenty of evidence to worry about Oklahoma's prospects this season. Who will replace Davis' production?

The most likely answer is Junior Andrew Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was one of two Sooners to start all 32 games last season and he used nearly a quarter of the available possessions. He was a consensus top 100 recruit out of high school and so far has lived up to expectations.

Last season, Fitzgerald shot over 48% from the field, averaged over 12 points a game and grabbed a team-leading five boards a game. This year, he'll need to increase his production significantly, while remaining efficient. Specifically, Fitzgerald will need to attack the glass if the Sooners have any hopes for offensive relevance.

The biggest key for Fitzgerald and the Sooners this season will be consistency. Last year Fitzgerald scored below double figures ten times, seven of which came in conference play. He showcases the potential to be a consistent double-double threat and average upwards of 18 points a game. With Oklahoma's depleted roster, new coach Lon Kruger certainly will need that kind of production.

Welcome to Five Questions for... Oklahoma Sooners.

Here you'll see five of the most pressing questions for the Sooners and our response to them.  Feel free to contribute your answers in the comments section.

1. Jeff Capel and Oklahoma finally parted ways after a disastrous couple of seasons. What do you think about new head coach Lon Kruger?

2. What do you think Kruger should do to help turn the Sooners around?

3. Oklahoma brings everyone back but Cade Davis. Unfortunately, they don’t bring in any high profile recruits. Who do you expect to step up for the Sooners in Davis’ absence?

4. Oklahoma’s nonconference schedule is pretty weak, other than Arkansas and possibly Villanova (depending on how the 76 Classic pans out). Is this a good or bad idea for a team that finished under .500 last season?

5. After a couple of promising seasons, including Blake Griffin's dominant NPOY season Oklahoma has dropped back off the radar. Do you expect the Sooner basketball to be relevant in the near future?

See our answers after The Jump.

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Due to technological issues, the Link Dump is a little sparse this Monday morning. It should suffice to say Beebe and A&M are out of the Big 12 (one around 10 months later than the other) and the experience Chuck Neinas is taking over in the interim.

HERE WE GO AGAIN - BIG 12 REALIGNMENT AND/OR EXPANSION AND/OR RETRACTION
SEC Digital Network - SEC: Texas A&M to join SEC in July, 2012
SEC Digital Network - Houston Reactions
SEC Digital Network - Tony Barnhart's Take

OTHER BIG 12 BASKETBALL NEWS
Mercury News - Neinas ready for interim role as commish
AP - Neinas Takes Reigns of Fractured Big 12

Follow Big 12 Hoops on Twitter @bigXIIhoops
LIKE Big 12 Hoops on Facebook
Download the free SB Nation iPhone app

According to a KC Star report from earlier today, Missouri has been offered a spot in the SEC, but the SEC would rather wait for the Big 12 implosion than have the Tigers join immediately.

The news is obviously huge. However, there's a caveat. The SEC denies inviting Missouri. My personal opinion (which is just a semantic interpretation of the facts) is the SEC invited Missouri conditionally on the Big 12's collapse. According to Clay Travis, the SEC was very unhappy about Missouri leaking the invite to the press, as the conference is already facing legal issues.

The question now becomes, "Why then did Mizzou leak confidential information that could justify a golden parachute in the case of the Big 12's disappearance?" Well, my guess is only Missouri knows the answer. But I'm not the only one who thinks the Tigers might be dangling the invitation in front of the Big 10, which spurned the Tigers last year during the realignment start by picking Nebraska as the school to poach from the Big 12.

News of Missouri's invite comes on the heels of reports that the SEC denied West Virginia's application.

In the least surprising news of the day, Oklahoma wants Dan Beebe out as Big 12 conference commissioner if the Sooners are going to stick around. To say that this is long overdue would be an understatement. Beebe managed to keep the Big 12 from falling apart last year by inking an unsustainable deal with Texas that essentially spawned the Longhorn Network while only bolstering a winner-take-all revenue sharing that put Texas on top of the conference.

At the time the move looked like the right one, especially to schools that would likely be left behind in the event of major conference realignment (read: Iowa State, Kansas State, Baylor and possibly even Kansas). However, even then, an objective observer could see that the deal was a castle made of sand.

Not surprisingly, a year later the Big 12 is looking at itself in the mirror and seeing nine schools where there used to be twelve, Oklahoma schools investigating the Pac 12 with more than a little interest and Missouri looking at an invitation from the SEC. Needless to say, things aren't good. While Beebe can't be blamed for everything, he certainly looked for the quick fix instead of staying on top of his job as conference commissioner.

I suspect Beebe leaving will be the least of Oklahoma's concerns by the end of it. The bigger terms that the Sooners are looking for before declaring their allegiance to the Big 12 are concerning the Longhorn Network and revenue sharing. Yesterday, it looked like the folks in Norman wanted equal revenue sharing (which would mean LHN served no purpose). The Oklahoman's article today was a little vaguer on the restrictions they have in mind for the network, but it still seems a long way off.

As for the meanings of this, Dan Wolken thinks "the jig is up" and Oklahoma may be staying. I still think the Sooners are on their way to the Pac 12.

Author's note: if you're interested in some irony, read the caption of the picture above (it's unchanged from the original AP story last year)

Well not really... But Ed Littler of News 5 in Nebraska did forget general media practice when he asked Iowa Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz for an autograph last week at Big 10 media days. While there's no official "rule" about media members for autographs, the media is supposed to be impartial and generally professional. 

Hawkeye Nation posted the transcript from Ferentz's interview, but I've highlighted the juicy part: 

Q: (Nebraska media member) Coach, I have this girlfriend who is a major Iowa fan...I was wondering if you could sign this for me to her, I would gain some huge points...

Ferentz: I am guessing you could use some points too, is that right? All of us could.

Q: If you knew her you would be proud.

Ferentz: So you are dating an Iowa fan?

Q: Not yet, but it's moving in that direction. Her code name is the Iowa Hawkeye, I call her that.

Ferentz: Oh, so you can use some help (then there was a two minute exchange of this guy having Kirk sign a license plate...it was comical, yet awkward at the same time, and Kirk didn't flinch and signed it for him to his ‘prospective' Hawkeye girlfriend.)

Q: Thanks coach

I know media days are generally tedious bouts of repetitious obvious questions, but come on. It's not even at the end of the interview!

Deadspin got a response from Littler after publishing an article about the exchange that essentially clarified that he would never ask for an autograph for himself and hadn't ever met Ferentz before. Littler also had this to say: "I really didn't think anyone would tape record the conversation, but with cameras on every cell phone these days, I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Really, you didn't think the dozens of reporters present wouldn't be recording a question you asked in the middle of the interview?!

Well, hopefully Littler at least scored a few points with the potential girlfriend.

(h/t: Hawkeye Nation and Deadspin)

Sports Illustrated's Pablo Torre published the next chapter in the Salinas story. The list of clients is up to 21, and apparently it's much longer (though many of the unnamed clients are not involved in the Ponzi scheme being investigated). The most interesting new addition is Golden State's Ekpe Udoh, who was drafted last year from Baylor. 

Udoh's investment is valued at $350,000. Presumably, he made the investment in the past year (I don't know many college students with six figures to drop with a relative strangers, but you never know). Udoh probably learned about Salinas through his coach, Scott Drew. 

All in all, there is $55,000,000 in bonds missing. This is also the first time that anyone has mentioned the exact investments coaches were making: bonds. Any broker could've bought bonds (hat tip to Basketball Prospectus' John Gasaway for noticing that bonds were at the crux of the scam). The question now is, did Salinas ever buy the bonds at all.

On a different note, CBSSports.com's Jeff Goodman published more NCAA-relevant news regarding Salinas yesterday morning. Apparently, Salinas had taken a backseat with his AAU program, Houston Select over the last few years. So much in fact that current and recent parents and players "wouldn't know him if he walked in the gym". This should relieve some of the stress from coaches who had money invested and were worried about NCAA violations, though I'd be surprised if the NCAA didn't find some sort of violation in this case. 

So remember how Josh Selby was a consensus top three recruit out of high school but saw his stock plummet after a lackluster season with Kansas?

I'd say the Grizzlies did pretty well with the 49th pick of the draft based on these highlights from "Melo League" in Baltimore (Selby's hometown).

Clearly, we don't want to take too much from a summer league game with very little of what some like to call "defense", but this still looks a lot like the Selby many Jayhawk fans were expecting to show up in Lawrence this season. Selby thrives as the alpha-dog; the question is will he ever get the chance to play as the number one option in NBA.

Selby averaged 20 minutes and eight points a game for Kansas during his freshman season. His playing time was inconsistent due to an early suspension and multiple injuries.

More Selby highlights after the jump.

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STATEMENT FROM TEXAS A&M DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS BILL BYRNE IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS RAISED BY MEDIA REGARDING THE LONGHORN TELEVISION NETWORK:

"I have continued to have concerns about the Longhorn Network since the original announcement by ESPN and Texas. Since last summer, the Big 12 member institutions have committed to work together in a spirit of unity and equality. Recent news reports concerning this network; however, have created a considerable amount of uncertainty.

We had an agreement in place that Big 12 members would have the right to one non-conference football game and four to six basketball games for third tier, or institutional rights. The concept of the Longhorn Network broadcasting two live football games -- with one of these being a conference game -- had not been discussed among the Big 12 athletic directors.

Our concerns were heightened further when news reports surfaced that the Longhorn Network would be broadcasting high school football games featuring Texas high school recruits, including recruits living outside the state of Texas. Knowing how restrictive NCAA rules are regarding any collegiate representative contacting prospects, we contacted the NCAA for an interpretation. We are still waiting for the NCAA's response.

I have continued to communicate our concerns to the conference office and my fellow athletic directors. We are pleased that the Commissioner has started to address these concerns, but many questions remain. These are significant issues for all of collegiate athletics as they relate to broadcast rights, revenue distribution and the recruitment of student-athletes."

Analysis after the jump.

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Just when it looked liked the Houston Chronicle had quashed the newest rumors that Texas A&M is going to the SEC (in reality the Board of Regents was meeting to discuss the Longhorn Network), Jon Wilner and SportsByBrooks brought the topic back to the floor last night on Twitter.

What remains clear is the current Big 12 (with ten teams) is not a longterm solution. Texas enjoys far too much freedom (with the least revenue sharing and its own network), and only having ten teams isn't a recipe for stability. As far as I can tell, here are some guiding principles in the upcoming conference expansion.

• In the end, Texas will end up independent: Yes, the state government would love to keep as many Texas schools together as possible, but the Longhorns want too much control. While Kansas and company were thrilled to hand the Longhorns a huge cut of the pie in order to save the Big 12 from almost certain collapse, that acceptance won't last. 
• Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will be a package deal. One of the rumored "road blocks" to expansion last year was that Oklahoma wouldn't abandon the Cowboys for the SEC.
• The Big 10 will be the antagonist: Jim Delaney is by far the most aggressive of the conference commissioners (Beebe may be the most reactionary). 
• At the end of the day, we'll be left with the Pac 12, the SEC, the Big 10 and some hybrid conference (probably a Frankenstein of ACC, Big 12 and Big East).
• Eventually, Texas A&M will join the SEC (I'd also put my money on Oklahoma and Oklahoma State).

More after the jump.

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Sports Illustrated's Pablo Torre fleshed out Gary Parrish and Jeff Goodman's initial report on the dead Houston AAU backer and investor, David Salinas, yesterday. In addition to adding two coaches to the original nine listed by CBSSports.com, Torre puts dollars by everyones names. Here's a table summarizing the new findings.

This is a huge deal. Accounting for non-basketball related investors, the total amount of money on the line here is "several tens of millions of dollars" according to Torre. 

BallinIsAHabit's Rob Dauster did some legwork and found that at least nine of the eleven coaches had recruits who were at one time in Salinas' AAU program. While ESPN.com's Andy Katz says the NCAA has no interest in investigating this situation, CBSSports.com confirmed that the NCAA is investigating (even if it's only "looking into" the situation for now).

The Houston Chronicle and The Daily's Dan Wolken independently confirmed stories that at least two coaches were explicitly told that investing with Salinas would have players steered towards their respective schools.

To state the obvious: that's a major NCAA infraction. Now, the money is outrageously high for a fairly paltry number of recruits at this point, but I get the feeling we're only scratching the surface of this story.

Tomorrow, I'll have a look at how this could affect the Big 12 coaches implicated.

"‘A lot of coaches got (expletive),' said one college coach."

CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish and Jeff Goodman quietly dropped a bomb on the basketball world last night. I suggest reading the whole post, but here's a quick recap. David Salinas was the founder of a Houston summer basketball program and an investment advisor for many college basketball coaches, including Texas Tech's Billy Gillispie and Baylor's Scott Drew. According to reports, some of the coaches had upwards of seven figures invested with Salinas, who was found dead. 

Goodman tweeted this morning that he "just spoke to a coroner in Galveston; [the coroner] said autopsy hasn't been performed yet on David Salinas."

Adding to the drama, Kentucky Sports Radio's Matt Jones tweeted a Houston radio show host claims that Gillispie was one of the last to see Salinas alive and "was angry" in his office last week. 

Apparently, Salinas was running a Ponzi scheme that involved many of college basketball's top coaches. While the story came out rather quietly (a blog post, really?), and didn't receive a lot of initial interest (minus The Bylaw Blogand Dan Wolken), I have a feeling this is far from over. 

"One of the coaches involved called CBSSports.com late Sunday and offered comment. He asked that his name not be used but said, ‘We're not concerned about the NCAA right now. We're just scared we got Madoffed.'"

Needless to say, we'll have more as this story develops.

Josh Selby was drafted 49th by the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA draft with the over-achieving Memphis Grizzlies' only pick of the evening. Obviously, Selby would've like to have gone higher and would've been in much better shape coming straight out of high school. If you read this blog much, you probably know that I think Selby can play. I think he's a first round talent (albeit with a second round attitude). But before getting into his place on the Grizzlies I want to remind everyone everything Selby went through.

First and foremost, he changed schools. Josh Selby was originally committed to Tennessee. A school that despite making the Elite Eight a couple of years ago would've no doubt loved to have him on their roster (though they probably would've preferred him not being photographed with Aaron Craft at Bruce Pearl's not-NCAA-legal barbecue). Selby would have almost certainly started, and would've been a part of a fairly talented team alongside Scotty Hopson, fellow frosh Tobias Harris and Brian Williams. He also would've had the benefit of playing for one of the best motivators in the business, Bruce Pearl. Let's face it, Tennessee was a much better fit for Josh Selby than Kansas. Bill Self's deep, experienced team based around ball movement wasn't the ideal place for a notorious playmaker and big shotmaker like Selby to go. 

Second, Selby's season from beginning to end was marred by injuries. First it was a broken hand that kept him out of practice when the season was starting up; then it was a foot injury that really kept Selby from ever finding his place in a very established Jayhawk rotation. Adding insult to injury, Selby had to sit out the first nine games of the season for impermissible benefits (receiving money from an agent). 

The bottom line is Selby never got a chance at Kansas. I'm not going to say he's the top prospect from that class, but his first round athleticism and intangibles didn't dry up this past year (unless the injuries are a sign of things to come). Selby never had any interest in going to college, but the NBA's one and done rule forced him to go to classes for a semester before heading off to Vegas to get ready for the draft (though it should be noted, he completed all of his coursework for second semester).

More after the jump.

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Tristan Thompson was selected fourth in the NBA draft with the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers' second pick of the night. While I think Cleveland's first pick says they thought Kyrie Irving was the best player in the draft (Cleveland already has not one, but two legitimate point guards making a combined 14+ million dollars in Ramon Sessions and Baron Davis), I thought Tristan Thompson was picked as a better combination of "fit" and talent.

This year, I think Cleveland plays Anderson Varejao at center. He might be a little more comfortable at power forward with his lean frame, but he is 6'11. 7 footer Ryan Hollins will probably lose many of his minutes between his lack of productivity last season and Varejao coming back from injury. Then the Cavs will have to choose from Tristan Thompson, Antawn Jamison and JJ Hickson for their power forwards. If you ask me, that's a pretty solid situation for Thompson to be going into. This is the last year of Jamison's inflated contract, which will almost certainly not be renewed. 

Thompson (unlike many high draft picks) should have this season to focus totally on getting better, specifically: developing a good back to the basket move and making over 60% of his free throws. I also wouldn't be surprised if Thompson didn't focus quite as much on shot-blocking (at least fellow bigs), and he dramatically increased his rebounding rates. I think Thompson will still be very effective at keeping guards out of the lane, but I'm not sure how his shot-blocking will do against the taller bigs in the NBA.

More after the jump.

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Well another NBA Draft has come and gone, leaving us with only summer leagues (of the AAU and college varieties) along with the recruiting and returning rumors that come with them (i.e. "so and so has really come into his own playing a glorified pick-up game where his total lack of effort on the defensive end was neutralized"). This isn’t to say there’s not valuable information that floats around, but I think in our desperate lust of basketball information we often look too far into these performances.

But before closing the door on college and professional basketball for the near future, I wanted to take a look at last night’s draft. According to ESPN PR man Josh Krulewitz, last night’s draft was this highest rated since 2007. In some ways this is surprising, as most considered last night’s draft a pretty big bust, but the biggest markets were Cleveland (who was hoping this draft could start a major rebuilding process with the first and fourth picks) and Salt Lake (the Jimmer strikes again). TV ratings aside, I thought the draft was uneventful but still interesting in its own right. 

First, I think the lockout played a HUGE role in the draft. I’m decidedly not an expert on these things, but there’s no doubt in my mind the reason we saw so many young talented Europeans taken so high was because of the upcoming lockout. With uncertainty clouding next year’s outlook, it makes sense that GM’s were interested in getting draft rights to players who would be ready in two or three years (after their current contracts in Europe were up), instead of passing out guaranteed contracts to guys who won’t have summer league to help get them ready for next season (if next season is even a whole season). This is in no way a knock on any of the seven European players chosen in the first round, as I’m woefully unqualified to assess their skills. I’m only pointing out that the reasons European players generally play a less substantial role in drafts of the past is because most can’t come over and play immediately. 

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With the deadline of signing day approaching, the parts of the Big 12 still await decisions from late-choosing 2011 high school prospects.  While Trevor Lacey's commitment to stay home and attend Alabama was the biggest story of the day and DeAndre Daniels will steal the spotlight tomorrow with Texas and Kansas still on his list, Kansas picked up a commitment from 6'7 Jamari Traylor.  Traylor is probably not an instant impact player, but he's an athletic body that might contribute a few minutes in a fairly shallow frontcourt for the Jayhawks next season.

Traylor is ranked 141 by Rivals, and 32 at the power forward position by Scout.

Unlike Traylor Daniels, a consensus five-star recruit, has the potential to be an instant impact player on the wing for whatever team he chooses.  Daniels and Traylor are teammates at IMG Academy, which could influence Daniels' decision (though rumors seem to point to Daniels going to Texas).  But it's the high school's direct connection to the corporation, IMG that caught CBSSports' Dennis Dodd's attention:

OK, I'll ask the question: Is IMG steering kids who attend their "academies" to coaches who are repped by IMG?

Some quick research confirmed that Bill Self is in fact represented by IMG (he's listed here as an example).  Now, one player going to play for Self certainly doesn't reflect a statistically significant trend.  This summer, I'll try to do a more comprehensive analysis (that includes all of the college coaches represented by IMG), but for now I think it's valuable to think about the conflict of interest represented by having a major sports marketing corporation fund a high school. 

2010-11 Record: 28-8

Big 12 Conference Record (Standing): 13-3 (2nd)

Our Preseason Predictions:

Joe: 5th in the Big 12

Evan: 5th in the Big 12

Matt: 6th in the Big 12

Season MVP: Jordan Hamilton

As Hamilton went this year, so did Texas.  In fact this isn't entirely true, but it sure felt like it.  I was actually shocked looking back over Texas' late season losses that Hamilton played as well as he did (discounting the Colorado loss).  Hamilton had a terrific season: he finished shooting just under 50% from two, just under 40% from three and just under 80% from the charity stripe.  And Hamilton took very difficult shots.  Most of the time he was forced to create for himself, as he was often isolated on the weak side.  While he improved dramatically in scoring (see the charts below), he shocked me with his defensive effort this season.

Maybe I just didn't watch Hamilton carefully enough his freshman year, but I always thought he was a lazy and disinterested defender at best.  This year he definitely showed flashes of apathy (like the Colorado game), but for the most part he was a terrific defender that utilized his long athletic frame.  Watching Hamilton last season there wasn't much question that he could score.  The question was: How efficiently?  This year he was a scoring machine, averaging over 18 points a game with close to eight rebounds to boot.  The success on the offense translated to the defensive end, where Hamilton was normally active and effective.

Season Recap:

While he didn't win team MVP, Tristan Thompson deserves a lot of credit for the Longhorns' success this season.  Thompson was a beast inside all year long, blocking shots on the defensive end and sending it home while crashing the offensive boards on the other.  Thompson was integral to the team as an eraser to protect the lane from anyone who got past the first line of defense.

As for the team's success, Texas had about three quarters of a great season.  This was drastically better than last year's run that couldn't last half a year.  Through the first 75% of the season, the Longhorns were undefeated in the Big 12, prohibitive favorites to win the conference outright, and almost a lock for the top line on Selection Sunday.  Then the wheels got loose.  Things were still drastically better than last season, which went up in flames, but one couldn't help but feel like the Longhorns peaked too soon.  After going 23-3--including finishing off Kansas' epic winning streak at Allen Field House--the Longhorns proceeded to lose three of their last five to Nebraska, Colorado and K-State.  Suddenly a team we had all been talking about going undefeated in conference play found itself alone in second place.

What went wrong?  I'm really not sure.  I think a lot had to do with Texas' defense wearing down, and missed shots leading to easy opportunities on the other end.  Mini-meltdown included, the Longhorns were horrifically under-seeded at a four (they easily should have been a two or at least a three).  Unfortunately, the Arizona Wildcats had a date with destiny with Duke in the Sweet 16 and put an end to what had been a very accomplished season for the Longhorns.

2011-12 Outlook:

It all comes down to two decisions.  If Jordan Hamilton and/or Tristan Thompson stay in the draft, Texas will be pretty good (top half of the ten-team Big 12 at worst).  If both come back to school, Texas should be the prohibitive favorite to win the conference (and I know, that takes into account Kansas wins it every year).  Rick Barnes has another blockbuster class on its way to Austin next year, headlined by McDonald's All American Myck Kabongo.  The class also sports four-star recruits Sheldon McClellan, Jonathan Holmes and Julien Lewis.  Currently it's ranked fourth by ESPNU100 and eighth by Rivals.

Even with a great incoming class, the Longhorns lose Dogus Balbay and Gary Johnson to graduation.  Those guys may not have put up huge numbers, but you can be sure they had big impacts (especially on the defensive end and boards respectively).  The Longhorns need Hamilton and Thompson back to be a truly elite team in my opinion, but no matter what Kabongo should make them fun to watch.

**Editor's note: I fully expect Thompson and Hamilton to stay in the draft, though neither has reportedly signed an agent or made an official statement either way.

See our schedule for Season Recaps after The Jump.

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