Posted April 23rd, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Quick Hits
2008 Michael Huff Celebrity Weekend benefited local charities. Check out video and photo gallery of the event.
Posted April 23rd, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball, Draft
Like his backcourt mate AJ Abrams, sophomore point guard [tag]DJ Augustin[/tag] will be leaving Texas early and entering the NBA Draft. Augustin will not hire an agent and has until June 16 to pull his name out and return for his junior season. Unlike Abrams I feel that now that Augustin has made this decision he won’t turn back. His draft positioning is pretty well decided at between about 12th and 25th overall and unless something happens to make him drop out of the first round during his workouts.
It looks like we’ll be seeing a very different team next year, let’s hope someone (Justin Mason, Dogus Balbay, and/or J’Covan Brown) can step up and take over the point guard position.
Position: Safety
Height: 5-10
Weight: 201 pounds
Hometown: Austin, TX
Strengths: Strength and aggressiveness make him good against the run. Good tackler who led the Longhorns in tackles in 2007 from his free safety position. Not blazing fast but ran a solid 4.55 forty at the Texas pro timing day. Fantastic special teams player who will find a way to contribute to your team.
Weaknesses: Not great quickness or recovery speed. Hasn’t shown good ball skills, doesn’t make plays even when good coverage has him in position. At 5-foot-10 lacks ideal height if matched up with a tight end. Needs to take better angles in pursuit of ball carriers.
Projection: 5th or 6th round
Related Links
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5-7.5
Weight: 185 pounds
Hometown: Arlington, TX
Strengths: Speed, speed, speed. Foster wasn’t on many teams’ radar even after two solid seasons in the defensive backfield for the Longhorns, but a 4.28 40-yard dash at Texas’ pro day certainly got people’s attention. Cover skills and ball skills are solid, had three interceptions and three touchdowns this season so he knows how to make plays.
Weaknesses: Height. Listed at 5-foot-9 on the Texas roster, Foster measured officially at 5-foot-7.5 for the NFL scouts. Some teams will avoid him solely based on that. Won’t be able to cover man-to-man against larger receivers so will have to catch on as a nickel back or in a Cover 2 system.
Projection: 6th or 7th round
Related Links
Posted April 22nd, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball, Draft
In very surprising news, Texas junior guard [tag]AJ Abrams[/tag] has reportedly declared for the NBA Draft. FoxSports.com is reporting that multiple sources have indicated to them that Abrams will workout for NBA teams but not hire an agent, hoping to get a better feel on what exactly his draft prospects are. Since he’s not hiring an agent, Abrams can pull his name out of the draft at any time and return to Texas with no issue. Thanks to a new(?) rule NBA teams can now pay for travel for workouts so there’s no risk for AJ, but I also don’t see the reward in it for him. I don’t believe there’s much chance a team would use a draft pick on a 5-foot-10 shooting guard.
I just put up a poll a few minutes ago about whether incoming frosh J’Covan Brown or Abrams should start next year, it now looks like Rick Barnes might not have to make that decision. Hopefully he decides to stay in school for his senior season, but if not best of luck to AJ at the next level.
Posted April 22nd, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball, Recruiting
The official letter of intent from 2008 shooting guard J’Covan Brown is finally in the hands of the Texas coaching staff. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard’s recruitment was a roller coaster from the very start. Even after securing his commitment in November, there was much doubt about whether he’d ever actually sign with the Horns. J’Covan has wanted to be a Longhorn all along but he has other people involved with his recruitment with their own interests in mind. Fortunately for J’Covan and Texas, what was best for the young man eventually won out.
One of the top #2 guards in country and best players in Texas, Brown is rated as a high 4-star prospect according to both Rivals and Scout. He is an excellent scorer who has the ability to drive to the basket as well as drain it from long range. He handles the ball well and could play spot duty at the point to spell the starter if needed. With his size and skill set, Brown is just the type of guard the Horns needed in this year’s Elite 8 match-up against Memphis. If he can be a factor on the defensive end as well, he has a chance to be huge contributor as a freshman.
Brown is currently the only 2008 prospect signed by Rick Barnes, but depending on if D.J. Augustin and/or Damion James head to the NBA Draft early they may have one more slot to fill. 5-star out of staters Devin Ebanks and Wesley Witherspoon are both seriously considering Texas and would be huge commitments for the program.
Next step for J’Covan is to get down to business in the classroom and make sure he’s eligible to head to Austin this summer and get started. Welcome to the 40 Acres!
Related Links
Posted April 22nd, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Draft, Football, Quick Hits
Jake Long will be first pick of 2008 NFL Draft. What does that mean for the rest of the teams picking in the top 10?
Posted April 22nd, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Quick Hits, Recruiting
Offensive line commit Thomas Ashcraft sounds like a kid with his head on straight. Good luck with Mechanical Engineering kid… yikes.
Posted April 22nd, 2008 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball
This commercial looks like it’s at least a few months old, but I saw it this weekend for the first time during the Spurs/Suns playoff game. It’s an ad for NBAStore.com and features [tag]Kevin Durant[/tag] slowly walking down the stadium tunnel taking off one jersey after another.
Watch the commercial below:
Kevin Durant’s NBA Commercial from YouTube.com
Kevin starts wearing a Boys & Girls Club jersey, takes it off to reveal the jersey of the mighty Drew-Freeman Middle School Falcons, then his high school Montrose Christian, then the red and gold McDonald’s All-American uni, after that is his Nike Texas Longhorn #35, and finally as he nears the end of the tunnel he reveals his Seattle SuperSonics jersey. I guess next year they’ll have to update it again to add another one. Very cool commercial and always great to see Kevin wearing the burnt orange on national television.
Position: Tight End
Height: 6-4.5
Weight: 243 pounds
Hometown: Diboll, TX
Strengths: Size and speed causes major match-up problems if you put a linebacker on him. Great hands and can go up and grab the football in traffic, fights off defenders well. Tons of upside that may cause a team to reach for him earlier than you expect.
Weaknesses: Can’t and/or won’t block anybody. Doesn’t show much desire to get physical down with the big boys and he can’t be a number one tight end if he’s a liability pass and run blocking. Has good height but is light for an NFL tight end, should be able to add more weight to his frame. Wasn’t a consistent contributor game in and game out for the Longhorns. Needed another year of experience to realize more of his potential.
Projection: 4th or 5th round
Loading ...
