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#3 Texas Longhorns
Big 12
2004-05: 20-11,
9-7, 5th
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
P.J. Tucker and
LaMarcus Aldridge missed much of last season due to academics
and injuries. Texas was cruising until that point, but Coach
Rick Barnes still managed to hold the team together and take the
squad to the NCAAs. With the forward duo expected to be playing
all year, the Longhorns are eyeing a trip to Indianapolis.
Who’s Out: A
few part-time starters are gone in Jason Klotz, Kenny Taylor and
Sydmill Harris. Klotz started 16 contests under the basket,
averaging 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
Taylor spent most of the season starting and was one of five
players to average over ten points per game last year. Harris
tacked on 6.5 points in 13 starts.
Who’s In: Craig
Winder and J.D. Lewis will battle with returnee Kenton Paulino
for the time at the two guard. Winder averaged 22.1 points per
game last year as a sophomore at Cecil Community College in
Maryland. Lewis will be another experienced option at the
shooting guard role. The 6-2 Amarillo, Texas product played for
one year at Midland (TX) College before heading to Austin.
Lewis is a solid outside shooter and will most likely see his
minutes off the bench. Point guard A.J. Abrams will get to
learn from one of the best. The 5-10, Round Rock, Texas native
isn’t expected to see too much action this year. Connor Atchley
redshirted last year. The 6-9, 225 pounder is a talented center
who could fill in some of the minutes lost by the departing
Klotz.
Who to Watch:
Does it get any better than Daniel Gibson? As a freshman last
year, the point guard was the only player to start all 31
contests for the Longhorns. Gibson led the team with 14.2
points and 3.9 assists per game. While Gibson would like to
concentrate on distributing the ball, he’ll still put up big
numbers in the scoring column. Yet, he won’t have to take over
the scoring as much this year with Tucker and Aldridge back in
action. The assist to turnover ratio was horrible at best for
the team overall. The squad averaged 14.0 turnovers per game
and only 13.1 assists. While obviously not entirely Gibson’s
fault, those numbers do fall on the point guard.
Projected
Conference Rank: The Big 12 South, if such a thing existed
in basketball, will be tough. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and
Texas Tech all field dangerous squads. Up north, Iowa State and
Kansas won’t be pushovers. With Daniel Gibson running the show
and P.J. Tucker, Brad Buckman and LaMarcus Aldridge manning the
frontcourt, a 1st place finish in the Big 12 won’t be
surprising for Texas. The frontcourt has some depth as well
with sophomores Dion Dowell and Mike Williams. The only
question is at the two guard. Kenton Paulino, Craig Winder and
J.D. Lewis shouldn’t have any problems filling in.
Projected
Post-season Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
Daniel Gibson,
Sophomore, Guard, 14.2 points per game
Kenton Paulino,
Senior, Guard, 6.9 points per game
P.J. Tucker, Junior,
Forward, 13.7 points per game
Brad Buckman, Senior,
Forward, 12.5 points per game
LaMarcus Aldridge,
Sophomore, Forward, 9.9 points per game
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