This week, FanHouse is taking a way too early look at the top teams heading into 2007 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. It's a time-honored filler for the off-season, and who are we to buck tradition? Today we look at teams 26 through 21.
If there was one defining person in college basketball last season, it was Kevin Durant. His unbelievable season in burnt orange won him unanimous player of the year honors and it also drew national attention to Texas basketball, something that the program is only now getting used to receiving. While Durant's presence alone wasn't enough to catapult Texas over Kansas to win either the Big XII regular season or conference tournament, last year is still one of the most memorable in Longhorn hoops history.
With Durant gone to the NBA, the focus for this season will be on two other members of the Longhorns great freshman class from last year - D.J Augustin and Damion James. Augustin quietly had a terrific season as a true freshman point guard last season, averaging 14.4 points and 6.7 assists per game. He will be the unquestioned leader of this year's Longhorns. Damion James is a widebodied bruiser with a soft touch around the basket who will provide the offensive punch in the paint. While Jones will have two incoming freshman forwards to assist him, he will be looked to carry a lot of front court load.
A.J Abrams returns for his junior season as one of streakiest and most dangerous shooters in the country. Those 3, along with Justin Mason and Conner Atchley, means Texas returns a fair amount of experience, if not anyone used to carrying a team.
Walk into the weight room of any high school with a decent sports program, and you'll see a few beefy offensive lineman/shot putter types who can bench press 315 pounds and a lot of tight end/power forward/catcher types who can bench press 225 pounds. You'll also see a lot of skinny teenagers who can't bench press anything close to that. But most of those skinny teenagers aren't about to become superstar pro athletes.
Kevin Durant is about to become a superstar pro athlete, but he turned in a performance typical of a skinny teenager at the Orlando pre-draft camp. Jason Quick reports that Durant was the only prospect in Orlando who couldn't bench 185 pounds even once. That means at almost any gym in the country, the average accountant or lawyer or computer programmer who lifts weights a few times a week after work is stronger than the likely No. 2 pick in the NBA draft.
Combine Durant's poor showing with the phenomenal athleticism of Greg Oden, and it's easy to see why Oden is the clear choice of the NBA scouts even though Durant was the college Player of the Year. But Durant also has a ridiculous wingspan of just under 7-foot-5, which is Shawn Bradley territory. Guys with long arms always have more functional strength than bench press strength. Durant's meager bench press is more a curiosity than an indictment.
If the NBA had allowed him to turn pro out of high school and skip college altogether, Kevin Durant probably would have. But is there any doubt that he'll make many millions of dollars more in his professional career because of the year he spent at Texas?
The latest evidence: Durant has signed his first endorsement contract, with Upper Deck. A big part of the contract is that Durant's autograph will be part of a new line of autographed Upper Deck Authenticated items. Darren Rovell reports:
Because Durant only played for one year at Texas and his star rose so quickly the supply of autographs in the market is very limited, yet the demand seems to be great.
If Durant had entered the NBA draft last year, he wouldn't be anything close the household name he is today, and his autograph wouldn't be worth anywhere near as much money. Ditto for his shoe deal: Whether he chooses Nike or Adidas, he'll get a lot more now than he would have a year ago because he's a lot more famous now than he was a year ago. David Stern's minimum age rule is probably hurting some 18-year-old basketball players and sending some to college when that's not where they belong, but in Durant's case, it turned out to be very rewarding.
With the news/rumor that really should shock no one that Texas' Kevin Durant will enter the NBA Draft, aside from the fun of watching several NBA teams go into full tank mode, the questions start to move to what next at Texas? While Durant only staying one season at Texas was not unexpected when he signed, there is still some fallout from this decision.
Rick Barnes is clearly one of the best recruiters in college basketball. That isn't going to change. His coaching acumen, however, came under a lot closer scrutiny. With so many people watching Texas because of Durant, Barnes tactics and mis-use of Durant became obvious to a lot of people. That second round exit to USC really brought out the second guessers. It won't affect his status with the Texas Athletic Department, or his ability to parlay interest from other schools for more salary. No coach, though, likes to be considered a mediocre game-day coach. D.J. Augustin has said he's coming back to school, but the freshman point guard averaged 6.7 assists and over 14 points. The point guard class for this NBA draft has been described as exceptionally weak. With Durant making it known that he's leaving, there's a chance he could at least enter his name in the NBA draft to go through the process and see where he would go. Chad Ford at ESPN.com lists Augustin as the 4th best PG prospect this year (behind Conley, Lawson and Acie Law IV). If Mike Conley, Jr. (Ohio State) and Ty Lawson (UNC) both return to school for another year as reported, he would be the top underclassmen point guard in the draft. Both Durant and Augustin happened to be attending a San Antonio Spurs game together this past week. This becomes a more likely possibility if someone whispers in his ear about how Dominic James' draft stock has taken a hit after returning for his sophomore year.
The Texas recruiting class is a top-20 class with top-10 Center and Power Forward recruits in Gary Clint Johnson and Clint Gary Chapman. It's not clear that Barnes will use the scholarship Durant frees up this year. If Augustin even considers going pro, however, Barnes may have to make a move, as there is no one clearly ready to fill in that spot. It might really motivate Barnes to make a late run at Jai Lucas. Probably the best remaining uncommitted point guard.
With or without Durant and possibly Augustin, Texas will still be a pre-season top-25 team with talent like A.J. Abrams and a strong freshman class -- especially in the front court. Texas has talent and their performance in the Big XII the last few years give them the benefit of the doubt in the pre-season polls. Previously at Fanhouse: Report: Kevin Durant Will Declare for NBA Draft Next Week
Before Kentucky hired Billy Gillispie as its new men's basketball coach, the school reportedly told Texas coach Rick Barnes that he was their top choice. So why did Barnes turn Kentucky down?
Perhaps he's just happy at Texas, or perhaps he thinks the expectations at Kentucky are too high. But another intriguing possibility is that he decided to stay at Texas because he thinks his superstar, Kevin Durant, is coming back for his sophomore season.
The return of Durant would make Texas one of the favorites -- if not the favorite -- to win the 2008 national championship. But would Durant really turn down the NBA millions?
the Longhorns keep Barnes, who has a decent chance of getting Kevin Durant back. Barnes still puts the chances of him staying at 50-50. Expect a decision perhaps as early as next week after he visits with his family during the Wooden Award weekend in Los Angeles this weekend.
I still think Durant will go to the NBA. But this has been a week of good news for Texas fans. Maybe next week will give them some even better news.
With the news that Billy Donovan will stay at Florida, where will the Kentucky administration turn next in its basketball coaching search? Most likely, they'll turn to the state of Texas. The early favorites are Texas coach Rick Barnes and Texas A&M coach Billy Gillespie.
Gillespie's lack of actions -- specifically, declining to sign a contract extension -- strongly suggests that he'd like to look elsewhere. Gillespie is coming off a great season at Texas A&M, but can that greatness be sustained? I doubt it. This season was fueled by one Acie Law clutch shot after another. Law is done, and I can't imagine the Aggies being nearly as good without him.
Barnes seems somewhat less intent on leaving, but he, like Gillespie, is facing a 2007-08 season that will almost certainly be significantly less successful than this season was. (Unless you actually think Kevin Durant will be back next year.)
Most indications are that Barnes is Kentucky's first choice and Gillespie is No. 2. But Gillespie seems a little more eager to go than Barnes does. It's not clear what the next step will be, but all eyes are on the Lone Star State.
The biggest question in men's college basketball for the coming week will be whether coach Billy Donovan considers Kentucky a better job than Florida. In women's basketball, Duke women's coach Gail Goestenkors has already answered a similar question, declaring by her decision to quit and become the new coach at Texas that she considers Texas a better place than Duke.
That's a big loss to the Blue Devils. Duke will always be best known for its men's basketball program, but with the obvious exception of football, Duke prides itself on having first-class programs in every sport. Goestenkors led the Blue Devils to an undefeated regular season this year, and her departure means it will be hard for Duke to remain near the top of the women's basketball world.
On Saturday Goestenkors was named the national coach of the year. When she accepted the award, she acknowledged that she was considering leaving Duke, adding, "Texas is a job that I've always thought was one of the best jobs in the country." The Duke administration likes to believe there's no better place than Durham, but Goestenkors apparently disagrees.
On Pardon the Interruption today, Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discussed Texas freshman Kevin Durant, and whether he'll jump to the NBA or stay at Texas for his sophomore season. Kornheiser asked, "Do you believe Kevin Durant when he says it's a hard decision to go pro?" Wilbon had this to say:
"Yes, I believe Kevin Durant. Anybody who's paid attention all year has heard Kevin Durant say 'I love school.' If they've paid attention to his story all year they'd know he got a 3.5 at Texas grade-point average his first semester. I'm annoyed and perhaps even offended by what I perceive, Tony, as some sort of racial undertones to that question as if people can't see a black kid who also plays basketball wanting to go to school more than one year, more than two years, maybe four years."
I like Wilbon, but that's ridiculous. When Matt Leinart announced that he was returning to USC for his senior season, many fans were surprised. That had nothing to do with skin color and everything to do with the fact that he was delaying the opportunity to make millions and play at the highest level.
My attitude toward Durant is exactly the same as my attitude toward Leinart: If they want to stay in school, more power to them, but my advice would be to make the money now and don't risk a career-ending injury in college. I see no racial undertones here.
Texas fans know it's an extreme long shot that freshman sensation Kevin Durant will be anywhere other than the NBA next season. But they'd do just about anything if it means Durant will return for his sophomore season.
That's what Burnt Orange Nation found out when it asked its readers to finish this sentence: "If Kevin Durant returns to Texas for another year, I will ____"
The resulting comments were often hilarious and demonstrated just how much the football-mad school has fallen in love with its basketball superstar. Some of the best included:
I will attempt to convince my future wife that our first son's name should be Kevin Durant Collins rather than Vincent Young Collins. (NB: I have yet to convince her on the Vince Young idea.)...
If Durant comes back, I will buy a dog, name him Kevin Durant, and force him to watch Air Bud repeatedly for three years. At that time, I will challenge the human Kevin Durant to a 1 on 1 basketball game with dog Kevin Durant. It will be the most epic 1 on 1 basketball match ever played. Win or lose, both Kevin Durants will go down as legendary players in a historic interspecies battle for hoops supremecy that will be remembered for ages....
I will shave KD in my chest hair.
Read the whole thing. I don't think Durant will return, but I know if he does, he'll make some people very, very happy.
North Carolina freshman Ty Lawson and Texas freshman Kevin Durant are buddies. Lawson plays against Georgetown today for a spot in the Final Four, while Durant's season (and, presumably, his college career) is over.
Lawson says that presumption that Durant will leave Texas for the NBA, where he'll most likely be the second pick in the June draft, is starting to get to Durant, who would like to have some privacy while he weighs his options.
"Everybody is calling his phone, leaving him text messages, asking him if he's going to the NBA or not. That's a lot to put on him.
"He's really not used to stuff like that. He's kind of stressed out right now about stuff like that."
On the one hand, there's a part of me that wants to react by saying I don't have a lot of sympathy for a guy whose biggest source of stress is that he's about to realize his dream in life and make millions of dollars. But the fact is, this is an 18-year-old facing a huge decision, and he's under a lot of pressure. I think he should go pro and I think he will go pro, but I can't blame him for having a hard time working out all the details.
This week, FanHouse is taking a way too early look at the top teams heading into 2007 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. It's a time-honored filler for the off-season, and who are we to buck tradition? Today we look at teams 26 through 21.
Walk into the weight room of any high school with a decent sports program, and you'll see a few beefy offensive lineman/shot putter types who can bench press 315 pounds and a lot of tight end/power forward/catcher types who can bench press 225 pounds. 
If the NBA had allowed him to turn pro out of high school and skip college altogether, Kevin Durant probably would have. But is there any doubt that he'll make many millions of dollars more in his professional career because of the year he spent at Texas?
Before 
With the news that 
The biggest question in men's college basketball for the coming week will be whether coach Billy Donovan considers Kentucky a better job than Florida. In women's basketball, Duke women's coach Gail Goestenkors has already answered a similar question, declaring by her decision to 
On Pardon the Interruption today, Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discussed Texas freshman Kevin Durant, and whether he'll jump to the NBA or stay at Texas for his sophomore season. Kornheiser asked, "Do you believe Kevin Durant when he says it's a hard decision to go pro?" Wilbon had this to say:
Texas fans know it's an extreme long shot that freshman sensation Kevin Durant will be anywhere other than the NBA next season. But they'd do just about anything if it means Durant will return for his sophomore season.
North Carolina freshman Ty Lawson and Texas freshman Kevin Durant are buddies. Lawson plays against Georgetown today for a spot in the Final Four, while Durant's season (and, presumably, his college career) is over. 
