All Activity

Thanks for laying this out, very interesting note on the training to be more CGs versus PGs.. It's funny, I always grew up playing PG and I would go to the Hurley Pocono Camps back in PA (the dad is the absolute best) and this was even 15-20 years ago where both the dad and sons focused on more scoring / shooting type drills even if you called out you wanted to focus on PG drills. Thank god for high school coach didn't pick up on this because I had no shooting ability and my ass would have been on the bench LOL.

I don't disagree with anything you say, Gerry, but it doesn't change the fundamentals. Five years ago it was literally nuts to think you needed multiple big men to win a natty in CBB. What's going on now? NIL and the change in money have brought big men back big time. A less than similar change can make PGs much more important because the fundamentals of basketball don't simply change because of fads. NBA doesn't matter in the least. They've sucked ever since they changed the rules to keep Shaq and Kobe from winning 10 titles. Losing viewership and attendance by the day they suck so bad now. Those idiots have screwed up so bad they are going to have to change multiple rules just to keep real players on the floor. Back to PGs: Having a PG that can score doesn't equal a "combo" guard. All the greatest PGs could score. Not all combo guards can pass well enough to win a game if they don't score much. That's the difference.

Check that...Matt Coleman back in 2021 was last "true PG" we had. Since then, the position has been held down just fine by combo players.

Correct....we can find guys that can do it all now at the guard position. However that doesn't mean the true set-up PG still doesn't have value...its just a rarity these days. I mean who's the last "true PG" Texas has had worth a damn? Myke Kabongo?? Better to have 5 guys on the court that are real scoring threats.

Atleast if he doesn’t enter the portal when going through the draft Texas knows what they are up against. A lot of these guys are entering the portal and going through the process.

A very simple search will explain how the game has changed ... it's not even as hard as studying the game on a daily basis (if someone doesn't want to do that). The game has changed. The pure PG's are few and far between because the game has changed and kids are training differently growing up "Point guards (PGs) in basketball have evolved from pass-first, floor-general playmakers into high-scoring, versatile, and often "positionless" threats who prioritize shooting and creating their own offense. This shift has been driven by the rise of analytics, increased three-point shooting, and a decrease in physical, hand-checking defense. [1, 2, 3] Here are the key ways point guards have changed: From Facilitators to Scorers: Traditionally, PGs were expected to set up teammates and manage the tempo, like John Stockton or Magic Johnson. Modern point guards, exemplified by Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are now primarily "score-first" players with high usage rates. The Rise of "Positionless" Basketball: Modern PGs are often taller and more versatile, blending with the shooting guard or small forward roles. Tall point guards like Luka Dončić (6'7") are becoming more common, utilizing their height to see over defenses, similar to Magic Johnson's era, but with the added ability to shoot from deep. Increased Three-Point Shooting: PGs have experienced a massive leap in three-point attempts, increasing from an average of 1.3 to over 4.0 attempts per game over the past three decades. Declining Assist Numbers: As PGs focus more on scoring, there has been a steady, slight decrease in assists per game over the last 30 years, moving away from the "pure" PG role."

True PG or Combo Guard...doesn't matter. We just need someone better & more athletic than Jordan Pope. If Miller proved he could eventually coach up & win big games with a guy like Jordan Pope running the point, then there's no telling how good we could be with a superior talent upgrade.

Even your last three NBA Champions ... not true or pure PG led. OKC Thunder - Shai is called the OKC lead guard, and he is ... not a pure PG. He's the modern day best lead guard. Boston Celtics (2023-24) - ball didn't run through their PG (Holiday or backup much at all). Denver Nuggets - Jamal Murray is their lead guard. Everything outside of ball screen game runs through Jokic, however. He's the primary playmaker for the Nuggets. Murray and Jokic pretty much split duties. Jokic will even be the offense initiator brining the ball up at times. The John Stockton, Jason Kidd, etc... days of basketball are few and far between. I do think there will be a few special/close to special guys come along, but it's difficult with the way the game is being taught at a young age right now. I believe the game isn't as much fun to watch offensively because of the modern game, but I still love it. The size/athleticism/skill combo is off the charts, but it's not as much of a fun watch because it's all drive and kick for 25 footer, or drive baseline and kick opposite corner. It's all 25 foot spacing, three-point analytics, etc... and I get it because of the length and athleticism in the game now.

Well, it's proven there are NC's being won with system's that play multiple combo guards and team runner vs. pure PG's. Half your teams in the FF this season don't have true or pure PG's. It's literally happened the last three years in CBK with the National Champions. UConn is system based with CG's, and Florida had a team runner that isn't close to being a pure PG. I would say the reality is there are different ways to win big in basketball now. And as I've said (and college coaches and former really good pro PG's have said) ... young players aren't training from a young age to be true PG's anymore. The different training now is centered around scoring/shooting and playing within system's more than being the maestro, so young kids growing up aren't growing in the game with creativity first and truly running the team with ball in hand 95% of the time. If you can find one, great, but they are fewer and farther between more and more. And the two All-American PG's this season are home watching. So yes, it's not a guarantee with the best PG's in CBK either. I know the old school guys disagree, and that's fine, but the reality is right in front of everyone's face. The game has changed, and is continuing to change. You need a team runner, but it's being proven it doesn't have to be the pure PG. Just different ways to win now.

I want be clear. You don't spend the money on another 3. You spend it on the high level 4 and 1 that you need. I don't agree with Gerry that you can just forget the 1 and go combo. A few examples of outliers doesn't change the fundamentals of the game. Time doesn't change it either. The law of gravity doesn't change with time. There are plenty of true point guards tall enough to defend more than one position, and that's all you're worried about with this combo nonsense.

YES!!! Hook em!! 🐂🤘🏼🧡

They must assume he's not coming back and allocate the money to another high level player. If he does come back, they can try to raise the money, but you can't hold the money for a low chance opportunity. I'd say it's 80/20 he'll stay in the draft. He's being consistently mocked in the low to mid 20s pick range now, and he'll likely outperform many of the guys being mocked ahead of him (Haugh, Mullins, etc.) during the workout process.

But in that scenario how do they manage/allocate the NIL budget?

I updated the projected finish this week, after being on Coffee and Football. Texas improved in Beach Volleyball significant and Stanford fell in W Lax. The margin increased quite a bit.

@Gerry Hamiltonjust broke out in hives 😂😂

Thanks for these. Can’t wait to see it fully completed.

I don’t know if i believe the “cooper will start for texas” over two conference all americans in that running back room.

Weird stuff happens in the post-season. Lose a game and you need innings from those guys. Every season is a story. There will be ups and downs, but it's not just pitching, this offense has some awful absences too. I'll still be watching every game.

I agree, however I’m not sure they lose to South Carolina and after Spencer’s injury that team was hanging on

Midweeks mean next to nothing compared to weekend series. I don’t think Grubbs or Flores will start in the postseason.

None of his three years at A&M did they hit above .300 as a team. His 2023 team hit .270 which is horrible. Schloss is also very involved in the offense so it’s funny to see finger pointing at his assistants.

Maintain and stay near the top so we can host a regional. Then get hot at the end of the year. Simple lol

Midweek games count, especially losses against bad teams, but did you watch us blow leads against Ole Miss and Auburn and then have to walk off two squeakers at home against OU? Two of our starters have been ineffective in the past week of conference play.