Rick Barnes takes his team through each possession on the tape, repeatedly showing how easy it is for one player to negate the work of four others.
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Men’s basketball: Small mistakes affecting big picture for Longhorns
Filed under News by on Jan 18th, 2012. Comment. 
Rick Barnes takes his team through each possession on the tape, repeatedly showing how easy it is for one player to negate the work of four others.
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Small mistakes affecting big picture for Longhorns
Filed under News by on Jan 18th, 2012. Comment.
FIU coach Mario Cristobal has taken his Panthers to places they have never been: a conference championship, a bowl game, a little bit of national credibility. He began the hard work five years ago, yet the breakthrough season of 2010 was just the first step to what he envisions for his program. Indeed, what happened last season has helped lay the groundwork to start this one: the first 3-0 start in school history; first win over a team from an AQ conference; first time receiving votes in both the AP and coaches’ polls. “We’re at the point now where we feel confident playing,” Cristobal said in a phone interview. “It was a great thing for our football program to be 1-0 for the first time, to carry over the momentum from the bowl game into the first game of the season. This is a game of momentum and confidence, and every single time you have the opportunity to have success early on, it builds that. We still have miles to go, but every little bit helps.” The bowl victory over Toledo a year ago helped springboard FIU into the toughest offseason ever. Players were more motivated than ever to continue the good work of 2010, to get people to see them as a solid program and not just living in the shadow of the University of Miami. Cristobal let it be known time and again that teams win games with the work they put in during the long winter, spring and summer months. His players bought that message. “We worked our you know whats off,” quarterback Wesley Carroll said. “We saw the extra preparation, extra film study. More and more guys were getting in film room, studying opponents and it’s shown up. Talk about one of the hardest working teams in the country, and it’s showing.” FIU easily beat North Texas to start the season, then traveled to play Louisville in Week 2. Some thought this a fashionable upset pick because the Panthers have an experienced group returning and one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country in receiver T.Y. Hilton . Hilton burned Louisville for 201 yards receiving, and the Panthers pulled the upset 24-17. When the final seconds ticked off, Cristobal pumped his fist and jumped around, realizing what his players had accomplished. One season ago, they nearly pulled off upsets over Rutgers and Texas A&M but did not finish in the fourth quarter. This year, they did. “It was a moment we worked toward for a long time,” Cristobal said. “We finally found a way to finish against a BCS team. … In terms of the development of a football program, there are painful and tough steps. You cannot skip those and those [losses] were part of the process for us to learn what it was going to be like in the fourth quarter against a BCS program. That experience proved invaluable. We were able to push ourselves. We responded appropriately and got it done.” FIU followed up the win over Louisville with an impressive 17-10 victory over UCF. The Panthers did it despite losing Hilton in the game to a sore hamstring. Cristobal expects Hilton to be able to play Saturday against Louisiana. The 3-0 start has gotten more people noticing FIU than ever. That has led to chatter about Cristobal being the next up-and-coming coach to get called for a bigger job. Cristobal deflects that question, saying, “The only thing on my mind is taking this program and elevating it as high as it can go. The sky is the limit and there is no limit for this program. … We’re going to build a premier football program and one day become a perennial champion.” It could happen again this season. A glance at the rest of the schedule shows FIU should be favored in all its remaining games. Duke and Akron are the only two remaining nonconference contests on the slate. “It’s on us.
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FIU Panthers off to a fast start
Filed under Football by on Sep 21st, 2011. Comment.
AUSTIN, Texas – Jaxon Shipley has been around Texas’ campus for quite awhile. So has coach Mack Brown. Of course, when Shipley first got there, he was rolling down the hills surrounding the practice field. He later graduated to sliding down the hill on cardboard. Give Shipley a break, though. That was back when big brother Jordan Shipley was practicing and he was “watching.” Now, it’s Jaxon Shipley’s turn, and he’s making noise early in his career. “He’s come in mature beyond his years and he hasn’t been overwhelmed by whatever, the fanfare, the moment, 100,000 people in the stands, he just hasn’t been overwhelmed,” said senior safety Blake Gideon. The result? Shipley became the first true freshman receiver to catch a touchdown pass in a season opener in Texas history. He caught a pass from John Harris on a trick play for his 36-yard touchdown and added another 18-yard catch to finish with 54 yards. Shipley won the team’s offensive MVP award for the game, and Brown had a tough time remembering the last freshman to do so in his first game. “During 7-on-7 stuff this summer he was hopping in there with the first group very quickly and did a good job, so you know, I knew from the start he was going to be a good player,” said junior quarterback Garrett Gilbert . “He really shined the other night.” Gilbert loved what he saw during the summer, but he didn’t get to see much of Shipley during the spring. Despite graduating high school early, he decided to spend the spring semester working with the player that he may never stop being compared to: his brother, Jordan Shipley. Brown called the decision “smart.” Shipley’s academics were in order and he didn’t need to enroll at Texas early. He had a sore knee, too. Jordan Shipley was locked out by the NFL and planned to get married in the spring. “This gave him a chance to spend more time with his brother than he’ll probably ever get again,” Brown said. “He said he could spend all spring working on their route running together, so it made sense to me.” The comparisons are obvious, and far from forced. Both can “run forever” Brown said, noting that Shipley stood out in Sunday’s conditioning workout after the win over Rice. Brown credits having a father as a coach, and, of course, the work with his brother. “The way they run looks similar and they both run very good routes,” Gilbert said. “Jordan is doing it at the highest level right now … and I’m sure he taught his little brother some of that stuff.” Jaxon Shipley hasn’t encountered any of the injuries that kept Jordan on campus for six seasons, but his potential? Undeniable. “He’s a great young cat,” said linebacker Keenan Robinson. “He’s a guy that’s shown me a lot in camp. He hardly ever drops the ball in practice. He’s a guy that’s following in the right footsteps. He could be as good or better than his brother was. He’s definitely that. He definitely has a chance to put up big numbers, and I expect him to possibly be a freshman All-American this season.” That’s a long way from sliding down a grass hill during Longhorns’ practices.
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Another Shipley making noise for Texas
Filed under Football by on Sep 9th, 2011. Comment.
“What happened to us last season, that’s not Texas .” The Longhorns say they are awake now, ready to put in the work and fight for their accustomed spot at the top of the Big 12 standings…. Source: Kansas.com
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Longhorns’ luster takes a hit
Filed under News by on Jul 26th, 2011. Comment.
What happened to us last season, thatâs not Texas .âThe Longhorns say they are awake now, ready to put in the work and fight for their accustomed spot at the top of the Big 12 standings. Good… Source: KansasCity.com
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Texas’ Mack Brown and the Longhorns face new expectations in a new Big 12.
Filed under News by on Jul 26th, 2011. Comment.
Moments later, Robinson scored on a 1-yar run, giving the Cyclones a 14-3 lead over the Longhorns on their way to a 28-21 victory. Its kind of gratifying, Osemele said of paving a path to success, because of all the work,… Source: Des Moines Register
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Iowa State football’s Kelechi Osemele dreams of NFL
Filed under Football, News by on Jul 13th, 2011. Comment.
Missouri has received a commitment from sophomore guard Earnest Ross , who transferred from Auburn even after leading the team in scoring and rebounding, according to the Kansas City Star . In fact, Ross was such a key figure for Auburn that he was named the MVP at the team banquet. So from the outside looking in, his transfer was surprising. Auburn coach Tony Barbee announced that he and Ross mutually agreed to the transfer while Ross told the Auburn Bureau that it was solely a decision made by himself and his family. Left to benefit from all this is new Missouri coach Frank Haith, who has a senior-laden roster this year but is expected to see six of the players depart after the season including backcourt mates Marcus Denmon and Kim English . Ross averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and shot nearly 80 percent from the free-throw line. Missouri also could be getting another transfer in Louisville junior forward George Goode , a Raytown, Mo., native. Goode averaged eight minutes in 27 games for the Cardinals. That players are flocking to Mizzou is great news for Haith, who knows full well he’ll have to prove himself to the fans there after the school missed out on getting Matt Painter and seemingly settled on the former Miami coach and Texas assistant who wasn’t as much of a household name. [Missouri athletic director Mike] Alden is certainly gambling that Haith, who built a reputation as a strong recruiter during his time with the Longhorns and, before that, Wake Forest, can continue to build on the work Anderson did rebuilding the program and leading it to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight run in 2009. “Certainly he has had some success at Miami, and he’s going to have a lot more success when he’s here at Mizzou,” said Alden, who said Haith should benefit from greater resources available to him at Missouri compared to Miami.
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Missouri to add Auburn’s leading scorer
Filed under Basketball, News by on Jun 15th, 2011. Comment.
Wednesday marks the release of the 2011 ESPNU 150, naming the nation’s top 150 recruits. This year, we took a look back at the players who made the past five years of this list and signed with Big 12 teams, but it’s time to direct our focus to the players who made last year’s list. Biggest impact players: No. 21: Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma — Jefferson was one of seven ESPNU 150 signees for Oklahoma in 2010, and shared Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors. The 5-foot-10, 199-pounder has drawn comparisons to Oklahoma legend Roy Williams for his work at the nickelback spot, and could be a dark horse candidate for Defensive Player of the Year next season. No. 75: Shaun Lewis, LB, Oklahoma State — Lewis was the Cowboys’ lone ESPNU 150 signee, but he paid off in a big way. He shared Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors with Jefferson, and made two of the biggest plays of the season in 2010, picking off Jerrod Johnson to set up a game-winning field goal, and picking off Landry Jones for a touchdown in the regular-season finale. Nos. 83 and 90: Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews, OL, Texas A&M — The pair could be game-changing bookends for the offensive line. They were two of the Aggies’ three ESPNU 150 signees. Joeckel took over as the starter at left tackle in his first spring and Matthews joined him midway through last season. Both are likely All-Big 12 performers as sophomores. Ready to break out: No. 2: Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas — Jeffcoat, one of the Longhorns’ 14 ESPNU 150 signees, showed big promise early, but an ankle injury slowed his development as a freshman. He showed tons of raw talent, and if he stays healthy, could prove himself as one of the league’s best pass-rushers. No. 4: Jordan Hicks, LB, Texas — Hicks missed the spring with a broken foot after making 21 tackles last season, including 11 in a win against Nebraska. An Ohio native, Hicks could be headed for a big season once he’s back to full strength. No. 13: Mike Davis , WR, Texas — Davis was already second on the team with 47 receptions, 478 yards and two touchdowns. Coach Mack Brown was raving about his receiver this spring, saying he’d be the go-to guy in his new offense if the season began this spring. No. 15: Ahmad Dixon, S, Baylor — With experienced safeties on the roster last season, Dixon had a modest impact (16 tackles, one forced fumble). However, he’s moved into a likely starting role at nickelback in Phil Bennett’s new defense this spring. The Bears’ only ESPNU 150 signee, Dixon offers a combination of size and speed not often seen on a Baylor defense. No. 62: Corey Nelson, LB, Oklahoma — Nelson had just 21 tackles last season, but blocked a punt against Texas A&M, the team he spurned for the Sooners on signing day. This spring, coach Bob Stoops called him the best player on the defense. Stoops should find a way to make sure Nelson is on the field this fall. Redshirted last season, but look out: No. 142: Justin McCay , WR, Oklahoma — McCay, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, was rated by some recruiting services as one of the Sooners’ top recruits. He suffered a knee injury this spring and missed the spring game, but could add more depth to the Oklahoma receiving corps as a big target in 2011.
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What is the ESPNU 150’s impact?
Filed under Football by on Jun 7th, 2011. Comment.
“It was a good day,” said Longhorns coach Kevin Shaw. He extolled the work of his athletes on the first day, and added that it was “as good as it could be on day one.” Riley Shaw took first in the long jump to start the day, then followed it up by… Source: Great Falls Tribune
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Fort Benton boys in good position
Filed under News by on May 28th, 2011. Comment.
