King of the Court: Texas is James’ gang

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – He knows eavesdropping is impolite, but Texas coach Rick Barnes couldn’t help himself before a game against Iowa earlier this week.

As he prepared to head to the court, Barnes noticed senior captain Damion James talking softly to freshman Jordan Hamilton in the corner of the locker room. Barnes hid behind a wall and listened.

“Damion was like, ‘Listen, here’s what you need to do to get into the flow of the game, here’s what you need to focus on,’” Barnes said. “It was awesome. What he told Jordan Hamilton before the game, I couldn’t have done it any better.

“He’s becoming one of the best leaders we have.”

And as a result, Texas boasts the best team it’s ever had.

Or at least it could be if James continues to make the strides that have been evident since he opted to return for his senior season instead of entering the NBA draft. A 6-foot-7 forward, James entered Tuesday’s game against Pittsburgh averaging 16.3 points and 11.3 rebounds.

With 1,011 career rebounds, James is on pace to shatter James Thomas’ all-time mark of 1,077. But that’s the last thing on his mind as Texas prepares to enter the crux of its season. The Longhorns have upcoming games against Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut.

“For us to be the best we can be, I’ve got to help these young guys, ” said James, referring to a recruiting class that features top prospects such as Hamilton, Avery Bradley, Shawn Williams and J’Covan Brown – all of whom will log significant minutes.

“They don’t know the ropes yet. They’ve got great talent, but they’re still learning. It’s only a matter of time, though.”

Even with some of their players going through a learning phase, the No. 3 Longhorns remain one of the top teams in the nation. One of the main reasons for that is James, who four years ago was part of a recruiting class that included standouts Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin.

While those two players became lottery picks after just one and two years in college respectively, James’ development has come at a more steady pace.

He’s played in 111 games in his three-plus seasons in Austin and averaged 12.2 points and nine rebounds during that span. Respectable numbers to be sure. This year, though, James knows he needs to take his game to another level.

Not just to help Texas, but to help himself and his family.

“I know I’m going to have a chance to play in the NBA,” James said. “But a lot of players have chances. I want to be one of the guys who actually makes it.”

James likely would’ve been a late first- or early second-round selection in last year’s draft. Instead of taking a risk, he listened to the advice of NBA scouts and coaches who said he should return to school.

“People told him the truth and he was man enough to accept it,” Barnes said.

The Longhorns are glad he did.

James’ knack for rebounding has been no secret. From a consistency standpoint, no Big 12 player has been better on the boards the last few seasons. James, though, said he has enhanced his skill set by improving his ball-handling while adding range to his outside shot.

“I want to be a guy that can do a little bit of everything,” he said.

James projects as a small forward in the NBA. But at Texas he’s able to contribute in a variety of spots for the Longhorns, whose frontline is loaded with players: James, Williams, Dexter Pittman, Gary Johnson, Alexis Wangmene and Matt Hill.

James scoffed at the notion that Texas has one of the best frontcourts.

“I think we have the best,” he said. “We’ve got six guys who we can sub in and out without missing a step. We know we have to get better, though. Hopefully we will.”

Especially with James leading the way.

James’ comments got us thinking. Who are the top-5 frontcourts in college basketball? KOTC’s take:

1. North Carolina – Tyler Zeller is 7-foot, Ed Davis and John Henson are 6-10 while Deon Thompson and Travis Wear and David Wear are all 6-9. Most of these guys can also step out of the paint and score from the outside – a rarity for players of that size. The Tar Heels’ length and the quality of their depth make them the top unit.

2. Texas – The 298-pound Pittman is as imposing of a force as there is in college basketball, although his size prevents him from playing more than 20-22 quality minutes. James can score from anywhere and is great on the offensive glass. Johnson would start for almost any team in America. Add Hill and Wangmene to the mix, and this group can play a lot of different ways.

3. Kansas – Center Cole Aldrich seems destined for All-America honors while the Morris Twins, Markieff and Marcus, are as improved as anyone in college basketball. This group could rise in the rankings if freshman Thomas Robinson adjusts to the college game quickly and if 7-foot Arizona transfer Jeff Withey becomes a factor when he transfers next month.

4. Kentucky – Patrick Patterson, is a seasoned junior who averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds last season. Freshman DeMarcus Cousins is a 6-foot-11, 270-pound standout who plays with a mean streak. Both players could be top-15 picks in the next NBA draft. What other unit can say that? Still, depth is an issue.

5. Georgia Tech – Freshman Derrick Favors was a top-5 recruit who will likely be in college only for one season. Gani Lawal withdrew from last year’s NBA draft even though there was a chance he’d be a late first-round pick. Not as good of a one-two punch as Kentucky’s, but somewhat close.

Will Coleman – Memphis may not be loaded with the kind of NBA talent it’s had in the past, but the Tigers have a workhorse in Coleman, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound transfer from Miami Dade Community College. He’s not going to back down from anyone in the paint, and is averaging 11 points and 7.7 rebounds despite playing just 22.3 minutes a game.

Purdue-Tennessee – The Boilermakers’ 73-72 victory over the Volunteers has been the best game of the young season. E’Twaun Moore scored 22 points for Purdue in the win, which came in the championship game of the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.

Transfers – Here are some names who have had strong starts at their new schools: Wesley Johnson (Iowa State to Syracuse), Curtis Kelly (Connecticut to Kansas State), Ekpe Udoh (Michigan to Baylor), Jordan Crawford (Indiana to Xavier), Malcolm Grant (Villanova to Miami), Taylor King (Duke to Villanova), Herb Pope (New Mexico State to Seton Hall) and Elliot Williams (Duke to Memphis).

Jerry Wainwright – Even while going 0-16 in the Big East at DePaul last year, Wainwright never lost his reputation as a good bench coach. It’s still early, but he’s beginning to redeem himself with victories over St. Joseph’s and Missouri Valley favorite Northern Iowa. DePaul’s only loss was a four-point setback against No. 10 Tennessee.

Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves – After missing last season because of an injury (Ginyard) and suspension (Graves), the Tar Heels’ forwards are making a huge impact in their return. Both are starters who average 11.7 and 7.5 points, respectively. Ginyard is shooting 47 percent (8 of 17) from 3-point range.

Clubtrillion.com – A huge King of the Court salute to Ohio State walk-on Mark Titus, whose hilarious blog has attracted nearly 2 million readers over the last year. As if giving us all a good chuckle wasn’t enough, the blog is now proving beneficial to a Columbus charity. A local t-shirt company is printing Club Trillion shirts and selling them online for $25, with 100 percent of the profits going toward A Kid Again, an organization that helps children with life-threatening illnesses. NCAA rules prohibit Titus from being involved in the project, although last week he said he heard that more than 300 shirts had been sold in their first three days of availability. Shirts can be purchased at: www.akidagain.org/clubtrillion

The SEC – We spent the offseason hearing how the league was supposed to be improved, but nine of its 12 teams have already dropped a game. Right now it looks as if Kentucky and Tennessee will be very strong while Ole Miss will be solid. After that there are no really good teams, although that could change if Renardo Sidney becomes eligible at Mississippi State, which will also add 7-foot-1 center John Riek to the lineup after he serves his nine-game suspension.

Craig Robinson – Hopes were high for Robinson and his Oregon State Beavers following last year’s 18-18 season, which was capped by winning the championship of the College Basketball Invitational. But Robinson has done nothing to capitalize on that momentum. The Beavers are 1-3 with losses against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Sacramento State and Texas Tech.

UCLA – Less than two years removed from a Final Four appearance, things couldn’t be going much worse for the Bruins. Nikola Dragovic and Tyler Honeycutt are hurt and, frankly, Ben Howland’s squad just doesn’t have very many good players. UCLA lost to Cal State Fullerton and were far from impressive in a win over Cal State Bakersfield.

Concession stand cups – Pet peeve of the week: When will the day come when arenas begin serving soft drinks in cups that don’t sweat all over your lap (making it appear as if you’ve had an “accident” or all over the press table (dampening your notebook and increasing the risk of electrocution)? Not to mention the waterization of your soda. Ugh.

Freshmen letdowns – It probably isn’t fair to criticize players who are less than a month into their first college season. Still, because of the hype they received before they arrived in their respective campuses, fans were certainly expecting better debuts from North Carolina’s John Henson, Cincinnati’s Lance Stephenson and Pittsburgh’s Dante Taylor. Henson, a projected first-round NBA draft pick, is averaging just 3.0 points in 10.3 minutes while adjusting to his move to the perimeter. Stephenson is shooting 36 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3-point range. Taylor is averaging 3.7 points in his last three games.

Kansas State and Oklahoma – The Wildcats and Sooners are generally considered the third- and fourth-best teams in the Big 12. Thus, it was a bit of a black eye for the league when Oklahoma fell to Virginia Commonwealth a day after Kansas State lost to unranked Ole Miss.

What happened to Cal in last week’s Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament?

Bottom line: The Golden Bears were ranked too high. Are they a good team? Yes. Are they a great one? No – and they won’t be. Not this year. Mike Montgomery’s squad – which was missing standout Theo Robertson (ankle) when it got worked over by Syracuse and Ohio State – simply isn’t strong enough on the inside. Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher are nice players who can keep their team in the game with outside shooting, but Cal needs more pieces before it can start thinking about deep NCAA tournament runs.

What’s the best tournament to follow over Thanksgiving weekend?

The Phillips 76 Classic in Anaheim gets my vote. Texas A&M vs. Clemson and Minnesota vs. Butler (both on Thursday) are the top two first-round matchups. West Virginia and UCLA are also in the eight-team field.

Two weeks into the season, how would you rank the top 5?

My list: No. 1 Kansas (best blend of talent, experience and depth), No. 2 Syracuse (great chemistry, coaching), No. 3 Texas (so physical and balanced, perimeter has improved), No. 4 Kentucky (three starters who are potential lottery picks in this year’s draft), No. 5 Purdue (Tennessee win gives them slight edge over Michigan State in this spot).

South Carolina suffered a crushing blow when standout Dominique Archie sprained his right knee just seven minutes into a loss at Miami on Sunday. Archie, who entered the game averaging 16.3 points and seven rebounds, is out indefinitely … Fans at Madison Square Garden were heckling Ohio State’s Evan Turner with an “Evan Turnover” chant following Turner’s 10-turnover performance against North Carolina … In other Ohio State news, the school announced Tuesday that sophomore guard Walter Offutt has left the team and will transfer … Baylor guard and team captain Tweety Carter is expected to return for this weekend’s Old Spice Classic after missing the first four games for a violation of team rules … Syracuse backup point guard Scoop Jardine is thriving in his role off the bench. Jardine … a sophomore who missed last season with an injury – is averaging 11.5 points, 5.8 assists and 2.5 steals – DePaul’s victory over St. Joseph’s came despite the absence of leading scorer and rebounder Mac Koshwal, who missed the game with an injured left foot. Will Walker stepped up in Koshwal’s absence, scoring 25 points to lead the Blue Demons … Marquette has three guards (Maurice Acker, Dwight Buycks and David Cubillan) averaging four or more assists … USC starting forward Kasey Cunningham suffered a season-ending knee injury in Saturday’s loss to Loyola Marymount … Kentucky coach John Calipari said he was surprised – and encouraged – when forward DeMarcus Cousins asked to come off the bench in the second half of Saturday’s win over Rider. Cousins – who has entered college with a reputation as a selfish player – said he felt teammate Daniel Orton deserved to start over him because he’d had a better first half. “I have a team full of 18-year-olds,” Calipari said. “It’s a learning process for us all. But that was a big step for our program.” … Best freshman you’ve never heard of: Colorado’s Alec Burks, a 6-foot-6 wing who is averaging 16.3 points and shooting 65.5 percent from the field … Speaking of Colorado, the Buffaloes are without coach Jeff Bzdelik in this week’s Maui Invitational. Bzdelik left the island on Sunday to be with his mother, who has fallen ill. Assistant Steve McClain nearly coached Colorado to a first-round upset of Gonzaga before falling 76-72 … Tough week for Indiana. The Hoosiers’ losses to George Mason and Boston University in the Puerto Rico Classic were by a combined seven points … Kansas State guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen have combined for 81 points over their last two games.

Thursday: Marquette vs. Xavier (Old Spice Classic) – Should be a close game between evenly-matched teams that feature superstars in Lazar Hayward (Marquette) and Jordan Crawford (Xavier)

Friday: Connecticut vs. Duke (Preseason NIT) – May not happen if Huskies don’t defeat LSU in Wednesday’s semifinal. Granted, Duke vs. the Tigers would be an interesting game, too.

Florida vs. Michigan State (Legends Classic) – Spartans struggled in recent win vs. Gonzaga. Will they look better against the Gators?

Saturday: Oklahoma State vs. Illinois (Las Vegas Invitational) – One team likes to score in the 80s. The other usually keeps it in the 40s and 50s.

Monday: Penn State at Virginia – After losing to South Florida, Virginia’s Tony Bennett needs this win to create some excitement among Cavaliers fans.

Tuesday: Wake Forest at Purdue – The Boilermakers are still riding high after the Tennessee win, but they’ve yet to face a player as good as Wake’s Al-Farouq Aminu.

Michigan State at North Carolina – Rematch of last year’s NCAA championship, only this time, it should be closer.

Pittsburgh’s Tom Herrion – Herrion went 80-38 in four seasons (2002-06) as head coach at the College of Charleston. After that he spent a year as a television analyst before joining Jamie Dixon’s staff two years ago. “King of the Court” caught up with Herrion – who also worked under Pete Gillen at Providence and Virginia – after his team’s win over Wichita State at the CBE Classic in Kansas City earlier this week.

KOTC: Who is the best player you’ve ever recruited?

Herrion: I don’t know about the best one. But the hardest one – or rather, the kid that really broke my heart – was J.J. Redick. I went with Coach Gillen from Providence to Virginia, and from the minute I stepped on the soil, I felt like I spent every waking minute for two or three years recruiting him. Then Duke came in and wrapped it up in about 30 seconds.

KOTC: Any recruiting horror stories?

Herrion: I actually just had a trip to New Zealand during the fall. It took me 28 hours to get there. I was on their soil for about 12 hours, and then it took me about 32 hours to get back. I had four connections on the way and five on the way back. I’m sure it was quite worth it, though.

KOTC: How did you enjoy your one-year stint as a basketball commentator?

Herrion: It was great opportunity, although obviously not under the circumstances you’d want. I’d have rather have been coaching. It really was a sabbatical, and I treated it that way. I was fortunate to stay involved in the game through TV. It kept me very busy. I spent a lot of time visiting other coaches during that year, and it gave me some good perspective. I had a newborn son, so that situation gave me some precious time to spend with him that I would’ve never had otherwise.

KOTC: What kind of feedback did you get on your on-air performance?

Herrion: That I’ve got a face for radio. (laughing) People actually thought I was good. I tried to be very fair and positive toward the coaches. They get way too much criticism.

KOTC: How is it working under Jamie Dixon, whose name always seems to get brought up in coaching searches?

Herrion: There’s a reason why his name is always mentioned, and that’s because of the success he’s had. It’s almost unprecedented in college basketball. But he knows he’s got a great thing. What he helped build here as an assistant and where he’s taken it as a head coach … he’s established the program on a national level. He knows he’s got a great situation. His name should come up, but I know how happy he is at Pittsburgh.

KOTC: Speaking of Pittsburgh, what’s your favorite thing to do there when you’re not working?

Herrion: It’s such a great sports town. We’ve really become part of the community there because it’s such a fanatical sports city. You’ve got the Steelers winning the Super Bowl and the Penguins winning. I went to a Penguins game in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was unbelievable. I don’t know anything about hockey. But it was an unbelievable environment. And Pittsburgh Steelers fans … they’re a cult like no other. I grew up in New England with the Celtics and Patriots and all that. The Steelers Nation is another level.

A few food and restaurant suggestions to anyone planning a college basketball road trip:

Pappy’s Smokehouse, St. Louis – Thanks to Adam Richman of Man vs. Food for recommending a place where you don’t even need sauce to enjoy the delicious pork ribs and succulent pulled pork.

Spicy Jalapeno Fritos – Not quite as good as the chili-cheese, but a nice alternative and definitely worth a sample.

Ramsey’s, Lexington – Chicken fried steak, catfish, chicken ‘n dumplings, pot roast and any type of fresh veggie you could dream of – all capped off by a piece of chocolate or coconut pie. A favorite among Kentucky coaches and athletic officials.

The In-Law’s Kitchen on Thanksgiving – Dark meat over white, rolls over cornbread, mashed potatoes over sweet potatoes, pecan pie over pumpkin, sweet tea over regular – and get that cranberry sauce away from me. Happy Turkey Day.