Longhorns get it going after uninspiring start
AUSTIN — The freshman’s pupils dilated when he saw teammate Matt Coleman streaking toward him.
Jaxson Hayes, Texas’ scintillating new 6-11 toy, raised his right hand, universal basketball code for
throw me the ball. Coleman obliged, weaving between four Eastern Illinois defenders before lobbing a pass to his spring-loaded teammate.
Hayes’ lefthanded alleyoop finish sparked an 18-6 run to break open what had been a tight affair.
Behind superb point guard play from Coleman and impressive debuts by a number of newcomers, UT opened its season with a 7159 win over Eastern Illinois at the Erwin Center.
Texas, playing without suspended guard Kerwin Roach (team rules violation), took some time to shake off the rust Tuesday night, trailing 20-16 with six minutes remaining in the first half.
Eventually, the Longhorns’ superior talent overwhelmed the Panthers.
“I thought we played about 15 minutes of really impressive basketball for Nov. 6,” UT coach Shaka Smart said. “Obviously, the goal is to extend that to 40. We have a long way to go to get to that point.”
UT hounded and harried Eastern Illinois into shooting 38 percent and committing 19 turnovers.
Junior transfer Elijah Mitrou-Long looked like an ideal secondary ball handler next to Coleman. In 22 minutes, Mitrou-Long finished with nine points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Hayes recorded 12 points on 5 of 9 shooting, four rebounds, and two blocks in 20 minutes.
“He’s been really, really good in practice,” Smart said. “It’s not surprising at all, but it is obviously a great sign to see him carry it over to the game. He’s capable of playing even better so his future is really bright. He just needs to focus on continuing to play with more aggressiveness.”
The game was well in hand when Smart looked down the bench and signaled for Andrew Jones to shed his warmup gear and check in with 11:40 remaining.
Ten months after he was diagnosed with leukemia and 2½ months after he completed chemotherapy, Jones was again playing Division I basketball.
He made the most of his initial two-minute stretch on the court, forcing a jump ball, causing a backcourt violation on Eastern Illinois and drawing a shooting foul on a drive to the rim. The arena erupted when Jones swished the second free throw, and he returned to the bench beaming.
In his first action since Jan. 1, Jones played nine minutes and recorded one point, one rebound, one assist and one steal.