Dubious shot selection leading Horns astray
AUSTIN — The first thing Texas coach Shaka Smart fired up in Sunday’s film session was a compilation of foolhardy shots from the Longhorns’ 68-59 loss to Texas Tech last Saturday. There were plenty to choose from.
No. 15 Texas (14-7, 8-6 Big 12) shot 34.7 percent and missed 33 shots. But Smart chose to highlight a couple handfuls of illtimed decisions, like a rushed, contested 3-pointer by forward Kai Jones and a wild running hook by wing Brock Cunningham.
“It was the first thing on our edit yesterday,” Smart said Monday. We watched about eight to 10 that didn’t make sense. I think one of the things for young players is getting them to understand the time and the score and the situation. And even though they may feel like it’s a good shot, there’s some reasons why in that situation it’s not.”
Smart’s stance on shot selection has hardened over the years.
The players Texas recruits are different from the ones VCU signed during his prosperous stint there. High school superstars like Greg Brown and An
drew Jones were accustomed to having free reign on the prep circuit, but making and creating shots ratchets up several difficulty levels in the Big 12.
“Five or more years ago it was like, if you'll play as hard as you possibly can on defense then you know we'll give you a lot of leeway on shot selection,” Smart said. “But I think at this level, that leeway can turn into, you know, you give them an inch and they'll take too much. So I think it's something that has to continue to be reinforced.”
Texas found success inside against Tech in the first half, especially when funneling the rock to 6-foot-10 big Jericho Sims. But the Longhorns drifted away from that strategy, instead settling for unset jumpers or frenzied drives. And it cost them the game.
The Longhorns can't afford to get away from that formula Tuesday night against desperate Iowa State (2-18, 0-15) at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones have lost 15 straight, but they've pushed some of the conference's best, evidenced by a five-point loss to No. 2 Baylor and four-point loss to No. 17 West Virginia. And Texas barely hung on in these teams' first meeting on Jan. 5, a 78-72 win at the Erwin Center.
“I mean, it's a simple criteria for us,” Smart said. “Getting into paint and taking a good shot is the first type of shot we want. The second type of shot we want is if guys can step into 3s, that are good shooters in terms of their percentage. And then really everything else falls in the third category.
“If you break down all of our shots in those three categories, you'll see a marked difference between the percentage in category one. Category two is pretty good, I think 38 percent this year on stepin 3s. And then category three is much, much lower.”
Iowa State won't provide as stiff a defensive challenge as the Red Raiders did. So this game represents a chance for Texas to recalibrate and direct their energy toward what made it so formidable during a 10-1 start that now seems like it occurred last century.
Guards Matt Coleman, Courtney Ramey and Jones all have to be better. They did too little probing and too much reckless flinging last time out — the trio shot a combined 6-for-24 against Tech — and this ship won't sail straight without those three steering it with a level head.
But the recent struggles of Brown have been even more troubling. The likely one-and-done freshman has played only 57 minutes over the past three games, scoring 18 points on 6-for-19 shooting.
If Texas can get the 6-foot-9 forward slashing to the rim for violent dunks and smooth finishes, it will open up the floor for shooters. And Brown himself has demonstrated an ability to stroke it from deep with 28 3s on the season.
But for Brown, like the rest of this team, it's all a matter of finding and taking the right shot at the right time.
“This is probably the most challenging stretch he's had in his basketball career,” Smart said. “It certainly will not be the most challenging stretch he ever has. And I think it's a great opportunity for him to respond, focus on the next most important thing, which is Iowa State, putting energy into his team, his teammates.”