Longhorns saddle up and run with ‘cowboy’
Cunningham’s play vs. Kansas inspires teammates
AUSTIN — This time next year, Greg Brown will be an NBA player with a multimillion-dollar contract. The 6foot-9 freshman with extendo-arms and pogo-stick legs is a projected one-and-done lottery pick, a five-star recruit who oozes limitless potential despite a season rife with growing pains.
But on Tuesday, Brown watched from the bench as No. 14 Texas rallied past No. 17 Kansas, 75-72, in overtime. Coach Shaka Smart subbed out the Vandegrift prodigy for a breather with 13:46 left in the second half. At the time, Texas trailed 5144.
Smart re-inserted Brown with two seconds left in overtime for rebounding purposes. Aside from that last-second cameo, the Longhorns’ sixth-year coach opted to roll with redshirt sophomore swingman Brock Cunningham over the ballyhooed freshman.
Based off box score alone, the 6-7 Cunningham, who jokes about barely being able to graze the rim, didn’t do much to justify the move. He didn’t score once, snared four rebounds, dished one assist and gathered one steal.
But Cunningham, who played all but 16 seconds of the game’s final 18 minutes, altered the atmosphere inside the Erwin Center. Like a fly that refuses to die or just buzz out an open window, he spent the rest of the night driving Kansas nuts. Diving for loose balls. Blowing up screens. Deflecting passes. Jawing with Jayhawks. Reveling in the havoc.
Cunningham hits the hardwood so often it’s remarkable his skin hasn’t become one singular floor burn by this point. And while the talent chasm between Cunningham and Brown is vast, for at least one night he was the choice to help stage a comeback win.
Smart called the performance “unbelievable,” said he “couldn’t take him out of the game — he was just too valuable.”
“He’s phenomenal,” sophomore forward Kai Jones said Thursday. “He just brings that toughness, I think he makes us kind of rougher. He plays really hard, brings a lot of energy. He’s like a cowboy out there, he’s wild. I love the way he plays. It kind of boosts me up to go and play harder, too.”
Kansas scored 43 points and shot 48.5 percent in the first half, in which Cunningham played four minutes. During the next 25 minutes, KU mustered only 29 points on 31.3 percent shooting.
That’s not all Cunningham, of course. Senior big Jericho Sims, Jones and the Longhorns’ cast of guards did a phenomenal job in their own right. And the eight straight points Brown scored to begin the second half were pivotal in helping Texas snap a scoring rut.
But Cunningham’s infectious energy was palpable and pervasive. In a game Texas (14-6, 8-5 Big 12) had to have, he served as an energetic mischief-maker. And amazingly, his mouth’s motor is equal to his body’s.
“He’ll just call somebody ‘soft,’ and there’s some profanity in there,” Jones said, giggling. “He’s a tough guy. Brock talks a lot of trash in practice, too.”
Jones likened his savage teammate to WWE star Edge, one of the industry’s most memorable superstars. And like Edge, Cunningham is acting out a specific role on the court. It’s a casting Cunningham has embraced. He’s even tried modeling his on-court persona and playing style after some of the NBA’s greatest “villains.”
“(Dennis) Rodman for sure,” Cunningham said when asked about basketball role models. “Him and Draymond Green, for different reasons. But Rodman with his energy and the loose balls and what he brings to the team without having the ball in his hands. And then Draymond Green for similar reasons, talking on defense and having that backup leadership.”
Texas will need Cunningham’s toughness Saturday when it takes on No. 18 Texas Tech (14-8, 6-7) at United Supermarkets Arena. Tech took the first matchup, 7977, thanks to a game-winning jumper by guard Mac McClung with three ticks left on the clock.
But the Red Raiders have dropped three straight games and are just 3-5 since their win over the Longhorns.
“It’s gonna be an incredible opportunity for our older team to go out on the road and show what we are made out of,” Cunningham said. “We have a winning recipe and when we use that we’re a really potent team.”