AUSTIN, Texas — No one associated with the Texas program is currently of the opinion that Tristan Thompson is a one-and-done player.
Not that they’re going to come out and say so. That’s just my interpretation of some off-the-record conversations about the bright, young Canadian who,from where I sat last Saturday, had the upper hand over Baylor’s Perry Jones III - who before then I viewed as a shoo-in for Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
Even Baylor Coach Scott Drew had to admit, “Tristan was a monster today.”
Good eye, Scott.
Thompson’s 17-point, 13-rebound game was a monster considering he was only one tree in a forest of green. Baylor has one of the more imposing backcourt lines in college basketball that at Saturday’s game opening introductions stood 6-11 (Jones), 6-10 (Anthony Jones) and 6-11 (J’mison Morgan).
Thompson had some nice numbers early in the season when Texas knocked off Illinois and almost did the same to Pittsburgh in games at Madison Square Garden. Hescored 37 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in those games, giving promise to what we’ve seen since.
“From those games on,” Texas Coach Rick Barnes said, “I think he’s taken strides every game.”
Thompson has a nice ambidextrous touch around the basket. Long, long arms (7-3 wingspan) and plenty of hops - enough to average 7.5 rebounds against Big 12 opposition along with a modest 12.8 points per game at tipoff against Oklahoma State on Wednesday night.
Thompson would surpass Jones III’s Big 12 average (14.5) if he could shoot free throws like the rookie.
But really, we ain’t seen nothing yet of Thompson’s full game.
He’s still perfecting a soft, away from-the-basket jumper that could prove dangerous - both to the opposition and as well as to his future with the Longhorns. He gets that jumper going with proficiency between now and the end of the season and his standing as a third tier first-round draft pick takes a sky ride.
“He’s worked hard on that high release and he’s very explosive, so he can get over people [with the jumper],” Barnes said. “Plus, he gets it way up over his head. And he can go either way with it, which is really kind of unusual.”
But wait, there’s more!
“The thing that he also has and hasn’t really shown is a really nice jump hook,” Barnes said.
If I’m Barnes I keep that little piece of information to myself.
Thompson also is a class kid with as good a work ethic as there is on a team now loaded with guys who go above and beyond in that area.
And the really good news for Texas is this team doesn’t have to ride Thompson’s shoulders.
He scored 14 points and had 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals in the Longhorns’ 73-55 victory over Oklahoma State, setting an early tone by blocking the first shot of the game by Martel Brown and overshadowed the Cowboys’ 6-7, 255-pound center, Marshall Moses. Moses also had problems trying to guard Thompson, fouling out with seven minutes left.
“And Moses traveled his second possession simply because he was worried about Tristan,” forward Gary Johnson pointed out.
Again, consider Thompson made only 6 of 13 free throws and you see why his scoring average is lower than it could be.
But where Thompson broke open a close game last month in Stillwater with 11 of Texas’ first 13 points of the second half, game breaking honors went to Johnson in the rematch.
Johnson went on an early second-half tear with 11 of his team’s first 15 after the break, helping the Longhorns boost a 13-point half time lead to 24 at the midpoint of the second half. His 17 topped Jordan Hamilton’s 15.
Three of Johnson’s five shots in that run were in the range of 12 to 15 feet. One was in the lane, another a follow shot. He also was his team’s leading rebounder with 10 and played only 23 minutes.
“Seventeen and 10? Great numbers for one of the best defensive players in the country,” Oklahoma State Coach Travis Ford said.
“I was just all over the court tonight trying to take advantage of the mismatches we had,” Johnson said.
Unnoticed perhaps is that in addition to Johnson sitting out 17 minutes, Thompson sat for 12 and Hamilton for 14. Dogus Balbay played only 20.
This time of year, anytime a coach can win and rest his best players for a significant amount of time is a bonus. Barnes got good minutes from guards Jai Lucas and J’Covan Brown and Matt Hill.
“We did some good things tonight,” Barnes said, “and the best part was that guys who haven’t played a lot of minutes lately maybe came in and did some good things for us.”
Ford echoed earlier comments about Texas.
“A very, very, very good basketball team that deserves everything people are saying about them,” he said.
Sports, Pages 18 on 02/18/2011