AusTxPony wrote:Since he is probably one and done, wouldn't his decision depend on playing time, coaching and likelyhood of Championships? Pretty much forget any other factors. How does SMU compare?
if you're asking for a Texas comparison, I'd say on those points both situations are similar. Both schools have good big men on campus, but Turner is getting plenty of minutes wherever he goes. I don't think he'd struggle for minutes at either school. Both did better than expected and finished tied for 3rd in conference this year and bring a lot back. Both could use another reliable 3-point shooter (in Texas' case, they really don't have any).
As for coaching, Barnes' offenses really struggle unless he has an NBA point guard running things. Their PG Taylor showed some good things this year, but he is not an outside shooter. I watch a lot of Texas games and, while he's an outstanding defensive coach, it's hard to understand what Barnes is doing offensively. We have guys constantly in motion, while on many Texas possessions 3 guys are standing around waiting for something to happen. There is zero doubt in my mind that LB will figure out ways to get Turner the ball in better spots than Barnes. But Barnes has gotten a lot of guys to the NBA and that's got to appeal to Turner.
Ignoring the Turner impact at either school, we have a couple of big factors that should give us the edge over Texas next year. #1 is obvious and that's Mudiay. The other is Frazier. With his progress during a difficult season, I'm expecting great things from him next season. Texas doesn't have anyone with his ceiling.