A Look Back: UT’s 5 Most Defining Tournament Moments of the Rick Barnes Era
3. Touche, Kevin Pittsnogle
Before losing to Glenn “Big Baby” Davis and LSU in overtime in the Elite 8, two-seed Texas faced off in the Sweet 16 against future Big 12 member West Virginia and their star forward, Kevin Pittsnogle, who had recently gained internet fame due to, of all things, his wedding photos (although a quick Google search will immediately reveal why). Having trailed nearly the entire game, Pittsnogle hit a three to tie things up at 71-all with just six seconds left, putting the ball—literally and figuratively—in the Horns’ court. And who would they give the ball to? On a team that featured future NBA players Daniel Gibson, LaMarcus Aldridge, and P.J. Tucker, it was, of all people, future assistant coach Kenton Paulino who got the call. A.J. Abrams (this was his freshman year, when he still appeared to be a viable option at point guard) took the inbounds pass, raced up court, and found Paulino on the left wing. What followed eventually turned into a suggested video search on Youtube.
2. 4.16 = 5
After a debaculous 5-7 football campaign (deal with it Spell Check, that season was so brutal it required a made-up word to describe it), the 2010-2011 Texas hoops team served as the perfect medicine. Led by Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, Jordan Hamilton, and Gary Johnson—not to mention the off-the-bench spark of J’Covan Brown and the 51.2% career free throw shooting of Dogus Balbay (this was actually higher than I thought)—this well-rounded squad had everything you need to make a deep tournament run. A late season swoon dropped them to a four-seed, though, which meant they had to face Arizona and the soon-to-be No. 2 pick in that year’s draft, Derrick Williams, in the second round. Up two with 15 seconds left, Joseph attempted to inbound the ball against heavy full-court pressure, and when he was unable to do so, he alertly called timeout to avoid a disastrous turnover. Little did he know, though, that official Jim Burr had changed the rules of basketball during the TV timeout: No longer did you have five seconds to inbound the ball—you only had 4.15 seconds, and thus, Joseph had failed to comply. What ensued was predictably painful: An “And one” from Williams to give the Cats the lead, followed by a missed jumper by J’Covan to end things. Final score: Arizona 70, Texas 69. Shortly after, Thompson, Hamilton, and Joseph all bolted for the NBA, and the program hasn’t been the same since. I’m definitely more depressed for having brought this up.
It’s hard not to feel like a balding real estate agent from Grosse Pointe, MI who would go on to help dispose of a foreign assassin in a high school furnace when you realize it’s been 10 years since the Longhorns took the floor in the national semifinals against Syracuse. With T.J. Ford running the show and guys like Brandon Mouton, James Thomas, Brian Boddicker, and Royal Ivey (and Brad Buckman and Sydmill Harris and Jason Klotz and Deginald Erskin…it’s fun seeing these old names again) running shotgun, this team was the perfect blend of elite talent and four-year “program” players. In this age of one-and-doners, it’s a constant challenge to strike that balance, and though it’s a battle being fought across college basketball, it’s difficult to imagine another school ending up as much on the wrong end of it as Texas has. Not in regards to the overall number of early departures (though they’re probably up there), but in the timing of them all—getting the right guys to come back at the right time. Fortunately, it all came together for the Horns that year, as they rode their No. 1 seed all the way to the Final Four. And while the 2003 Tournament will always be remembered for freshman Carmelo Anthony’s brilliance, that exhilarating run has been—and maybe always will be—Rick Barnes’ one shining moment.
Follow Hook ‘Em Headlines on Twitter!
You can contact Brent Stoller at hookemheadlines@gmail.com.