Texas Basketball: Key numbers from each player vs. Eastern Illinois
By Shane Black
Jase Febres (SG) – 27 MIN. 9 PTS (3-6, 3-6), 2 REB
Jase Febres knocked down three of six attempted triples which is a good sign for a team that struggles to shoot it from deep. When Febres has confidence and can step into his shot he can drain three balls with the best of them. However, he tends to get pushed off his spot easily and has not shown enough off the dribble to make people respect his speed.
On Tuesday night he looked comfortable, even in his misses. If Febres can hit from long range at a near 40 percent clip this season he will continue to play a lot of minutes. However, if he slumps, there are guys right behind him ready to take is place. Febres does not offer much other than the three-ball, but he showed good hustle on a couple loose balls that saw him laying out on the hardwood.
Elijah Mitrou-Long (PG) – 24 MIN: 9 PTS (4-8, 1-4), 6 AST, 6 REB, 3 STL
No one truly knew what the Mount St. Mary’s transfer’s role was going to be in a loaded Longhorn backcourt. Shaka Smart started Elijah Mitrou-Long, and he may have earned the opportunity to start in the backcourt next to Coleman and Kerwin Roach II for the long term.
It was obvious Mitrou-Long has played two seasons of division one basketball by the tempo he played at. He was playing fast, yet in control. He runs the break well and is a good finisher at the rim. Though he was just 1-4 from deep, Mitrou-Long will ultimately be one of the more consistent outside shooters on this roster. He doesn’t have any elite skills, but he does everything well, as you can see he had a nice stat line.
We liked what was shown in game one from Mitrou-Long and whether it be in the starting five or off the bench, I think he will be a big time contributor this season for Texas basketball.