Part 3

Recruiting Roundup

Today (Monday) was the day the Longhorn coaches could start another big
recruiting push by going to top recruits' schools and homes, but the big game
Saturday has pushed that back a week.
But don't worry about it. Coach Mack Brown wrote the book on recruiting and
his previous four classes at Texas have been very good, and some of them have
been great.
This year's class has a chance to be as good as any Brown and his assistants
have signed. There's a chance it could be the best of the bunch, even better
than the top-rated Chris Simms, Cory Redding class.
They already have 16 commitments, about half of them from players who have
been on at least one national top 100 list, and their class already is ranked
as one of the top five in the nation.
Let's take a look at where they are and where they are going:
OFFENSE
Quarterback
UT has a commitment from Billy Don Malone of Paris North Lamar, who is a lot
better than most of the gurus think, and the Horns have close to a 50-50 shot
at Vincent Young, the wonder kid at Houston Madison, who had his usual game
Friday for the undefeated Marlins, doing everything on offense and even
running an interception back for a touchdown. (Yes, he plays defense, too,
when needed.)
Running Back
The Horns have a commitment from Clint Haney of unbeaten Smithson Valley and
are in the hunt for power-runner deluxe Albert Hardy of Galena Park and
elusive Selvin Young of Jersey Village. They have an outside shot at Lorenzo
Booker of Ventura, Cal., the nation's highest rated running back.
Tight End
David Thomas of Wolfforth Frenship, a national top 100 player on some lists,
is already committed. He is very good. The only other TE the Horns are
recruiting is Eric Winston, the humongous pass catcher and blocker deluxe at
Midland Lee.
Wide Receiver
National top 100 star Marquis Johnson of Champaign, Ill., and Dustin Miksch
of Round Rock Westwood are already committed. Robert Timmons of Flower Mound
Marcus, a supremely talented player who has little playing experience because
of transfer problems, is a possibility, and, if the Horns don't get him, they
might wind up with Biren Ealy of Cypress Falls or Anthony Wright of Klein
Forest.
Line
The Horns already have a pledge from Neale Tweedie of Allen, a great pass
blocker who is on several national top 100 lists, and from Brett Valdez of
Brownwood, a tremendous run blocker.
They are still recruiting Justin Blalock of Plano East and Tony Ugoh of
Spring Westfield. Blalock is the best run blocker I've seen this year.
DEFENSE
End
Chase Pittman of Shreveport Evangel, a national top 100 player, has committed
and will enroll in January and go through spring training, which will give
him a chance to see action as a true freshman. The Longhorns are in the hunt
for Bryan Pickryl of Jenks, Okla., a speed rusher deluxe, Larry Dibbles of
Lancaster and Travis Leitko of The Woodlands. All three are on every national
top 100 list I've seen.
Tackle
Texas has commitments from four top tackles - Sonny Davis of Gulf Coast
Community College, a JC in Mississippi, Earl Anderson of San Marcos, Lyle
Sendlein of Scottsdale Chapaparral and Tully Jantzen of Keller. Davis has
some academic issues. Sendlein also is a very good offensive lineman and
Jantzen is swift enough to play end. Texas has a very good shot at Rodrique Wr
ight of Alief Hastings, the nation's top DT, and at Marco Martin of Mesquite,
another national top 100 player. Kasey Studdard of Highlands Ranch, Colo, who
excels at DT and OG, also is a strong possibility. It's 50-50 on whether he
will play offense or defense in college. He is the son of David Studdard, a
former UT offensive line star who had a long career with the Denver Broncos.
Linebacker
Texas starts three seniors and needs a great group. Garnet Smith of Arlington
Lamar, Brian Robison of of Splendora and Marcus Myers of Pflugerville are
already committed and the Horns are still recruiting several top one from
Texas and across the country. A. J. Nicholson of Winston Salem, N. C., and
Aaron Thomas of North Mesquite are national top 100 middle backers who are
strongly considering Texas, and Michael Williams of Lindale and Rufus
Alexander of Baton Rouge Christian Life, are fast outside backers the Horns
are recruiting. Another possibility is Lance Mitchell a top JC linebacker in
California who ir orignally from Dallas. He is considering taking a visit.
Defensive Backs
Matt Melton, a hard-hitting safety from Tyler, is already committed. Swift
Edorian McCullough of North Garland, the Class 5A 100 meter champ, also is
considering Texas, along with Brodney Pool, a big, fast safety from Houston
Westbury.
Kicker
Texas is looking for a kicker, but has not homed in on one yet. The coaches
want someone who can kick off into the end zone consistently.

Longhorn Basketball Adds Pair

Twotop basketball recruits have signed with Texas, head coach Rick Barnes has
announced.
Brad Buckman, a 6-9, 235-pound forward from Austin Westlake, and Kenton
Paulino, 6-2, 165, a com bo guard from  Los Angeles Fremond HS who will play
for Maine Central Institute this season, are the new signees.
"Signing Brad and Kenton is another sign that our program is really on the
rise," Barnes said.  "Both have great athleticism and an attitude of winning
about them that we need to continue to bring to The University of Texas."
Buckman plays for coach Clifton McNeely is at Westlake and is a national top
30 recruit.
The No. 2 high school prospect in  Texas according to Mike Kunstadt's Texas
Hoops, Buckman averaged 19.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game
during his junior season.
He also is tabbed the No. 15 prospect in the nation by Clark Francis' Hoop
Scoop.  Buckman earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the prestigious
Pitt3 Five-Star Camp this July in Pittsburgh, Pa.
"There's not a program in the nation that did not go after Brad during the
recruiting period, so to come out on top in that battle is a huge win for
us," Barnes said.
"Brad turned down four of the most storied programs in college basketball
history for the opportunity to play at Texas." Barnes said.
"He made one of the biggest jumps in his game that I have seen during the
summer camp period.
Brad has a tremendous competitive fire and is one of those players that fans
here will really appreciate."
Paulino plays under coach Carl Hendrickson at Maine Central.  He starred at
Fremont High School under coach Sam Sullivan, where he averaged 24 points a
game and earned Los Angeles Co-Player of the Year accolades during his senior
campaign.
"Kenton is one of those explosive scoring guards that we need in our
program," Barnes said.
"He is a very good shooter with range and an exceptional athlete who
high-jumped 6-10 in high school. Kenton is the complete guard we were looking
for."

Horns Sign 2 in Softball

Texas softball coach Connie Clark has signed centerfielder Tina Boutelle of
Katy Taylor and second baseman Chezare Sievers of Aliso Niguel HS in Mission
Viejo, Calif.
"We are excited about signing two of the top recruits in the country," Clark
said. "Tina and Chezare will be immediate impact players for us. We only lose
two players to graduation in the spring of 2002 and are pleased to have Tina
and Chezare as our newest additions to the softball program."
Boutelle, a 5-5 left-handed hitter, was named first team All-American as a
junior while helping her team to a 31-4 record and a second-place finish at
the Texas 5A State Championship.
She also is an All-District and All-Greater Houston selection. She was named
to the Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State Team and first team Academic
All-District in 2000.
Boutelle helped the Katy Cruisers club team to its second consecutive ASA
Gold National Championship in 2001, playing with UT freshmen pitcher Cat Os
terman and third baseman/shortstop Tiffany Anders. With her addition, the
Longhorns will have five players on the roster that have played for the Katy
Cruisers.
"Tina is definitely a long-ball threat," Clark said. "She has tremendously
quick hands and extremely good foot speed. Tina also is the type of player to
make things happen because she plays with a lot of passion and enthusiasm."
Sievers  finished her 2001 season with a .427 batting average and 19 RBIs.
She was named first team All-League and second team All-County as a junior.
The 5-0 infielder also was named first team All-California Interscholastic
Federation (CIF) as a sophomore. She is a member of the California Cruisers
club team, which placed second at the 2001 ASA Gold National Championships to
the Katy Cruisers.
"Chez can cover a lot of ground," Clark said. "She is an extra-base type of
hitter who also has the ability to play the short game. Chez also has
tremendously quick hands and I think fans will be excited to watch her play."

Longhorn Women Start Fast

Sophomore center-forward Stacy Stephens led the Longhorn women's basketball
team to the championship of the Paradise Jam Tournament in St. Thomas last
weekend.
Stephens was named the tourney MVP after leading Texas past Southern
California, 66-64, in the championship game. She had 16 points and six of
them came in the final two minutes.
Freshman Heather Schreiber was named to the All-Tournament Team after scoring
13 points, and another freshman forward, Kala Bowers, had 10 points.
Stephens and senior point guard Kenya Larkin had led Texas to a 75-70 upset
win over No. 23 Wisconsin in the semifinals game Saturday.
Stephens had 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Badgers and Larkin added
14 points and six assists. She also made four free throws in the final two
minutes.
The Longhorns are off to a 3-0 start and host No. 19 LSU Thursday night.

Texas Men 4th in Tourney

The Longhorn men lost to No. 20 Indiana, 77-71, Saturday in the third-place
game in the Great Alaska Shootout Tournament in Anchorage.
Freshman point guard T. J. Ford led Texas with 16 points and eight assists.
Senior forward Chris Owens, held scoreless in the first half, got 14 after i
ntermission.
Texas lost to Gonzaga, 67-64, in the semifinals. Sophomore Royal Ivey had 15
points for the Longhorns.

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