Texas: Breaking Down Play From Seniors

The Texas Longhorns are off to a great start in 2015 and their seniors have been major factors.

The Texas Longhorns have jumped out to a record of 8-3 early on in the 2015-16 season. With a win over North Carolina and an active win streak of six games, the Horns have some momentum flowing in their direction as they get ready for a tough slate of games within the Big 12.

Seniors are always a team’s most valuable players because of their experience and the Horn’s seniors are the reason for some of their early wins. Let’s take a look at all five seniors on the roster this season:

Cameron Ridley

2015-16 Stats:

PPG: 12.7
RPG: 10.0
5 double-doubles

Cameron Ridley has been arguably the best player in Austin this season. After an off year in 2014-15, Ridley has exploded out of the gate playing the best basketball of his career. He averages a double-double and has managed to drop a total of five while coming within a few rebounds of adding three more.

As a 6-9, 285 lb. guy, he is able to make it very difficult for opposing players to drive to the basket. If they do, they could get denied by one of his explosive blocks. Also, he is a great presence to have on the offensive end, operating as an alley-oop threat and creating space for guards to drive the lane.

Though his play has been elevated this season, he will be out for the foreseeable future as it was recently announced that he would undergo surgery for a broken foot.

Texas big man Cameron Ridley suffered a fractured left foot during practice yesterday. He will have surgery tomorrow, per school.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) December 28, 2015

Despite an unfortunate situation, Ridley will get some attention come draft day as the big man can be dominant in the paint at times. If it wasn’t for his playmaking in the paint, Texas would certainly not be in the position they are in right now.

Javan Felix

2015-16 Stats:

PPG: 10.4
RPG: 1.8
APG: 1.7

Javan Felix is another player that is familiar to Longhorns fans. Even though he’s only 5-11, he has been a reliable guard throughout his tenure in Austin.

His best game of the year, so far, was against North Carolina when he dropped 25 points and the game-winner in a huge win for the Horns.

Most of the time, Felix is out on the court with Junior guard Isaiah Taylor during clutch situations, as the two play well together. Felix has had five games with at least 3 three-pointers so he is always a threat to hit a clutch shot from deep.

Even though the Longhorns have a great group of young guards on the team right now, they are definitely going to miss him when he graduates.

Connor Lammert

2015-16 Stats:

PPG: 5.9
RPG: 5.1
APG: 1.2

Throughout his career, with the Longhorns, Connor Lammert has been a solid player. In most games, he starts at the power forward position and gets minutes late because of his unique style play.

The Longhorns can always count on Lammert to snag a board late in the game or make a great defensive play when they need it. With an average of roughly 26 minutes a game, his grind-it-out style helps the Longhorns in all situations. He’s a player that works hard and he has been doing it again this season.

Demarcus Holland

PPG: 4.5
RPG: 2.3

Demarcus Holland may not have the most flashy stat lines but he goes to work on different parts of the court. His defense is one of the best on the team and that’s why he has won the award as the team’s most outstanding defensive player in all of his college years so far.

Holland can do a little bit of everything by scoring, assisting, rebounding, blocking and stealing. He is the complete package and the go-to guy whenever the Longhorns need defense on a particular guard.

Prince Ibeh

PPG: 1.2
RPG: 3.0
BPG: 1.7

Prince Ibeh is the last of the Texas seniors. He does not get heavy minutes and usually does not put much on his stat line but he is a valuable player to have because of his size. At 6’11, Ibeh is great at blocking shots, which has gotten him up to eighth on the Longhorns’ all-time block list (via texassports.com).

Ibeh usually comes off of the bench for Cameron Ridley, and with Ridley’s recent injury, the team will be more reliant on him. Though playing as well as Ridley has been playing might be hard, Ibeh should be able to expand his game with more minutes.

Next: Momentum Heading Into Conference Play Is Important For Longhorns

Throughout the season, Horns’ seniors have made tons of big plays and that has led to early success. They’re going to need more of that if they plan on making it through the Big 12. The Longhorns will begin conference play on Jan. 2, as they take on Texas Tech in Lubbock.

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