SPOKANE, Wash. -- Texas has seven freshmen, none bigger or
better -- anywhere -- this season than Kevin Durant.
Thursday, the smiling, soft-spoken, 18-year-old candidate for
national player of the year helped turn a routine workout day into
another example of how these young Longhorns are so excited, and
excitable, as they enter their sport's biggest stage -- the NCAA
tournament.
"We haven't always played smart. But we've always played,"
coach Rick Barnes said of his 24-9 team that plays No. 13 seed New
Mexico State on Friday night.
"The innocence that this team has approached this season (with)
... ," Barnes said, marveling over his 20th season as a college
head coach. "I don't know if I've ever been around a team that's
as loose in terms of their preparation."
At the end of the practice, Durant and fellow freshman Justin
Mason were taking -- and making -- shots from halfcourt. The crowd
oohed and ahhed. When Durant, the skinny 6-foot-9 kid with a sleek
look and shooting range of a Concorde, made another 45-footer,
everyone roared. Durant, usually humble in public, playfully raised
an index finger to the arena's ceiling.
Then Durant started a dunk contest with classmate Dexter
Pittman. They clowned. The crowd loved that show, too.
Perhaps the most dominant player in college basketball this
season -- the kid who toys with questions about whether he is going
to the NBA when this tournament ends as if they were yo-yos -- loves
to clown.
"The guys on my team keep me levelheaded, man, because they're
always joking around and things like that," Durant said.
"It's all fun. I LOVE being at Texas."
But can these 'Horns hook Durant for at least one more year,
before the kids enters the really grown up world of the NBA?
"I'm just trying to win games," he said, playing more with a
question he's heard as much as "Eyes of Texas Fight" during home
games this season. "I'm not worried about next year right now.
We're just worried about our next game. Whenever the time comes,
I'll make my decision about next year."
Durant averages 25.6 points and 11.3 rebounds. He's the only
player in the country to rank in the national top 10 in both
categories. But those closest to the Longhorns see their glue as
being point guard D.J. Augustin. He constantly finds Durant despite
opponents' double- and triple-teams, leading the Longhorns with
seven assists per game to go with 14.5 points per game.
"And D.J. was probably the first guy of the new guys that we
felt really understood the type of intensity that you needed on the
defensive end," Barnes said.
Then there's yet another guard, A.J. Abrams. The relative team
grandpa, a sophomore, averages 15.4 points per game.
So Durant isn't the only reason Texas went 12-4 in the rugged
Big 12 and pushed No. 2 Kansas to overtime in the conference final.
Just the biggest and most dynamic one.
"He's freshman of the year, player of the year," New Mexico
State's Elijah Ingram said. "But at the same time, it's not just
about him. We've got to shut him down, as well as his whole team."
Ingram, a former McDonald's high school All-America from New
Jersey by way of St. John's, is one of six transfers for New Mexico
State. But to know them, you'd have to get through the glow of
Aggies' coach Reggie Theus, the flamboyant former NBA All-Star
guard.
Theus has all attention for New Mexico State turned on himself.
And not just because he has jelled those six transfers into a
program transformation from six wins in 2005 to 25 this season.
With their Theus' flair for fancy suits and grooming, the Aggies
call their former broadcaster-and-actor-turned-coach "Hollywood."
"Oh, God," Theus said, rolling his eyes when he heard the
players' nickname for him repeated. "It's all part of who I am."
"He's a pretty boy," Ingram said. "He's into himself, you
know."
Added Justin Hawkins, the Aggies' leading scorer at 15.7 points
per game who transferred from Utah, "It's just all in fun. I'm
pretty sure if he was to come up here, he'd probably have some
names for us, too."
Such as, "darn good."
New Mexico State (25-8) split two games with Nevada, the Western
Athletic Conference power which has been nationally ranked
throughout the season. It won its first WAC tournament championship
after Nevada got upset in the early rounds.
Now, it must conquer the irrepressible Durant.
"It's like when I've gone to play Michael Jordan," Theus said.
"That's all you ever heard about is, 'What is it going be like
getting scored on by Michael Jordan?'
"You don't stop a guy who averages 26 points against everybody.
You just make the game tough for him."