A.J. Abrams to Declare for Draft (?!?!)

Fox Sports is reporting that A.J. Abrams is going to declare for the draft. He won't hire an agent, and he'll probably still come back to Texas, but apparently he's going to take advantage of a recent rule change that allows NBA teams to pay for his workouts while he weighs his options.
I suppose he's got nothing to lose, unless he actually enters the draft, but I'm not sure how much he stands to gain either.
On the flip side, just goes to show you that yesterday when I was among the reporters hounding D.J. Augustin about whether or not he'll go pro, I should've checked up with Abrams. I could've maybe been the first to know and might have gotten some insight into what he's thinking.

D.J. Augustin still hasn't decided

I just thought you should know: D.J. Augustin said today that he hasn't decided on whether or not he'll take his game to the NBA. Furthermore, he said he didn't have any timetable for a decision. Of course, the deadline is April 27th, so he'll have to make a decision by then.

Conradt to speak at commencement

I'm graduating in May, and it looks like one of my favorite UT coaches (and that's a short list) will be speaking at the commencement.
Jody Conradt retired last year, making room for Gail Goestenkors to take over the women's basketball program. She basically the Darrell K Royal of women's sports except with better graduation rates among her athletes.

Major Applewhite back at Texas

I won't be able to attend tomorrow's press conference announcing the hiring of Major Applewhite, so here's the scoop.
After spending a season at Alabama as offensive coordinator, Applewhite is taking a demotion — but not a pay cut — to return to Austin.
The former Texas quarterback will be assistant head coach and running backs coach. The Houston Chronicle reports he'll make $250,000 a year.
"It's exciting to be a Longhorn again, Applewhite said in a statement. "The opportunity to
come back to my alma mater, working with Coach Brown, Coach Davis and all the great coaches, many that I know and have worked with before, is special. Having the chance to be with all of them the last couple of days, to see their passion, to be a part of the expectations they¹ve built and see how they're all on the same page and heading in the same direction is really exciting to be a part of."
Before Alabama, Applewhite coached at Rice. He started his coaching career under Mack Brown as a graduate assistant.
In his playing days, Applewhite became a fan favorite while throwing for 8,353 yards and 60 touchdowns.
"We're really excited to have Major back, Brown said in the statement. "He was a great player for us and we saw him growing into a terrific coach as a graduate assistant here for two years."

Gary Johnson Cleared to Play

Freshman Gary Johnson is finally going to play.
After being limited to practicing due to a heart condition, the Houston native will finally make an appearance at the college level.

"After a six-month process of monitoring, testing and evaluation by Dr.
James Willerson (President-Elect at the Texas Heart Institute and
President of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston),
Gary Johnson has been cleared to participate in all physical activities
at The University of Texas, including regular-season games, beginning on
January 1, 2008," UT athletic trainer Fred Burnett said in a statement released by the university. "Based on the team's schedule, the first game Gary can participate in will be the January 2nd home contest against TCU."

At 6-foot-7, 247 pounds, Johnson gives Texas more size that it's been lacking. After losing each of their last two games, the Longhorns can definitely use any boost he provides.

Texas beats Arizona State 52-34

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Well it's all over, and Texas won their fourth straight bowl game.
This one was never close. The Longhorns raced out to a 21-0 lead, and survived a few momentum swings before finally winning 52-34.

Jamaal Charles rushed for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns while quarterback Colt McCoy ran for 84 and a score of his own. McCoy also passed for 174 yards and a touchdown on his way to being named offensive player of the game.
Brian Orakpo earned defensive player of the game honors with six tackles including a pair of sacks. Marcus Griffin contributed to the defense by intercepting a pair of deflected passes and making a couple tackles.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - Pregame

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The band is out on the field. The Longhorn marching band that is.
I'm at Qualcomm stadium for the Holiday Bowl, and kickoff is in less than 10 minutes.
After announcing that no players' jobs were safe, Mack Brown made no changes to the depth chart. We'll have to see who actually starts, but I bet he'll stick with the chart.

San Diego's Gaslamp district is the place to be if you're going out at night, but after spending last night there, I'm not impressed. The drinks are ridiculously expensive, and there's nothing especially cool about the bars or clientele.

Matt Hill Done for Season

Matt Hill's season is over before it began.
Friday the six-foot-ten sophomore will undergo surgery on his injured left heel, and he won't recover in time to play this season. Hill hasn't seen any action yet this year because of the injury, and he missed a lot of time last year with injuries.
Texas already suffers from a lack of depth, and the return of Hill was seen as part of the antidote for that problem. Now the Longhorns will have to look elsewhere.
Rick Barnes could have used Hill to provide some size to an undersized lineup, but he'll have to wait for next season.
At this point in the season, Hill was one of three players yet to see action. Freshman Dogus Balbay is probably out for the year after being injured in a pickup game, and freshman Gary Johnson suffers from a heart condition which has precluded his opportunity to play thus far.

Halftime: 28-3

Texas is taking it to the Cyclones.
Colt McCoy looks like he's a freshman, and for the slumping sophomore, that's a great thing.
McCoy has thrown three touchdown passes in the first half and completed 15 of 19 passes.
Four receivers have over 30 receiving yards, and Jordan Shipley has already caught two touchdown passes, including a 58-yard run and catch on Texas' first offensive play of the game.
Jamaal Charles has only had five rushing attempts, but he's averaged seven yards a carry and gotten into the end zone once.
A Quan Cosby catch accounted for Texas' other first half score.

Mack Brown raised a few eyebrows by putting in his entire second team on offense — comprised solely of freshmen — while Texas had only a 14-3 lead. I'm not sure what he was trying to accomplish, but it could easily be construed as a sign of disrespect.

Kyle Russell to Stay at Texas

After earning All-American status and hitting a team-record 28 longballs last season, Kyle Russell has opted to return for another year of college baseball. Standout catcher Preston Clark made the same decision, a year after being named a first team All-Big 12 selection.

Both players already have their sights set on Omaha and the College World Series, somewhere they haven't been in the last two years.

"Obviously, I wouldn't have chosen to come back if I didn't think we could do extraordinary things next season," Russell said.

If they do make it to Omaha, third baseman Bradley Suttle and pitchers Adrian Alaniz and James Russell will miss out. The trio all signed professional contracts, and Alaniz has already picked up a handful of wins for the Class A Vermont Lake Monsters and been named an All Star.

The Longhorns had seven of their recruits selected in the draft including Brandon Workman in the third round, but only Taylor Groat, and eight round selection by the New York Yankees, signed a deal by the August 15 deadline.

2007 Big 12 Media Days

San Antonio--I'm at the Wyndham-St. Anthony Hotel in downtown San Antonio for this year's Big 12 Football Media Days. A year ago tomorrow this blog was born at last year's Media Days in Kansas City, and it's still alive. Impressive, I know.

Today we'll hear from Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Baylor. It'll be interesting to hear what OU's head coach Bob Stoops has to say about the wiped out 2005 season and its appeal. Luckily, he's up first in about half an hour.

His Sooners are ranked above Texas in Street & Smith's preseason poll as well as Blue Ribbon Yearbook's and Dave Campbell's Texas Football/FSN poll. All the other polls have the Longhorns higher— including one with them at No. 2 (Athlon Sports). Texas's lowest ranking is No. 8 by Street & Smith's and CBS Sportsline.

The Longhorns have several players on the 2007 Preseason All-Big 12 team. I find the exercise of selecting a pre-season team pointless (though its irrelevance pales when compared to preseason offensive and defensive players of the year and a newcomer of the year awards).

But, in case you care. OL Tony Hills, WR Limas Sweed, QB Colt McCoy, RB Jamaal Charles, DL Frank Okam, DL Derek Lokey and DB Marcus Griffin all made the team.
And the preseason offensive player of the year? That'd be McCoy.

Rain Delay in Round Rock

Round Rock — The Texas Longhorns couldn’t UC Irvine’s seemingly inexorable march toward a Super Regional berth, but with flashes of lightning filling the sky and sheets of rain falling from it, the weather sure did.

The brief respite granted Texas could prove to be a lasting reprieve. Texas has exhausted its options on the mound, especially Joseph Krebs. Krebs has been brilliant, appearing in every game and leading the tournament in innings pitched with 9.2.

After working five innings and throwing 77 pitches earlier in the day against Wake Forest, the senior got back into action tonight, allowing only an inherited runner to score before getting the Longhorns out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth inning.

That run though, put the Anteaters ahead, and if Texas can’t come back, their season will end in the NCAA Regional once more.

Goldthwaite girl makes good, Texas town takes note

Jody Conradt, her team and a little town 2 hours northwest of Austin can finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

Conradt won her 900th game Tuesday night after losing six of her last seven, making her one of two coaches in the entire NCAA basketball landscape to reach that mark. Pat Summitt at Tennessee is the other. Conradt's left such legends as John Wooden, Dean Smith and Phog Allen in her wake.

While winning those hundreds of games - and a national title to boot - Conradt's earned attention and respect, receiving spots in multiple halls of fame. But no one's taken more notice of her than the people of Goldthwaite.

Goldthwaite boasts about 2,000 residents. It's the town where Conradt grew up, where she averaged more than 40 points a game during her four years in high school. And, according to Mayor Mike McMahan, it's the town she put on the map.

"We just feel fortunate she's from here, and we've known her all our life," McMahan said.

The 55-year-old McMahan has kept a close eye on Conradt's career, as has most of Goldthwaite's population. A sign near the city limits declares you're approaching her hometown.

Conradt's squad has struggled this season and will need a large dose of benevolence from the NCAA selection committee to compete in this season's tourney, but Conradt's accomplishment should not be overlooked.

Nor should the team. While the Longhorns have notched a modest 18 wins, they've beaten No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 13 Texas A&M. They've shown that when they put their minds to it, they can beat some of the top teams in the nation. With 64 bids to hand out, the selection committee just might be able to find a spot for the Texas team. ESPN's Bracketology currently projects the team as a 12 seed.

That was before they lost 67-58 Wednesday night against the Sooners. The ground these women stand on couldn't be any shakier.

"We're hopeful," Conradt said. "I think our team did everything they could do to try play themselves into the tournament."

But even if Conradt fails to put a team in the field of 64 for the second straight year, she knows she has loyal, albeit frustrated, fans in Goldthwaite.

"When we get beat, or when things are down, we all hurt," McMahan said.

"We all" is the 99.9 percent of town residents that he estimates know who she is. Their kids practice in the same gym that she started her basketball career in. Goldthwaite Eagles look up to her - their reminder that growing up in a pixel of a town doesn't mean they can't affect the world.

"Jody continues to be a role model," McMahan said. "Not only for girls, but for young men around here."

NASCAR chat

So, I was watching the Auto Club 500 on Sunday, and I also had ESPN.com's race cast up where UT-grad Tim Cowlishaw -- formerly of the Dallas Morning News -- was leading a chat.

I couldn't think of any good questions, but I wanted to say hi from the Daily Texan, and earlier in the day I'd asked one of my co-workers, Eric Ransom, a question concerning Cowlishaw. So I took advantage of the unexpected opportunity, and asked my question.

Ryan Killian (Austin, TX): So, I'm sittin' here in the Daily Texan
office and wondering, when'd you get so into NASCAR?

TIM COWLISHAW: Good to hear from the Daily Texan, the school newspaper
of my alma mater. Late getting into it. Went to Daytona in 2000, been
into it ever since. Look forward to seeing Kevin Durant in person
Wednesday night. And, of course, Fourth Street after.

So there you have it, Cowlishaw's been doing NASCAR for a little while now. He'll be here today.

Too bad I'll be in College Station for Jody Conradt's first attempt a win 900. The Aggies are 15-0 in Reed Arena this season, but Texas beat them 64-45 earlier in the year and is coming off a win.
Could be a good and historic game.

SI Cover Curse?

Kevin Durant has earned himself a Sports Illustrated cover, and it comes out today.

Jinx?

Dating back to 1954 when the Milwaukee Braves' Eddie Matthews graced the magazine's first issue - and injured his hand a week later - the superstition has percolated that a stint of bad luck came with a spot on the cover. In the '50s alone, one athlete was killed and another paralyzed from the neck down while their cover issues were still on the news racks.

But take heart. Though Texas athletes have felt the curse, it's been only in the form of a loss. In 1970 and 1977 undefeated Texas teams lost their next games, and in 1998, after Ricky Williams made a cover appearance, the Longhorns lost to Texas Tech. If history holds, a loss to Baylor on Saturday is the worst we can expect. OK, maybe he'll fail to notch a double-double and be outscored by an injured Aaron Bruce too.

Point is, jinx schminx.

Look at Vince Young. All he did while on the cover of Sports Illustrated was win Texas a national title and lift his draft status somewhere just above the stratosphere.

T.J. Ford and Cat Osterman weren't slowed by their joint appearance on a cover in 2002, but then they were there in the off-season.

Chris Simms was also on that cover.

Five days later, the Longhorns fell 35-24 to the Sooners. Simms was sacked four times, and he threw three interceptions.

All of a sudden, that game against Baylor doesn't look so easy. They are on the road; Bruce is an All-Big 12 honorable mention.

But he's also from Horsham, Victoria, Australia.

Nevermind.

Besides, that was Chris Simm's second cover appearance. In his first, he was being leveled by Oklahoma's Jimmy Wilkerson. It wasn't the covers getting to him. It was the Sooners.

Texas' history of overcoming any perceived jinx is long. Running back Jimmy Saxton made a cover appearance in 1961 and finished a close third in the year's Heisman race. Running back/punter Ernie Koy was featured after Texas upset No. 1 Alabama in 1965, and he began a successful NFL career that same year. James Street parlayed his appearance into a national championship in 1969.

Durant will join their company soon and surpass them all eventually. There's nothing to worry about.

Then again, after T.J. Ford found himself on the cover before 2003's Final Four, he turned in one of the least remarkable performances of his career. Among Texas players, he finished fourth in points - tied with Brian Boddicker.

Did I mention the 6-foot-3-inch, 190-pound Bruce led NCAA freshmen in scoring his rookie season and was labeled a "Diaper Dandy" by Dick Vitale?

Texas hasn't got a prayer.