Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Who fills in for Jonathan Holmes at Texas?
By Joe Kaiser
Texas' season went from bad to worse on Monday as the Longhorns lost to Oklahoma, falling to 0-5 in Big 12 play, and also lost leading rebounder Jonathan Holmes (broken right hand) for the foreseeable future.
The 6-foot-7, 239-pound sophomore is averaging 7.7 points and 7.1 rebounds a game this season, and while he's out it will put a lot of pressure on two true freshmen -- Cameron Ridley and Connor Lammert -- to step up on the glass in his absence. Ridley is second on the team with 5.2 rebounds a game, while Lammert is fifth at 3.9 per game.
Another player who now will be counted on for more production is 6-foot-7 sophomore Jaylen Bond, an offensively challenged forward who is shooting 28.6 percent from the field this season. Bond played 20 minutes against the Sooners, and will have to grow up fast while Holmes is out.
Any way you slice it, this is a big blow to the Longhorns, which as we mentioned yesterday is already one of the worst offensive teams among the top conferences in the country.
