Big 12: Cameron Ridley Poised To Become A Star For Texas

As one of the only two guys whom has his position solidified for the Texas Longhorns next season, the stage is set for Cameron Ridley to take the next step from being a key piece on a competitive team to becoming an outright star on a team looking to be amidst the national powerhouse conversation.

The Longhorns’ low post anchor took a massive stride towards the potential of what many thought he could be when he entered Austin as ESPN’s eighth-ranked overall incoming freshman. His first season on campus was unquestionably a disappointing one when you look at it from a statistics point.

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For example, Ridley compiled only 136 total points on 46 percent shooting, including a horrid 33 percent from the charity stripe. He also snagged only 143 rebounds for the season.

That makes for points and rebounds averages of 4.1 and 4.3 respectively.

The numbers don’t tell the whole story though. Yes, Ridley struggled with his conditioning and durability as a freshman, but his lack of production also can be contributed to a very selfish team with almost no chemistry that saw four of its main contributors take their exits.

On this squad, Ridley was only able to attempt 117 shots on the season.

As for his 2013-14 campaign, Ridley saw a complete 180, both on the stat sheet and with the impact his presence made on the hardwood.

Opposed to his freshman season, his sophomore stint provided significant jumps in nearly every major statistical category, including his field goal percentage jumping to 54 percent, free throw shooting nearly double to 62 percent, while his points per game nearly tripled to 11.2 per contest. He also grabbed 287 boards, which was good for fourth in the Big 12, and swatted 76 shots, making Ridley the second-leading shot blocker in the conference.

As for his on-court presence, he at times was the heart and soul of the Longhorns, both offensively and defensively. Late in many games, or simply when the Horns’ needed to spark a run, Ridley was the go-to guy they found down low and more times than none it was just what the Longhorns needed to get back on track.

His most notable clutch moment was scooping up a last-second rebound during Texas’ first NCAA tournament game against Arizona State and banking in an unorthodox bucket at the buzzer to assure the Longhorns advanced.

It was a moment that signified how far Ridley had come as player. A season earlier, he rarely saw the ball and now he had become the arguably the biggest asset on a team that began to get national recognition.

With such a significant leap coming between his first two seasons, especially considering how the circumstances in both are worlds apart, it shouldn’t surprise many when Ridley’s name is mentioned amongst the top big men in the entire country as a junior.

Ridley, along with his running mate and point guard, Isaiah Taylor, will be the featured factors on a team that deserves a top-10 preseason ranking.

So how does this lead to the belief that Ridley will become a star as a junior?

Well, anyone who was able to watch any Texas games over the last two seasons will know the confidence level in Ridley’s abilities around the rim and willingness to be aggressive in the post has skyrocketed. He showed the power he has to simply bulldoze his way through the lane and still have a soft enough touch to finish in traffic when he’s being hounded.

Ridley also gave us a sneak peak at some low-post moves, which we should see come into full fruition during the upcoming season.

Once college basketball starts back up in a few more months, we should see Ridley in even better shape, stronger, quicker, more experienced and having improved upon each of his core post skills. Unless he comes out and completely disappoints, which is highly unlikely for a guy of Ridley’s character and caliber, it would be surprising to see a stat line of something in the range of 15 or 16 points, 11 rebounds and 3.5 blocks.

Numbers like that would be good enough for an early first-round NBA draft spot.

The depth Texas has could in some ways stunt the production of Ridley, but as a veteran leader with tons of experience and establishment within the team and Rick Barnes’ system, look for Ridley to become a true star in what will likely be his last season in college.