Some of the most notable freshmen in the country made their debuts to college basketball last night and of the big names in the Big 12, which included Myles Turner, Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre, the Texas Longhorns’ highly-coveted freshman Turner shined brightest.
In his first game as a Longhorn, Turner shot out of the gates hot after hitting his first three shots, but after hitting his third consecutive look, the passion and enthusiasm he showed after North Dakota State called for a timeout was something that gave a glimpse into the kind of personality that will be brought to the Texas throughout the season in the form of their stud freshman.
Throughout the course of the Longhorns 85-50 rout of North Dakota State, Turner knocked down an incredibly efficient 6-for-8 from the field, as well as going 3-for-4 from the line. Included in this stat line were six rebounds and two blocks.
But the most important aspect of this entire performance is how dominant Turner was right out of the gates in his first appearance in a college game. Turner tied with the Jonathan Holmes as the Longhorns’ second leading scorer, but the fact that Turner played as if he was a veteran leader within the program pointed to the signs of this kid being so special.
You could see that before the initial tip-off, Turner was focused solely on the task in front of him and he didn’t come out with any jitters, which is pretty common for freshman making their first appearance in college, especially on a team that has a national spotlight on them.
Of course, the competition for the Longhorns was far less than up to par, considering the vast variety of talent Texas has on it’s roster and who it’s expected to play throughout the season. But one thing for sure is Myles Turner is the real deal and he has already proven that in his first game in college.
We won’t know for sure until Texas faces some real competition, but from what Turner put on display in his inaugural performance as a Longhorn, the missing link to Texas becoming one of the best teams in the country just might be their heralded freshman.
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