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Courtney Ramey


Goo Punch

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  • 2 weeks later...

Perfect term for him.  If Shaka would've recruited more guys in this mold rather than Jacob Young, Jase Febrese and (I hate to say it) even Coleman he'd be much further along with the system he wants to play.  He needs skilled,  do it all  guards to get the most out of his offensive scheme.  Too many guards who are deficient in one area limit this offense. Now with that being said,  a guard like Coleman is ok provided all of your other guards are like Ramey and Jones in the skill areas of shooting,  handling,  and passing. We've had way too many Eric Davis', Jacob Young's, Tevin Mack's, and Jase Febrese' who could only do one thing well, if that.  Granted Davis and Roach weren't his recruits so not much he could do there, but getting Jacob Young over Carsen Edwards was a dreadful decision (although I admittedly don't know the details since Edwards committed to Purdue 2 months or so after Shaka got here).  

Edited by Catdaddyhorn
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  • 2 months later...

Ramey is also doing a good job defensely.  In fact,  the intensity level has greatly increased team wise on both ends of the court.  Couple that with hitting a few threes has made all the difference in the world with this team. I don’t know if the kids are trying to save Shaka’s job, but it damn sure can’t hurt it.

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In reference to the tweet above. I think another part of this is Roach doesn't have to handle the ball nearly as much with Ramey and Coleman. He can be a true off the ball offensive player which is where his strength is. Roach was his best offensively at the end of year 1 where he could attack off the ball. 

 

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Tim Preston on Ramey

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It started in the loss at TCU, oddly enough. Prior to that game in Fort Worth, the 6'3 freshman combo guard had taken only 40 shots inside the arc and hit 16 of them (40%). Over that same period, he had attempted 54 three point shots, making 17 (31%).

During those first 18 games of his initial season in Austin, Ramey had the look of a player who was going to be very good to super good during his tenure on the 40 Acres. For an offense that needs its playmakers to "check boxes", he had pen in hand for many of them.

Handle the ball in space? Check
Handle the ball in traffic? Check
Shoot from three? Check
Shoot from the foul line? Check
Create for others? Check
Move in the open floor? Check
Finish in the open floor? Check
Defend in man? Check
Defend on switches? Check
Defend in zone? Check

Penetrate and finish in the lane? ...

That was missing. And, not missing like Eli Mitrou-Long gets into the lane but can't convert. No. Missing as in, not even trying to get to the lane to finish at the rim.

When Courtney was penetrating, it was essentially always as a creator for others as opposed to as an opportunity to get himself a look at the basket.

Then we played at TCU.

Ramey's numbers were far from eye opening (4/11 over all; 2/6 inside the arc; 2/5 from deep; 0/0 at the foul line; 5 assists; 3 turnovers; 3 steals; 2 rebounds). Solid. Unspectacular. Important for a very specific reason.

His next few games sort of followed suit:

Georgia: 19pts - 7/15 overall; 2/7 from two; 5/8 from three; 0/0 on free throws; 5 ast; 1 stl; 2 t0s; 0 rebs)
Kansas: 9 pts - 3/5 overall; 0/0 from two; 3/5 from three; 0/0 on free throws; 1 ast; 1 stl; 3 tos; 2 rebs)
ISU: 6 pts - 2/9 overall; 0/3 from two; 2/6 from three; 0/0 on free throws; 1 ast; 1 stl; 2 tos; 4 rebs)
Baylor: 10 pts - 3/7 overall; 2/4 from two; 1/3 from three; 3/5 on free throws; 4 ast; 2 stl; 1 to; 3 rebs)
WVU: 19 pts - 7/12 overall; 2/6 from two; 5/6 from three; 0/0 on free throws; 4 ast; 1 stl; 0 to; 5 rebs)

In short, Ramey was 33/94 overall in the first 18 games of the year (35% and an average of 5.2 field goal attempts per game). Over the last six games, he's 26/59 overall (44% and an average of 9.8 field goal attempts per game).

Again, sizable upticks, but only really important for a couple of reasons. 

1. Even as his two-point field goal percentage has dropped, Ramey's willingness to take the ball all the way to the basket has added an important wrinkle to the team.

2. The loss of point production from Eli and Dylan is getting absorbed by Courtney.

We don't need Courtney to be special. We simply need him to keep attacking.

And, sure, if he's going to hit anywhere close to the 57% from deep that he's been rifling at over the last six games, that'll help a ton, but we didn't need him to shoot 5/6 from the outside to get the win over WVU. We win that game easily if he's 1/6 from deep, right?

But the biggest thing about Courtney playing like he has been is that he creates a defensive crisis for opposing coaches. If this is the Ramey that is playing for Texas as the season winds down, what are teams supposed to do?

Whom do you assign your best perimeter defender to if Ramey plays this well?

Coleman? Okay, then Roach and Ramey will have a field day attacking your weaker backcourt players.

Roach? Okay, then Coleman and Ramey are left to attack the lane at their will and are Texas' two best hard bounce shooters.

Ramey? Okay, then Roach will get to the rim whenever he wants and Coleman can be the facilitator we all want for him to be.

Zone? Well, over those same six games, we've shot 42% from three as a team.

Options!

The potential downside?

Well, Ramey is a freshman. Freshman are difficult to count on even under the best of circumstances.

KSU (#6 adjusted defense, nationally) wasn't in that group of teams we played. Tech (#1) wasn't, either.

But, the key is that Courtney's game appears to be evolving. There's no doubt that he's more comfortable as a penetrator. There's no doubt that instead of simply probing with the dribble, he's assessing the defense and finding spots to attack. There's no doubt that his confidence as a shooter is through the roof.

Even the way he finished that alley-oop in transition showcased a player whose self-belief is soaring.

That's all meant to say that I believe the rough games that are upcoming for him (they'll be there, no doubt) will simply be what they are...rough games, not some kind of reversion to a lesser mean.

Two months ago, I wrote about Shaka giving Kerwin the chance to be the scoring guard this team needs.

Today, I'm writing that Kerwin may well be giving this team the exact type of playmaking and scoring I was hoping for (16.6 pts, 3 rebs, 2.5 asts on 45/40/77 shooting). 

I'm also writing that the biggest reason Kerwin's getting that opportunity is because a freshman combo guard is playing like a veteran with big upside.

Here's to renewed expectations!

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  • 7 months later...
  • 1 year later...
20 minutes ago, Blotto said:

Nice. We're gonna have a hell of a squad next year AND a good coach. 

image.thumb.png.d666c54f35d53c4a2030f540e755b244.png

Its not often you see a guy shoot a higher % from deep than overall. Decent free throw guy as well.

It's also not often you see players blow layups as much as Courtney Ramey.

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