They wake up every morning in Austin. So the Texas Longhorns have that going for them. But just about every other bit of luck that's affected their basketball program in the past couple years has been bad.
The latest catastrophe hits the Horns exactly where they don't need it. A team craving stability lost the player counted on to provide it: sophomore point guard Javan Felix.
A 5-10 sophomore from New Orleans, Felix has not practiced with the team since undergoing a procedure on his hip Oct. 1. The procedure was successful, which is good news, but there is no timetable established regarding his return to action.
Last season, the Longhorns missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time under coach Rick Barnes and finished with a 16-18 record. The issues that combined to produce that degree of failure have only compounded since.
A lot of folks who follow (and some who cover) college basketball made it seem a bigger deal than it was when Sheldon McClellan and Julien Lewis chose to transfer away from the Longhorns. They took a combined 678 shots between them last year. If they were going to walk away from that sort of freedom, UT was perfectly capable of being mediocre without them.
The luck truly turned sour, though, when 6-8 forward Ioannis Papapetrou chose to stay back in Europe and play professionally rather than return for another season with the Longhorns. Papapetrou is a considerable talent who could have blossomed into an All-Big 12 player in the coming season, particularly if big men Cameron Ridley and Prince Ibeh progressed enough to provide him with physical cover.
And now this? Felix is not an elite talent, but he competed hard and projected a solid degree of competence against very good competition at the USA Basketball trials for the U19 national team. He averaged 27 minutes per game last season for Texas and delivered 4.1 assists per game during that time. He is a capable Division I point guard, and a capable point guard at least can provide the foundation for a young team trying to make some progress.
Now the Longhorns are practicing without him, which means they are not developing in the way that should be possible. And this isn't a team that can afford to lose time.
OUBRE SR. DISSES CALIPARI
In case you missed it, Kelly Oubre Sr., whose son Kelly Jr. committed to Kansas over Kentucky on Tuesday, said one of the reasons his son picked the Jayhawks is because the player can leave the program on his own terms.
In speaking with the Lawrence Journal-World, Oubre Sr. said: "Coach (Bill) Self doesn't kick you out if you are not ready. I don't care too much for it (one-and-done) because if you look at it over the last couple drafts, the success of the guys one-and-done is few and far between. Every once in a while you find guys who can make it through. I'm more concerned about his education after maybe a two-year stint or three-year stint. How close is he to that degree and having a greater business mind going into the next level, whatever that is? I think the first year in college as well as the pros, maybe two, is a learning curve. That learning curve can be cut considerably if he stayed and developed in college."
So reading between the lines, Oubre Sr. thinks Wildcats coach John Calipari forces his players out after one season so he can reload for the following class. Anyone else find those comments off-base?
Kentucky players themselves are the ones who make the decisions on whether or not they're ready to enter the NBA Draft. If Calipari booted everyone after a year, would Alex Poythress have returned this season? Or what about Terrence Jones, who himself came back for a second season before becoming the No. 18 pick in the 2012 draft? And what about 2014 Wildcats recruit Tyler Ulis, a point guard who may stay four seasons in Kentucky (at least if he's not recruited over)?
On top of that, Calipari himself has said he's not a fan of the one-and-done rule, and is hoping to use his position as a new NABC board member to change it.
Oubre Sr. said it's possible that his son plays more than one year of college basketball, and that's great for Kansas. But it's hard to see where he wouldn't have had that opportunity at Kentucky if he wanted it.
WILBEKIN CAN PRACTICE
Florida coach Billy Donovan announced Wednesday that senior PG Scottie Wilbekin will join the team at Friday's practice, but he remains on suspension with his punishment to be determined, Palm Beach Post reporter Jason Leiser reported via Twitter.
Wilbekin, who was suspended indefinitely in June for a violation of team rules, averaged 9.1 points and 5.0 assists for the Gators last season, helping lead the team to an Elite Eight finish in the NCAA Tournament.
This is his second suspension; the first occurred last November and caused him to miss three games, including the abandoned Georgetown game that was partially played aboard an aircraft carrier.
So as Wilbekin serves whatever length of suspension he must serve, heralded freshman Kasey Hill will be the stand-in.
"He and I really need to be connected the next month and a half before we play games," Donovan told reporters Wednesday.
But as Hill gets up to speed, Gators fans know they'll have some senior leadership at the position returning at some point.
Contributors: Mike DeCourcy and Roger Kuznia