Post by tbone421998 on Jul 10, 2007 13:03:03 GMT -5
www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/longhorns/entries/2007/07/03/durants_jersey_to_be_retired.html Durant wouldn't have even come to tu if the NBA hadn't of changed their rules. One year played, no Big 12 championships and an ouster in the second round and he gets his jersey retired. Nobody should get their jersey retired after only playing one year at college.
Kevin Durant, the most acclaimed basketball player in University of Texas history, will have his number retired, coach Rick Barnes said Tuesday.
Durant, who wore number 35, swept seven national player of the year awards following his freshman season in 2006-07. Durant, the first freshman to be named national player of the year, left Texas after the spring semester and was selected by Seattle last week with the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft.
Texas has retired the number of one other basketball player, T.J. Ford, national player of the year in 2003.
“Kevin meets the same criteria as T.J.,” Barnes said. “He was national player of the year.”
Barnes also said that Durant left school in good academic standing, remaining on campus to finish the spring semester.
Barnes said it is too early to determine a date for the retirement. Logistics would work best when Durant is free to appear in Austin while the Longhorns have a home game.
The Longhorns’ 2007-08 schedule has not been completed. The NBA has not released schedules, either.
Texas has retired the numbers of two football players — Earl Campbell (20) and Ricky Williams (34).
One baseball player, Roger Clemens, has had his number retired. Clemens wore number 21.
Texas has been hesitant to retire numbers. Campbell’s number was retired in 1979, two years after he won the Heisman Trophy. Williams had his number retired in 1999, one season after he won the Heisman.
Clemens received the honor in 1993. Cliff Gustafson, the Longhorn coach at the time, announced the decision at the the annual alumni game. One problem: Gustafson had not cleared the decision with the men’s athletics council.
“They put the hammer on me pretty heavy after that,” Gustafson told the American-Statesman years later.
Texas produced a policy in 2001 stating that numbers would be honored, not retired, with exceptions allowed for Heisman winners.
The criteria was expanded to include national players of the year to accommodate Ford.
Durant, who wore number 35, swept seven national player of the year awards following his freshman season in 2006-07. Durant, the first freshman to be named national player of the year, left Texas after the spring semester and was selected by Seattle last week with the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft.
Texas has retired the number of one other basketball player, T.J. Ford, national player of the year in 2003.
“Kevin meets the same criteria as T.J.,” Barnes said. “He was national player of the year.”
Barnes also said that Durant left school in good academic standing, remaining on campus to finish the spring semester.
Barnes said it is too early to determine a date for the retirement. Logistics would work best when Durant is free to appear in Austin while the Longhorns have a home game.
The Longhorns’ 2007-08 schedule has not been completed. The NBA has not released schedules, either.
Texas has retired the numbers of two football players — Earl Campbell (20) and Ricky Williams (34).
One baseball player, Roger Clemens, has had his number retired. Clemens wore number 21.
Texas has been hesitant to retire numbers. Campbell’s number was retired in 1979, two years after he won the Heisman Trophy. Williams had his number retired in 1999, one season after he won the Heisman.
Clemens received the honor in 1993. Cliff Gustafson, the Longhorn coach at the time, announced the decision at the the annual alumni game. One problem: Gustafson had not cleared the decision with the men’s athletics council.
“They put the hammer on me pretty heavy after that,” Gustafson told the American-Statesman years later.
Texas produced a policy in 2001 stating that numbers would be honored, not retired, with exceptions allowed for Heisman winners.
The criteria was expanded to include national players of the year to accommodate Ford.
