Youngsters Making An Early Impact for the Texas Longhorns

There has been much talk about Rick Barnes' stellar 2009 recruiting class and how it may be his best class ever, even better than the 2006 class that brought Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin to the Forty Acres.

That assessment may a be a bit premature, especially considering Texas is only three games in to the season, but it can't be denied that the Longhorn freshmen are contributing early on.

The third ranked Longhorns are 3-0 following three straight blow out wins over UC Irvine, Western Carolina, and Iowa.

Much of Texas' early success can be attributed to what many people thought would be the key to the Longhorns' title hopes this season: Depth.

Rick Barnes' bench is 14 players deep, giving him the luxury of subbing in multiple players every so often to keep the five guys on the court fresh at all times.

While seniors Damion James (16 points, 11 rebounds per game) and Dexter Pittman (15 points, seven rebounds per game) anchor the squad, the freshmen are getting in on the act as well.

Let's take a look at the four new faces in Austin:

J'Covan Brown, PG

After sorting out some academic issues last year, Brown is finally making a statement on the court for the Longhorns.

Through the first three games, J'Covan Brown has seen the most significant amount of playing time out of the four freshmen, averaging over 20 minutes per game.

Brown is averaging 12 points, two assists, and two rebounds a game for Texas.  He has shown excellent range from deep, connecting on 38 percent of his three-point shots.

Brown provides a good mixture of shooting touch and ball handling at the point, something that was lacking for this team a year ago.  He is also very quick in transition and can cut through a defense in a hurry.

However, the freshman point guard has struggled with turnovers early in the year.  He turned the ball over five times against UC Irvine, six times against Western Carolina, and three times against Iowa.

If he can cut down on giving the ball away and improve on his passing, Brown will quickly develop in to a complete and effective point guard.

Avery Bradley, G

Touted as one of the best players in America as a senior in high school, Avery Bradley is one of the more imposing figures on defense for the Longhorns.

While he is a talented scorer (put up 10 against UC Irvine and 11 against Iowa), he wants to be known as one of the better defensive guards in the country.

His stats haven't really suggested that yet, mainly because he plays about 19 minutes per game, but he has shown terrific on the ball defense and he doesn't make many mental errors despite his youth.

Bradley is shooting a whopping 58 percent from the field and he will only get better.

His shot selection has been a bit questionable, as he is too eager to throw up threes without looking for easier shots.

He will learn to take better shots as he sees more time on the court this season.  Look for Bradley to develop in to one of Texas' top weapons on both ends of the court.

Jordan Hamilton, G-F

While Avery Bradley was the talk of the town in this recruiting class, Jordan Hamilton is proving to be not only the most complete freshman, but one of the more complete players on the team.

At 6"7, Hamilton is a versatile inside-outside player in the mold of a shorter Kevin Durant.

Playing from both the guard and forward positions, Hamilton is averaging 11 points and three rebounds per contest and is shooting 50 percent from the field (37 percent from three). 

Mind you, this is all in only 18 minutes per game.

Hamilton can bang around in the paint and stretch the defense from three point range.  He is a physical player who is graceful for someone of his size.

The only knock on Hamilton at the moment is his low free throw percentage (50 percent), but then again Texas isn't the best free throw shooting team, so it's not all on Hamilton.

Shawn Williams, G-F

Kind of the forgotten man in the group, Shawn Williams plays a very similar game to Hamilton.

Though he has only seen about eight minutes per game so far this season, Williams has shown glimpses of great versatility.

At 6'7, Williams is a hybrid guard-forward who plays tough defense and can shoot the ball pretty well from anywhere on the court (66 percent from the field, 50 percent from three).

Having players like Hamilton and Williams coming off the bench for your squad is frightening considering how many things they do well.

Williams is currently sandwiched on the depth chart with veterans like Gary Johnson Alexis Wangmene seeing increased roles, but it is likely he will see more playing time once Texas gets in to the meat of its schedule