D.J. Augustin and Former Texas Longhorn Basketball Stars: Where Are They Now?
Over the past few seasons of Rick Barnes' tenure, several Texas Longhorns have come to Austin, only to leave just as quickly for the greener pastures of the NBA.
While everyone is obviously aware of the exploits of NBA MVP candidate and former Longhorn Kevin Durant, Texas fans may not be as aware of what guys like A.J. Abrams, D.J. Augustin, Damion James, Avery Bradley, Dexter Pittman and Connor Atchley are doing these days.
Let's take a minute to catch up with each.
D.J. Augustin
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D.J. Augustin was undoubtedly the best point guard to step foot in the Frank Erwin Center, other than T.J. Ford who preceded him.
There was little doubt with his arrival from New Orleans as a freshman that Augustin would be one of the best players in the country and would likely be a one-and-done to depart for the NBA after one season.
This turned out to be exactly the case.
Augustin's ability to make his teammates better with the extra pass and also score at will made him the ninth overall pick of the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2008 NBA Draft.
D.J. currently is the starting point guard for the Bobcats, and is enjoying the best season of his young NBA career, averaging 13.9 points per game and six assists per game.
A.J. Abrams
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A.J. Abrams, a Round Rock, Texas native, and four-year letterman for the Texas Longhorns, was one of the purest scorers the school has seen on the hardwood.
Over four years of competition, Abrams averaged close to 14 points per game and led the team to several wins due to his expert three-point shooting.
Abrams still holds the record for the most three-pointers made in Big 12 history with a total of 389 over his four seasons.
The knocks on A.J. Abrams entering the 2009 NBA Draft were both his size and one-dimensional nature as a scorer, both of which evidently were large enough concerns for NBA executives and general managers.
These concerns led to Abrams going undrafted and bouncing around the summer league circuit over the next few seasons. He most recently landed with the New Jersey Nets summer league team in 2010.
Option to play in Europe, Abrams currently is the starting point guard for Scaligera Basket Verona of the Italian League where he is averaging 17.4 points per game in the 2011 season.
Damion James
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One of the toughest and hardest working players Texas has seen in some time, Damion James established himself as the heart of the Longhorn basketball program over the past few seasons.
A fan favorite, James always went the extra mile in grabbing the tough rebound, blocking a timely shot, finishing on the break or coming up with the clutch jumper.
James finished his stellar Texas career as the Big 12's all-time leading rebounder and was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the 24th pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, eventually landing with the New Jersey Nets when his rights were traded on draft day.
James currently averages 3.1 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game as he settles into his role in the NBA.
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Avery Bradley
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The first player to open the recruiting door to Findlay Prep for Rick Barnes, helping with the recruitment of current Longhorn freshmen phenoms Corey Joseph and Tristan Thompson, Avery Bradley was one of the most heralded recruits of the past few years to arrive in Austin.
The general consensus was that Bradley was the top high school point guard to enter college for the 2009-2010 season, and he showed flashes of this brilliance, averaging 11.6 points per game in his single season on the Forty Acres.
To many peoples' surprise, including Rick Barnes, Bradley declared himself eligible for the 2010 NBA Draft and was selected with the 19th pick by the Boston Celtics.
He is currently averaging less than one point and one assist per game in limited action for the Celtics.
Dexter Pittman
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One of the most imposing big men in recent Texas Longhorns history, Dexter Pittman arrived in Austin from Rosenberg Terry high school in Texas weighing almost 400 pounds and standing close to seven feet tall.
The first two seasons for Pittman were full of conditioning to lose weight and slim down, and he saw very little action on the hardwood.
A svelter version of Big Dex took the court for his junior season and put up respectable numbers of 10.5 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game, on his way to becoming one of the stronger inside forces in the Big XII.
As a senior, Pittman finished with similar numbers and was drafted with the 32nd pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat.
Dexter has spent his short time in pro basketball bouncing back and forth between Miami and the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA's Developmental League, and has yet to see any regular season action with the Heat.
Connor Atchley
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Connor Atchley spent his time at Texas as one of the most confounding players in recent Longhorns history. His ability to hit the three and run the court as a big guy often allowed Atchley to have some big scoring games and look like an NBA-caliber player.
At other times, his tendency to buckle against physically stronger opponents and shoot himself into a lack of confidence were a detriment to his production.
Atchley finished his senior season with Texas averaging barely over four points per game and three rebounds per game and went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft.
After bouncing around several summer league squads, Atchley appears to have a semi-permanent home with the Iowa Energy of the NBDL, for whom he is currently averaging 6.3 points and around one rebound per game.
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