Denny Medley-US Presswire
Texas sophomore point guard Myck Kabongo was unavailable to the media on the Longhorns first day with press availability. Kabongo was held out due to an ongoing investigation by the NCAA regarding his relationship with his professional agent.
The preseason all Big-12 member was held out of the teams scrimmage against Davidson and will also not be allowed to play in the teams’ final scrimmage against Gonzaga.
Rick Barnes is not worried about the situation saying “it is what it is” and he also feels his team is prepared to play with out Kabongo when the team starts their season against Fresno State.
Kabongo will be a big loss if ruled ineligible by the NCAA. As a freshman he started every single game for the Longhorns and averaged just under 10 points a game along with 5.2 assists per game which was fourth in the Big 12. Kabongo is also a great defender, recording 38 steals last season which was second best on the team.
Even as a sophomore, Kabongo is considered to be a leader for this years Longhorn team. Causing all this stirrup and commotion around the Longhorn program, he isn’t setting a good example for the players around him.
Barnes feels he has developed enough talent to fill in for Kabongo during his absence. Kabongo’s most likely replacement is freshman, Javan Felix. In the Longhorns first scrimmage, Felix only managed to put up a team high 24 points.
Many people compare Javan Felix to the former Longhorn star, D.J. Augustine.
Felix has come out and said that he is prepared to replace Kabongo if he is indeed ruled ineligible. Barnes said that Felix has been prepared since day 1, when hearing about Kabongo’s news.
Kabongo and Felix haven’t talked about the whole situation, but both are confident in each others ability to get the job done.
If Kabongo is ruled ineligible by the NCAA, Texas will be faced with an uphill challenge, but Rick Barnes believes his team is prepared to climb it.
