Darrin Horn has been elevated to Men’s Basketball Associate Head Coach at The University of Texas, head coach Shaka Smart announced Monday. Horn has served as an assistant coach for the Longhorns during the previous three seasons.
“Darrin is an extremely valuable member of our coaching staff,” Smart said. “He continues to impact our program in a variety of ways, from recruiting to skill development to game planning. I’m grateful to have such a dependable and experienced voice to rely on.”
During his first three years as an assistant coach for the Longhorns, Horn has had primary responsibility for the development of the Texas frontcourt players. Under his guidance, Mohamed Bamba (No. 6 pick in 2018, Orlando Magic) and Jarrett Allen (No. 22 pick in 2017, Brooklyn Nets) made significant improvement during their respective freshman seasons and were NBA Draft first-round selections.
In Horn’s first season at Texas (2015-16), the Longhorns posted a 20-13 overall record (11-7, tie for fourth in Big 12 Conference). UT advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed before falling to Northern Iowa (75-72) on a half-court shot at the buzzer. Despite the midseason loss of senior center Cameron Ridley (fractured his left foot on Dec. 27), who led the team in rebounding (10.0 rpg) and blocks (3.4 bpg) and ranked second in scoring (12.7 ppg) at the time of his injury, the Longhorns set a school single-season record with four regular-season wins against AP Top 10 opponents (No. 3 North Carolina, at No. 6 West Virginia, No. 10 West Virginia and No. 3 Oklahoma). Horn also helped senior center Prince Ibeh develop into the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
In its first full recruiting cycle in Austin, the Texas coaching staff pulled in a four-man freshman group that ranked as the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation by Scout. The class was highlighted by Allen and Andrew Jones, who both competed in the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game. This marked just the fourth time in program history that the Longhorns had at least two McDonald’s All-Americans in the same year.
The 2016-17 season was highlighted by the staff’s development of Allen, who earned All-Big 12 Conference Third Team and Big 12 All-Newcomer Team accolades. He also claimed a spot on the 10-person USBWA All-District VII Team and the five-person NABC All-District 8 Second Team. Allen led the team in rebounding (8.4 rpg), blocks (51) and minutes (32.1 mpg) and ranked second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg). He made dramatic improvement during the second half of the year, averaging a team-best 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in Big 12 play while registering eight double-doubles.
During its second recruiting cycle, the UT staff signed a five-man freshman class that ranked as the No. 5 recruiting class in the country by Rivals. The class was highlighted by Bamba and Matt Coleman, who both competed in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic.
In the 2017-18 season, the Longhorns registered a 19-15 overall record. Despite battling several key injuries and illnesses and playing a seven-man rotation that featured four freshmen during the majority of February and March, UT advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed. Texas posted five wins against AP Top 25 opponents and recorded four consecutive home wins against AP Top 20 opponents to end the regular season (No. 16 TCU, No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 20 West Virginia).
Bamba earned honorable mention All-America honors by The Associated Press and claimed a spot on the John R. Wooden Award National Ballot. One of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, he was named to the five-person NABC All-District 8 First Team and the 12-person USBWA All-District VII Team. He also earned recognition on the All-Big 12 Conference Second Team, the Big 12 All-Defensive Team and the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. Bamba led the Big 12 Conference in double-doubles (15), rebounding (10.5 rpg) and blocked shots (111, 3.70 bpg). He ranked second nationally in blocks per game and 12th in rebounds per0 game. Bamba set the UT overall season record for blocks (111, previous was 92 by Chris Owens in 2000-01).
Bamba became the eighth lottery pick in the NBA Draft in UT program history. He was UT’s highest draft selection since Tristan Thompson went at No. 4 in 2011 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bamba also was UT’s first lottery pick since Myles Turner in 2015 (No. 11 pick by the Indiana Pacers).
Horn also played a significant role in the development of forward Dylan Osetkowski, who earned recognition on the 2017-18 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention team.
In the 2018 recruiting cycle, UT’s five-man freshman class ranked as the No. 8 recruiting class in the country by ESPN and 247Sports.
https://texassports.com/news/2018/7/23/horn-promoted-to-mens-basketball-associate-head-coach.aspx
