At Big 12 Media Day, the Longhorns were represented by the possible No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, a second-year guard and former McDonald’s All-American that tested the NBA Draft waters last offseason, and a forward that sat out last season after transferring from Tulane.
You could make the case - some around the Texas program do - that the last one of that trio is the most important player for the Longhorns.
Dylan Osetkowski might be overlooked by some, especially those that view Texas Basketball from the Big 12 or national perspective. But that’s the way he likes it.
“Every day. Every day. And I love that,” responded Osetkowski when asked if he feels like he’s overlooked and has something to prove. “I walk around here (Big 12 Media Day) today looking at dudes like they don’t know who I am, and I’m completely fine with that because once conference comes, they’ll know who I am. I’m going to out there with a chip on my shoulder, some grit, some toughness, and be that dude I’ve always wanted to play like, always liked watching play.”
Soon, those who don’t know much about Osetkowski will know what the Longhorns have been excited about for over a year. Those around the Texas program have spoken glowingly about Osetkowski since he began working out as a Longhorn. How good was he in practice? Mohamed Bamba stated playing with Osetkowski is one of the main reasons he picked Texas. Shaka Smart has referred to him as the offensive’s main engine, and make no mistake, the ball will run through him and Bamba. Smart can’t hide his excitement when discussing his frontcourt duo.
“He and Dylan have a real mutual respect… those guys, they could be really good together,” said Smart, who has stated he doesn’t play Bamba and Osetkowski together often in practice because it’s unfair. “They could be, as a tandem playing off each other, terrific. They’re not threatened by one another, so that’s a good thing.”
It’s no secret that Texas needs Osetkowski to make a substantial impact, and bring the most out of Bamba and the Longhorns. How does the redshirt junior from San Diego, California do that? A few ways, and one of them is to add much-needed toughness and leadership to the program.
Texas has Osetkowski’s older brother to thank for his toughness and daily chip-on-the-shoulder luggage. Cory Osetkowski set the school record at Columbia for games played, but before that, he challenged little brother until little brother had enough.
“I would say… probably my brother. Growing up, he was always three years older than me, so he was always taller, bigger, stronger. He would always kick my ass in whatever we were doing. If we were playing basketball, baseball, he was always better. Notice how I said, ‘was.’ So, it got to a point in time when not when I had to play dirty but I had to try to outmuscle him, play tougher,” Osetkowski recalled when asked where his toughness comes from. “Getting constantly beat up by my older brother gave me an edge, toughness, whatever you want to call it to realize I don’t want this to keep happening. And then in high school I always felt like I was a underrecruited, overlooked, better than the person I was going against.”
It wasn’t a surprise to see Osetkowski right in the middle of a skirmish that broke out during Texas’s exhibition win over Texas A&M. That’s who he is. That’s who he’s going to be. The Longhorns need every bit of that edge, and want to ensure he wakes up and believes he’s the toughness component to the team. In order to facilitate that, Smart came to Osetkowski one day with a message: here is your mantra; learn it, shout it, live it, love it.
“So, when coach Smart originally, I don’t know where it came from, but he came up to me one day and he’s like, ‘D.O., I want you to say this 10 times a day.’ I was like, ‘Alright, coach, sure, I got you,’ and kind of brushed it off. But a few days later he’s like, ‘D.O., say this.’ And I was like, ‘Nah, I’m good, coach, don’t worry about it I’ll do it.’ So, it took me a few weeks to finally be like, ‘Alright, coach I’ll buy in. I’ll do it.’ Over time, got it going in my head, started to believe it,” said Osetkowski about his mantra.
Smart didn’t stop at having Osetkowski look in the mirror and shout it to himself, or begin practices by screaming it at the top of his lungs. He needs his guy to believe he is indeed the baddest, toughest dude on the court (which is the definition of his mantra, but we can't publish what it is). The real test came when Smart called his junior forward into his office, and there stood one of the best actors on the planet.
“A little while back, Matthew McConaughey came to the gym, and so coach Smart and McConaughey are up in his office in the gym talking and I’m getting some shots up before practice, and coach Smart calls me over. He’s like, ‘Why don’t you tell your mantra to Matt’s face.’ I’m kind of looking at him like this is a big-time actor I’m a little star-struck. I’m like, ‘Now?’ I composed myself, and screamed it in his face, and he loved it,” said Osetkoswki.
After yelling his mantra, Osetkowski had a conversation with McConaughey that he’ll forever remember. The two remain in touch today.
“There’s a lot of takeaways, but I think the biggest was just being in the moment and not worrying about a game two days down the road, or what happened the previous day. Just being in the moment and enjoying what you’re doing; have a passion for what you’re doing. If you fail, focus on how you’re going to respond. Don’t focus on the failure. He had a lot of wise words. He texted me wishing me good luck in the season and to continue to yell my mantra and be at a high-level mentally.”
The California native continued.
“He said a lot about, obviously a big part of acting is that mental side, but the way he related acting to basketball and the mindset you have to have was pretty high-level. A lot of people come and talk to us, and I’ve heard a lot of different people talk but he was one of the more genuine, real, people that was actually able to get to me, and I was able to really take a step back and say, ‘Wow, he’s really speaking some real stuff.”
The famous actor, who has some pretty good experience playing different roles including a somewhat crazy guy that beats his chest, reinforced the verbal hammer Smart has been hitting his junior forward over the head with: embrace your role.
“We had a good talk for about 30 minutes talking to me about embracing that and truly believing it. I told him it took me some time to start saying that, start to believe it. I have embraced being that tough dude, kind of crazy dude,” stated Osetkowski. “I love that. That’s who I’ve become.”
Osetkowski wasn’t always in this role, or in this place mentally, though. Sitting out last season, due to NCAA transfer rules, wasn’t easy. Watching the Longhorns struggle was tougher.
“Sitting out was tough to say the least. I didn’t really… I didn’t really know what to think of coming in what it would entail, how I’d feel, and after that Orange-White game, leading up to it I was kind of like going through it like, ‘Okay, play that Orange-White game, something to look forward to.’ And after that it kind of hit me that I won’t be playing this year. And there was like a month, two months where I was like messed up mentally,” recalled Osetkowski about how he felt around October of last year. “I was just not doing well in school, on the court, and just in constant talks with coach Smart, coach (Mike) Morrell, coach (Darrin) Horn not focusing about that particular year, but the upcoming year (2017-18) and just taking advantage of what I had.”
What Osetkowski had was a chance to go head-to-head with a future first-round pick every day. Once that resonated, Osetkowski’s path came into focus, and he began to excel.
“Jarrett Allen being there last year just gave me an opportunity to get better at a whole other level than I could have probably anywhere else because Jarrett is a one-of-a-kind player,” the 6-9 forward said. “And just being able to get better every day, and feeding off of him really helped.”
Practicing against a great player wasn’t the only chance Osetkowski had to learn, though. He watched a team struggle on the floor and finish 11-22. He watched a team that lacked an on-court voice. He watched a team that didn’t really grasp how to be a team on and off the court.
“Team-wise, it was hard… I wouldn’t say guys… I think guys didn’t fully understand what it was to be a team,” said Osetkowski about what it was like to watch last year’s team. “Guys were kind of just out there playing basketball. Coach Smart always talks about caring for one another, about loving each other and playing for each other. That’s what was really missing. Sitting out, I really felt like I would have been able to bring a level of ‘teamship’ to the team in games. I think missing that last year, that’s been a big emphasis this year – playing for each other not for yourself; getting out of your comfort zone to help your buddy.”
What the Tulane transfer has seen this offseason is a different team in those areas.
“It’s been a complete flip of culture, ‘teamship,’ whatever it is, you can tell guys really care about each other and are having fun playing the game, loving playing for each other. Last year, there was something missing and I think that’s at a high level this year,” he said.
This offseason, Smart and his staff have spent more time than ever developing the culture of the program, and an integral part of that is developing a program that wants to put in the extra work together.
“Dudes are always hanging out off the court a lot more than last year. Coming into workouts, that’s something coach Smart has definitely tried to enhance – come into the gym with someone else not just yourself,” stated Osetkowski. “Mo and I have texted, ‘let’s get in the gym.’ Matt Coleman is always in the gym. Drew (Andrew Jones) is always in the gym trying to get other people there. Once you see one guy in there, you want to get in there with him. It’s a mindset. Everyone has been good about getting in the gym and actually being a team rather than doing your own thing.”
Speaking of mindsets, Osetkowski is anxious to bring his to actual games where he believes he can be a player his teammates look to when a situation becomes difficult. After all, he watched last year as Texas players looked at each other for answers no one provided.
“Personally, being someone that can kind of calm the situation down, being one of the main leaders of the team providing a voice and a presence that calms the guys down, lets them know we’re still in this. Everybody has taken huge steps mentally and there will be games where the team goes on an 8-0 run or whatever it is but rather than last year we actually have the mental toughness to respond to that,” he stated. “Mental toughness to actually respond to another team’s run. That wasn’t something we had last year.”
When last season ended, Osetkowski was prepared to play as big of role as possible in 2017-18’s possible turnaround, and his preparation extended beyond getting extra shots up.
“It was probably the first or second day after the end of the season last year that me and coach Smart met and started talking about this year. On a personal level, talking about this is your year to play, go make it happen this is what you’ve been waiting for. On a team and program level, we kind of told ourselves this isn’t going to happen again,” said Osetkowski, referencing the 11-22 season. “We’re going to make sure, whatever it is, whether everyone else on the team hates us in the fact that we’re trying to be perfect, do everything at such a high level. But coach Smart was insistent on me and him being connected about making sure that doesn’t happen again and making sure we have the season we want to have.”
At that meeting, Osetkowski arrived with research. He didn’t just want to be plugged into the four spot and shoot, dribble, or pass. The situation begged for more from the California native, and he knew it.
“He had a bunch of notes on leadership, and he brought that to me and we met, talked about what he can do,” Texas’s head coach said about Osetkowski immediately after last season. “He was really interested in, ‘Coach, what can I do?’ It was very frustrating for him because he was a huge part of our practices, maybe the most effective player on our team in practice, him and Jarrett, but man, he’s not able to affect the team. I’m not even talking through points and rebounds. I’m talking about through leadership. So, he came to me with that, and that was a really good sign.”
Another good sign for Texas? Smart hasn’t shied away from projecting a significant impact Osetkowski can make for the team, specifically on offense. In fact, the head coach has given his junior forward as much freedom as a forward can get.
“Coach Smart has given me a green light to, obviously under control, but showcase my ability to do what I can, which is a little bit of everything. Grab a rebound and push the break, start transition; catch the ball at the high post, go make a play for someone else; being somebody that the offense can run through, and not only get myself a bucket but the offense to run through me so I can get everybody else a bucket. Guys know once the ball comes to me if it’s not a great shot, someone is going to get an even better shot. Since last year, I’ve been in the gym working on my game as much as I can to feel fluid and comfortable everywhere on the floor."
A unique combination of skill and terrific hoops IQ, Osetkoswki feels he’ll be able to unleash his full repertoire this season thanks to Smart’s confidence in him.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve had a unique skill set where I can kind of do a little bit of everything. Not to say I was limited at Tulane, but I wasn’t able to showcase it to the best of my ability, and coach Smart has given me ultimate freedom,” the junior forward stated. “And it takes a lot to say, ‘D.O., go bring the ball up in transition, go make a smart play off the dribble and get someone else an open shot.’ He has a lot of confidence in me and I have a lot of confidence in myself, and I’m glad I’m able to play freely and just play basketball.”
Any talented player can just play basketball, though. Smart, at every turn, has emphasized how important culture and chemistry are, and specifically to the success of the 2017-18 Longhorns. If those two things are right, Smart expects his team to make a big jump this season. And if they’re going to be right, Osetkowski is going to be a big part of it.
“I’d say the leadership aspect. We didn’t really have a guy last year… I think having someone that’s actually playing that has that voice, obviously on and off the court, but on the court really focusing on the details and not letting the little things go,” responded Osetkowski when asked how he makes sure 11-22, or anything similar, doesn’t happen again. “Whether it’s being a step late, trying to be perfect in everything we do. Trying to be nitpicky because a game will come down to a possession or two. We don’t want to look back and say, dang if we could take that possession back we could have won the game. We’re trying to, right now especially, be as perfect as we can. Coach Smart is on us daily. All the coaches are – about getting the details right and being a team that doesn’t go 11-22.”
So far, so good.
“We are so much better than we were last year,” stated Osetkowski. “I think we’re eager to show ourselves we’re so much better, and prove to ourselves that we are a team that’s a tournament team and looking to go far in the tournament. Forget everyone else.”
Texas is eager for you to meet Osetkowski and the chip on his shoulder because if the Longhorns are going to be the team they think they can be, he’ll be starring in his role.
