Texas grabs first 2016 hoops commit under Smart

When Shaka Smart spoke in the past about recruiting and his success at VCU, the Texas head coach always made it a point to emphasize the value he and his staff place on finding players that can shoot the basketball.

"The most important component of our style of play at VCU was shooting by far. When we didn't shoot well, those were hard games to win," he said during a sit-down in May.

So, it's fitting that Smart's first 2016 commitment specializes in just that - shooting. Yates (Houston) combo guard Jacob Young announced his commitment to Texas this evening, and in doing so becomes the first 2016 commitment for the Longhorns. He committed just a few days after his older brother Joseph was drafted in the second round by the Indiana Pacers.

A little while back, Young took an unofficial visit to UT, and while on that visit, Young left thinking he'd soon receive an offer from the Longhorns. Still, when that offer came, it made a significant impact.

"He told me I'm calling you to tell you that you have an offer down here," Young said about what Smart told him on the phone when Texas offered. "My heart… I was so excited. I knew it was coming, but it hit me because Texas … I've liked Texas since I was younger."

That affection for the Longhorns began, surprisingly, on the gridiron instead of the hardwood. A certain Texas legend won Young over in middle school.

"When I was younger, I was a football player. I played running back. I really looked up to Vince Young," responded Young about where his like of Texas came from. "When I got to 9th grade, I decided to be a basketball player. Mainly, I grew up around basketball… my father was a basketball player so it was really like… I was going to be better at basketball than I was football because there was more attention to it. My freshman and sophomore year we went to state and we played in Texas' arena and I loved it there."

Basketball is in Young's blood, and he eventually focused on the hardwood. In addition to his older brother being selected in the recent NBA Draft, his father, Michael, was a member of the Phi Slama Jama at Houston, and played professionally for over a decade. You can see the instincts and the natural ability when Young plays. He has a noticeable feel for the game on both ends of the floor, and plays with a lot of confidence. Yates presses just as much or more than anyone in the country, and pushes tempo as fast as or faster than anyone in the country. In eight games so far on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit this summer, Young drilled 42 three-pointers and scored 30 or more points in four games. He possesses outstanding range, and gets his shot off extremely quick from anywhere.

For years the Texas fan base yearned for more of an outside-shooting presence on the Texas roster. The Longhorns' inability to stretch defenses to the perimeter and extended has been questioned for years, and rightfully so. In Rick Barnes' last four seasons at Texas, the Longhorns ranked in three-point percentage, according to KenPom.com, as follows: 189th, 246th, 292nd, 184th.

Young provides the ability to fit that "sniper" role around the perimeter, especially against zone defenses. In a 2016 recruiting class that will likely include six or maybe even seven prospects, Young appears to be the type of four-year prospect that can play as a combo guard and as a shooting specialist that can open up the offense for everyone around him because he demands attention beyond the three-point line; Young is the kind of player that will keep his defender from moving around to double-team someone else.

Recently, Young was offered by Memphis and already held an offer from Baylor. He was just invited to the Adidas All-American Camp.