With a New Chance Under a New Staff, Ibeh Has a Starring Role

If basketball doesn’t work out after college, Prince Ibeh could see himself as an actor.

“I’ve always wanted to be an actor. It’s been the case for a while now. I’ve never really acted on it, but one of these days I will. I always feel like I look like I was made or TV,” the 6-11 senior said with a big laugh. “I think my role would be goofier than that (Denzel Washington). Definitely in the comedy genre. Tracy Morgan. I could see definitely more of that type. And whatever role I do get, I feel like it’s always going to be available to me. I feel like there’s always a role for a tall seven-foot guy.”

At Texas, there always has been somewhat of a role for the “seven-foot guy,” but never quite the role.

Throughout up-and-down minutes his first three seasons at Texas, Ibeh has always aspired to have more of a role, and to feel more important to his coaching staff and team. Ibeh says he’s never acted on his aspirations to be an actor, but that’s not entirely true. Because right now, in his final season on the 40 Acres, he’s playing a starring role at Texas.

Why? Well, a number of aspects have contributed to Ibeh’s rapid rise, and the talented big showing what he’s always been capable of. Simply knowing that he’s needed to be on the floor a lot helps.

“I would say just a lot of it had to do with me just knowing I’m going to be out there regardless. In the past, I played timid,” he said. “When you think about trying to play mistake-free, that’s when you make the most mistakes and you limit yourself. Rhythm plays a huge part of it. I can’t even begin to explain it… the more you’re out there and the more experience and time you get, you get in the groove of things; everything slows down.”

Right now, everything is slowing down for Ibeh. He went from fouling at an alarmingly high rate as a rotation player off the bench to being able to play deep into the second half without fouling. And he’s gone from a player that never really touched the ball in the low-post on offense to a big man that Texas looks to for offense, and scored the team’s first five points against TCU last Tuesday. Plus, the dominance on defense has remained intact.

“Everybody wants the ball more even if they don’t want to speak up or say it. So kind of what I did… it just starts in practice. If I can show in practice I can make these types of plays, then he (Shaka Smart) said in the game it would be no problem doing the same thing. The biggest thing for me was slowing down and playing at my own pace. Sometimes when I’d touch it, I’d feel like I’d have to rush things and try to seize that one opportunity. Now I’m not worried about it. I’m just letting it come to me.”

After playing arguably his best game as a Longhorn at Kansas (seven points, seven rebounds, seven blocks in a career-high 35 minutes), Ibeh followed that up with what was undoubtedly his best performance in Austin. Against TCU, the senior from Garland finished with a career-high 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked five shots. The performance speaks volumes and fuels his confidence.

However, that’s not why Ibeh doesn’t hesitate to say he’s having the most fun he’s ever had as a Longhorn. Instead, it’s being a genuine piece of a winning team.

“It’s not even the performance. It’s more just feeling more involved in things and being a part of an actual winning process. I think that’s what I’m more enjoying,” he said. “It’s a good feeling to know your teammates are depending on you.”

In that game against TCU, Ibeh earned two standing ovations. The first came when he knocked down back-to-back free throws with ease, which doesn't exactly happen very often, and the second came when Shaka Smart pulled him out during free throws to give him his moment late in the game.

As the 6-11 Texan made his way to the bench, he met a Texas team that was overjoyed. But what was especially poignant was when Ibeh started making his way down the bench and was met by fellow senior big man Cameron Ridley, who stood up and gave his teammate a gigantic hug.

“It means everything,” Ibeh said about that relationship with Ridley, and about that moment. “What really means a lot is that it’s genuine. He’s really happy for me. I’ve been on teams with guys in that situation, he’s doing well and he had to go down, they wouldn’t show that genuine love and care that he showed. So it just helps me. He’s a big support system.”

Obviously, Ibeh wished it wasn’t like this. However, it’s impossible to ignore that Ridley’s broken foot opened the door for Ibeh to act in a role he’s longed for.

“Even though it was a terrible thing that happened, in a way it was still an opportunity for me to be in the spotlight and show what I can do,” he said.

How close are Ridley and Ibeh, and what is that bond like? Stronger than Ibeh, one of the Big 12' best rebounders, pulls down down rebounds. Before Ridley even left the hospital, he called his teammate to give him words of encouragement.

“Yeah, immediately,” responded Ibeh when asked if Ridley reached out to him after the injury. “He called me. We actually live together, but he was still at the hospital getting the news. He told me that he goes against me every day, and he knows what I’m capable of. He encouraged me to show other people.”

Another person that immediately offered encouragement was Ibeh’s head coach Shaka Smart.

“Coach Smart kind of told me about it a first,” said Ibeh about the Ridley injury. “He told me that there’s no other guy in the country [more] perfect for stepping up than me. I could kind of see some down looks in my teammates’ faces because Cam went down and we were getting in the groove of things. I was just thinking about what I needed to do and that I needed to step up. We started off real slow. I kind of just put it on myself to approach things differently.”

Conversations with Smart and Ridley and understanding what was required of him led to Ibeh looking in the mirror, and making it a point to adjust what he was doing. For maybe the first time in his Texas career, the talented 6-11 senior knew for certain his team needed him. His teammates were telling him that, and his coach was telling him that.

“I think I just refocused and I came in with a different intensity and maturity level of approaching it the same way every day," said the senior. "Think before I would kind of just want to turn it on during the game. I had to realize it doesn’t happen like that … The way I’ve felt I’ve been approaching practice and finally getting the results you get in the game it’s kind of a relief and even more of a motivation and work hard the way I have been doing.”

And for the first time in his Texas career, Ibeh knows exactly what’s asked of him, and how he needs to try to play. That interaction with the coaching staff is another enormous factor that’s led to his development as a player.

“I wasn’t getting exactly any kind of correct feedback. I didn’t know what was going on,” said Ibeh about past seasons at Texas. “I didn’t know which way; what style of play I should play with or how I should go about things. Now I’m getting in the basic groove of things. It’s the same thing. I’m not really worried about if I’m touching the ball or whatever. I just focus on what I’m doing well. They kind of just tell me exactly what they require of me and what they depend on me for. It makes it a lot easier.”

So while opportunity and the fact that Ibeh now knows he needs to play well, and often has led to his improvement, so have the relationships built with his new coaching staff.

In addition to receiving those instructions and feedback, Ibeh now has built a strong bond with his head coach.

“I think he’s just been close to me,” the senior said about he and Smart. “I have an extra relationship with him. In the past, I was closer with my assistant coaches. I didn’t talk much with my head coach at all. Just having him close and continually told me he believed in me and expected big things from me. [It’s been a] long time … probably since high school days I would say.”

When Smart first arrived at Texas, it didn’t take long for him to get Ibeh in his corner. At that point in his career, the 6-11, shot-blocking machine didn’t think his hoops situation could be any worse.

“He won me pretty quick, especially coming from the situation I was in it couldn’t have fallen any worse than that. I felt like change would benefit me more than anyone else,” said Ibeh. “Yeah, definitely. It was like a new life; a new breath of air in me.”

That bond is a result of many things, but a chief reason why is that Smart has been aware of what Ibeh has asked, and has been able to connect with him in a way no one has before.

“I think maybe as much as anybody he’s benefited from Shaka,” Texas assistant coach Darrin Horn said about Ibeh. “Because there is a, ‘Hey you can do it. That’s what it looks like. You’re going to go do it again.’ Shaka is so great at stuff like this – when we really need Prince to get low and established, he’ll say, ‘Hey I’m telling you man when you get that low, nobody in the country is a better interior defender than you. If you get low, you might be best big in the country.’ Instead of just saying, ‘Hey, get your ass down.’ Coach just has a rare ability to of connect with these guys.”

What’s allowed Ibeh to thrive under this Texas coaching staff is that he decided he was going to do what was asked of him, and the Texas coaches have been men of their words.

“I think most of it is on him with him deciding, ‘Hey this is a new opportunity and a new voice. I’m going to do what these guys ask me to do.’ I think the biggest thing is just the connection with coach Smart and the way coach has dealt with him,” stated Horn. “Prince was a guy that was pretty to the point in terms of, ‘Hey look, I’d like to be coached in a way where I’m being taught and talked to. I want to do it right I want to go carry it out.’ That’s been honored. There are the days we’ve challenged and gone after him and he’s responded. I think the biggest part is Shaka has honored that with him, connected with him and him (Ibeh) showing up every day. A big focus with me for him you have to do it every day, man."

A lot of programs don’t designate individual position coaches. At Texas, that’s not the case. Horn works with the big men each day, and he’s also been instrumental in Ibeh’s rise as a player.

“Coach Horn is great. He’s real genuine. He’s always going to give it to you the complete real way 100-percent if you want to hear it or not,” Ibeh stated. “I think that’s really helped me a lot because at times I haven’t given my best effort. If he would have relaxed and let me off the hook a little bit, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.”

Horn might look like he never gets high or low on the sidelines during games, but Ibeh says not to let that fool you.

“Oh, definitely. I think that’s a little bit more for the cameras. He’s kind of too cool at times. That’s not his personality,” said Ibeh with a chuckle. “He’s more rowdy than that. He’s borderline crazy at times. Some days even when I think I’m going hard, he’ll have a random outburst and kind of go after me. That gets me to re-focus on things. He doesn’t let anyone take days off.”

The connection the coaches have with Ibeh starts with Smart, and, like the big man said, Horn isn’t afraid to challenge him because they know they’ve kept their promise.

“I think it all starts with an extension of coach Smart. He (Ibeh) knows we believe in him and are giving him a fair, honest clean slate to start. I think that was the foundation. Again, until some trust was built with both coach and me it’s been kind of a, ‘Hey man, we did our part … you’re not playing hard today.’ It’s been a little bit more of that. I think the other thing to and Shaka is great at this we’ve been really cognizant on when he does get it right that’s what we’re talking about.”

Lately, Ibeh is doing a lot right, which goes beyond the impressive box scores, and starts in practice. Those low-post moves, like facing up and making a quick move, that Ibeh is showing more recently? Texas works on those.

“I think I’ve always been able to do it, but he encouraged to want to do it and encouraged me to do something I was good at doing,” Ibeh said about his coaches and his ability to score in the low-post. “With the encouragement, I wanted to work on it more and more.”

The “plus” sign Smart marks on his hand each game is a representation to remain positive even when facing mistakes and poor play, and it’s something that Texas players are starting to use on their hands also.

“I think it shows more when we make mistakes. He stays positive. In the past, guys made mistakes and would shy away. More mistakes would build upon that. The best thing is to remain positive and erase that. It took a while, actually. Early on even though we would practice it and do it guys were still going out there kind of timid and afraid to mess up, and we weren’t showing what we were practicing. Eventually, we took it upon ourselves to lift each other up and that’s where we’re at now. It’s a completely new identity. Positivity, encouragement, enthusiasm, that’s one of our big cores here. So the guys put it on their hands to remind them that everything isn’t going to go their way in the games.”

Keeping Ibeh on his feet instead of challenging pump-fakes unnecessarily and fouling? Texas works on that. Adjusting his defense against ball-screens around the perimeter to avoid unnecessary fouls? Texas works on that.

“I think the biggest thing is the guy has showed up and worked really hard every day,” Horn said about Ibeh. “I think that starts with Shaka and his ability to connect with those guys. His belief in them. I think that’s really big. I think he’s just shown up and done what coach has asked him to do. I think one of the big things we’ve done is here’s the core things coach wants us to be good at as bigs and where do you need to get better? We’ve coached not fouling. We’ve shown it on film. Bigger focus on his part. Even a little bit before Cam went down some things were starting to click. I think the urgency of knowing I’ve got to. When you think about it, all he’s down is stay on the floor [more]. He’s kept himself on the floor. He knew the minute he left his feet on a shot fake form Devin Williams (against West Virginia) he knew he was going catch it [from us]. He knew right away. That’s where I think a player can start going down the road of, ‘I think I finally have it.’ All those things he’s doing we’ve taken and emphasized.”

Lately, Ibeh has been more vocal than ever at Texas. When he throws down a monstrous dunk or volleyball-swats a floater, those in the stadium can hear his roar. He’s been encouraged to let that out.

“Yes, early on coach Smart would always tell me that I’m the most impactful guy on this team,” responded Ibeh when asked if he’s been more vocal now than ever. “I never really understood what he meant, but he was talking about the way the other guys respond to me and my emotion. I’ve noticed games where I come in with high emotion, high energy, it kind of [rubs off on] everyone around me. Definitely been more vocal this year. Especially being a senior I want to more of a leader.”

Even when he didn’t have the success or role he does now, Ibeh has been viewed by teammates as sort of a “big dog” around the locker room, and has an engaging, infectious personality that makes him someone teammates want to be around and can gravitate to.

“It’s funny he’s actually a lot more talkative that people think. Great personality. Really intelligent. A little bit of an instigator with some stuff messing with guys and throwing some stuff out and giving guys a hard time. He’s been really good that way. I wouldn’t say he’s outgoing, but he’s more so … one of the things that I’ve really appreciated is he really has been good in terms of if you say, ‘Hey this is what we need.' He’s said, ‘Okay’ and focused on it and done it. The response of that and having success … the free throw thing was coming because to his credit he shoots before and after practice. He’s spent a ton of time on it. He knew he could make free throws.”

That personality, improvement, and a role contributing as a member of an impressive frontcourt makes basketball enjoyable for all parties involved.

“It’s been a ton of fun. Anything I do is an extension of coach (Smart). They’re great kids. They’ve done everything we’ve asked them,” Horn said. “When we’ve had to challenge them, they’ve responded. They’ve taken a real sense of pride in development and understanding how important it is to have big guys that make an impact.”

For the first time in his career, Ibeh is acting in a prominent role at Texas, and one he’s always felt capable of fulfilling. He’s playing his best basketball as a Longhorn, and enjoying basketball more than ever. And in the process of his development as a player and person, he’s emerged as an integral piece of a Texas team that values its frontcourt, and highlights its strength. What does that say about Smart?

“I think it’s bad news for the haters,” Horn, who believes Ibeh can be a NBA player, said. “The guy can flat out coach. I think because of his background and because of how much he values it there’s a lot of emphasis on how he connects and relationships. You can’t divorce that. The bottom line is the dude can flat out coach. He can develop. He can teach. He can plan. He can adjust in games. When he gets a roster of really good bigs, he’s going to use them, he’s going to play through them and develop them. To be honest, I’m not sure why it’s coming as a surprise.”

As for Ibeh, his role isn't over yet. When Texas fans go to review his career after the final credits hit the big screen, he wants to be remembered.

"I just want them to remember me as a winner and a guy that went out there and gave it his best every night… If we progress every day, there’s no telling what we could do [this season].