Austin, Texas ? If A.J. Abrams were an old-time gunfighter, he’d probably be known as the fastest draw in the West.
Seeing as he’s really a guard playing for Texas in the NCAA Tournament, how about fastest in the South regional?
Abrams’ catch-and-release can produce a three-pointer in the blink of an eye, and when his shots are falling – as they were in the first two rounds – the Longhorns pile up points about that quickly.
Texas’ career leader in three-pointers with 277, Abrams connected on 12 and averaged 26 points as No. 2 seed Texas beat Austin Peay and Miami in the first two rounds. The Longhorns (30-6) play No. 3 Stanford (28-7) tonight in Houston.
A wispy 5-foot-11 and 155 pounds, Abrams’ job is to constantly be on the move, bobbing and weaving his way through defenses to find open space or cut behind screens. When he catches the ball, defenders have almost no time to recover before it’s on the way to the basket.
“He’s so clever, so evasive, when he starts moving … He doesn’t need much separation,” Texas coach Rick Barnes said. “A.J. is as smart as any player we’ve ever coached.”
The quick release is born of necessity and long hours spent training with his father Andy, who at 6-foot-4 was a bodyguard for former Texas governors George W. Bush and Ann Richards.
Abrams needed the quick release to prevent bigger players from blocking his shot. The soft arc it takes to the basket is the result of hours of shooting over a cardboard box his father attached to a broom handle to block his view of the rim.
“I’m usually guarded by bigger guys,” Abrams said.
Abrams set a Big 12 record with 120 three-pointers last season and has connected on 111 so far this season.
