The University of Texas men’s basketball program has never had a coach quite like Abe Lemons….or fielded a team that was quite as good as this 1978 Longhorn team featuring G Johnny Moore, G Jim Krivacs, G/F Ron Baxter, F Tyrone Branyon and C Gary Goodner…cuz Abe was an old school coach who coached his starting five….and let his assistant Coach Barry Dowd coach the rest of the team….as Bone Daddy watched many of the Horns practices in 1978.
According to Bone Daddy….Abe had a brilliant basketball mind…..who was equally adept at being “a sly ole fox” ….who disguised himself as a wonderful comedian….cuz dang he could make folks laugh….all the while he is deflecting away from his true talent of being a crafty and cunning basketball master….and this “bunch of 5” at The University of Texas in Austin in 1978….played like their Coach….and a perfect extension of Abe.
Bone Daddy describes Abe’s starting five in 1978 like this….Moore, Krivacs, Baxter, Branyon and Goodner were an extremely cohesive group….who knew their job description very well….while performing with speed, quickness, “dead eye” sharpshooters (Krivacs, Branyon, Baxter and Moore)….lock-down match-up zone defense….outstanding at driving the lanes (Moore, Krivacs, Branyon and Baxter)….really good offensive rebounding (Goodner, Baxter, Branyon and Moore)….as each and every one of Abe’s starting five were also “crafty and cunning”…. cuz when you add those elements in one team’s game….you’ve got “the banana split sundae” of college basketball….and when you squirt a healthy dose of competitive spirit all over the team….it is like the whipped cream and cherry on top. These guys were really good and unique in their chemistry.,,,which makes them well worth watching by any fan who love the hoops.
