By JEREMY FUCHS
NEW YORK — There was a time when Texas freshman forward Myles Turner was the No. 2 recruit in the country.
Now? It’s tough to find him in the maze of big-name freshmen dominating the college hoops scene.
Turner had been the second-best recruit in the country, according to ESPN.com, behind only Jahlil Okafor of Duke, and ahead of Kentucky forward Karl-Anthony Towns and Kansas forward Cliff Alexander.
But a few games into the college season and Turner has disappeared into oblivion. That comes even though he is the best recruit to walk through Austin since his hero Kevin Durant. That comes even though he scored 15 points in his debut.
Maybe it’s because his debut was against North Dakota State. Against a solid Iowa team at the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Turner struggled in Texas’ 71-57 win. He scored only five points with five rebounds and zero blocks in 18 minutes of action, and got lost a few times on defense. He let star Iowa forward Aaron White, who scored 23 points, behind him for an alley-oop, and got boxed out at halfcourt, leading to a Jarrod Uthoff steal and slam.
“I don’t feel like I necessarily struggled,” the 6-foot-11 Turner told SNY.tv. “I just wasn’t as assertive as I was the first couple of games. I want to improve on getting to the glass better. Going forward, [I want to] have a more defined role in the offense.”
Turner’s impact on the game was negligible, and Iowa was able to shut him down.
“He’s a young kid, but you can tell he’s got talent,” White said. “I don’t think we did anything in particular to lock in on him. We just walled in on defense, kept him in front of us. A big part of his impact is off the glass, and helpside blocks, using his athleticism and length. With a player like that, just have to keep engaged and try to outwork him.”
Despite his 240-pound frame, Turner is best suited as a perimeter player. Texas played him a lot on the outside, with junior center Prince Ibeh getting the work down low.
The big Iowa front court was able to manhandle Turner all game. White, at 6-9, has tremendous offensive skill. Uthoff, also 6-9, has great athleticism. And Adam Woodbury, a 7-1 center, is a load in the post. Turner had no answer.
“Turner’s athletic, can step out a little bit,” Woodbury said. “I felt I held my own. I feel happy about the way I played. I can hold my head high after this game. It’s just another game for me.”
Despite the obvious talent, there are some concerns about his ability to stay healthy.
“Myles Turner, first of all, is a human injury,” New York City-based talent evaluator Tom Konchalski told SNY.tv in April. “He’s hurt all the time and that’s a function of his having to get stronger and really work on his body. He’s a long way away physically from being able to play in the NBA. I think he has tremendous potential, but he has a long way away physically.”
There is a reason that Turner was rated so highly in the recruiting process. His jumper is silky, his vision outstanding. He plays a similar game to Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, a stretch four who can run the floor.
On defense, though, Turner has work to do, despite his size. He lost his man a few times and got out-battled for rebounds.
“I want to improve on getting to the glass better,” Turner said. “Only think I had five boards, [want to] grab a little bit more.”
Turner is projected as the No. 14 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com. He’s now the seventh big expected to be drafted behind Okafor, Towns, Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis, Alexander, Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein and Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell.
Turner improved a bit in the second half along with his Texas teammates, changing the direction of a shot early on, battling for a rebound down low and showed some smooth moves in the post.
Still, he was vastly outplayed by White and his Texas teammate Jonathan Holmes. Holmes, a 6-8 senior, scored 19, including 11 points in the first two minutes of the second half. Ibeh and junior center Cameron Ridley were both more impactful on defense with two blocks each.
Not all freshmen dominate at the beginning like Okafor.
Texas coach Rick Barnes acknowledged that.
“A little jumpy,” Barnes said of Turner’s performance. “You would expect it from Myles. I thought he went in, and he’s going to continue to learn some things, the physicality of it, the quickness of the game. Overall, I think each game he’s going to get more and more comfortable.”
Asked about the high-profile freshmen bigs in the country, Turner said he only checks up on them occasionally.
“Sometimes, but I don’t really pay much attention to it,” Turner said. “I compare sometimes, just to measure my progress. But I don’t look at it in the sense of who’s better.”
With Okafor dominating at Duke, and Emmanuel Mudiay playing well in China, Turner might benefit from another year in Austin to improve his game before hitting the pros.
“It’s only the beginning,” Turner said. “It’s only three games. I’m concerned about this team winning. I’m not worried about myself.”
