Greater than his parts: an engineer couldn't design a better point guard than Texas'

Sporting News, The, March 10, 2003 by Kyle Veltrop

Terrance Jerod Ford has gone by "T.J." since his mom, Mary, started calling him that right after his birth. But it's just as likely these days that he'll get referred to by other initials--"Why, that little S.O.B...."--by opposing players and coaches who try to douse this flicker of fire, the one who plays with a steady stream of smoke drifting off his jersey, trimmed appropriately in burnt orange.

Texans love big things, and most of the Longhorns comply; of the 10 who play regularly, nine are at least 6-3 and five are 6-5 or taller. Basketball, after all, is a game that passionately courts size. But Texans and college basketball can't get enough of T.J. Ford, all 5-10, 165 pounds of him. He's why Texas, which never has been higher than a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, is hotter than it ever has been in March and why it is affixed to the short list of national title contenders. How has Ford, this little man, become so big? Just follow the numbers....

1 His passing: fancy

Ford is the basketball version of the quarterback who can make all the throws: bounce passes to the low post, crisp two-handed chest passes to the wing, one-handed whips to a backdoor cutter, lob tosses on the break. When Oklahoma State played Texas on February 22, Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton told his players not to "help off" their man when Ford shot into the lane and was headed toward the basket. Sutton figured if one of his defenders left the Longhorn he was guarding to help out, Ford was so good at finding the open man that he'd simply dump it to his teammate for a gimme bucket. Think about that: An opposing coach would prefer for Ford to shoot an open runner in the lane--or even a layup--than have him pass.

2 Putting the point in point guard

Sutton's Cowboys beat Texas when they decided not to play help defense when Ford penetrated, but it's hard to call the strategy a smashing success. Ford scored a career-high 32 points, and despite Sutton's directive not to foul Ford, he attempted 19 free throws. Ford still is not a great 3-point shooter--he has made 15 this year after sinking five a year ago--he's but he's no longer a one-trick Longhorn. He is becoming deadeye from 15 to 17 feet. All Ford, who is Texas' leading scorer at 14.8 points per game, has to do is fake a drive, which creates enough separation for him to square his shoulders and knock down midrange jumpers.

3 A two-speed Ford

Baylor coach Dave Bliss says Ford is as effective pushing the ball off of made baskets as he is misses. Ford goes from zero to 94 feet at a speed only highly skilled drivers should attempt. "He pushes the ball better than anyone we've seen in college since Allen Iverson," Bliss says. But always going at a high rate of speed can be reckless--resulting in turnovers--or counter-productive when bigger teammates can't keep up. Ford, who keeps his big guys happy, can ease into cruise control and efficiently run the halfcourt game. For more two-speed evidence, check out his ballhandling. When Ford is going somewhere fast, the dribbles are hard and tight, and it would be easier to cleanly remove peanut butter from a piece of Wonder Bread than the ball from his hand. But he also can lull a defender with higher, more deliberate bounces. Once the defender believes Ford is relaxing and creeping into the offense, Ford flings a pass by his ear to a Longhorn in the post.

4 A powerful seer

Texas A&M coach Melvin Watkins says Ford simply sees the floor differently other players. The game for Ford boils down to this: Can he get the ball from Point A to B without it being intercepted by C? Usually, the answer is yes, which is why he led the nation in assists last year and ranks eighth this season with 7.1 per game. Ford's head, Watkins says, always is up. He doesn't look at the floor, glance at the scoreboard or crowd--or even his defender. Ford constantly is scanning what his guys--all of his guys--are doing. When one breaks free, even for an instant, that's when Ford works his magic. "It's almost like the ball deflates, gets smaller, as it goes through that little crack in the defense," Watkins says. "Then it balloons up again when it gets to his teammates."

5 A `D' student

Texas coach Rick Barnes says Ford constantly yearns to get better, to be a complete player, even when it comes to the tedious chores of studying tape and playing tight defense. "T.J. will always come by and say, `I need a tape,'" Barnes says. "He always wants to learn more about the game, the next opponent." Because Barnes asks Ford to do so much offensively, and because shooting guard Royal Ivey is an excellent on-ball defender, Ford isn't asked often to clamp down on an opponent's best perimeter scorer. "But," Barnes says, "T.J.'s available when we need that." That situation arose February 10 when Barnes put Ford on Oklahoma star Hollis Price, and Ford was a constant source of frustration for Price in the Longhorns' win. Ford's quickness is his best defensive attribute; good luck shaking him. Ford also is stronger and has better stamina than a year ago, when he was adjusting on the fly to college basketball. And, of course, he's better prepared.