EXCLUSIVE: Myles Turner Talks His Longhorns Idol, Chris Beard's 'Culture' Impact
Myles Turner spent just one year with the Texas Longhorns before being the 11th overall pick in the 2015 draft.
And even after following the one-and-done route that many of Texas' past first-round picks have, the 6-11, 250-pound forward has remained locked into the UT culture as a resident of Austin and a continuous fan of Longhorn hoops.
Following the conclusion of his seventh season, all with the Pacers, the 26-year-old hosted a youth basketball camp for kids in Dallas over the weekend. The two-time NBA blocks leader might have gotten scored on a few times by some of the ambitious campers, but he said the experience is one he wants to make sure is memorable for kids that are beginning to develop their first love for the game.
He sat down with Sports Illustrated and LonghornsCountry.com reporter Bri Amaranthus and talked about a similar awe-inspiring experience he had with arguably the greatest basketball player in program history.
"(My favorite player) was definitely Kevin Durant growing up," Turner said. "He was one of the guy that obviously was at the University at Texas and I got to hoop with him when I went to the University just a random weekend playing pickup or whatnot. Stuff like that sticks with a kid. It definitely stuck with me, even to this day. So I know just coming out here and competing will stick with a lot of these kids out here."
Turner, who has now faced Durant on numerous occasions throughout his career, said he reacted the way most fans would during his first interaction with the future Hall of Fame forward.
"It was kind of nerve-racking, I was too nervous to talk to him," Turner said. "My mom actually went up and grabbed him first and then I was kinda like forced to talk to him in a sense. It was actually at Oklahoma University, he was at a football game and we both just happened to be there at the same time. It was cool."
Turner averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks on 45 percent shooting during his only season at Texas in 2014-15. He won Big 12 Freshman of the Year that season and was also a conference all-defensive selection. He played during the final season of longtime Texas coach Rick Barnes, as the Longhorns finished with a 20-14 record.
The Longhorns hadn't won an NCAA tournament game since Barnes's second-to-last season in 2014. That was before this past March when first-year coach Chris Beard led the team to a first-round win over Virginia Tech.
Texas ended up falling to the Purdue Boilermakers in the second round, but Turner likes what he's seen from Beard's approach after one season at the helm.
"I'm looking forward to the continued success essentially," he said. "I feel like it's a block-by-block, brick-by-brick each year. Having Chris Beard there has actually been huge, I think he's definitely back to culture, and I'm curious to see what he does with this group moving forward."
Due to the way the NBA and college basketball seasons line up, Turner hasn't had a chance to spend much time on the Forty Acres during the season. He said he's met Beard once and has a huge appreciation for the intensity he brings each night.
"I met him one time in passing. I live in Austin so I just happened to be visiting the university one day and he was there as well. Chopped it up with him a little bit, watched some of their workouts. Haven't been able to make it to a game yet. Offseasons are just so intertwined. He's intense, I kinda like that. I feel like he's intense in the best way possible. I feel like he demands a respect from his players, he demands respect from the university itself and I think he garners it. So hopefully he'll continue to lead us where we need to be."
Turner and the Pacers are entering a year with rebuild implications after a 25-57 record this past season. He started in all 42 of the games he played in, but missed substantial time due to injury while finishing with averages of 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks on 50 percent shooting.
With his name being a hot topic in trade rumors this offseason, Turner now enters a contract year and is set to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Regardless of his future, Turner is undoubtedly one of the league's most versatile and dominant defensive bigs and continues to make Longhorn fans proud, one emphatic block at a time.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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