Texas Basketball: Brock Cunningham Brings Earnest Energy to Longhorns
Standing in front of the media on Friday afternoon, Brock Cunningham had a few new bruises and scrapes from the Longhorns' physical war with Oklahoma just a few days prior.
The son of a former Texas offensive lineman, one could say Cunningham plays basketball like you might expect a football player to approach the game and relishes in the contact.
"It adds to the fun of the game," he said with a smile when asked about his newest wounds.
Cunningham started the season as a backup with a limited role on the court, but a slew of injuries to players like Jericho Sims and Kai Jones opened the door for the 6-foot-7 forward to get on the floor.
"Not taking anything away from a block from Brock but Brock knows that he's not the most talented," teammate Matt Coleman III said. "Everybody has a certain skill. Everybody has like the little edge, and you know his edge has been to be that hard-nosed guy whose job it is to get us extra possessions."
The Westlake High School product treated his chance like he does every loose ball that comes within his diving range and pounced, putting it into a death grip.
"That (aggressiveness) is something that has been with me for a long time, since my freshman year of high school," Cunningham said. "I realized that it gets me on the court. It helps the team win and I haven't looked back "
After playing just 42 minutes in the Longhorns' first 26 games, Cunningham has logged 106 minutes of playing time during Texas' five-game win streak, averaging 4.2 points and five rebounds a game. He
Cunningham's style is so aggressive that teammates sometimes have to reign him in during practices and scrimmages.
"What you see on the court is what you see in practice," Andrew Jones said. "I love his competitive spirit. You know sometimes he can do a little bit too much."
"(He is) that guy you don't want to play against, but you love playing with," guard Matt Coleman III said.
From riding the bench to being front-and-center during an impressive win streak, Cunningham hasn't had time to reflect on the wild ride yet. Instead, he and his teammates are concerned with keeping their current momentum going and the next team on the schedule, which is Oklahoma State on Saturday.
They've got an old, proven team, and we've got to focus on them right now," Cunningham said.