The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
"Underappreciated" Joseph has respect of his teammates and coaches
03.19.2011 | Men's Basketball
March 19, 2011
By Ryan Graney, Texas Media Relations
TULSA, Okla. -- Often times, the players with gaudy numbers or highlight-reel plays are the ones who receive national accolades. The players that do many things well and hold their teams together are frequently unnoticed. Such is the case with University of Texas freshman guard Cory Joseph.
While Joseph leads the Longhorns in assists (3.0 apg) and minutes played (32.3 mpg), his contributions go much further. In short, he provides his team with a presence that can't be duplicated.
"There are so many things he does that don't show up in the stat sheet," assistant coach Chris Ogden said. "He helps the helper and covers up other guys' mistakes. He makes the pass that leads to the assist. All of those little things help make the team go."
Strength and conditioning coach Todd Wright echoed Ogden's comments.
"He's incredibly important to our team," Wright said. "He has a swagger and a real quiet confidence about him. He brings his teammates a lot of confidence and his coaches a lot of confidence, because he does all the little things. We know he's going to do all the little things to help us go."
Although Joseph is in his first year with the Texas program, it's hard to look at him as a freshman. Playing the most minutes on the team, the Toronto native's teammates appreciate his contributions.
"I'm not going to call him a freshman anymore because he doesn't act like a freshman," senior Dogus Balbay said. "He's really mature. Cory knows what he's doing. He's got a great motor, and he never gets tired and always plays hard. When he plays the game, he gives everything he has."
"Outside of the court, he's a great person who has a great personality," Balbay continued. "He listens all the time. He's a great teammate. He's done a lot for us, and he's helped this team a lot."
If you talk to Joseph's coaches and teammates they'll likely bring up the intangibles that he brings to the table. A common theme is the freshman's toughness.
"He has a toughness about him. If you don't really know the game, you won't notice all the little things that he does to help the team go," Wright said. "He's always in the right position to help his teammates."
With an older brother (Devoe at Oregon) and a cousin (Kris Joseph at Syracuse) now playing college basketball, Joseph grew up in an environment that promoted toughness. Joseph credits a competitive family in fostering the toughness that he brings to the court.
"My brother and I used to play hours outside in the driveway when I was little," Joseph recalled. "We used to battle all the time. We would always say "no blood, no foul." People would call a foul, but if there's no blood, there was no foul. I learned to keep on playing. I try to do whatever I can to help my team win."
Bringing that attitude to the team allows his coaches and teammates alike to have the confidence that Joseph won't take a lazy step.
"It's great to have a teammate like Cory," Balbay said. "You are confident that he's going to try his best and play hard every time down the court. He gives you energy when you see him playing hard. It's great to have him on the court, because you know he's going to do the right thing all the time."
Though Joseph does not have the eye-popping numbers compared to others around the country, his contribution to the Longhorns is immeasurable.
"He kind of keeps everything together," Ogden said. "He does everything really well. He's very, very smart. You can always count on him. Honestly, we feel like he's the most underappreciated player, not just for us, but nationally. He's so underappreciated for what he does."
