Men's Basketball feature: Confidence gained

The trio of Royce Hamm Jr., Kamaka Hepa and Gerald Liddell used last year’s run to the NIT Championship as a building block for their continued individual development.

AUSTIN, Texas -- When head coach Shaka Smart called each member of his team on Selection Sunday last year to let them know the Longhorns would not be playing in the NCAA Tournament, two reactions happened. The first, understandably, was disappointment.

By the time the team gathered later that night to find out its first-round opponent in the NIT, a different mindset took over the room.

"As a group, we looked around at each other and collectively said, 'If we're in this tournament, let's go out and win it,'" junior forward Royce…