Golden’s nuggets: In light of outbreak, Del Conte mum on Smart, Aston

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte knew before the season started that he would have a difficult decision to make with the men’s and women’s basketball programs once their respective seasons ended.

It just got more difficult because neither Shaka Smart nor Karen Aston were given a chance to state their cases in the postseason with the season called off and the NCAA Tournament canceled.

With the planet battling the spread of the coronavirus, sports has had to take a back seat, and understandably so. On Wednesday, Del Conte said the coaching situations are the least of his concerns. Not surprised by that.

“That question or that conversation has not been on the front burner of my mind,” Del Conte told us in this week’s “On Second Thought” podcast. “I’m sure it is on yours because that is your job. Mine is making sure the safety of our student-athletes is first and foremost.”

Translation? He will eventually get to it, but it’s not his biggest priority.

It was understood in the preseason that Smart would have to make the NCAAs and win at least a game there to improve his chances of coming back. Injuries to Jericho Sims and Jase Febres hurt his cause and Smart didn’t always have Texas ready to play in hostile environments — West Virginia and Iowa State come to mind — but a 5-1 finish to the regular season had the Longhorns in contention for an NCAA berth.

Texas went 19-12 overall and finished in a four-way tie for third place at 9-9 in a top-heavy conference.

Was that enough? Only CDC knows. And he’s not telling.

Aston, in the final year of her contract, didn’t get an extension in the preseason so it was obvious Del Conte was waiting to see what her team was going to do before making his decision. The 19-11 season and third-place finish in the Big 12 wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t bad, either.

Her starting point guard, Sug Sutton, missed most of the weeks leading up to the season while on the injured list. We saw improvement from senior forward Joyner Holmes and sophomore post Charli Collier, but Texas didn’t always show up against lesser opponents like last-place Kansas, which ran the Horns out of Lawrence by 15 points.

Worse yet, Aston continues to be dogged by the fact that her teams haven’t answered the bell against national power Baylor — aside from a 2017 upset in Waco — but then a lot of coaches can say the same thing. Baylor is that great.

The question CDC has to answer is do you care enough about women’s hoops to bring in a high-dollar coach, all the while knowing that Kim Mulkey remains at the top of her game right up the street? Do you give Aston two more years to see if she can develop youngsters like Collier and Celeste Taylor into cornerstones that will one day end Baylor’s reign of terror in the Big 12? Or do you bring in someone else?

Only CDC knows and he’s not telling.

Sooner or later, we’ll know the fates of the coaches, but on March 19, 2020, the priorities lie elsewhere.

“We have a lot bigger issues to fry right now,” Del Conte said.

Dak and Brees: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott continues to be a polarizing figure when it comes to this contract negotiation, especially when future Hall of Famer Drew Brees just signed a two-year deal with New Orleans that will pay him an average of $50 million annually over the next two seasons, less than what Prescott will make if he’s franchised over the same time frame.

While the two are at two different phases of their careers, Prescott’s upside cannot be overlooked.

Upon comparing him with Brees’ first four seasons as a starter with the Chargers (2002-05), Prescott more than holds his own.

He’s 40-24. Brees was 30-28. He has thrown 97 touchdowns to 36 interceptions while Brees threw 79 and 53. Prescott holds the edge in completion percentage (.658 to .622). Prescott has two playoff wins and two divisions titles. Brees had one playoff win and one division title.

The point is, Prescott has the potential to be great and should be paid like his peers Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, who received extensions over the last couple of seasons.

To expect him to be on Brees’ level moving forward is presumptive, but he is Dallas’ best option at quarterback and Jerry Jones should have locked in his deal long ago.