MIHM’S MATURES

Chris Mihm’s right big toenail was gnarled, jagged and barely hanging on after getting repeatedly stomped under the basket.

A painful but positive sign, Texas coach Rick Barnes says.

“All the great players have ugly feet,” Barnes said. “That’s where he’s improved, his toenails are falling off. That means he pushing off.”

Mihm’s size 17 feet aren’t pretty.

He’s got long spindly toes with nails bruised a queasy palette of yellow and purple. Put his shoes on, and Mihm’s game looks much better.

He scored 15 points and grabbed 16 rebounds Thursday to lead No. 17 Texas over 8th-ranked Oklahoma State, 68-57.

Scouts are flocking to see college basketball’s best center, who many project as an NBA lottery pick--maybe even in the top five--if he leaves Texas after his junior year.

“He’s certainly a quality prospect,” Houston Rockets vice president Carroll Dawson said. “These 7-footers are checked out first in this league because they are so rare.”

Mihm won’t say if he’ll leave Texas early, only that he’ll think about it after the season.

“There’s still a lot of basketball left to be played,” he said.

And a reputation to bolster. Even with all his acclaim, the preseason Big 12 player of the year has heard whispers that he sometimes plays soft. They started last season when Mihm had zero rebounds in a home-opening blowout loss to South Florida.

Two weeks later, Mihm crashed to the floor with paralyzing leg cramps in a game against Georgia. When he couldn’t get up, his teammates dragged him off the floor. Texas lost that game by one point.

Mihm called the moment the most embarrassing of his career but said it should not have hurt his reputation. The four IVs he took after the game proved the cramps were legitimate.

“That wasn’t about being mentally tough,” Mihm said. “That was about my body saying ‘No more.’

“I was playing so hard, my body just gave out. I don’t think it was physically possible to continue.”

He recovered from those disappointments to lead Texas to a surprising Big 12 regular season title and the NCAA tournament last season. His numbers this year are anything but soft.

His 18 points and more than 10 rebounds a game lead Texas (18-6) in both categories. His range (6-of-14 on 3-pointers) and his growing repertoire of moves in the post, including a soft hook and a consistent turnaround jumper, have prompted every NBA team to scout him this season.

“I really wanted to be able to play facing the basket,” Mihm said. “It’s fun to be able to flash out to the top of the key.”

Mihm has been just as strong defensively with 73 blocks this season, including a school-record eight in a road win over Massachusetts. Mihm also owns the school career record with 247 blocks.

Dawson said he “never did go for that soft label,” but added that Mihm will have to show scouts he go can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Karl Malone, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and others in the NBA.

“He always does what it takes to win,” Dawson said. “There’s no question he’s going to have to play harder and meaner at this level. But I think as he moves up the ladder, he will develop that aspect, too. In the NBA, every night out, there’s going to be somebody who can kick your tail, there’s very few who come in with that.”

Opponents challenge Mihm every game. Players know his reputation and try to raise their game. Coaches try to frustrate him by dropping double- and triple-teams under the basket to keep Mihm from scoring.

“People will beat you to death under the basket,” said UMass coach Bruiser Flint, who tried to compress his defense around Mihm only to watch him score 18 points and grab 12 rebounds against the Minutemen.

Colorado was one of the few teams to play him 1-on-1 and Mihm responded with 28 points and 17 rebounds in a Texas win. The Buffaloes eventually reverted to double-teaming him in the lane but it didn’t work.

“I had a little freedom and didn’t get yanked every twist and turn,” Mihm said. “I enjoyed it when it happened and I don’t think it’s going to happen too many more times.”

Mihm’s numbers have quieted the critics, Longhorns guard Ivan Wagner said.

“I think he’s a lot tougher than his freshman year,” Wagner said. “Anyone who knows Chris knows it wasn’t really his nature.

“But I don’t hear anybody complaining when he’s putting up 28 points and 17 boards in a win.”