While Texas fans were laser-focused on the Red River blowout over Oklahoma in Dallas, the UT men’s basketball team quietly headed south.

A weekend retreat in New Braunfels may not sound like heaven on Texas-OU weekend. It sure beats the hell that is traffic, crowds and cost of battling your way into the Cotton Bowl.

A peaceful escape to Camp Fimfo for some weekend camping — OK, fine, glamping — was the perfect getaway for Longhorns still learning about each other before they embark on a rugged six-month excursion.

“We didn’t have our phones, kind of in the middle of nowhere,” 6-foot-3 junior guard Chendall Weaver said. “So we’re just bonding.”

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Everybody got to bring snacks, too. “My three snacks were beef jerky, watermelon Sour Patch Kids and Little Bites,” Weaver said.

Camp Fimfo has full cabins, a small water park and plenty of space to stretch out, so it’s not exactly like the Horns were off the grid. Former UT coach Chris Beard introduced the idea of preseason retreats, and assistant-turned-head coach Rodney Terry loved it so much, he kept it going.

“It’s a time that we get a lot of really good bonding, and we’re connected,” Terry said, “but we’re also bringing a lot of clarity for guys right to get a chance to talk about their roles.”

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A team with six transfers and four freshmen is well beyond needing nametags by now. But what makes each person tick? What is each player’s Why? As in, why are you at Texas? Who are you playing for? What do you want to accomplish this season?

As Weaver said, “Me, my why is my family. You know, just trying to provide for my family and doing what I love.”

“We all meshed well. We all were clicking,” 6-5 graduate transfer Tramon Mark said. “Everything was just going good. It’s just going to be how we click when things aren’t going good, that’s going to be the main thing.”

Visiting the Alamo, San Antonio Spurs 

After Friday’s practice on Oct. 11, the team loaded up and took a bus down Interstate 35. In addition to staying at Camp Fimbo, the Horns visited the new University Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital, took a trip down to see the historic Alamo and went over to Frost Bank Center where the San Antonio Spurs play — but not for the obvious reason.

Yes, the Spurs had a preseason game against the Utah Jazz that Saturday night. But Terry took the players over hours before tipoff specifically so they could see what happens during pre-game.

If you want to be an NBA player, you must prepare like one, Terry believes. How do you stretch before games? What’s your pre-game shootaround routine? How are you interacting with teammates? If you’re a big man, for example, what does 7-footer Victor Wembanyama do two hours before every game?

Longtime Spurs general manager RC Buford and coach Gregg Popovich have been huge supporters of Texas basketball throughout the years. So it was easy to open their doors for the Horns to visit.

Texas came back to Frost Bank Center last Saturday and played its private preseason scrimmage against TCU. Scores and statistics are not allowed to be publicized, according to NCAA rules, but the Horns had 20 turnovers and won by 28, according to two sources who were there.

What the Horns learned about each other

Along the way, the Horns are learning about themselves. Off the court, Indiana State transfer Julian Larry is an extrovert with a tremendous personality. On it, Kansas State transfer Arthur Kaluma may be their best rebounder.

Back at the camp, coaches and players talked about having the right approach, the right attitude. First-year strength coach Darby Rich, who has been around the college basketball block several times himself, wants the Horns to play with a strong-willed mindset.

“We gave them three things that we expect them to do every day so there’s no guesswork on really what their job is right now,” Terry said. “It may start one way and by the end of the year be totally different. But these three things right now is what we’ve identified we need you bring to the table.”

It’s transparent, too, Terry said. “Every guy in the room knows everybody's role. So there's never any guess what your role is.”

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In return, the players asked two things from each coach, so they understand what’s expected from the players every day, too.

“I think guys talk about being consistent, what they bring in terms of their effort every day,” Terry said. “Coaches don’t want to coach effort and guys playing hard. He wants to coach execution.”

Saturday’s private scrimmage was a chance to see how far the Horns have come since all these new players were thrown together. There’s not much time left for rehearsals. The season opener is Nov. 4 against Ohio State in Las Vegas.

“What did I learn about the team? That we all can fight,” Mark said. “We all can fight well, doing the dirty work. It’s a lot. We have a lot of guys on the team that wants to do the dirty work and just make great championship plays for the team.”