T.J. Ford looked at Texas coach Rick Barnes and couldn't believe what he was hearing.

It was the Longhorns' first game of the 2001-02 season, a game Texas would eventually lose to Arizona, and Ford wanted to go back into the game. It didn't matter to Ford that he had sprained his left ankle. It didn't matter that he couldn't walk -- let alone run -- without limping. It was no big deal to Ford. He wanted to play.

"I told him 'You're not going to play when you're limping that bad,'" Barnes said. "We weren't going to risk the whole season for one game. But that's the way he is. He wants to play, he wants to practice every day. If I tell him he can't practice, he looks at me like I'm crazy."

Barnes won on this night as Ford played sparingly in the second half of the loss to Arizona and sat out the first game of the Great Alaska Shootout. But it was an early glimpse at what kind of player the Longhorns had brought in to run things as a freshman point guard.

	Never shy about taking the ball to the basket, T.J. Ford worked all summer on improving his outside shot.

Yes, Ford looks frail with his skinny arms, tiny waist and a jersey that looks massive. Yes, Ford alleges he weighs 165 pounds and only laughs when he's asked if that's dry or soaking wet.

But Ford -- who's cut off the braids he wore a year ago -- is certainly tough. He's got a pound-for-pound toughness that would make Roy Jones Jr. proud.

Ford arrived in Austin with a reputation. At Willowridge High School outside of Houston, Ford was a McDonald's All-American, a consensus top 15 recruit and the best prep point guard in the country.

But, even so, the rest of the Big 12 coaches were going to test Ford and find out whether the little newcomer could really hang in the big, bad Big 12. The strategy they used was simple: bump him, bang him, knock him around. See how tough Ford was and keep him from getting the ball. It was treatment that helped lead to a sprained ankle, a strained groin and it aggravated a back problem that led to tingling in his fingers.

But guess what? The strategy didn't work. All the pass-first, pass-second and shoot-third Ford did was become the first freshman to ever lead the nation in assists, dishing out 8.27 dimes per game.

"People want to keep him out of the paint and keep in front of him," Barnes said. "Well, good luck."

And, once Ford is in the lane, it's over. He's going to find the open man or he's going to take the ball all the way to the basket.

Boston College point guard Troy Bell, who faced Ford when the Eagles and Longhorns met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was impressed.

"He's really good," Bell said. "He's really quick, quicker than I thought. He's definitely an up-and-coming player."

One of the few people who stayed in front of Ford was Oregon guard Luke Ridnour. In the semifinals of the Midwest regional, Ridnour was a factor in a very un-T.J.-like game. Ford went 3-for-10 from the floor -- including missing a game-tying basket on the Longhorns final possession of the game -- and was limited to five assists.

After Oregon defeated Texas, 72-70, Ford vowed to become a better player.

"I remember that game like it was yesterday," said Ford, who averaged 10.8 points per game. "We played very, very bad. (Still) we were a shot away from advancing."

	“	I feel stronger. That's what the summers are for, to get yourself better and I feel like I bettered myself for the upcoming season. ”
		— T.J. Ford, Texas sophomore guard

The morning after the loss, Ford talked to Barnes in their Madison, Wis., hotel room.

"He said, 'Coach, I promise I'll be better,'" Barnes said. "He said, 'I need to improve my shooting and I need to start tomorrow.'

"There aren't many like him. He has passion, unbelievable passion for the game. He loves it and I don't throw that word around loosely. You can never give him enough."

So Ford went to work. On his jumper. And on his body.

In the offseason, Ford stepped into a weight room for, literally, the first time in his life. He admits he had no knowledge. The Texas weight coaches had to show him things as fundamental as how to do a squat.

"I had to get stronger," Ford said. "That was one of my main goals for the offseason. To get banged around every game, it takes a lot out of you. I want to be able to withstand some of the contact."

Ford attacked the weight room the way he plays basketball -- full speed. By the end of the summer he had gained both weight and strength.

"I feel stronger," said Ford, who is now 100-percent healthy. "That's what the summers are for, to get yourself better and I feel like I bettered myself for the upcoming season."

Getting better also meant improving his perimeter shot. While Ford openly admits he'd rather get an assist than make a jumper, it seemed at times last season as if he wouldn't shoot the ball.

"T.J. and James Thomas both have passions," Barnes said. "T.J. loves to assist and James loves to rebound. There are times when I tell them both that we need them to be more offensive-minded."

A year ago, Ford averaged just over nine field goal attempts, but only one 3-point attempt per game -- totals that are low even by point guard standards. For example, Ridnour took six 3s per game, Pitt's Brandin Knight took 7.5, Alabama's Maurice Williams averaged 3.6 treys and Chris Thomas of Notre Dame averaged 6.24 long-range shots per game.

That should change this year. When asked what he worked on basketball-wise, Ford's response was simple: "Really just shooting."

It's something Barnes has noticed both in Texas' individual workouts and since the start of practice.

"He was very confident from 17, 18 feet last year," Barnes said. "Now he's taken it back even further."

That should make Ford that much more dangerous this season. He's already quick, he's a great passer and he understands how to play the game.

"He knows how to make his teammates look good," Barnes said. "He's worked at it, he has a great pace, feel for the game.

"He might be small and this or that, but he's fearless. He's not going to be intimidated be any of that. He has a great internal confidence. He's very secure of who he is and how he plays."

Jeff Shelman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (www.startribune.com) is a regular contributor to ESPN.com