Texas at Baylor 02/14/21

If Lambert and Harmon are both in the equation next year, where do you think that would leave Chevalier? I really like her hustle and the potential bonus she could bring to the equation once she gets more comfortable offensively. I wouldn't want to see her leave.

 

I just don't see Lambert playing another year when you consider the multiple ACL injuries and injuries she's had to deal with this year. Chevalier may not be a frontline starter on a really good team but she's an ideal backup on one.

 

Us folks in DFW are just guessing about Harmon and Hunter.......having personally seen Hunter once..in state championship game last year.....and having never seen Harmon. Admittedly the short videoclips, the box scores, the testimonials, recruiting rankings, etc. have me hoping. Sure hope we get to see CyFair against DeSoto Or Duncanville at state. CyFair couldn’t match up with Duncanville last year with Harmon out. I just want all to be healthy, don’t do anything silly, and UIL holds the games. I would love to see all 3 back this fall on the 40 Acres for intense competition. I sure hope all my south Texas scouts are right about Harmon and Hunter.

 

Love the minutes Ebo is playing and she's become one of my favorite players. Big body and unmovable in the post -- and a pretty good finisher when she gets the ball. Hope she can get some conditioning in she'll be even more productive.

 

Not to nitpick, but they play for Cy-Creek, not Cy-Fair.

 

I am REAL soft on my Cy school knowledge! I couldn’t find any of them on any sort of map without some serious help. Some day....ya’ll need to school me. I can’t keep up with the school districts up here. It is easy with the Duncanvilles, Allens, Aledos, Southlake Carrolls and other single high school districts. Frisco I think has ten high schools going on 12. Mansfield is another prolific district. Denton is the same. By the way....I like the multi-school districts that give more kids the opportunity to play sports. And no.....not interested in a debate on other extracurricular opportunities afforded to students at single high school districts. For our Cy friends....thanks Moooo. Cy Creek hopefully is not offended.

 

I don’t think I’ve given Ebo enough credit. So stay with me for a few comments before I forget. She has absolutely the softest hands on the team. Just catches everything. Anywhere within 6 feet of the basket she is marvelous with either shooting hand. Surprises me all the time. Fundamentally sound. Small range limits her, and to here credit she doesn’t force the mid-range game. Her body language is great and she has an infectious smile ....she likes playing. She’s slow but she surprises me with her stamina. I see why Schaefer needs her on the team right now. Atta Girl Ebo.

 

She doesn't get the ball enough in my opinion and I think she is hesitant a bit when she does. If I was Vic I would tell her once she catches the ball on the block "GO TO WORK". The one time she did get the ball and got aggressive she knocked the wind out of Nalyssa Smith with an easy finish at the rim.

I also noticed that one of the main reasons Texas struggles to score is because we have absolutely no off ball action. Our guards just dribble back and forth on the perimeter until they see a driving lane and which we saw led to bad shots. Sometimes it works but eventually the defense catches on and they don't have to do any work. If Texas incorporates some off ball screens on the backside it opens up much much more in the dribble drive but what we are relying on is the defense to make a mistake and with a great defensive team like Baylor you can't do that. We need more movement and action from everyone not just the guards. It worked for Baylor as they hit us with the lob twice to Smith.

 

You really think Rori as a freshman will get the start? Freshman usually don’t get there that quick...but we shall see!

 

Didn’t Brooke eventually start as a freshman??? As talented as Rori is, she should play major minutes at the very least

 

I think it will depend on if Lambert comes back. If she does, then Lambert starts early.......as she runs the team well and Schaefer likes that upperclassman leadership. Later, I think Harmon will start....perhaps. Remember Schaefer’s comments about her instant impact from day 1. Doesnt mean she starts from day 1, but will play immediately. If Lambert leaves, then it’s open to the starting. Don’t get sucked into the “who starts” debate. IF Harmon does things right, she will be that impact player......all said by someone who hasn’t seen her play.

 

Rori is no doubt very talented. So is freshman PG Sarah Andrews at Baylor, but she has not performed as so many were predicting; don't know how many minutes she averages per game, but probably not many, especially in the tougher games.

Just glad we have signed Rori so we have another player for 2021-22 who is a natural point guard. I would love for Kyra to come back another season as there is no downside that I can see.

 

I love the energy Chevalier brings and imo she needs more minutes this season. She brought an immediate spark off the bench in the Baylor game and made our only 3 pointer. I do think it will be a dogfight for her to get minutes at the pg position depending on if Lambert returns. Chevalier has huge upside and will without a doubt be a great player once she gets used to the flow of college basketball. You can see she has the speed and quickness to blow by a defender but it's what she does after that is what needs adjusting. It will click for her and she will be a great player but it's just a matter of when that will happen.

 

She's one of the few (maybe the only) on the team with the foot speed to play Vic's defense. I'm wishing for her to stay, have a phenomenal off-season, and be ready to be a significant contributor going forward.

 

Absolutely hands down. I have watched many of her games and believe me, she is the real deal. I have never seen a player who plays the entire game like you see on her highlights. Their is no downfall in her game as she is very consistent. She can score any time she wants but when you see she only dropped 10 points in a game it's because she chooses to do so. Normally when she drops only 10 you will see 10-15 assist go along with that. She is just a natural baller who plays exactly how this staff likes on both sides of the ball. The same goes for Kyndall as well. Harmon is the best pg in this class by far even though she is ranked 2nd.

 

Absolutely and I was just about to edit and say the same thing. She can stay in front of any defender and even when Texas is not in a press she stills plays full court pressure defense. It's just who she is and if Lambert does return, I could still see Chevalier jumping Lambert for that backup position if she has a great off-season. She is my favorite freshman and I hope she does not get discouraged and leaves.

 

Harmon is the pg of the future but let's not exclude Kyndall. I could honestly see her being used as a point guard as well under Vic. Kyndall may not start but she will get about 20-30 minutes a game especially in conference play. She is just a pure consistent shooter who will make many teams get out of a zone. Just to compare so everyone has an idea, she can shoot just as well as Brooke McCarty. That's saying a lot because we all know Brooke could light it up. She also is a great rebounder with amazing defensive skills. I know they aren't on campus yet but it's hard not to get excited about this recruiting class. Aaliyah will be a force as well as I said she plays a lot like Hillman from Michigan.

 

Harmon is a lot like Andrea Riley in that she goes wherever she wants to on the court. Her quickness allows this and she is beyond explosive off the bounce. However, she is way more polished and skilled than Riley. She, Kyndall and Aaliyah are going to lead Texas to great things and take us to a different level....

 

No worries Flash, we down here can barely keep up with all the Cy schools as well. And with all the new schools popping up in the suburbs, one can understand the confusion.

 

Agree with Jacob's assessment of Rori.

Rori can score on all three levels like Brooke McCarty. But what separates Rori as a higher prospect than Brooke is her defense, especially on ball D. Think Gary Payton. If Gary Payton had a daughter, it would be Rori. Rori is perfectly built on the defensive end for Coach Vic's pressure D system. She will be a huge upgrade on the defensive end from Lambert.

But with point guards it really comes down to decision making. There are times she'll take an unnecessary Kevin Durant/Steph Curry distance 3 point shot and miss. But overall she is an unselfish player willing to share the ball. It'll all come down to thinking the game for Rori.

 

I'm not sure I'd compare Rori to Brooke on the offensive end, other than perhaps their 3-point shooting. Rori has so many offensive shots where she can stop on a dime and pop the short jumper; she also has step back move jumpers. I don't think Brooke mastered either of those. Brooke's best mid-range shot was probably her driving one-handed floater. I just don't think their mid-range games are similar at all. And, what I'm looking most forward to is Rori's ability to break down her defender while attacking the basket; again, not sure Brooke excelled at that.

 

I am intrigued by all the things ya’ll have mentioned about Harmon. The ONE factor I will be watching for is......how she manages the game. Lambert and Chevalier both do a good job in this. I have mentioned several times how refreshing it is to watch them generally make the correct decisions about fast break or not, setting up the offense, usually not throwing the ball away, being unselfish, etc. Schaefer is hard on his point guards and knows what he wants from them. It “may” take some time for her to execute his expectations. Regardless of her offensive and defensive skills......the ability of “management of the game” will determine how quickly, how long she stays, and place in rotation. I am not concerned about when she “starts”......it is who is playing in crunch time.

 

But she is playing High School Basketball, not college...

 

That is true but believe me, Harmon, Hunter and Moore will be college ready when they step on campus and they will make our current players even better. I expect all three to play significant minutes and be a huge part of what Texas does.

 

I know many of us are excited about the incoming signees, and nothing wrong with that. But, for me personally, I've learned to temper my expectations (not my excitement) for newcomers, regardless of their age/class and the sport.

As an example, volleyball fans in 2017 felt that true freshman newcomer setter Ashley Shook was gonna come in and cement her status as the starting setter at Texas for 4 seasons, and help lead Texas to Final Fours and national championships. Keep in mind that Texas volleyball was coming off 5 straight Final Four appearances, as well as 2 consecutive national runner-up finishes. So, she was joining a program with a veteran coach, a winning culture, and tremendously talented All-American caliber teammates.

Well, it never happened for Shook at Texas. She lost her starting job to a walk-on setter mid-way through her sophomore season at Texas, and never won t it back the following 2 seasons. And, unfortunately for Texas volleyball, there's been no return to the Final Four since 2016.

 

And if I had a quarter for every Ashley Shook I could retire. We go through the same thing every year on the men's teams. X player is coming and and taking the starting spot from y player by game 2. Rare it ever happens.

Greg Brown is the perfect example. He shows a lot of potential, but over half way through the season he still hasn't put it all together. For every good play he makes he makes a stupid freshman mistake. And 5* Charli is now a JR and she still doesn't know how to make a move to the basket without traveling.

 

The mental side of the game is the only thing that I see that will prevent the incoming freshmen from coming in and being successful early on like it is for most young players. You don't have to be an expert to see that the quickness, athleticism, and skill translates to the next level. I don't think they'll start right away but they should be contributors.

 

Lol I get what you're saying but Collier?? She has definitely lived up to her hype. She played awful against Baylor but she is a projected #1 pick and I can't think of the last time that has happened for Texas if it's happened at all.

 

But, how did Charli play as a true freshman? Did she meet your expectations? Unfortunately, she did not meet mine.

 

Maybe so.

But, I go back to a player like freshman PG Sarah Andrews at Baylor. She was ranked about where Rori is ranked in the recruiting rankings. Yet, she couldn't win the starting PG job at Baylor. She's barely even playing. And, it's not because Baylor had a true experienced PG to start the season.

Conversely, look at true freshmen like Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. So, there are immediate success stories, just like there are some first-season freshman flops. I would love for all 3 of our freshmen to produce immediately; but, I will temper my expectations, but not my excitement.