TCU Game 2

Discussion in 'Women’s Basketball' started by brnkj, Feb 26, 2020.

  1. JoeDallas

    JoeDallas 1,000+ Posts

    I, too, prefer a shorter bench. I like Izzy, but Allen-Taylor is our most trustworthy sub. Hope she gets well soon. It is interesting, though, there was nothing but bitching on this board when KA wasn't playing the freshmen enough last year (Patterson, Rellah, etc.) -- she wasn't subbing enough. Now it's the opposite, stop the substitutions. KA can't win with this bunch. If we can get some more games like the TCU game, you might as well forget replacing Karen, to the great disappointment of most fans on this board.
     
    • Like Like x 3
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  2. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Exactly. The substitution argument is something that I never understood.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  3. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    Agreed that a coach sometimes can’t win with fans, especially a coach that falls short of expectations or can’t seem to deliver any consistency. I know that sounds harsh... and I’ve been an ardent supporter until this season. But I think this example actually highlights Karen’s shortcomings as opposed to hard-to-please fans.

    Even when I was supporting Karen, I often complained about her rotating door at the substitution table. Honestly, I believe she would still be doing it if she had a deeper bench. Even with the shorter bench we see shades of it. But the “freshman” not playing was also an issue and one that caught her off guard when injuries required her to utilize freshman at the end of the season who had not gotten any good playing time experience early on. Most of us couldn’t understand why freshmen didn’t come off the bench when we had large leads late in the game.

    But that is really not the issue. Karen, admittedly a great recruiter, seemed to have no rhyme or reason with her recruits. And it became apparent when the transfer portal became a thing and she lost not just one or two players, but an ENTIRE recruiting class. How do you get it wrong with that many players? How do you not better understand who will be a good fit and who won’t? How do you not better manage who you need now vs who you will need two or three years from now. I can understand one or two but an entire class plus, plus, plus... Players who have transferred recently are now playing for top programs including currently ranked #1 and #3.

    As someone who really wanted Karen to succeed, I have very little good to say about her after these last three seasons. She couldn’t get it done with a long bench of top recruits and she doesn’t seem to be able to get it done with a short bench of top recruits. And make no mistake, she has had plenty of quality top recruits to work with.

    I celebrate the TCU win. I celebrate every win. But we don’t seem to get enough of them consistently. We lost to the worst team in the conference two weeks before beating the second best. It’s maddening.

    If fans seem to be a bit unforgiving, or even unrealistic, I honestly feel Karen has created that environment. With the players we’ve had, we really should have seen at least (at least) one conference season championship or at least one conference tournament championship or at least (at least) one final four appearance. We’ve seen none of that.

    Maybe not with this coach, but certainly with these players, we should be living in the Top 10 or at least the Top 25. Karen is good, but just not good enough especially with a $800k price tag. Too many late season meltdowns. Too many cold starts or late game meltdowns. We see flashes of greatness because we have had and still have great players. Why hasn’t she been able to get the best out of them consistently? That is what good/great coaches do.

    The Stanford game shouldn’t be the exception to the rule. It should be the rule. The TCU game shouldn’t have been a 20 minute comeback. It should have been a 40 minute blowout.

    (Edit: I would relish eating crow this season. I just don’t see it happening.)
     
    • Winner Winner x 4
    • Like Like x 2
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  4. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Give me some examples of the revolving door in terms of substitutions because I feel like most fans that complain about freshmen not playing are only doing it because they’re worried about them transferring because of lack of playing time.
     
  5. flash34

    flash34 1,000+ Posts

    A snippet from ESPN.com today regarding transfers. This one mention Patterson. Patterson didn't show much of anything last year. Not sure of the reasons. Lots of theories out there. I for sure didn't see much in her limited minutes. I am apathetic about her transfer but thought some of ya'll might like to peruse and ponder.

    Who has turned out to be the season's most valuable transfer?
    Creme:
    My nod goes to a transfer tandem at Kentucky. Sabrina Haines (Arizona State) and Chasity Patterson (Texas) have given national player of the year candidate Rhyne Howard the kind of assistance that has not only helped make Howard more efficient, but also given the Wildcats the balance that is necessary to compete in the SEC. Patterson joined the team after the first semester and is Kentucky's second-leading scorer. Kentucky is still in contention for a top-four SEC finish and the coveted double-bye in the conference tournament. That doesn't happen without Haines and Patterson showing up in Lexington.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Like Like x 1
  6. loyallonghorn

    loyallonghorn 500+ Posts

    The most well reasoned and rational contribution I've read on this board. Thank you WCBBNUT.
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
  7. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    Agreed 100%
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  8. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    I could not have stated my exact feelings more accurately. Very well said, @WCBBNUT
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  9. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Good for Chaz. So... what’s your point?
     
  10. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Managing a roster and providing ample playing time for players is not easy, especially when so many of them were used to being their high school or club team's big dog. Everyone wants to play; they didn't come to Texas to sit on the bench, even as freshmen. The 5-star recruits all believe they should be on the court more minutes than their teammates; actually, that doesn't apply just to the elite recruits on the roster.

    I for sure recall all the posters on here complaining that Karen wasn't playing the younger players enough. I would love to see each player play in every game, but that's not always possible.

    Just my opinion, but Karen comes from the school of thought that players need to "earn" their playing time in practice; practice well and hard, and you will most likely play in games. Seemed like that was the message she sent to Chasity Patterson early in the 2018-19 season, and probably led to Chasity seeing the writing on the wall that she was being passed over for playing time by younger guards.

    I don't pretend to know Karen's substitution patterns. I know I pleaded on here for her to sit Ariel whenever she picked up an early first foul to avoid picking up a quick second foul; it just rarely happened until probably Ariel's final season. Maybe Karen felt she needed Ariel on the court (being one of the best players) despite that one early foul; maybe she "trusted" Ariel to avoid picking up that second foul; unfortunately, she more often than not got a second quick foul. Just because you pull a player quickly after they pick up an early foul, that doesn't mean you have to sit them the remaining time before halftime; just give them some time to calm down on the bench, compose themselves, and let them realize they have to try hard avoiding picking up that second foul early in the first half.

    In this day and age, especially with the transfer portal now 16 months in existence, not providing players ample playing time (in their minds) will most likely lead to them transferring out of the program. It happens everywhere, and will only become more prevalent.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Like Like x 1
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  11. Seattle4UT

    Seattle4UT 1,000+ Posts

    I don’t see this program getting any better with the current coach and staff. This team will continue to lose games we’re supposed to win, have the occasional victory when you least expect it, and draw fewer and fewer fans to the games. KA isn’t the answer to the programs future. 8 years of KA basketball is more than enough time to prove you’re the right coach for the program. KA is a Connie Clark, good but not good enough. Texas shouldnt have to wait another 12 years to make the same determination about KA.

    my opinion. Cut your losses and bring a coach with proven x/os and similar recruiting prowess for the next era of Texas WBB, especially with the new arena coming.
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
    • Winner Winner x 1
    • poop poop x 1
  12. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    So I am going to fall short of being able to give you a list of specific examples because previous seasons all blend together and this season - with the shorter bench - isn’t a good season to give lots of examples.

    I can tell you that Higgs, Hosey, Boothe, Forman, Patterson and Jones are all players who come to mind. They all were highly recruited shooters who would get a minute or two of play and then get yanked as soon as they missed one shot or otherwise made a mistake. There was no chance many times for any of them to get into a rhythm or work through a slow start. Whether it is Karen’s preferred style or the result of so many talented players on the bench I don’t know, but I do know that it was apparent enough that fans on this board have been pointing it out consistently since her arrival. It’s probably the single most consistent criticism of her on this board. And it has rarely been general in nature. If anyone has the time or desire to read threads from previous seasons it would not be hard to pull together a substantial collection of examples.

    I can give two examples from this season, although I don’t think this season is the best example due to the reduced roster...

    Lashann Higgs - despite the constant talk of her “recovering from an injury” Higgs was our high scorer (17pts) in our season opening loss to South Florida. She has proven a few times since then that she can score a whole lotta points when we need her to. And yet, she comes on and off the bench almost non-stop. She’s in. She’s out. She’s in. She’s out. You can see her head drop and her shoulders lower when she knows it’s coming. It’s heartbreaking to watch. TCU was the one exception and I truly believe that was due to JAT having the flu.

    Charlie Collier - in our recent loss to Iowa, Collier was on the bench for 25% of the game (mostly 3rd qtr). She had 2 fouls and was our highest scorer shooting 50% and yet was benched for Holmes who was shooting 10% for the majority of the time she was on the floor and had 3 fouls while Charlie still had 2. Unless she is in foul trouble, Charlie should almost never be on the bench. She is clearly in good enough physical shape to play as many minutes as possible.

    Those are my most recent examples of Karen’s odd substitutions. Honestly, we could probably dedicate an entire thread to Karen’s revolving door.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  13. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    So no specific examples of a revolving door in terms of substitutions.
     
    • Disagree Disagree x 2
    • Winner Winner x 1
  14. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    Uhmm. I guess you didn’t read my post?
     
    • Like Like x 3
    • Agree Agree x 1
  15. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    If this suppose it issue of a revolving door at the scores table is so obvious and prevalent it shouldn’t be difficult for anyone that has complained throughout the years to come up with something. I’ve been asking for specific examples the last 3 or 4 years an still haven’t gotten an answer.
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
  16. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    I just gave you several players from previous seasons and two specific examples from this season. If you want several specific game, specific quarter, specific player, specific time on the clock from various years then I’m afraid I haven’t the time to waste.

    I would imagine given enough time for a few more people to check in here, we could see if a few green check marks show up . If that’s not good enough then I’ll agree to disagree with your assessment of Karen’s measured and steady hand at the score table,

    Honestly, of all the criticism of Karen this one seemed the no brainer one. I guess I was wrong.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  17. jusme828

    jusme828 2,500+ Posts

    This thread hasn't been showing up for me. I just happened to see it while browsing the list of forums. Anyone know why that might be??
     
  18. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    You gave me the same old general, she yanks players when they miss a shot or make mistake. Sitting someone on the bench and playing another is not example of a revolving door. You act as if Lashann is lighting it up in these games when she has a decent amount of attempts. And the no brainer criticism would be of her offensive coaching.
     
    • Dislike Dislike x 3
    • Agree Agree x 1
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  19. fittaraw

    fittaraw < 25 Posts

    The example by WCBBNUT regarding Lashann is the perfect example. She is a player that gets yanked every time she makes even a minor mistake. Although, this year seems much less of a subnado than the last couple of years. Last year it seemed like the announcers could not even keep up with who was in or out!
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
    • Like Like x 1
    • Disagree Disagree x 1
  20. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    OK. I cannot believe I did this. It speaks volumes about my needing to get a life. I picked a game at random. It was our early season loss this year to West Virginia played on January 12, 2020 in Morgantown. First quarter. We kept it within 5 points until the final few seconds so no reason to panic. No one had more than one foul.

    First ten minutes of play:

    West Virginia calls one substitution.

    Karen calls six.

    I’m sure you’ll want something more specific or you’ll want more examples but I’m going to stop there. I pulled up one game, one quarter at RANDOM and got that.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Like Like x 2
  21. Bobcat

    Bobcat 500+ Posts

    If anyone actually needs examples, they certainly haven't been watching. All you have to do is count....you know, simple math.....1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc. It's been that way since she got here...in and out, in and out.....
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  22. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    I am such a glutton for punishment. I did one more. A game at random. A quarter at random.

    This was our loss to Baylor. It was played on Jan 31, 2020 in Austin. This time I selected the second quarter. We were ahead or within one or two points so no reason to panic (yet). I watched the first 6 minutes of the quarter.

    Baylor called one substitution.

    Karen called six.

    I can’t believe I watched it again. :facepalm:
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  23. brnkj

    brnkj 2,500+ Posts

    It's not even worth arguing about. We all know she yanks players in and out sporadically and far too often...that's why we very seldom see any kind of continuity.
     
    • Agree Agree x 6
  24. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    And that’s supposed to be your example of a revolving door?
     
  25. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    So what’s the reason we seldom see any continuity this year?
     
  26. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Specific examples please.
     
  27. kurupt

    kurupt 1,000+ Posts

    Again, this is your example of a revolving door? I think there needs to be a armchair coaching clinic were people that aren’t coaches or have never coached at the high D1 level try to explain substitution patterns.
     
    • Winner Winner x 1
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  28. WCBBNUT

    WCBBNUT 2,500+ Posts

    Hahahahahaha. Could I borrow your blinders for the rest of the season? :lmao:

    It’s you against the world, kiddo. You against the world.
     
    • Winner Winner x 3
    • Funny Funny x 2
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • poop poop x 1
  29. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Several posters talking out of their you-know-what's because they are so jaded about the program not meeting their expectations which were raised because of Karen's recruiting success (on paper) and reaching an Elite 8 and several Sweet 16's. Expectations are subjective; nothing wrong with that. But, those with short memories acting like Karen didn't accomplish anything at Texas are just being ridiculous simply to vent their current frustrations.

    As I've stated several times on this message board, Karen accomplished a lot more than anyone expected when she was first hired (based on her lack of head coaching experience), and definitely had the best 5 year span in our program in the last 30 years. Folks stating otherwise simply refuse to accept those truths. But, she was unable to maintain her own success, and is now on a downward trajectory over the last 2.5 seasons.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agree Agree x 1
  30. Moooooo

    Moooooo 5,000+ Posts

    Stopped reading at this point. None of Jordan Hosey, Lashann Higgs or Tasia Foman were known as "shooters" coming out of high school. They were "slashers" who succeeded based on their athletic ability and speed. Their bread and butter offensively was slashing to the basket and scoring layups. Hosey was a tweener who struggled to play in the paint as she was undersized, and had no consistent perimeter game.

    Boothe got pulled mostly for not running the play called, and just jacking up 3-pointers whenever she felt like it. She rarely wanted to play down in the low block to bang and rebound. She didn't hustle back on defense (due to lack of her physical conditioning), and just played with no effort more often than not.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agree Agree x 2

Share This Page