2023 Recruiting - WBB

Which former SG of Vic's does she remind you of?

 

From Brandon Clay of prospectsnation:
CLAY’S TAKE
In Wagner, Schaefer’s Texas program adds a versatile option who can play the new age point forward spot. Wagner has the length and size that allows her to switch multiple positions defensively. On the other end of the hardwood, the ELITE 25 prospect has shown major growth with the range on her outside 3-point shooting. If Wagner can consistently keep the floor spaced and her defender honest as a result, she’ll be even harder for opposing coaches to game plan for. A lot of Wagner’s next level production will hinge on her ability to quarterback the unit on the floor vocally. She has all of the physical tools to be impactful.

 

She reminds my of Chloe Bibby who played for Vic but transferred to Maryland

 

I said the same thing, but Sammie is far more skilled than Bibby.

 

I'm afraid we'll be anxious about the defensive quickness thingy for every top player Vic pulls in. Being college-ready defensively like Rori happens once in a decade.

We had the same concerns about Kobe and the jury is still out there. Same with Kyndall. I would love to ask Vic, or wish one of the media people would ask him, how long he expects it takes for the staff to develop competitive defensive skills in his system. Half a season, a year, two years?

Of course it varies by individual, so I suspect this is why he stresses the importance of recruiting back-to-back-to-back top classes to give his players time to grow into the system without the crutch of "building" years.

 

All 3 of the incoming freshman have the length and athleticism to thrive defensively in Vic’s system so maybe it won’t be that far into the future.

 

Somebody on another site mentioned former Longhorn, 6'2 Anissa Hastings and her ability to guard positions 1-5. I somehow have that feeling about 6'3 Amina Muhammad. She might be slender to guard a bulky Center, but she has the height to hopefully block some shots.

 

Coach left her dream school, so she re-opened her basketball recruitment

This is a very short but informative article and video on how Sammie Wagner and her parents managed her recruiting process and after she decommitted from Baylor. This article was written prior to her commitment to Texas so there is no discussion about specific schools that were under consideration. The article is very insightful, and I came away very impressed with her parents' guidance and Sammie's maturity.

An observation I made when the Wagners attended several games at Texas. Both Sammie's mom and dad were very invested in the games. They sat and cheered for Texas during the games. This stood out to me for two reasons; a lot of parents of recruits sit and remain neutral throughout the game; and Sammie's mom and dad were Division I athletes at A&M and Baylor. Cheering for Texas was the opposite of what they have done their entire lives.

Here are a few notable quotes from the article.

"It made sense for us to develop a set of criteria, school-wise, style-wise, coaching, and then just work that list," said Sammie's dad, Robert, who was a football player at Baylor. "You have to find a 40-year decision, not a four-year decision, which is one of the things we have stressed to Sam from the beginning.”

“The ball stops bouncing," Robert Wagner said. "What are you going to do next? She's been great about that.”

 

Oh that "dream school" hex.

 

My memory is not what it used to be, so I'm gonna ask a question since I don't recall the exacts. For those who have followed Abbie Boutilier's recruitment, when she announced her verbal commitment to Texas, and the media stories that followed, was it actually stated that she had accepted a scholarship offer from Texas, or just that she had verbally committed? While in most instances an announced verbal commitment implies a scholarship is involved, that's not always the case as walk-ons make similar verbal commitment announcements.

 

Good question, especially in light of the concerns about Abbie being a good fit for Vic's system. When I met her in Las Vegas (of all places) and spoke briefly with her parents, everyone acted like she was a scholarship player, but that cannot be actually known unless the commit's announcement is more specific. "I have accepted a scholarship" versus "I am committed."

 

I checked some of the media stories about her verbal commitment to Texas, and not a single one stated specifically that she had accepted a scholarship. Also, we often see those media stories mention tidbits like "she chose school X over scholarship offers from schools A-E". Didn't come across that either.

 

Assuming for a moment that Abbie is a "welcomed walk-on" (in football it is called a preferred walk-on, but I don't know if that usage applies to wbb), she would be a welcome addition. Her status could also come with the prospect of elevation to a scholarship based on growth and development.

It would not be a surprise if Abbie redshirts her first year to nurture her development. She would be an important presence on the practice court to aid in the development of her teammates as well as herself.

 

We need to get Gisella Maul and continue our stranglehold on Cy-Fair Elite's best talent

 

Who was the last player we signed from San Antonio? Anissa Hastings? She and Tai Dillard ended up being very underrated as they were big contributors in our 2003 Final Four season.

I remember wanting Meghan Simmons from Cibolo Steele badly, but she didn't even give us a sniff. Perhaps those rumors of a disgruntled Clarissa Davis sabotaging our recruiting efforts in the San Antonio area were true.

 

They were definitely true, at that time she felt done wrong because promises were made by CP that didn’t come to pass. And she had no problem telling anyone who asked.

And that was compounded by Simmons always wanting to play for Tenn so we didn’t ever have much of a shot for a myriad of reasons.

 

I've always wondered and to this day I don't think Clarissa comes back for the player alumni weekends. That's a shame she wasn't done right... she's the most outstanding and most decorated player in the history of our program, and HER jersey should have been the first to go up in the rafters.

 

I think I remember KA bringing Clarissa back to campus for a locker room talk with the team one year. No???

 

Yep, found it.

 

What kind of promises could Plonsky make to Clarissa (job-related) ?

Jody hired Clarissa for the 2006-07 season to replace Karen Aston when she bolted for Baylor; then Jody retired after a non-NCAA tourney season. Honestly, Clarissa Davis had no business being hired for that job as she'd never coached in college, and really nowhere (other than maybe high school club ball).

When Gail was hired, she brought in coaches that were tons more qualified than Clarissa; so, definitely not Gail's fault as I'd have done the same thing in not hiring Davis. Clarissa accepts a job at Rutgers, and stays one or two years before resigning. Never coached in college again.

Sounds to me like she wanted things handed to her as far as coaching jobs at Texas.

So many hiring mistakes made by our head coaches in trying to "give back" to their former players. Clarissa Davis, Jamie Carey, and Tiffany Jackson had no business being hired for jobs at Texas based on their coaching experience. As much as I liked Tina Thompson (as a Comets player), she also really didn't have the coaching experience necessary, but was a "splash" hire with the media and fans. Not surprisingly, none of those hires worked, and the head coaches were mostly unsuccessful with them on their staffs.

 

Honestly as far as all this goes, how many players from San Antonio have been recruited heavily since Simmons? I know KA was recruiting Carleigh Wenzel heavily but that's the only player from the area that I can remember in the last several years.

 

That's kind of my point. There hasn't been much talent in that area.

Even in our history, Denise Forestier was one of the few players from S.A. who I remember, and she maybe only stayed one year. There was Courtney Canavan from S.A. Tom Clark who played in the early 90's

 

Let’s hope Sammie becomes the next player we sign from San Antonio.

 

Where was Amber Ramirez from?

 

San Antonio Wagner HS

 

Great post... thanks for the perspective.

 

Bally Sports doing a HS spotlight interview with Gisella Maul this evening at 10:30. Sure hope we get her commitment.

 

Home visit…

 

I've never seen any of our coaching staffs take jerseys to a player's home!

Or, is that actually a men's hoops jersey which she purchased on her own? Parents dressed in their own Longhorns sweat pants and hoodies? Or would our staff have provided those for the photos?