Hmm. Maybe we should let it and him or her go? Audrey and Texas met their obligations to one another. I think it natural enough for Audrey to want to go somewhere new and have new experiences. No one needs to be wrong.
Agreed. And "just plain takes the fun out of playing basketball" doesn't mesh with the players comments, particularly when they were on the long win streak that lasted all the way through the Elite 8. Winning IS a lot of fun. Losing isn't. And Vic builds winners. If his style had taken the fun out of playing basketball, the team would have given up on him and we would have seen that play out on the court with very bad results. Instead, what I saw was a cohesive unit playing for each other, working their tails off, who went beyond my expectations and finished with an amazing season. That just doesn't happen with a poor leader. Five out of eight of the Elite8 teams in this years' NCAAs were coincidentally also ranked among the top 6 teams in the pre-season AP poll. By contrast, Vic's team returned virtually no one and was ranked 25th pre-season. I'm pretty sure his players appreciate where he got them. And Audrey will walk onto campus at her eventual destination with her 2nd Elite8 ring. If UGA is the destination, she'll likely be the only player on campus to have achieved such results. I'm pretty sure Audrey had fun playing basketball the last 2 years.
Very well-said! To me, it almost seems there was some resentment due to the influx of freshmen and other new/young players taking over the identity of our team/program.
I would have preferred that the seniors stick around that extra year (especially Ebo), as they were all among those who played the most minutes on a team that has had two good years, made two consecutive Elite 8's, and won a B12 tourney title. This team has changed the trajectory of the program in a hugely positive way and they were a big part of that. If they desire different roles than the ones they played the past couple of years, then it's best to move on to somewhere where they can find it. I'd say they have earned the right to explore other opportunities. They gave us a lot of toughness and fight and I'd be willing to bet we all appreciate that.
I will miss all three of our seniors. Warren is such a warrior and Ebo showed so much pleasure in making big plays. I get attached to our team and i am always sad when players leave whether as seniors or for other reasons. The portal makes that hard.
Picking up players like Jordyn Jenkins (USC's leading scorer) is certainly a step in the right direction.
Now that’s a nice way to move on by thanking all the Texas coaches. I will miss her at Texas and wish her well at Georgia
Best wishes Audrey and thanks for being such good "Texas Fight" example. Continue to do great things!
I hope Audrey will be successful there, and for purely selfish reasons I'm glad she went out of conference. It's an appropriate mascot for her--she's definitely a bulldog.
Our roster has been updated with departure removals: 2022-23 Women's Basketball Roster - University of Texas Athletics (texassports.com)
I was wondering about that earlier today. Between the staff departures as well as players, I was hoping they’d show the upcoming season’s roster for transfer candidates to review. Wish they had the incoming freshmen on it. IIRC, Texas is usually one of the latest programs to do that historically.
That roster sure looks skinny now. With 3 coming in but Codio hurt and 3 not playing much…..sure begs for two perhaps three transfer players. Injuries ALWAYS happen….especially early and without adequate fortifications, might have to get another walk-on for practices. I’m getting anxious for additions.
I'm glad Vic seems to believe in allotting all 15 scholarships allowed. Never understood why Goestenkors preferred a smaller roster, especially since her teams also endured injuries and attrition.
I like it. This helps me get ready to focus on those who want to stay and compete for championships rather than those who want to be somewhere else. This program is finally back on the rise and I'm psyched at the thought of seeing it play out in our new arena.
Mooooo I would normally agree with you on this in the past but with the portal I wish he would cap it at 13 or 14 because IMO you always want that one xtra spot open in case a superstar decides to leave her current school and wants to come here.
I didn't necessarily mean that he always carried 15 scholarship players on the roster. This past season, we started with 14 scholarship players before Precious Johnson and Ashley Chevalier left the program. I meant more than he's not adamant on having a "small" roster like Goestenkors preferred, and has no issues with allotting all 15 scholarships.
I saw today that Germania Insurance, as part of a multi-year deal with the Moody Center, is funding a UT WBB scholarship. The press release says: "The final piece of Germania’s multifaceted relationship with Moody Center and The University of Texas includes a $100,000 endowed scholarship to a member of The University of Texas’ Women’s basketball program. Facilitated through the university, the Germania Insurance Women’s Athletics Scholarship will be awarded annually to a Texas high school graduate pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a business or insurance-related field." I mention this here because Fatou would clearly qualify for this and it would be a nice recruiting pitch. Shay would also qualify, but she's already on scholarship at UT and I think the ship is for one player annually. Here's the full press-release: Moody Center Announces Founding Partner Germania Insurance - Moody Center
Remind me why the men get 13 scholarships and the women get 15. Seems like it had to do with Title IX. Perhaps it also dealt with women having more knee injuries. AND I was told by an expert that men/women’s knees are slightly different in regards to ligament orientation and attachment leading to more injuries to women. I don’t really know why the difference. Either doctors or experts in Title IX may jump in here.
Somebody is really on the ball. I checked the roster just yesterday and it was still the 21-22 version. Good catch!
