2016 recruiting

• Well I would say if these are her best qualities, she's going to be one heck of a difference maker on this squad! Bring on the treys!

 

[Qthe pick and roll. The Baylor and OU "bigs" will have a field day inside on her.

• She looked like she had some passing skills but made perhaps 5 passing turnovers in the second half alone. Seemed she was trying too hard to force it inside to King.
• Her coach uses her to inbound after all scoring plays so she must have some good passing skills but the turnovers seemed like something we have seen too much in the Horns games for my liking.
• She will have a place on the team as she is an improvement over Aborawa and Diani. However, she is not a difference maker for next year. I believe she will be a back-up for Lang that will come in and stretch the defense. Her defense will hurt; however, in some situations against larger line-ups she can play with Lang. I was hoping for so much more.
• I also believe that Underwood is a better player with more diverse/rounded skills. They are entirely different players (5'-11" vs 6'-3") so it is unfair to compare the two and they will be used differently.

SORRY, but we obviously were not watching the same game. This girl can flat out play. No foot speed? Are you truly serious??? Did you see her BLOW BY her defender on the baseline and make a reverse layup in a split second? She moves her feet WAY better than any big we have seen in quite a while. Did you see her guarding a smaller player and move her feet QUICKLY and block her shot as the offensive player tried to drive past her? She is fundamentally sound, physical, SMART, with broad shoulders and a wide stance. She has an outstanding 3 point shot, beautiful form, and a nose for the ball. She will be tough to move around in the paint. Sorry, but you are dead wrong in your assertions about Audrey-Ann!!! She will play and play ALOT!!!!!

 

I think the key for Jada is going to be finding a position. While it's great to be described as "versatile", that sometimes makes it more difficult to utilize your best skills.

If she is an undersized PF, then that makes it tougher to go against taller opponents. If she can play on the wing, and shoot the mid-range jumper consistently, then that definitely increases her opportunities.

 

Think Nina Davis???!!!

 

I haven't seen final stats for Gulf Coast's game, but I did see Audrey-Ann hit 7 of 9 3-point shots and finish with 23 points. Plenty of rebounds too. She missed most of the 3rd quarter and part of the 4th with 4 fouls too!! If the coaches utilize her the right way, she should see a lot of minutes! Oh, and they won by 30, so, on to the Championship game!!!!

*Edited to show final stats* 23 pts., 10 rebounds for Audrey-Ann

http://portal.stretchinternet.com/lcu/stats.htm?eventId=278538&streamType=video

 

6'3 is an undersized pf in the women's game? I don't think so

 

I think she's a natural at the traditional SF - good midrange, can handle the ball some and doesn't mind going in amongst the trees to rebound - not too muscular but has the frame to be a 'do everything' small forward. I'm hoping she has a bit of a chip on her shoulder from being overlooked by so many.

 

In all fairness, I don't think Jada Underwood is 6' 3". I think that was a misprint a while back. She is roughly 6 feet even.

 

Jada and Joyner were named to the Dallas SportsDay All Area team along with Natalie Chou, Ciera Johnson and Vivian Gray. Blurbs on Joyner and Jada:

Joyner Holmes
Cedar Hill, Sr., 6-3, F
Stats: The McDonald's All-American averaged 24 points and eight rebounds per game for Cedar Hill, which finished 27-8 and lost to Plano West in a 6A Region I quarterfinal.
Did you know?
Holmes, who signed with Texas, is ranked by ESPN HoopGurlz as the nation's No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2016. She was a four-year starter at Cedar Hill.

Jada Underwood
Mesquite Horn, Sr., 6-0, F
Stats: The District 10-6A Co-MVP averaged 23 points, 14 rebounds and four assists per game for Mesquite Horn, which lost to Waco Midway in a 6A Region II quarterfinal.
Did you know?
Underwood, who signed with Texas, missed most of her junior season after suffering a torn ACL. In the playoffs this year, she averaged 27 points and 18 rebounds per game.

 

Kinda of strange that Lauren Cox is not listed among the top 15 players in the DFW area.

 

Noticed that too - very odd considering she was named All-Area player of the year. She won POTY award in 2015 as well. Ariel won it in 2013 and 2014. The winner before that? Alexis Jones also won in back-to-back seasons 2011-2012.

 

Glad to see Goudreau had a real good game today. I missed the game and will miss the finals tomorrow as well. Gulf Coast will play Trinity Valley JUCO from Athens, TX which has won 3 of the last 4 national championships. They are very young (8 freshmen) but apparently athletic with length. So it should be a good game. If someone watches it, please provide stats........and in addition, something you notice that gives us insight to her play.

 

Jada Underwood has occasionally been mentioned as being able to play the guard position. That doesn't seem reflected in these comments. And we seem to have two conflicting eye witness opinions on Audrey-Ann's athleticism, though the stats say she's a terrific three point shooter, which would help us a lot. Suddenly, because of Sutton's ACL, it seems we may not be as strong as we expected to be at guard next season. Depending on her recovery and conditioning schedule, Sutton may not play the first half of the year, or maybe not at all. If so, we've got a team with one effective center (Lang, of course; I don't think Hattis showed much at all this year), a half dozen power forwards, (two of which, Hosey and Underwood, are more in the small forward category) and five available guards, if you exclude Sutton. Two of those guards are All-Big 12 types, Atkins and McCarty. Atkins' shooting was really impressive over the last 15 games. Briana Taylor is a solid role player. On Tasia Foman, I'm a member of the school of thought that views her as a backup who never will be a difference maker. though she's going to help. That leaves Higgs. Most of us can now admit she has been a disappointment who certainly didn't look like one of the top ten recruits in America. And yet, and yet...Higgs is a fantastic athlete, quick as lightning. It may be my wishful thinking, but a light seemed to be coming on in the last few games. She improved her mid range jump shooting somewhat, and she operated more efficiently. Let's see how she performs in the tournament. After March I'm looking forward to extended discussions on our prospects for next year (personally, I'm optimistic). Since they haven't brought in a new center for 2016, the coaching staff is going to have to change the offense, it seems to me. Inside out isn't going to work all the time. We're going to have to flow more. For four years Karen Atkins ran an inside-out offense that many thought was too static. In reality she was using the scheme best suited to her personnel---strong under the basket but undependable when shooting jump shots. Now the mix of personnel is changing. Let's see if the offensive scheme changes with it. That will be interesting.

 

Dr.D,
Great analysis, except I'm stubborn. I do not now admit that Higgs is a disappointment and didn't look like a top 10 recruit. My disappointment was that I didn't get to see her enough to know how to rank her. I'd say her performance in the Baylor game was more than a light seeming to be coming on. She was a light shining full blast. I know she threw up some bricks in the minutes she got in this year, and may never be a top 10 recruit from her year, but I'm optimistic.

 

I'm with you Dr. D

 

I think LaShann was pretty much a one on one player on offense and free lanced at times on defense the first part of the season. That led to less playing time. What I really liked the last few games is that she seemed much more under control offensively. She continued to break down defenders one on one, and the plays seemed designed to let her do that, but instead of throwing up a wild shot at the basket, she was finishing much more under control. Her ability to get past the first defender and force the defense to react is going to get her layups, get her teammates open looks and get her to the FT line. I think she is going to be awesome on both ends and that has started to show the past few games.

 

And I wholeheartedly agree with Babhorn too!

 

BabHorn's and others are right on per assessment of Higgs. Although she frustrated us with her out-of-control offense at times, she did make lots of improvement in the last few games by playing more in the system while still being aggressive. For me, what was more frustrating than the offensive approach was a high risk approach to defense. Admittedly, she provided a lot of important defensive steals......especially early in the season. In order to get those steals, which all of us like, she was fundamentally poor in defensive positioning (free lance). Most coaches really don't like that high risk approach, which led many times to easy baskets for the opponent. Late in the year, she improved on her defensive positioning without giving up too much in her desire for steals. It is a balancing act.......we want the steals........but don't want it to be just out of control riskiness. I thought she did an admirable job late in the year in balancing that out. I am optimistic with a summer of shooting practice, and just playing with more discipline both offensively and defensively within the systems, she will make a huge jump. Remember that most players make their most significant improvements from freshmen to sophomore seasons. My issue was buying into the hype without seeing her in high school and expecting more of a top 5-10 ranked player. She got by on a lot of things in high school that she couldn't in her first year at D1. I think we will see a significantly improved Higgs this fall. I believe she will be a key player next year. For sure, I would like to see her take a next step now in the Tourney.

 

Lashann is going to be a great player as she continues to improve on her game mentally and physically. She's the only perimeter player on the team that can consistently create her own shot. If the offense isn't clicking or the shot clock is winding down, I want the ball in her hands. The game against Tennessee was a great example of that.

I agree with Dr. D, the personnel will be totally different next year and this team won't have a decent back to the basket post player like Imani. Coach Aston is going to have to run a system that gets the most out of her players and puts them in a position to succeed.

 

Audrey-Ann leads Gulf Coast to the NJCAA championship and shares Co-MVP honors with teammate, Kristina King:

http://www.newsherald.com/sports/20160319/gulf-coast-claims-4th-national-championship

 

Congratulations to Audrey-Ann and her team!!

 

Not sure which thread to put my comments. But, as others have said I agree that the coaches are going to have to change the offensive sets for next season. Kelsey is going to be the only true center, and even she doesn't fit the back to the basket type center. The twins are not accustomed to that play either. From what I know, they were being used as that at Vanderbilt, which is why they chose to transfer.
So, back to my point. The coaches have work to do, to change offensive sets for next season. It's going to be interesting!!

 

I get the feeling Coach A will add a late signee to the 2016 class. Haven't followed the JUCO scene too much this season other than Audrey-Anne's team, so not sure if we have an interest anyone specific.

 

Considering the scholarship numbers, would require a transfer out or a returning player giving up her scholarship, right?

 

Well, we were holding a spot for Ionescu; so, I would expect some attrition as it happens every year.

 

Amber Ramirez won the 3-point shooting contest tonight in Chicago as part of the McDonald's AA game week. Thinking how she was once committed to Okie State and then eventually signing with TCU, I wonder if she just preferred a smaller size school. Still, wish we could have landed her as her skill set would give our team even more firepower next season.

 

We have guards for the next couple of years that probably persuaded her away. I mean, I don't know for sure, but could she have competed with Lashann, Brooke and Ariel? TCU needs guards, considering what they lose this year. JMO.

 

Article on Joyner:

http://usatodayhss.com/2016/mcdonal...t_refDomain=twitter.com&st_refQuery=/TexasWBB

 

McDonald's AA post-game player analysis:

http://espn.go.com/espnw/sports/art...stars-mcdonald-all-american-game-full-promise

 

Did we recruit Ramirez or did she just not show any interest in Texas?