2017 Recruiting

Vivian Gray scores 36 point and grabs 16 rebounds as Argyle defeats Dallas Lincoln 66-50 today to advance to the state tourney.

 

Argyle (Vivian Gray) will take on Liberty Hill (Sedona Prince) in the next round, Friday in San Antonio at the Alamodome.

 

ESPNw piece on Vivian Gray...a Division II school? That would be quite a shock.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/sports/art...d-straight-girls-basketball-state-title-texas

 

First time I've seen a list of schools for her:

That would be an unusual decision given the other schools on her list are all high-major Division I programs -- Oklahoma State, Baylor, Rice, Texas and Oklahoma.

"In the back of her mind," Olivia said of her sister, "I think she really wants to come to Fort Lewis."

Vivian, who has a 4.0 GPA, has visited Texas, Oklahoma and Fort Lewis.

Sounds like her mid-range shootings skills could really help us.

 

Wow, she sounds fantastic. I really hope she considers us.

 

AAS story on Argyle vs Liberty Hill or Vivian Gray vs Sedona Prince. Wonder if our coaches will be at that game.

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/sports/high-school/big-boost-in-form-of-6-7-center-helps-liberty-hill/nqcy6/

 

took off early from work and was able to watch the second half of the Argyle-Liberty Hill game. Vivian Gray was all over the court, handling the ball, rebounding, shooting, playing D. Very good ballhandler, excellent midrange shooter, able to hit the 3 as well, nice passer. I can easily see her playing the wing in college. She is likely to go up in the rankings this summer. She ended up with 17 pts, six rebs, 3 assists as Argyle moved on, 43-32. She had 12 of Argyle's first 18 pts.

Prince has a solid body. She is able to handle the ball well, bringing up the court a couple of times. Good passer out of the double/triple team. Solid jumper from 15 feet in. Liberty Hill just had too much trouble trying to get the ball inside. Liberty Hill did not shoot the ball well in this game. Credit Argyle's defense for both those problems. Prince ended up with nine pts.

Gray was able to dribble pass Prince several times when Prince came out to the FT line or a bit past that to guard her. Kinda like asking Imani to guard Ariel on the perimeter. Big mismatch. But Prince had to respect Gray's ability to hit the 3. Tough spot for her.

Argyle will play Waco La Vega at 7 pm tomorrow for the 4A title.

 

By the time it is all said and done, Sedona may very well be the best player in the 2018 class. She has all the skills and size to be a phenom. I sure wish we could get Vivian Gray though. She is a pure shooter with an incredible mid-range game and could really help us. Thanks for the update Babhorn.

 

Argyle wins second state title 53-43 over Waco La Vega. Vivian Gray had 15 pts and 5 rebs to lead Argyle.

They did ask her during the post game interview if she had decided where she wanted to go college or narrowed down her list. She gave no hint, saying she had not thought about that during this time.

Have to figure Argyle will be the favorite to win next season. They would be looking to make it three state championships in a row.

 

Vivian Gray has definitely been taught fundamental basketball throughout her career; she does everything really well.

Over the years, I've learned the girls' high school basketball is really all about the head coaches; those great coaches who teach "system" basketball always make a deep run into the playoffs.

 

G Cara Ursin of Louisiana - Anyone heard if she has a UT offer? Lists UT among schools she's considering.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/sports/art...r-cara-ursin-skyrocketing-recruiting-rankings

 

she sounds like quite a player and person.

gotta admire her dedication to her studies and on skill development. Texas has an excellent pharmacy program and could also provide a strong background for her PT degree.

 

2017-18 has the potential to be one of the most exciting years ever in Texas women's BB, IMO. Look at how good our sophomore class has been this season, and then imagine Ariel, Brooke, Tasia and Audrey-Ann as seniors (can't comment on Diani as we haven't seen enough of her, as of yet), Lashann, Jordan, Olamide and Khaleann as juniors, and next year's terrific incoming class of Joyner, Alicia and Jada as sophs, with a year's experience already under their belts. If there was ever a season for everyone to be 100% healthy, and contributing, that is it. Not that I think a championship run isn't possible before then; of course it is, given our talent and continued improvement. I'm just making the point that our 2017-18 roster has the potential to be one of the most talented and experienced in program history.

So who's going to be joining them as freshmen? I've tried to keep up with the names of all those who have us on their respective lists, or who some on the board have indicated we have an interest in. But I know I'm missing a few. The ones that immediately come to mind are Didi Richards, Vivian Gray, Haley Troup, Chassity Patterson, Rellah Booth, Chennedy Carter and Cara Ursin. Hopefully someone will correct me if any of those names should no longer be there. I don't recall if we're recruiting, or in the mix for Alexis Morris, and I know Jade Williams doesn't have us on her current list of finalists (though I hope we're still pursuing her!). Any updates (on anyone!) would be greatly appreciated.

 

We can take Didi Richards off the list, she committed to baylor.

 

That's a huge blow for KA.

 

Well it's certainly a disappointment but I don't know how huge of a blow it is, considering how much talent we already have on the roster, or committed and signed. But I was hopeful she would end up a Horn, in particular since I think that was a likely outcome at one point. If I am calculating correctly (and pending any further updates from those who know a lot more than I do), we're still in the hunt for up to five players currently ranked higher than Didi on the Hoopgurlz list....Booth, Patterson, Gray, Carter and Morris (though I did ask for an update on Morris in my previous post, since I don't recall hearing much about her lately).

 

I've said from the beginning that even though Didi's a really good player this team needs a consistent perimeter 3 point jump shooter. Or even another play making guard that can consistently break their man down off the dribble and make a play either for themselves or a teammate.

 

I'm not sure about the others but Alexis Morris is more than likely going to baylor.

 

Thanks for the update, that's why I asked about Alexis. I knew we hadn't heard as much about her as the others, so that must have been because she was likely going elsewhere.

 

I think mainly since Didi was a player committed for about a year with many close friends playing here her going to our largest rival is a big blow. Not to mention that two players decommited from Texas and switched to Baylor last year (not that those players seem like too much of a loss talent wise). Baylor has a lot of momentum recruiting wise and with three dominanting wins over us this year. I'm not sure what true difference makers are looking at Texas right now other than Boothe. Boothe recently stated that Maryland is her leader and didn't even mention Texas in her top schools. Morris is Baylor bound by all accounts and Didi going there only makes it more likely.

 

You're right, baylor does have a lot of recruiting momentum right now. And the fact that we haven't been able to beat them over the last several years certainly doesn't help. There's really only two true difference makers in the 2017 class, Megan Walker and Boothe. It would be nice to get one of those players but with the talent that will be on the roster Coach Aston and her staff just need to recruit good players that fit the system.

 

Honestly, most would say Baylor's current recruiting class of Cox, Chou, Landrum etc, is on par with our class of Holmes, Sutton, Underwood etc. ESPN has the Bear's class only slightly above ours, solely because they have Cox ranked 1st and Holmes 2nd for 2016. The multiple services that have Holmes 1st would probably have our class ranked on top. And don't forget, the Caron-Goudreau twins are effectively members of our 2016 class also. If you look at our 2014, 2015 and 2016 classes as a whole, that combination is as good as any other program in the country over the same stetch, and quite likely the best over those same three years.

I would think the difference between the Horns and BU is that the Bears should be bringing in top classes, based on their two national titles, and success at the conference level. The fact the Horns have been able to bring in top national classes for three successive years, in particular when coming on the heels of our worst season ever, really says something about the commitment of this staff to get this program back on top. And then to back up that desire with such rapid improvement from one year to the next is something that a lot of people, and obviously many top recruits have really taken notice of. In light of where our program was just a few short years ago, I would say our recruiting momentum is more impressive, and by some margin.

 

Considering she was committed to us, and has now committed to our conference rival, it is definitely a blow to lose Didi. I thought our ace in the hole was her friendship with Joyner, but, recent signs were pointing to Baylor.

I'm not one that ever feels we have enough talent; one position may be stacked for one season, but we are nowhere near where we need to be at all positions depth-wise to be a Final Four contender each season. One never knows how a signing class is gonna pan out until they arrive on campus. Our 2014 made a huge difference from day one; Brooke and Ariel most likely will be starters for the rest of their UT careers. But, the 2015 class hasn't come close to meeting my expectations based on their rankings; this would have been the perfect season for Jordan to grab a starting sport at PF, but that didn't happen. Lashann was voted pre-season Big 12 newcomer of the year, but didn't even make the all-freshmen team. So, as far as their first season, the 2015 class didn't show enough to convince me there are future starters there.

If all 3 players from the 2016 class show the "it" factor their first season, then the 2017 class is not that critical. But, the in-state talent pool is very deep and talented. Have to hit on a couple if not more to continue raising the talent level in our program.

 

Are you sure that was a recent update? I have found nothing on Rellah, not even her high school games this past season, on the web for months.

 

Not all players develop in the same way, or adapt to the college game at the same rate. But it wouldn't surprise me, when all is said and done, if our 2015 recruits were among the biggest contributors on the squad. And Lashann only averages 12.9 mpg, yet is 6th on the squad in scoring. Her 6.7 points and 3 rebounds per game is fairly impressive given her limited playing time. And as her shot selection gets better and shooting and FT percentages increase, so will her playing time, and her averages should rise fairly quickly.

 

If I had to guess our starting lineup for next November, I'd say:

PG: Brooke
SG: Ariel
SF: Jada
PF: Joyner
C: Kelsi

Now, how the Caron-Goudreau twins will be utilized can definitely change things among the front court starters. And, if Alecia is fully rehabbed and ready to start the season, that could change the back court starters. That being said, I don't see anyone form the 2015 class starting next season (if everyone is healthy). If the 2016 class comes out of the gate blazing and asserts itself with a couple of starter, then the 2017 class is one that is going to have to be very talented and competitive to make their mark early.

 

You can never have too much talent but only five players can play at a tiime. IMO the staff needs to focus on a consistent 3 point perimeter jump shooter and another playmaking guard, especially with the uncertainty of the knee injury with Alecia. If the staff does that the team is in a good position.

 

In February ESPN had an article. Maryland is her favorite followed by Tennesee and Auburn.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/12378990/star

 

IMO, Lashann will be the starting shooting guard and Ariel will be the starter at small forward. Let's be honest, if Lashann played on a bad team like Tech and was allowed to play through her mistakes because there wasn't anyone on the team with more experience or better than her, she would be on the all freshmen team. I've said this many times, but just on her physical ability and the things she can do with the basketball in her hands Lashann is the most talented perimeter player on the team IMO.

 

That was February 2015 -- 13 months ago.

The good news for Texas with Boothe is that she visited officially last November. Have seen no other reports of any unofficial visits by Rellah anywhere.

As I mentioned earlier, I can find no articles about Boothe's play this past season. Very odd.