Akhator to Kentuky

Per tweet from Bret McCormick at ASGR, Akhator chose Kentucky over Tennessee, Texas and Florida State.

The great, can't miss true power forward continues to elude Longhorns WBB. Still, we have a good-looking roster for next year.

 

here's the tweet. And we move on.

Bret McCormick@ASGR1995 · 22m 22 minutes ago


ASGR#1 JC Evelyn Akhator 6-3 Post Chipola College FL has committed to HC Matthew Mitchell University of Kentucky. Originally from Nigeria.

 

She would have been a nice player to get, and you have to give coach Aston and her staff credit for always looking for ways to get better. The most important thing that this team needs is shooters from the perimeter, not getting her allows us to use that scholarship on a player like Amber Ramirez, a player that I hope we're able to get.

 

That's unfortunate. She would have fit in nicely into the lineup. Nevertheless, although Jordan Hosey, 6'1", is a natural 3, I believe she will be our best option at the 4 for next year. She's able to stretch the defense and play the high post. She's more than capable of manning the position at defense. Here she defends and blocks Lauren Cox's shot (hand is part of the ball while the ball is in the hand).

 

I agree about Ramirez. With Akhator out of the equation, we have 3 openings for 2016. Among those three I would like to see a strong perimeter player, and a post. We do have players who can shoot the three, but I'm thinking of someone along the lines of a Danielle Viglione or a Jamie Carey. No way to know for sure but early signs point to Amber developing into that type of contributor.

 

Aborowa's size and athleticism could make her a force at the 4 but I think she needs at least a season just working on basketball skills. Hopefully Diani can show improvement from her freshman year or we'll see players out of their natural position there (Hosey, Lang) next season. Hoping the 2016 post is Holmes - a dream PF.

 

I disagree completely. We have no proven PF. Without Nneka we were not as good a rebounding team. Plus, Akhator would have been help for 2015-16; while we could also use a shooter, it doesn't appear as if we are recruiting one for 2015-16. Ramirez is only a junior right now.

 

Nneka was one of the best rebounders in the country, so of course we weren't as good of a rebounding team. I've said this numerous times, but we play in a conference where most teams play a guard at the PF position. Even a team like baylor doesn't play a traditional power forward, Nina Davis is only 5'11. Jordan Hosey is 6'1, and she is a faceup power foward, not a guard or wing player. She has some perimeter skill but she is a power foward who can guard the perimeter at a decent level. We also have Brianna who could play some a the 4 position like she did this year.

Again, because most teams in the conference play a guard at the power foward position, we would be fine. Not to mention we also have 6'3 Christina Aborowa, who will also give us minutes along with Diani. The achilles heel of this team is perimeter shooting, most teams can't matchup with our size, and because we are not a good perimeter shooting team they play zone against us. More than anything we need quality perimeter shooting, perimeter players that can shoot at least 35% or better from the three point line, Amber Ramirez can certainly do that. I'm not worried about the power foward position, I will continue to be worried about our perimeter shooting until we get players like Amber Ramieriz who can do it at a high quality level.

 

It's not that I don't want Amber. I think she'd be a great get for the 2016 class. There's no guarantee she will end up at Texas, though.

Akhator plays a different position. And, she would be here for 2015. Coach A wouldn't have recruited her and brought her in for a visit if she didn't think Akhator could help Texas in a deficient area; that's good enough for me. With Nekia leaving, we have any less front court depth, not to mention that Nekia could shoot from beyond the arc.

Unfortunately, I'm not counting on Diani until I see something way beyond what she showed in limited play this past season. I know she was injured some, but she was slow-footed and not in the best of shape when inserted in a game. Will take a lot of improvement over the next few months for her to be a factor in Big 12 play.

 

The reason why I initially talked about Rameriz is because we already have two commitments, and we are also going after Holmes and presumably a center like Ciera Johnson since we didn't get Lauren Cox for the 2016 class. That leaves us with one more scholarship because we didn't get Akhator. Not getting her will allow us the opportunity to try to get Amber Rameriz who gives us the most important thing that we need, which is perimeter shooting. Like I said earlier we have to give coach Aston and staff credit for always trying to improve the team. But with that being said, the power foward position for me is not a concern. Think about it, give me another quality power foward in the conference other than Nina Davis. Most are 5'8 to 5'11 guards, we have more than enough to be productive at that position.

 

I'm not worried about the number of 'ships for 2016 right now. As we've seen, there is attrition every season. I get the feeling that the unwritten rule is that if a player doesn't show improvement and contribute after two seasons, they'll be asked to move on.

 

I believe the new NCAA rules in effect this Fall state that scholarships are no longer renewable on an annual basis. Going forward all athletic scholarships are for four years so we won't see players moving on from programs in the way we have in the past. Or at least I think that is the new rule.

 

That is going to be a lot harder to do now with the new rule guaranteeing ships for four years beginning with the 2015 NLIs. What I am not sure of if that applies only to players signing their NLIs in 2015 or to all players on the team once school starts in 2015. If it applies only to players signing an NLI in 2015, then players who are sophs up to juniors are still subject to being eased out the door to make room for others.

Also, remember that the REGULAR signing period for basketball ends May 20. Coaches may still end up signing someone for the 2015 year. Can't say that I know of any one we may be pursuing, though. For 2016. Amber would be an outstanding guard to go with Alecia. And we were among the finalists for her.

If we don't sign a post for 2015, we will have Imani, Kelsey, Sara, Diani and Jordan for the post with Brady, Brianna and Ariel also having seen time at the 4 spot. Diani was hurt pretty much all of the year. We did not see her in top shape due to the injury. I do expect her to be in better shape next season and show why she was signed.

 

I don't know the answer but assume the change applies to all players. I can't imagine having a different set of rules for different classes. And we have to remember players can still choose to move on if they are dissatisfied with playing time, or want to go elsewhere for other reasons. But it will be their decision, and is no longer a two-way street, which is a good thing IMO. What will be interesting to see is if some institutions attempt to circumvent the rules...for instance, even if you can't technically force a player out, you might be able to make things uncomfortable enough they feel that's their only option. I think those situations will be few and far between, and certainly won't be an issue at a school like Texas.

 

While teams in the Big 12 don't have elite PF, the majority of the Top 10 teams in the country do. Baylor had no one to match up with Brianna Turner in the Elite 8; she pretty much did as she please, IIRC. UConn and South Carolina are stacked at PF, and Tennessee isn't far behind. So, if you want to get far in the tourney, you do need an elite PF; no wonder the Big 12 hasn't made a Final Four in several years; teams are getting smaller upfront.

 

Good point, Moooooo. Even when Baylor had Griner and Sims, most of the rebounding/dirty work was done by Destiny Williams and Brooklyn Pope. That's why I am really looking forward to what Aborowa can bring. Nneka used her athleticism and drive to dominate the glass and most of her offense was down in the paint - often off offensive rebounds. Aborowa, at 6'4-6'5, is 3-4 inches taller and also has good leaping ability. If she could get 6 points and 8 rebounds as a raw freshman, I'd be very optimistic about the future of the position.

 

When we play teams in the top ten we need size at the power forward position. Most teams in the top ten have traditional power forwards who play close to the basket. We still matchup very well with those teams because we can put Kelsey at the power forward position like we did a lot this year. It also allows her to play at that position and not be a defensive liability like she is when we play teams with guards at the position along with faceup power forwards, and as mentioned before we also have Aborowa. By the way, Brianna didn't play power forward for Notre Dame this year she played center, Reimer and Westbeld were the power forwards.