Time will tell if Vic is pushing the right buttons to motivate the team and if their playing improves. If not, certain players could start to tune him out and the team morale might suffer. As I stated, time will tell. Vic did indeed praise the effort of the 5 on the court in the 2Q (Holle, JAT, Hunter, Ebo and ??). I'm not sure that combo saw the court again until midway through the 4Q when the game was slipping away from us. Although Vic is trying all types of combos, his substitution patterns are perplexing. When something is working, he may not go back to it. IMO, Vic is starting the feel the pressure of expectations. We need to add players from the portal because we cannot rely on three incoming freshmen to make us better than we are this season. I know we complain about the lack of production from our seniors but I'm not confident that our bench players are an automatic improvement. They simply have not had enough playing time this season. Although Vic was clearly agitated and angry during the press conference, he missed an opportunity to thank the fans for showing up and being loud and supportive (by our standards). Hopefully a trip to a hostile arena in Lubbock will light a fire in our team and we'll return home with a win.
Good post LutherisMyDog. There were times yesterday, when the team played really well. An interesting fact is who was NOT in the entire second quarter - Rory Hunter. She has looked noticeably unsure the last couple of games. And the offense ran much more smoothly without her yesterday. We know she has taken some hard hits since conference started. Perhaps she also is feeling the weight of expectations. Matharu is the other player, I'd guess is struggling because she is trying too hard and taking too much upon herself. The second quarter run began after Matharu went to the bench. Just before she came out of the game, there was a sequence during which Matharu scored a basked and immediately followed up by fouling a Baylor player who made 2 free throws. In the next possession Matharu turned the ball over. Baylor did not score, but they had 2 chances at the basket on the possession. Hunter, Holle, and Shay played great as a unit. I saw it and the play-by-play provides evidence. Hunter and Holle each had both baskets and assists. Gaston also played during the Texas run. She was able to score over the Baylor bigs. Need to see more of the combo of Hunter, Holle, and JAT. I'd also like to see Harmon and Hunter on the court together with JAT. Add me to the rolls of the Shay Holle fan club. She has skills, poise, and grit. I could see her interacting with other players when the offense was on the end of the court where I sit. She was speaking with purpose.
I have to agree with you about Rori. She doesn’t seem sure of herself and seems to be pressing. I thought Hunter looked good when she ran the point and the defense has to come out on her. Rori could be feeling all those hits she’s taken. She’ll bounce back!!!
I do want to apologize to the board because, it feels like most of my recent posts have been particularly negative and only criticism. Now don’t get me wrong there are some things I question when it comes to Vic and his subbing and offense but, I don’t just wanna bash on the negative aspects of our game right now. We’ve had our slump and hopefully it’s over but going into Tech is the perfect opportunity to get back on track and where we used to be. I have to remember we went through something similar last season and it worked out for the best. We need our seniors to play well in order for this to work so JAT, Warren, and Ebo need to bring this team together and iron everything out. I still believe in this team 100% so it’s time to turn the tables back
Yeah I'm disgruntled also... but I still think Vic is the right coach for us. I believe I let my expectations get a little high after we started the season so strong, after having more realistic expectations before the season began. We've lost some games to teams with veteran players, and our inexperience has shown. We'll be fine. Realistically speaking we are probably not finished losing, but I wouldn't be surprised to see us catch on by the end of regular season and make a run to win the Big 12 tournament.
I think we are all feeling some of this. The high expectations with the Stanford and Aggy wins plus the OT in Knoxville. Vic was clearly upset too. I think he knows just how badly everyone wanted a win against the bears. I posted on another thread that last season we split with OU, OSU and Tech and got swept by Baylor and West Virginia but we still made our amazing run to the Elite 8. Vic has been in 3 Final Fours in 11 years and came away with one NC. Two of those Final Fours were in the last 5 years. He isn’t old school by any means. I’m glad we’ve got him. If any of you watched the HBO doc about UConn a few years back… well you can thank Vic for ruining their final episode. They didn’t get that 5th straight title because Vic put an end to that sh*t!!!
I'm blushing over my earlier post. In reading a reply to the post, I noticed that I typed "Rory Hunter"? Who is that? Y'all are amazingly polite. I've seen posters ripped to shreds for less than that on many boards. "Rori Harmon; Rori Harmon; Rori Harmon, Rori Harmon..."
Okay, board...I'll try to have a rosy outlook, also. BUT, Coach Vic said things in that presser that hint at internal disarray. Perhaps it was his frustration that drove him to air those things in public, but they certainly shook my confidence in the team. I mean, he says the team is not doing things he's asking them to do nor showing any initiative to work on their craft in the gym. I played team sports, and if I did any of those things, my butt was on the bench, period! Hopefully airing this in public will have an effect on the team. Another win on the road will help a lot. We'll see!
I wonder if Vic might do well to keep the locker room conversation in the locker room. I also wonder about the times a group does really well and we never see them again (like our second quarter run)- whether Vic is so emotional that he doesnt really track the game.
Not sure if it's just me, but I found Vic's post-game comments very unusual. Rarely has he ever put so much blame (accountability?) on the players in such a public setting; usually, he puts a loss on himself. Seems like he didn't point the finger at himself for anything until way late in the presser.
Quite frankly, we looked much better offensively in the second quarter with the other group and Hunter running the point.... Just my opinion.
Vic had a press conference today but it hasn’t been posted. Here are some snippets of interest from Danny Davis.
If you didn’t listen to the full press conference (the one immediately after the game and posted above), I encourage you to do so. It’s full of compliments and concerns and judging by how many of us are pretty upset by the Baylor sweep, I think it reflects a coach in touch with the expectations of the fan base and, sadly, frustrated with *some* of the players. I agree that the substitutions during the game are confusing. Wonder what’s up with that. Based on his comments, I would expect to see more minutes for Hunter and Holle. We shall see. We shall see…
Bucksgal, I didn’t hear/see the presser. I’m very disheartened to think that there may be internal turmoil with the team. It appears the seniors should be taking a greater leadership role but none of them seem inclined to do so or have the kind of personality that allows them to be comfortable in that situation. Rori, I think, is trying but she has so much on her plate already.
I agree with you. I still don't think we've seen nearly all Hunter can do. We've seen her make some good passes inside to get assists. She doesn't look as quick as Harmon or Matharu, but I'd would like to see Vic try her more at the point. I have had incredibly high expectations of Harmon, after the Stanford and Tennessee games. From Vic's talk about her to the press last year, it is clear he also has had extremely high expectations. She is good, and will probably be great before she leaves, but to me hasn't been as sharp lately.
I would hope that there is not "disarray" within the team. This is a team that is returning from an elite 8 appearance last year. What would be the natural expectations of the fanbase this year? Never mind who we lost, we've got Vic and we're charging forward! How much pressure do those expectations bring to bear? When you look at our team this year, is it reasonable to expect us to be top 10? We were competitive with a veteran team who is #9 in the country. How about we chill a bit and see what they can do over the next month.
