Ogbunwale having to take on the whole Baylor team single handedly at times. Bears up at halftime 43-31. If they could hit a FT it would be even worse.
Baylor is ultra-impressive. But they can't let up. I find myself rooting strongly for Baylor in spite of myself. That old state loyalty, or Big 12 loyalty, I guess. They really have quite a team. Losing Kalani will hurt a lot, but they have a lot of other weapons.
Congrats to Baylor on their eventual National Championship credit where it’s due. But I will never root for them nor their great but annoying and immature Coach.
Multitasking right now. Every other time I look up at the screen, Mulkey is whining at the officials.
Oh that blows for Lauren Cox. Just got tangled up with Kalani Brown and twisted her ankle. Was hiding tears while being wheeled to the locker room.
That was wrenching. Baylor would have won by a good 10 at least if Cox had not gone down. Now I guess Cox will be out next year, assuming it's an ACL.
I earned a new respect for Muffet. Never that fond of her before, but she had the guts to go political in an articulate manner, questioning why women coaches are not getting the jobs and, implicitly, the respect that men's coaches are getting in WBB.
A BIG congrats to Coach Mulkey and the Baylor Lady Bears. To hang on with your best player going down and win against a team the caliber of Notre Dame was beyond impressive. You may not like her, but she has an uncanny ability to "connect" with both players and fans alike. In a podunk place like Waco, she has built a massive fan base and elite program from the ground up. Her players and fans love her. I met her through a friend who knows her and she could not have been more engaging and personable. She sat down and talked to us for a long time, knowing we were both Texas fans, and thanked us both for our dedication and support of womens' basketball. She has continued to be gracious and generous to us over the years. CONGRATS to her and Baylor for an outstanding year!!!!! I loved her response to Muffet McGraw's statements regarding male coaches. She said while she understood Muffet's frustration, she herself would hire the BEST PERSON for the job.
100% great statement coming from Mulkey! I'd go with BEST COACH rather than "person" because it implies some intangibles that don't really belong with winning.
She is just a good coach. I am a Texas fan. But you have to give the lady her credit. The connection she has with her player's.Is amazing.
Lauren Cox is a really good player but IMO Brown is there best player. She’s the closest thing to Courtney Paris since Courtney Paris. I see both view points with the male/women coaching. The problem that I have is there isn’t enough BLACK male or female Head Coach’s in general in WCBB. Especially when the young people they’re coaching are predominantly black females. Most are usually the best coach on the entire staff at being able to recruit and get players.
One hellavu game! I was there and win Cox went down I wanted to cry. But Chloe Jackson had eye of the tiger from the moment she stepped out on the court. She was not going to lose! Say what you want about Coach Mulkey. But she can coach her butt off against anyone. Period!! Chillin in my hotel room. O and I'm sooo glad Arike missed that free throw. I can't go another year watching her highlight! LOL
And I have no doubt that is exactly what she MEANT. She said....and I quote....."the best person for the job". Obviously, that would mean the best coach and fit irrespective of gender. She was basically saying that she would NOT discriminate or base her decision on GENDER ALONE. I think that was rather obvious.
I was only able to watch the first half on television as I had another engagement this evening. I recorded the rest of the game, which I will probably watch later. I have really enjoyed the last couple of weeks watching women's college basketball - such high level basketball as well as some competitive games. If Baylor continues to win at a high level next year, Lauren Cox should start to reap more of the individual awards. She is such a team player on a great team that I think she did not get her full due this year. Sure, the commentators gushed about her play, but she was way down the list when it came to individual awards time.
If Lauren Cox has an ACL injury, her playing next year would be a long shot I think. She is without doubt the best player on that team. What she brings to the equation with defense, rebounding and scoring is unmatched. She was the glue and MVP of that team.
Somebody who has access to the Baylor board needs to go over there and see what they are saying about Cox. I sure hope it is just a sprain and will be back this fall. NEVER want any of these players to have a serious injury. If for some reason it is an ACL, then losing Jackson, Brown and Cox would certainly change the complexion for next year. Queen Egbo, N Smith and others would still make them formidable and they have a lot of good players on bench and coming in. But those 3 players were the core that made them such a tough team. It probably will be a few days until we find out about Cox.
I can't believe I'm bragging about Baylor so much, but I think the AP voters got it wrong in not putting either Brown or Cox on the All-American first team. I think Brown is quicker and more effective than Teaira McCowen, and certainly more than Megan Gustafson from Iowa (as was seen in the Baylor-Iowa game).
I agree. I like that Bobcat stated that Lauren Cox was their MVP with what she brings to the table offensively but especially defensively. Brown IMO was their best player, she was an almost automatic two points once she would post up in the paint.
Well, they were going to lose Brown and Jackson anyway. Losing Cox is huge for them, but never underestimate Mulkey and her ability to develop players. If Cox is out, Nalyssa Smith and Egbo will slide into the lineup and be a formidable front line.
Yep, and I think Smith is their most talented player. She’s what we were hoping Joyner would eventually turn into once she developed a consistent jump shot. And Egbo will be an excellent shot blocker and rim protector with solid offense. It’s going to be interesting next year to see what the Baylor and Texas teams look like next year but one things for certain, until we actually see Coach Aston and Texas beat Baylor you have to always go with them.
Really enjoyed watching beautiful basketball from BU in every tournament game. (Megan who?) I've heard Mulkey whine about lack of respect, but I agree that Cox was overlooked for national awards. She does everything- defend, layups, 3s and passes that are spot on. (I found myself thinking, sadly, that our players would muff those perfect passes or miss the point blank layup.) On to next year and maybe a win over Baylor before they get on a roll ... we did beat BU in 2017, remember.
Hearing from some of my Baylor people that Cox sufferered sprain MCL and bone bruise. No surgery required.
Waco Trib: Baylor's Cox won't need surgery on knee; MRI reveals MCL sprain Good news for women's basketball, no matter who you root for!
