Horns travel to Waco on Monday, 02/25/19

Blah. That was not fun at all. On to the next game...

 

Pathetically disappointing: 20.3 %...15.4 %...41.2 %

 

After perhaps the most embarrassing loss in Texas Women’s basketball history - and certainly in the Aston era - I trust CDC is paying attention. And I believe changes will come (and I don’t mean firing Aston). With one hire, CDC has transformed UT softball. It’s a perfect example of how a coach and a culture can change everything. That change should have been made a decade ago.
With a proven offensive assistant coach, this would be a championship program.

 

My concern is that we lose more big name recruits to transfer if a change is not made... Not to mention the current gradual decline in our recruiting.
When you can pull in all the talent KA has pulled in (she definitely gets credit for that) and still can't get over the expected "hump," folks take notice -- recruits, parents, AAU coaches, and opposing college coaches alike. Who wants to play for a program that basically has to, as Coach JC used to say, "ask permission to score?" That's NOT a fun brand of basketball to play any more than it is to watch as a fan.

 

Were post game conferences/quotes for Aston posted anywhere?

 

Here’s the cliff notes: No ball reversal, the end. The same old tired talking points.

 

As I said last week or whenever it was - coaches who improve in their tactical responsibilities should be rewarded - that includes Aston. But the challenge with the above sentiments is that our current commander in chief does not confer with or listen to her coaches. LOOK AT THE SIDELINES if you think this is conjecture. Body language, terrible. Connection, non-existent. In fact we rarely see the coaches say anything - which could be a factor of not being heard or respected. Either way - it's hard to change a tiger's stripes.

Aston has had two very strong coaches as assts and asso head coaches and she didn't listen to THEM, why would we expect that to change? How do we know this? LOOK at the sidelines. LOOK at the dynamics. Both had extremely high IQ and clearly great relationships with players - and as several posters have said looooong before I did - Aston either doesn't like superstar assts or can't handle smart, capable assts - so once she gets them on staff she finds a way to make life for them so difficult that they would rather be anywhere except Texas. Face those facts before you rush to emotional responses. Look at the results.

For 7 years Aston has been plagued by the SAME deadly weakness - with little to no shift to get better. Defense does not win championships. Period. Score some friggin' pts! All of a sudden, hiring a new offensive coordinator is going to FIX this? Don't think so. I'm not saying Karen should be fired - but I guarantee you there's a strong case for it. Recruiting can only get you so far - especially when those recruits aren't getting significantly better on a consistent basis. There are programs doing much more with much less - even in our conference (hello K-state). Coaches at places like Texas are hired to do one thing: win championships or at least get pretty damn close - every year.

 

#clueless

(PDF) - Baylor University Athletics

 

If you added “ball reversal” to the quotes, than it would’ve been the same story different loss.

Not sure that guard aggressiveness was the thing that was missing yesterday....

 

This is a pivotal point for Texas. Recruiting has already slipped and now this season, and especially this game, give Texas' opponents all the ammo in the world for negative recruiting. It could be the beginning of the end for Karen. Or will it be the time she gets humble, does the right things, and turns the program around. Which will it be?

 

#crickets

 

Eh, that stuff is after-the-fact rationalizing that nobody cares about when you win but when you lose suddenly it's a huge indicator of why you lost. I think that sort of psychoanalysis doesn't have much validity. Reminds me of all the "Mack Brown claps too much even after mistakes, which proves he doesn't take a strong enough stance against them." Ok. Never mind that Nick Saban does this too.

 

@Hornzupp makes some pretty valid assessments IMO. The whole sideline show is something I've noticed for several seasons even when we've won. The energy is negative.

 

No psychoanalysis at all - just a few decades of pure experience as a coach and player. And of course, if we were winning this board probably wouldn't have folks popping in to say "eh".

 

I agree.
I have noticed the same thing for year's.
I know all the Texas fan's hate K. Mulkey.
But she interact with her player's so well.
And when they do something good. She be so fired up and excited.
K. Aston keep's the same look the entire game.

 

“Aston has had two very strong coaches as assts and asso head coaches and she didn't listen toTHEM”...
Just flat out NOT true...she has said before she wouldn’t hire an assistant coach that did not want to become a head coach...I just don’t get your vitriol at Karen..could some changes be made, yes, I agree with that..but really, you seem to have blinders on and make statements that seem to be made by only watching the team on television...you are just not seeing the whole picture, in my opinion...

 

1983 TEXAS FAN!!!!!
I have seen them live 2. I love Texas and K. Aston. But if she want that team to be good. She has to Coach good.

 

All that standing on Offense is not coaching.

 

Because it doesn’t deserve a response.

 

For the most part, we are winning. I'm on this board after wins and after losses. And I definitely didn't just "pop in", so that's 0 for 3.

 

I see plenty of positive body language from the players on the bench, celebrating when someone makes a good shot, some cool dance moves. As to the coaches, everyone has a different personality. If you like a lot of body language, you must love Kim Mulkey. Other coaches may keep their emotions more internal. It doesn't mean they are not just as in the game and passionate as the externalizers like Kim.

 

Actually TV gives you a perspective of the bench that attending games in person does not. I attend some games in person both in and out of Austin. Not saying, @BBV_Horn, that there's not SOME validity to your statement because there is. I've attended many, many games in person. There are fans that I see at every game, and some are still just don't seem to get it. There's one fan in particular that attends almost every single game and seems to be clueless about life in general... let alone basketball. A few years ago at TCU, this person had to be removed BY SECURITY from sitting IN THE AISLE down in front of a section close behind the Texas bench! OMG... What a buffoon! It was a total embarrassment to the rest of us UT fans. Just sayin'... everyone that attends the games in person is not exactly credible or of sound judgement.

 

I think Karen is a good coach but probably needs a lot of time to develop herself as an elite coach. I think where she excels is work ethics and trying to instill a strong work ethic in her players; however she lacks development in promoting killer instinct and allowing her players adapt to opponent naturally. I remember some of Lashan's best game was when she let her play freely when the team was down (i.e. her first UConn game). Same as Joyner. I also think she lacks giving her players an x-factor role other than on the defensive end.

Even though Karen is an amazing recruiter, i think she's still figuring her type of players. Players like Jamie Carey and Brooke were definitely her type of players as leaders. Ariel is another mostly because she was a sharp shooter and needed the reps to keep consistent. I just hope during seasons that are seen as underperforming season, she can learn to grow with her players. She's still a very young coach and i think she has a lot of potential.

 

I like this statement. People may not be excited about the two verbals we have for 2020 so far, but maybe Aston wants to get more "blue collar" players that have the skillset that she likes to coach. The McD' players that have signed with Texas the last couple of years haven't worked out for whatever and different reasons.
If we had a whole team of Audrey Warren's, I'd be happy!

 

Really. I would HARDLY call Aston "a young coach," let alone "a very young coach." She is nearly 55, about 2 years younger than Kim Mulkey. Plus she has been in the coaching business for 25 years, since 1994, and has been a head coach for 12 years??? Plenty time to figure out how to coach a half-court offense...

 

Lol fair point in her age. I was just relating it to her years of experience as head coach of an elite D1 school. I think having Jody and plonsky around probably locks her into this style coaching. I feel like she’s kind of in the inner circle Because of her mentality and coaching style that many probably feel worked a decade ago

 

More like three decades ago. I'm a huge fan of good defenses (plural, as in switching up schemes and forcing opponents to think). However it doesn't matter how good you are defensively if you can't execute and score, especially given that rule changes over the past several years have turned things towards a more offensive game.

 

For the record, though I’m not advocating KA’s removal, I’ve read valid points on this forum from both sides, and I would like to see some changes made within the program. Curious Ted if you, and others, think anyone has CDC’s ear on this program?

I don’t believe the sky is falling for us, but the program is definitely not reaching potential. This may be an understatement in the mind of some, an overstatement for others, but it’s where I find my thinking.

I’d really like to see the program bring in this guy’s team to try and assess the issues.

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