Sad that Gregory looked half-empty. The idea was to pack the place, that students had no excuse not to be able to get there and watch the game. That being said, I have to admit I couldn't make it as I had to take my daughter to volleyball practice Joyner Holmes.....WOW! Plays like a sophmore/junior. Plays like a guard. WOW! Audrey C.G. - High impressed with her physicality. The multiple dive for balls, especially coming from a tall gal was impressive Kelsey - Looked a bit off with her misses. I don't think she's regressed, she just looked rusty which is confusing compared to the other players who were quite sharp The might mites of Higgs, Foman, and McCarty still have that buzzing bee defense when it comes to stealing the ball Ariel - finally looks like the player I had heard so much about. She seemed in control of her possession of the ball Sutton & Underwood - looked like freshmen I can't believe it took so long for the coaches to correct the defense and allow so many 3 point shots Sutton slowly backing over the half-court line was funny, as was shown by the reactions of her teammates We got some big bodies that can "bang" around the rim. That's good!
I think that Lashann and Joyner should be starters instead of Brianna Taylor and Audrey. Lashann and Joyner bring more scoring to the table and also more athleticism. I also think that Sug will eventually be the backup PG and it was nice to see that she has a good stroke from the three point line. This team is going to need someone besides Brooke to be able to shoot the ball well from the three point line. For an exhibition game I thought that they played okay but when they face better competition the question mark will be at the center position both the starter and backup. Texas has to get offensive and rebounding production from Kelsey and whoever the backup will be.
I agree with your thoughts, except my favorite 5 are Brooke, Lashann, Joyner, Ariel and Audrey. The intensity always picks up when Lashann enters the game. Today, I thought Audrey was more aggressive on the boards than Kelsey. Foman looked good too. I can tell Sutton is a little rusty but is going to be special once she is 100% and adjusts to the speed of the college game. She moves with a quick and smooth stride. I wish we had another game or two before playing Stanford.
I'd say I took away about 9 1/2 of the same things as you. I did not think Sug looked like a frosh though. When I went home and watched the replay I saw how much the offense picked up with her in the game. It may not be easily seen, but the way she came in and advanced the ball/ran the offense really gave us a change in pace for the better. I think by mid season, she will be the unquestioned starter. Although I must admit, I love the larger lineup with Bri at the 3 and Ariel at the 2.
Also, Re: Lashann starting....I think her coming off the bench is perfect for her. 1. So that she can still get a solid feel for the flow of the game, and 2, when you come off the bench defenses don't scout/key in on you as much. Her shot still needs work, so until she becomes a reliable shooting threat, I think coach has her right were she belongs.
Missed the game but recorded it so on a rainy day in Dallas......will watch this afternoon. Didn't see anything about why AG sister didn't play?
Im sooo glad its WCBB season. Joyner Holmes the REALDEAL.COM!!! It's been a while since TX had a go to player let alone one that can take over a game. I believe this young lady will do just that as a FRESHMAN! Im glad Foman has come into her own. She reminds me if MOJO at UCONN. She was learning the game, fast and out of control her freshman year. She finally figured it out and became a great pg. Foman was incredible in high school. I attended several of her games. I think it has clicked for her. I noticed a considerable change in her game. She has tamed her speed and she's in control. Her feet use to go faster than her thinking and she was out of control. Now they are working together. Every game she will be more and more in control. Sutton is smooth as butter. Watch her work! Love me some Mccarty. She's as pesty as ever. I can also tell she's gained more confidence. Im concerned about the center position. Somebody needs to step up sooner than later. Imani has left the bldg. Centers put your big girl breeches on and let's do this. It felt out of sync like they were off beat. I saw a couple of glimpses of hope. Like someone else mentioned I wish we had a couple of more games before Stanford. The centers could really benefit from a few more games. But I know Coach n And staff will work it out.
One of the things I was really expecting to see was a new wrinkle in the offense. When Jamie Carey was hired it was my understanding she was in charge of the offense so I expected to see something new, more of a motion scheme. Nothing new. Same offense that Coach Aston has ran since she came here. 2 low posts with the off ball post flashing to the elbow or a 2 high post set. Coach Aston primarily likes to run a lot of set plays which seem to be successful. Without us have a dominating post in the middle any longer I was hoping to see a little more movement. It was hard to get a read on Jamie to see if she was in agreement with the scheme, she never seems to change her expression. We did not get to see the half court offense as much as I would have liked in the Tarleton scrimmage because of the constant press and steals that we created. Our transition game looks great though. But you have to consider the level and size of talent we were playing against. The one thing I took away from the scrimmage is that Joyner Holmes is THE REAL DEAL. Also Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau is a huge addition to the teams athleticism. If her twin sister, Khalehann, is as good as her we will be tough to stop. After the scrimmage I asked Khalehann when she would be ready to play and she said she would be back on the floor very soon and she was so ready to play again! No team in the country would have Lashann Higgs coming off the bench but Texas! We will have so much depth and talent on the bench this year and I believe as Coach Aston said at the end of the scrimmage this could be a very Special Team! Hook'em
I liked what I saw from Audrey Ann at center. IMO, she's more assertive at that position than Kelsey. However, she's going to get into foul trouble if she doesn't play smart. I'm ok with Higgs coming off the bench as she adds speed and athleticism that forces the opponent to have to make adjustments. I hope she gets maximum minutes of playing time because she's one of our game changers.
I agree with you on the offense. I wasn't expecting a motion offense, but if they want to beat Stanford the offense as to be more creative than what we saw in the half court in the exhibition.
I was also really looking forward to seeing Khaleann play. Nell Fortner mentioned that it was minor injury. I doubt we'll see her at Stanford, but sure hope I'm wrong as we could use her perimeter shooting. Joyner is exactly what I thought she was -- a cross between Tiffany Jackson and Nneka Enemkpali. Physical strength is apparent, and with great jumping ability. Her speed in the open court was nice to see, but, going coast to coast won't be easy in real games as there will be several defenders waiting to take the charge. Still, her ball handling skills are definitely above-average for a frontcourt player. I'm sure Joyner would like to play some SF, but she is just to physically strong with great size not to play down low, especially if Kelsey is struggling to finish. If Joyner decides she wants to be a dominant rebounder, I'm sure she could; she's just gonna have to outwork those around her. I liked what I saw in Alecia Sutton. Plays with a lot of poise, and you can just tell that she understands the game. Really happy she played. She might not be able to play a lot of minutes early on, but I think Coach A will be comfortable enough to play her when Brooke is not on the floor leading the offense. Jada Underwood is what I though she was -- a bit of a tweener. But, her versatility will serve her well on this squad, somewhat in the same role Brianna Taylor had been playing. Audrey-Anne has a very good motor. Great to see her mix it up down low. I don't think she shot from beyond the arc, did she? Perhaps we were keeping things vanilla as you know Stanford was scouting that game. Our returnees looked like they've worked hard in the off season. Great speed from our perimeter players; all seem like they can run up and down the court all day long. My projected starters against Stanford: Kelsey, Joyner, Ariel, Brooke and (not sure who; guess it depends on the matchup against Stanford's projected starters).
I think we'll see the same starters for the first few games, especially if we are getting W's. Because a common theme with our non conf opponents are that they're really big and we finally have the ability to match or exceed that. I think the larger lineups will suit us well.
This team seems refreshed and ready to go especially with Joyner in the mix. She is very athletic with good basketball IQ. She will help this team quite a bit as I see a final four in our future!!
I think what impressed me was when there was a miss or a scramble for the ball on rebounding Joyner just "went after it" without the typical freshman "Hunh? Where did the ball go? Am I supposed to get it?" that you see freshmen who are not used to the speed and pace of college players.
A player can be taught basketball skills, but what they cant teach is the will to be aggressive. An aggressive player is born that way, which just makes a player like Joyner even more valuable to the program. She will be fun to watch for the next 4 years.
Coach started her two Seniors. I wouldn't read too much into that. Starting Audrey is significant. Ariel is lights out the glue to this team; what an accomplished player in all facets.
Eventually the best line-up IMO: Sutton McCarty Atkins Holmes Audrey That leaves Higgs & Taylor to come in and provide instant production, solid & backup from Lang, Kahleon, Jordan & Tasia.
Yeah I agree. We'll have to stretch the D with that lineup and attack the basket. Defensively we'll have to rely heavily on quickness. Sure wish Jatarie was available this year.
It was a good game we still need to take care of some wrinkles but if we play that first quater like that against standford, to me Joyner played like a beast, i like that we got a deep bench and have some players on the bench that can come in and play many positions. #hookem
I finally got to watch this game. Of course, it was a one-sided track meet, but it was fun to watch our slew of guards do their thing. Brooke and Ariel looked smooth as silk. Sure didn't see much of Higgs, which concerned me. I was really impressed with Caron-Goudreau and Sutton. Audrey looked pretty quick and plenty willing to bang. Sutton didn't play much, but I loved her passes and quickness. And, needless to say, Joyner looks really good.
