Texas at TCU Wed.

We really enjoyed the game last night in person. Even the wife (aggy) enjoyed it and uttered the "we" word a couple of times directed at the Horns. A few "fair and biased" observations for your deliberations.

• The facility is REALLY nice. Old school arena............updated......wonderful atmosphere for a basketball game. As someone mentioned ...........and I agree............a new arena for us can't come soon enough. And I hope it is a "real basketball arena" and not a multipurpose facility that is not really great for any one of the "purposes".
• TCU is really well coached. I don't know where their new coach came from but just in her second year, her team plays really hard and well for her. They will be a conference factor going forward.
• Coach only played 7 players (two others had one minute and two minutes). I believe that, absence of foul trouble, she has figured out she simply HAS to tighten up her rotation. Especially in close games. Giving precious minutes to "not ready" reserves will get you beat. I am sympathetic to trying to get as many players minutes for a lot of reasons. However, in close games that is problematic.
• I like playing the two bigs together. Really good for high-low post play. But that lineup gets torched on the pick and roll. Imani is not good at hedging; however, she is outstanding compared to Lang. The middle just opens up like the Red Sea when they bring their posts out high and our centers are expected to hedge hard against guards. . The big lineup will work against some teams but not well against others. Yes......the guards can be better on the pick and roll; however, mostly it is our centers that need more improvement on this.
• Atkins is getting better every game. She didn't shoot well early but gives us better D, a short corner mid-range shooting option (and can shoot the 3 sometimes), and is just fundamentally more sound than others.
• Imani is just outstanding. It was obvious that the staff had been working on having her slow down and pay attention to her footwork. Went from 7 turnovers (mainly travelling) on sunday to perhaps no travelling against TCU. We will miss her enormously next year.
• My wife really took a liking to McCarty. To an uninterested (aggy) fan like her, even she remarked several times about her value.
• Next year, we will be bigger overall but will miss the 6'-7" shot blocker in the middle.
• The team played really hard. Sometimes out of control, but no lack of effort.
• Taylor played hard and well. Nine points. Sometimes I wish her body language/attitude was better; however, she is a warrior. Will need her against Baylor (and others).
• Our guards just look like they are trying to find a place to throw the ball away. Made my wife and I nervous all game. I know the staff talks to them all the time about valuing the basketball. Eleven turnovers in one half will usually get you beat. And yes, our posts contribute to the bad passes. I don't have a solution or would sell it and make millions.
• I think we play well Saturday against the land thieves (dirt burglers) as I believe we match up well with them. We will stay on track for the rematch in Wakko !

 

The TCU coach came from Fresno State. I think she was only there two seasons but she led them to back to back conference titles and got them into the NCAA tournament. Before that I think she was at Utah State. I agree that she is a good coach who will always make playing TCU challenging.

 

We wont necessarily get "smaller" next year. Our lineup will in all likely hood be bigger. But Imani will be missed on the defensive end. There is just no way around that.

One benefit that I really see next year, is everyone getting to go back to their natural positions

I see it being something like this

PG - Brooke
SG - Ariel
W - B Taylor
PF - Joyner Holmes
C - Kelsey Lang

I see a lot of post depth issues, unless what he have now improves dramatically. We will need Diani, Olimide, Hattis and the Gaurdeau twins to really really improve in the off season.

 

The TCU coach played for Ceal Barry when they were a force to be reckoned with at Colorado in the Big 12.

 

And because of the potential issues in the post I would play small. When Kelsey isn't in the game put Joyner or even one of the twins at the four or five position. And I don't see Bre Taylor being the best option at the wing position next year.

 

I totally agree with you on next year's starting lineup. As a bonus, McCarty will be much more effective at starting PG next year. With Rodrigo's best position at PG, McCarty took one for the team by playing 2-guard most of the time this year. We will be strong at PG with the freshman St Louis PG coming in (and slowly from her surgery). The twins will be key contributors at PF/C even though they apparently prefer outside. I think Holmes will play all over the floor and don't like to pigeon-hole her only as PF. I like Olimide and think she will be a nice player in time, but I don't think she will be ready for meaningful minutes until her junior year. Hattis will play some as primary backup to Lang. Unfortunately, I don't see Diani ever being a player. Underwood will fill that role.

 

I like your assessment of the game. I think we get into trouble when we are deliberate with going to the post. It appeared the game plan was to go to the post early and often, which forced some uncharacteristic turnovers in the first half. When evaluating turnovers, I look at whether it is a live/dead ball turnover. We had a lot of dead ball turnovers, see below:

• Imani had an offensive foul
• Empress had two offensive fouls
• Kelsey had at least two really bad passes that went out of bounds
• Celina had 1 bad pass that went out of bounds and a traveling call
• Brooke had 1 bad pass that went out of bounds and an offensive foul

We only had 5 turnovers in the 2nd half, so we should give the team some credit. In the past, we would have kept throwing the ball away trying to get back in the game all at once. This team is really solid and has a good nucleus of players that want win.

Speaking of next year, I think we have two starters that it will be hard to replace. Imani and Celina, both bring something special to their positions. With Imani, you can't coach height period. With Celina, you can't coach leadership and composure at the PG position. If the Baylor game didn't point that out, I don't know what else to say. Brooke will be able to move into the PG position next year but I think it will take away from her offensive because she will need to focus on getting others involved.

 

rattfatt is correct in that Bre Taylor is not the best option at the wing position. The other teams ignore her when she is on the arc and she doesn't look for her shot. I still think she will start but I don't want to get caught up in what you call them. If you look at uttfanforlife's suggested lineup, it will be one that will be challenged to score against a zone. McCarty is the only true shooter in that group..........and I realize Atkins has some offensive skill, but she is not at this point a bonafide "shooter". So with that lineup, you will see a lot of zone. In watching Holmes play, she is definitely a scorer but not a pure shooter and teams will back off her and beg her to shoot. So you will see different lineups as teams scheme against our lack of pure shooters. Apparently, one or both twins love OTA so maybe one of them fills that shooter's threat role. I think it really is critical for Coach to find one of those real 2 or 3 guard shooter's in the 2017 class...........if not a late pickup from JUCO for 2016.

 

With this team, Celina is a better fit at point guard. Brooke struggled last year as a freshman and I would suspect the incoming freshman will struggle as well. It's tough on any freshman to come in and run a team of upperclassmen. Styles make fights and for this team makeup Celina is a better fit at PG.

Brooke is a really dynamic player that can flat out play but she has a scores mentality first. Celina has a pass first mentality, which works best with this team when we have a 6'7 post that will be a first team all conference player. Brooke is able to safe her legs by not having to handle the ball as the PG, which helps her with her 3 point shooting. I think the two have played extremely well together. So you're comment of Brooke took one for the team is not accurate. Brooke is in a natural position of being a shooter/scorer. She scored over 2,000 points in high school.

 

HookedorNot...............outstanding observations! Agree with all of them. Great to have lots of good eyes that filter and see things others might miss. I am with you on the ............. "This team is really solid and has a good nucleus of players that want to win." I love this team, and as we all do.............want to see them succeed. Even though we fans "live through the players", it really is all about them and having good memories and things to draw from as they mature during and after school. My wife said last night that the first half reminded her of a high school game with all the turnovers. It was frustrating but I reminded her that these kids are playing a fast, highly skilled level of basketball and mistakes happen. And they are not purposefully trying to make mistakes. I have to remember that these are 18-21 year old ladies still learning. And always..............totally and without reservations.........support them.

 

Next year's line will be the following:

Brooke
Higgs/Ariel
Ariel/Brianna
Brianna/Hosey
Kelsey

 

HookedorNot, I agree that McCarty has that scorer's mentality and also with your other comments. Noted is your "saving legs" observation and one that I missed. We all like scoring PGs but I acknowledge there are few anywhere that can score and facilitate without parts of their game suffering. Perhaps the St Louis PG may take over at 1 and leave it like it is this year with McCarty at 2? In the AAU game video, I watched of her, she seemed more of a pass first PG so that might be the long term solution. However, early on as the St Louis PG recovers form her ACL surgery and as she learns the college game, McCarty will start. Then perhaps McCarty goes back to 2? I am positive Coach will early on get it right and I will be happy either way. Glad to have options ! One thing that I missed is what happens with Higgs? She has lots of upside but I now think she is a 2 all the way as she has never seen a shot she didn't like. She will have to work on her shooting and decision making in the offseason. thanks for your thoughts.

 

Not necessarily. Bre is a much better shooter than we see in games, I've seen her knock some shots down in practice. Also, against a zone her and Joyner are interchangeable. Joyner is no sniper from the outside, but she is dangerous enough that teams wouldn't "beg" her to shoot.

 

I agree with this for the most part, but I think Joyner will start right off the bat If she can handle things mentally. Also, I'm not saying that she'll play this position but Alecia is very good playing off the ball and could easily play the shooting guard position. I wouldn't be surprised if her and Brooke are playing together like Brooke and Celina are this year. Although I think Alecia will begin the season coming off the bench.

 

PG Brooke
Sg Higgs
Sf Atkins
Stretch 4 Holmes
C Lang
I think we will see a lot of this lineup without Lang as post throughout the game, with Holmes playing the 5 with maybe Taylor at the 4. That will give a lot of teams trouble. I see us being much more of a run and gun style team next year. Way too much talent to play slow paced basketball. We will be up on a lot of teams quickly next year.

 

What our team is missing is more backcourt players who can shoot off the dribble. We all saw first hand that type of skillset from Japreece Dean and Alexis Jones. Empress has a bit of that, but not consistent enough. I have not seen that skill in Higgs. Really hoping Alecia Sutton brings that to the team next year.

 

They need to really work with Higgs on her jumper this offseason

 

I wish we would run the same plays for Ariel that Empress gets. Ariel is a good mid range shooter. Am I wrong in wondering why Ariel is always playing the 3 spot?? I love Empress's defense though, just wonder if Ariel could make a difference in the 2 spot.

 

This is the only time I've seen her play on a team in which the offense didn't run through her besides the USA team a couple years back. When she has the green light she is up there with the best of the best but when she is limited and passive, she looks just like a normal player out there. This may hurt some peoples feelings, but the offense should be ran from the outside then gradually get the ball into the post. Imani and Kelsey are good but lets be real, great teams will not allow you to just force the ball in the paint. There is no excuse for the amount of turnovers we had in the Baylor game. Both of our post have continually struggled against equal talent in the past years. We won't get anywhere in the tournament forcing the ball into the paint.

 

When i watch Ariel play I don't see any quick twitch athleticism from her. When she has the ball and comes off of a ball screen it's just slow. I think her best position is the 3 spot. In my opinion she's not a consistant off the dribble player, she's a lot more comfortable when she's a spot up jump shooter. Empress has some quick twitch athleticism, and in my opinion is a better defender than Ariel which is something you have to do at a decent level at the 2 spot. When Ariel is defending she pressures the ball too much and gets beat off the dribble easily because her feet are slow although she does have quick hands.

 

That could all be related to Ariel's off season surgery but, IMO, she should be given the chance to play the 2. Maybe she doesn't look as quick at the 3 spot because it isn't her natural position?? I think she would be more valuable at the 2, and being able to create her own shot. At the 3, she's pretty much limited to the baseline shots. That's okay so far, she's working it in to her game, but it's not where she's most comfortable.

 

In my opinion there's not that much of a difference between the 2or3 position in this offense. I know a lot of fans expect Ariel to be a great player because of where she was ranked. But in my opinion she will be a nice solid starter, but not a 1st team All American caliber player.

 

OK. Sure. But how about we beat OK on Saturday first.

 

Never said anything about her ranking. I don't believe in those anyway. And, I never EXPECTED her to be great BECAUSE of her ranking. I just said that I believe she would have a better opportunity at the 2 spot. And, I believe there is a difference between the 2/3 position in this offense. JMO.

 

All these All Americans, and even with Alicia Sutton coming in, many of us think we still need more shooters! It rankles me that we didn't pursue Japreece Dean, if other posters were correct in saying she would have come to Texas if we gave her an offer. Whether they're ranked high or mid level, Texas seems to wind up with a lot of great athletes who aren't great scorers. Whether that's the luck of the draw or recruiting judgement or a preference for a certain type of athlete, I don't know. Of course all coaches try to recruit the all-round-can't-miss-do-it-all super star. When judgement is called for, preferences come into play. I've read that Auriemma always looks for scorers first; he figures he can teach defense. He has the pick of the litter, so its easier for him. Pat Summit tended in the other direction. She had some great talented scorers over the years, but on the whole she favored strength, speed and athleticism. For years it worked and Tennessee just out ran and over powered people. The game's evolved and now you need more. Power and speed aren't enough to win it all. You need finesse and shooting, too. Rattfatt may be right about Ariel being more of a three than a two, solid but not an all star. She's shooting extremely well this season, by the way, but hasn't shown the kind of explosive first step that Higgs has. (I know, I know, she had an injury; so we'll see.) On the other hand, Higgs will never be All-Big 12, let alone All-American, unless she shoots better. I think she can improve, like Celina did, but there's usually a limit. I don't pretend to offer a final judgement. We're dealing with probabilities. Bad shooters can become better. Good shooters can improve. But great shooters tend to be that way from the get go. There aren't many who start off bad and turn out great. Higgs can have a fine career if she plays with good shooters who open up zone defenses and create room for her to drive. If she has to do more on her own, she's going to have to improve her jump shot. The people who say we still need more shooting guards may be right.

 

Dean is one of my favorite players in the Big12 this season. But really, would she have been a starter here like she is at Tech? She is in the best atmosphere for her right now. I think she deserves the FOY in the Big12 so far.

 

I know that you didn't say anything about rankings. But a lot of people have high hopes for Ariel because she was ranked very high. I believe in basketball rankings to a degree. But in my opinion she's not on the level of players like Kelsey Mitchell, Brianna Turner, or Wilson, and she was rated among those players. Also, in my opinion there's not that much of a difference between the 2 or 3 in this offense.

 

You're right about shooters on this team. Some people view Brooke as a great shooter but that's because she's on a team that makes it look like she's a Jamie Carey type of shooter. Brooke only shot 34% from 3 last year, that's decent but not great. And if she's not hitting her threes this team is usually in trouble from the 3 point line. That's what has always bothered me about Coach Aston. She's from the Pat Summitt/ Jody Conradt way of thinking that were going to out athlete people.

There's no question that this team needs more shooters. Forget about Dean, in my opinion we should have continued to recruit Amber Rameriz. I still don't understand why you wouldn't recruit someone who could shoot like she can when your team lacks that kind of ability. I was hoping that they would recruit shooters for 2017 but their recruiting Richards and she's a very good player but she's just like the players we already have when it comes to not being able to shoot the ball consistently from the perimeter.

 

Great point. And that's one of the benefits of being a really good player and going to a program that's building. That player can take bad shots and make mistakes and shoot the ball a lot without worrying about getting pulled for a player that's just as good or better than you. Compare that to a really good program like Texas with a lot of good players on it.

 

I believe she is on that level. I've seen her on three different occasions take Turner out of the game and score 30 on her. That just doesn't change overnight. Give her the ball! There is nothing more to it