Texas vs.UCLA

It's obvious I shouldn't post after heartbreaking losses.

 

HornView --- good point. If Lashann had been her normal self, if Ariel didn't have to sit out so much, if there had been 4 or 5 less turnovers, we probably would have won. IMO, UCLA was better than normal, we were worse than normal, and that's the way it went down.

Brooke and Ariel did wonderful things for UT basketball. I will miss them greatly. Next year should be fun. Our team will have a different look than it has for awhile. A lot will be on Lashann and Sug. Joyner really seems to be coming into form. Jatarie is maybe our most dependable player.

 

I suspect tonight will be a season long motivation for LaShan next year. We saw some (very) special moments from Joyner (both assists & finishes) tonight that made me very excited. Can you imagine those moves with a bit more svelte Joyner after a great offseason ?

I will miss the seniors terribly and got so much joy watching them, but I expect next years team to be the perfect salve.

 

Very best wishes to Brooke, Arial and Audrey. You gave us lots of exciting times and wonderful memories.

 

Here's the deal... not only did UCLA use the one-size-fits-all template to defend us, OUR lack of variety defensively put us at a disadvantage. We know all too well that teams with great quickness love to play against man-to-man. All it took was for Corie Close to decide to play a zone and, knowing that we were going to play one way and one way only defensively, attack us aggressively. All she did was take what TCU had beaten us with and employ it with more talented players. That said, the game was decided before the ball was ever tossed up. We may as well get used to this... We've had different players over the past six years and different personnel on the staff... yet we've had the same characteristic weaknesses and inefficiencies every season. #DoTheMath

 

True. Unfortunately so true. This "first time poster" and season ticket holder was also a D1, P5 basketball player and so was my partner. We watched last night's game in sheer horror. We should've beaten UCLA by 20 pts - easily.Yes it's hard to win when you throw the ball around like Texas did - but you know what's harder? When the coach that gets paid almost $900,000 makes no adjustments- ever. Every year it is literally the same game, different day. Karen Aston is a good recruiter (although that's starting to be debatable) - and a terrible in-game coach. Period.

Unfortunately, the teams that win at THIS time in the season have coaches that are either excellent or above average Xs and Os coaches. Instead of making excuses - we should probably face the fact that Texas won't likely win a Big 12 reg season championship, tourney championship or NCAA championship as long as Karen is at the helm. My partner was also a D1 coach for a while and her comments all season long have been that KA is not only not good at managing several aspects of the game - but that her body language shows that she doesn't appear to be listening to anyone on her bench, which another poster mentioned in an earlier post. Another kiss of death. It's unfortunate. We feel bad for the girls; they deserve better. It's definitely frustrating. Five years is enough time in today's environment to be able to do something besides get eliminated two years straight in Sweet 16 - if you know what you're doing. Look at what Schaefer's done at Miss State. What Staley's done at SC. What Close has done at UCLA. What Louisville guys' done. All we see are excuses for Karen Aston and it's unacceptable what she HASN'T done at a program like Texas. Anyway - we've decided to write the new guy - b/c based on what we've seen, we don't think Plonskey will make any real moves. We'll see. Hook Em!

 

And there you have it!

 

I hate to be right about games like this, but you aren't going to beat any decent team giving up 31 pts on turnovers. No KA coached team will ever make it to the F4 until they learn to play under control. Funny thing is, UCLA wasn't even as good as I thought they would be.

Anytime someone inbounds the ball without looking to see where the other player is shouldn't be sent to the bench, they should be sent to the locker room. Absolutely no excuse for that. That 5 pts in about 3 sec changed the momentum and it was over. You can talk about scheme all you want, but UCLA didn't shoot very well anyway. All we had to do is take care of the ball and we win.

 

Sincere question, what practice habits or practice drills does a coach typically use to cut down on turnovers? I believe in the theory that a team plays the way they practice. For those of you with a high basketball IQ, how do coaches cut down on turnovers?

Run Pincher--I agree with you. Those 5 points in 3-5 seconds really hurt our 3Q surge. Our players are sometimes in such a hurry to get down the court that they aren't paying attention to defenders who are positioned to disrupt the passing lanes.

 

Yep. I’ve always said that Coach Aston is very rigid in her approach. If something doesn’t work instead of doing something different it’s, let’s just do what we’ve been doing even harder.

 

Yep. I believe that the players don’t have very good court awareness and basketball IQ which is the reason for the high turnovers.

 

We had numerous missed opportunities this season to work on execution in live game situations when the game had already been decided in the first 10 or 20 minutes.

 

A stronger team than last year, but once again "just" a top 10 team, not an Elite 8 team. Texas could never get it done against top competition---Tennessee, UConn, Baylor, UCLA. Sometimes we came close and looked good, but we fell short.

Why?

Luck was a bit of a factor. With a couple of different bounces or shots that rimmed around and then fell in, we could have won an extra game or so. But the pattern is undeniable. When we got close to the top, we lost.

I incline to the camp that thinks Karen Aston should show more flexibilty in using zones, and also needs a better half-court scheme. I, too, dream of Texas hiring some assistant offensive guru. To be fair, though, we were much better this year in the half court, and our offense was ten points a game better on average, which is quite a leap.

Others are talking about x's and o's. So I'll talk about personnel. In all of our losses, we would have profited from another scorer off the bench, and we had a persistent offensive deficiency at the 4 position. That shortcoming mattered a lot against the very best teams. At the start of the season, I expected a big offensive boost from two sources: from a sophomore level Joyner Holmes, and from our trio of outstanding high scoring frosh. It was one of the top recruiting classes in America. Patterson seemed especially likely to play a key role off the bench. This did not happen. Other teams all over the country enjoyed big offensive contributions from freshmen players. We did not. It's still a mystery to me. I don't think we can blame the coaching staff. Aston likes to play good freshmen. But Boothe was very erratic, and Patterson was frankly terrible shooting the ball until the very last few games. Maybe they should have played more, but I can't fault the coaching staff for not risking them in big game situations. As far as the staff's ability to develop talent, players like Jatarie White and Midi Aborowa seem like outstanding successes. Higgs, too, has improved every season. On every team some kids improve dramatically, while others are self limited. Could we recruit more effectively? Obviously a superior eye for talent is a key factor. Being a McDonald's All American does not guarantee stardom. Luck is important, too. In the past I thought Texas had a tendency to emphasize athleticism over shooting and scoring skill. This year's class seemed heavily weighted toward sheer scoring ability, but it hasn't produced yet. Were other recruiters shrewder than us? Most weren't. It's not like we went out on a limb for these kids. Almost every other top team in America was after them, too.

That leaves Joyner Holmes. Holmes was expected to become the super star that carried the team into the next dimension. After her long layoff, she was less than adequate in many games. She gradually improved, but never played much above the journeyman level, to be honest. There were flashes around the basket, but they were infrequent. She has no outside jumper, and her inside moves and shot making are surprisingly crude. She is one of the reasons opponents automatically think zone against us. Here again, it's hard for me to blame the coaches. They weren't allowed to work with her for half a year. And does anyone seriously believe that over the last two years the Texas staff hasn't tried to help Holmes develop a 15 foot jumper and better footwork under the basket? At some point it's up to the ability and the work habits of the player herself. Maybe next year will be Holmes' year. This year wasn't. I'm not blaming a disappointing season on Joyner, and it was good to have her. Still, she was an important factor in the equation.

I said it was a disappointing season. It was...because Karen Aston has raised my standards and expectations hugely. We were nothing. She made us something.
I'd rather worry about making the Elite 8 than whether we can finish above 500 in the Big 12. Aston's got 2-3 more years to develop as a coach---or get luckier, which is just as important, frankly. McCarty and Adkins are enormous losses. We're certainly losing more than Baylor is. I don't see how our back court can be as good next season. We may also lose a player or two who transfer out. On the other hand we have recruits coming in whose skills lend themselves to a more versatile free wheeling system, with more outside offense coming from the Bigs. I will give Aston credit for trying to use the 5 and stretch 4's as outside threats to open up defensive zones. She just hasn't had the consistent shooters that you need to succeed at that. I think next year's personnel, Higgs and Sutton in the back court , with Prince and Collier coming in, actually requires going further in that direction. We shall see.

 

I agree with Ariel.

 

Thank you, Dr. D --- I was going to gear myself up to write an analysis to make some of the points you did. But it wouldn't have been as thorough or as articulate. I hate to hear all the predictable piling on of Karen Aston. I think she has improved in her x's and o's. Yes, I would like to see us try a zone strategically. Our half-court offense has been better this year, though poor last night. It was at its best in the UConn game. You are right --- it is due to Karen that our expectations have gotten so high. When we got the freshmen class we did, it just seemed like the sky was the limit. Turned out not to be true, and that cannot be Karen's fault. Also, I'm glad you emphasized the luck factor. There is a lot --- both in how your recruits turn out, and, in any given game, "how the ball bounces." UCLA had some darned good luck last night (not to minimize how good they were). Our turnovers last night were horrendous. I don't see exactly how we can blame Karen for that. I've heard her say many times this year that we need to slow down, be more patient, cut down on turnovers, etc., etc. She must preach this all the time. I guess that's a tricky balance when you are coaching an overall up-tempo style. Your analysis of our personnel limitations was much needed. Joyner was not up to our expectations. Audrey-Anne going out hurt us. Whatever it was with the freshmen, it just was. The one thing I don't agree with is that Karen has 2 to 3 years to get us to a higher level. This isn't football. I imagine Plonsky, etc., are thrilled with the progress we have made and Karen will be around for quite a long time. I'm not sure we'll be as good next year as this year, with Ariel and Brooke gone. It will be interesting to see what Karen cobbles together.

 

IMO next year will be a transition year for us as we adjust to not having Ariel and Brooke and integrating our four Freshmen into the team. As much as we will miss Brooke and Ariel, our team will have a different personality as new team leaders emerge. Which players will step up to lead the team? I'm also curious on what adjustments Karen will make our offensive sets since we'll have more depth and talent in the 4 and 5 positions.

What's to become of Rellah? Will Destiny Littleton apply for a medical redshirt?

IMO, Baylor should be the favorite to win the conference next year. Not only do Brown and Cox return but Mulkey has an extremely talented Freshmen class arriving. Morris and Richards will only get better in their 2nd year of the program. The good news is that this will be the last year we have to contend with K. Brown. Kim can't use this year's mantra of "us against the world" and that "they don't get respect" to motivate her team. Expectations will be sky high for Baylor as they will be in the discussion for the best team in the nation. (None of you know how difficult it was for me to type that last sentence about Baylor. sigh....).

With Baylor being the favorite to win the conference, West Virginia is in contention for the next best team in the Big 12. WVU loses Muldrow and Ray but has the dynamic Tynice Martin returning (after her injury). Kysre Gondrezik is aslo available after sitting out a year due to transferring from Michigan. Other players returning for WVU are Davenport, Ekhelar and Pardee. They will be fast, athletic and talented.

Will TCU continue to improve? How will OSU adjust without Jensen, Coleman and Goodwin? Who will Texas Tech hire for a coach?


Thoughts on recruiting:

With the season coming to an end, Karen & Co will hit the recruiting trail. It will be interesting to watch which 2019 recruits we continue to target and to see if any new names are added to the list of recruits. Also noteworthy, what recruits from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 classes attend our Summer camps? I also expect Sept 15th to be a big recruiting weekend as Texas Football has a big game with USC. It would be fantastic to have 2019 recruits, Jones, Taylor, Horston and Jackson visit on the same weekend.

Non Big 12 thoughts, as Chennedy Carter's performance has put Texas A&M in the spotlight, they will be a legitimate contender for in-State recruits.

Lastly,I just want to say that it's been great hanging out with all of you on HornFans this season. I always enjoy reading other people's thoughts and opinions on the team and I have to recognize that I will miss the frequency of people posting since the season has come to an end.

 

Very nicely stated, Luther. There are definitely clashes of opinions on this board, but we all share a common passion for our team. At the end of.the day, all we want is to see Karen succeed and the program thrive. The one consolation I take in our season having ended is that I can sit back and appreciate good basketball with no emotional investment for the remainder of the tournament. I think I'll pull for Mississippi State.

 

I'm with you Brnkj. There are pros to not having the emotional connection to a specific team and just watching the tourney. I like Vic and MSU. However, if UCLA plays like they did against us, I think they beat MSU.

 

To me, our players just made too many ill-advised passes all over the court -- all night long. Whether it was under our own basket, crosscourt, or at the top of the zone, time and time again UCLA deflected our lazy passes, and they would then score easily to compound the problem. Those were just bad decisions by our players; I don't blame our coaches for that.

I really thought Lashann was going to be the difference-maker Friday night. Honestly, I don't even know which UCLA player guarded her as Lashann couldn't get out of her own head.

Ariel picking up two first half fouls was the same broken record all 4 years; we are much better with her on the court. With her on the bench, and Higgs struggling, we just didn't have enough firepower. Throw in Joyner's two fouls, and we were very limited in the 2nd quarter. Sutton gave us a nice offensive spark, but that wasn't enough to offset her bad passes.

Still can't figure out why our opponents seem to go the foul line twice as much as we do. Either we aren't aggressive enough on offense to draw fouls, or we are bad on defense fouling their players too much. We really need to find a way to even things up on the foul line next season.

Not having Audrey-Anne and Rellah really hurt. Even just having AA would helped us play better interior defense, and her experience and strength inside would have helped us score even more in the paint.

Jada and Mide each scoring a bucket was a bonus offensively; sadly, they matched Lashann's output.

We played some pretty basketball to start the 3rd quarter; so, that shows what things could have been when the execution was on point. Unfortunately, we didn't execute enough throughout the rest of the game. Strangely, we shot over 50% for the game and over 43% from 3-point range; if you had told me before the game that those would be our shooting percentages, I'd have guessed we'd win the game. So, don't think the failure has anything to do with not being able to attack UCLA's zone defense.

 

Watching Mississippi State beat UCLA and pondering ... MSU (and South Carolina) were doormats in the SEC only a few years ago. In the Big12, Texas, OU and Baylor have been to final fours. Aggies, too. Texas is back, and much as I hated to lose to Baylor and UCLA, we are consistently a top 10 program. We have to remember that every top player we recruit is accustomed to being the best player on the court without having to work as hard as she does at Texas. Players also have to adjust to college, Austin's outdoor and entertainment distractions and, of course, fan expectations - it can't be easy for even the most talented player, who is, after all, 18-19 years old. There are very few college coaches who can get their teams to play at a mental and physical high level every game, all season - John Wooden, Pat, Geno and for most of her career, Jody. Tennessee fans now want to fire Holly Warlick because she's not Pat, and when UConn misses a final four post-Geno, fans there will think the world has ended. I wish we had played up to our capabilities vs UCLA (and Baylor-1 and TCU). But there's always next year - Hook'em!

 

BTW-I'm picking Oregon to win the national championship.

 

Go Big XII! TCU and West Virginia are in the Final Four of the Women's NIT. There are no any easy games in the conference. Baylor seems to never have a let down, but Mulkey has been outcoached by OSU twice and Louisville once, which shut down Britney Griner, and Odyssey Sims, and Gary Blair and the Aggies beat Baylor the year they won the national title ... which is why I don't put her in the list of top, top coaches like Pat and Geno. It's a short list, isn't it? https://www.womensnit.com/