2019 Recruiting - WBB

Sorry, but that's one of the more ridiculous things I've read on here. Ratings are VERY subjective. Being rated #14 by ESPN does not mean that she is not a top 10 player. Considering that she was offered by so many other great schools, it's a BIG get for us. I highly doubt Notre Dame, South Carolina, etc. would be offering if she wasn't a MAJOR talent. I don't get too caught up in those rankings and you shouldn't either........
Why is it ridiculous to state a fact about where she's ranked? I'm not the one doing the rankings. I also stated she looks like a good get and the fact Karen has been reeling in top 10 ranked players. Regardless of the rankings being accurate or not that is a fact. She may turn out to be AA, but that doesn't mean I don't want to know where we stand on the nations top players from TX. So what's ridiculous about it? What's ridiculous about asking where we stand with the top rated players is Texas? Am I the only one who wants to know about them? I guess everyone else here knows exactly what's going on in the minds of these girls but me so shame on me for asking.

Thank you Moo for providing the detailed information you do on these players. I much appreciate it even if some others don't. Thank you bobcat for being a #$%@!*^.
 
A couple of fair and biased comments for your perusal and ridicule.
1. TaylorJones has disappeared from the Dallas Christian box scores for the entire year so far. She is either hurt or plays somewhere else. In that there is another Jones listed in the scores, that is more likely her little sister. Probably hurt. Just guessing. anybody really know ?
2. Nyah Green who plays for Bishop Lynch has been listed as the top player for 2 or 3 years. She committed to Louisville a long time ago. In the box scores she has not even been the top player on her team. There is another player that has been scoring around 25 a game recently with Green around 15. I wonder about the recruiting services and have been VERY cautious on those since we got the number one player in the country from Cali about 15 years ago and she wasn’t even a top 100. In that my opinion is solely based on box scores, Green and the Louisville fans have perfect right to call me an idiot .....but I wonder about her. Maybe if I wasn’t so lazy, I would drive 15 minutes and give her the eyeball test. However since Aston apparently has not recruited her, I am not motivated.
3. My eyeballs tell me Celeste T is the real deal and rated about right or could be higher.

Yes.. that is 3 comments rather than 2 but I am excited on a monday about Horns WBB.

Apparently, Taylor had hip surgery at the end of September. Tweet from her sister:

 
What's ridiculous about asking where we stand with the top rated players is Texas? Am I the only one who wants to know about them? I guess everyone else here knows exactly what's going on in the minds of these girls but me so shame on me for asking.
You and me, Run Pincher. Without people posting about recruiting, I don't know anything about what is going on. And I like numbers. I like comparing where the players we recruit are ranked, even if I know the rankings are pretty subjective, and ESPN's case, based only one person's observations. So I appreciated your post. I wondered where we were with Texas players as it seemed like we are making a run at out of state players. With Celeste verbaling, it seems that several possible state targets are possibly no longer on the front burner.

Above all, this is a WBB forum. I enjoy the discussion. It's a way to learn and stay involved.
 
For those of us who follow recruiting, it's great that there is more than one recruiting service out there who ranks individual high school girls. While they are definitely subjective, at least it provides different sets of opinions.

Yes, we have been fortunate that Coach A and her staff have been signing at least one Top 10 recruit each season; it brings great publicity in the media, and top-ranked players take notice as they want to play with other top-ranked players. But, once they step foot on campus, it's all about how they perform in college.

We have seen some of our highly-ranked signees who have not yet been starters or major contributors; conversely, we've seen a couple of unranked signees who have.

I like that Coach A prefers a large roster; and, she is definitely building quality depth. As we've seen, injuries and other issues have kept some players off the floor.

Not every player we sign is going to be ranked in the Top 10 by any recruiting service. But, they will have received other accolades like being part of USA Basketball teams, recognition on different All-American lists, etc.

From this point forward, it's about getting each class to mesh with the prior class(es), and filling needs. And, getting these players to maximize their potential as basketball players.
 
Why is it ridiculous to state a fact about where she's ranked? I'm not the one doing the rankings. I also stated she looks like a good get and the fact Karen has been reeling in top 10 ranked players. Regardless of the rankings being accurate or not that is a fact. She may turn out to be AA, but that doesn't mean I don't want to know where we stand on the nations top players from TX. So what's ridiculous about it? What's ridiculous about asking where we stand with the top rated players is Texas? Am I the only one who wants to know about them? I guess everyone else here knows exactly what's going on in the minds of these girls but me so shame on me for asking.

Thank you Moo for providing the detailed information you do on these players. I much appreciate it even if some others don't. Thank you bobcat for being a #$%@!*^.
Well...since you asked. We get the #14 player in the nation, and rather than focus and be appreciative of that, WHY would you even bring up something so "meaningless" as to her being ranking #14 rather than in the top 10. You specifically said "but not top ten like we're used to now with Karen". Sorry, but that's not a very positive way to welcome one of the PREMIER TALENTS in this class, and, in fact is somewhat minimizing this verbal. As I stated previously, rankings are VERY subjective. WHY is it even important to you that she is just 4 spots outside of the top 10? Again, that is 4 spots only....yet your statement sounded as if you were somehow disappointed. That makes absolutely NO sense at all. A player being ranked in the top 10 in NO WAY guarantees their success at the next level. Joanne Taylor is a perfect example of someone being ranked somewhere in the 30s I believe, yet she received offers from Notre Dame and South Carolina. And trust me, she is VERY VERY GOOD as is Audrey Warren. As far as your childish 5th grade name calling while hiding behind your keyboard, I'm always available to have a civil conversation about this face to face, or you are more than welcome to send me a private message to discuss it. I'm appreciative of EVERY recruit we get because I TRUST Karen and staff and their expertise at evaluating talent and, more importantly, what our needs are.
 
Well...since you asked. We get the #14 player in the nation, and rather than focus and be appreciative of that, WHY would you even bring up something so "meaningless" as to her being ranking #14 rather than in the top 10. You specifically said "but not top ten like we're used to now with Karen". Sorry, but that's not a very positive way to welcome one of the PREMIER TALENTS in this class, and, in fact is somewhat minimizing this verbal. As I stated previously, rankings are VERY subjective. WHY is it even important to you that she is just 4 spots outside of the top 10? Again, that is 4 spots only....yet your statement sounded as if you were somehow disappointed. That makes absolutely NO sense at all. A player being ranked in the top 10 in NO WAY guarantees their success at the next level. Joanne Taylor is a perfect example of someone being ranked somewhere in the 30s I believe, yet she received offers from Notre Dame and South Carolina. And trust me, she is VERY VERY GOOD as is Audrey Warren. As far as your childish 5th grade name calling while hiding behind your keyboard, I'm always available to have a civil conversation about this face to face, or you are more than welcome to send me a private message to discuss it. I'm appreciative of EVERY recruit we get because I TRUST Karen and staff and their expertise at evaluating talent and, more importantly, what our needs are.
Maybe because prior to my post the only ranking that had been posted had her ranked 46, not 14. I'ts irrelevant anyway. I have no idea why someone would think that because I asked if anyone knew where we stood with top 10 ranked recruits was in any way a slight or criticism of our #46 ranked recruit. Only a 6 yr old would try to draw such a conclusion. In fact, I bet her parents would like my statement that she looks like a good get, and there's probably a 99.99% chance the thought of any criticism would even cross their mind. What kind of mind other than one very immature thinks that way?

I'm thankful for every top 100 player we get as nearly every one of them ends up being a difference maker. Even if they're not top 100 I know Karen knows what she's doing. I'm also interested in finding out if top players are actually considering going to play for the rape enablers in Wacko.

Perhaps you could have done what Moo and flash did and posted something like, well yeah PN may have her at 46, but ESPN has her at 14 so there's a chance she could also be much better than the 46 ranking, or provide detailed info on some of the others including why they may be severely over ranked. That's the kind of info I love and appreciate very much, and apparently others do to since they thanked me for asking. Some have full time jobs plus, so we don't have the time to go to all kinds of sites and read all kinds or articles so we appreciate Moo, flash, Babhorn, etc. who provide such detail. Shame on us for not knowing every little fact about every recruit.

And, I don't know why asking for it is ridiculous. I don't even attack people that ask a question even after the answer has already been posted 3x. I just move on, which you could have done if you didn't like my question instead of being a child and trying to turn it into something it wasn't.
 
Maybe because prior to my post the only ranking that had been posted had her ranked 46, not 14. I'ts irrelevant anyway. I have no idea why someone would think that because I asked if anyone knew where we stood with top 10 ranked recruits was in any way a slight or criticism of our #46 ranked recruit. Only a 6 yr old would try to draw such a conclusion. In fact, I bet her parents would like my statement that she looks like a good get, and there's probably a 99.99% chance the thought of any criticism would even cross their mind. What kind of mind other than one very immature thinks that way?

I'm thankful for every top 100 player we get as nearly every one of them ends up being a difference maker. Even if they're not top 100 I know Karen knows what she's doing. I'm also interested in finding out if top players are actually considering going to play for the rape enablers in Wacko.

Perhaps you could have done what Moo and flash did and posted something like, well yeah PN may have her at 46, but ESPN has her at 14 so there's a chance she could also be much better than the 46 ranking, or provide detailed info on some of the others including why they may be severely over ranked. That's the kind of info I love and appreciate very much, and apparently others do to since they thanked me for asking. Some have full time jobs plus, so we don't have the time to go to all kinds of sites and read all kinds or articles so we appreciate Moo, flash, Babhorn, etc. who provide such detail. Shame on us for not knowing every little fact about every recruit.

And, I don't know why asking for it is ridiculous. I don't even attack people that ask a question even after the answer has already been posted 3x. I just move on, which you could have done if you didn't like my question instead of being a child and trying to turn it into something it wasn't.
Run Pincher...this had NOTHING.....I repeat NOTHING to do with knowledge of recruits. My ONLY exception to your post was that it sounded as if you were disappointed, and you DID ACTUALLY say, that this young lady was "not top ten like we are used to with Karen". That statement in and of itself IS minimizing this verbal somewhat. So yes I DO think what you said was "ridiculous". I NEVER criticized anything else, but did find it odd that we get a verbal from the #14 ranked player in the entire nation and you had to put that "it wasn't top 10 like are used to". That is in fact a minimization. That is all I was saying. I found it odd. I was not attacking you personally and I never called you names. As far as calling me that particular name......I'd be far more impressed if you said it to my face.
 
Last edited:
Regarding C. Taylor's "ranking..." I, too, won't be hyperventilating that she has "fallen" just outside the "top ten." After all, what separates 10 from 14? Opinions... and everyone's got one.
 
It's nice to see the staff land one or two top ten players but also good to know that they can find players ranked lower that fit what is needed and have the potential to as important as their higher ranked teammates. For example, two years ago, we got Alecia and Joyner, both top ten players, as well as Jada, who was ranked 50th by PN. This year, Jada has been an integral part of the rotation. For 2018, we got two top ten ranked players in Charli and Sedona but also two players ranked well below that: Audrey Warren and Joanne Allen-Taylor. Both fill needed spots and from reports by first hand observers (some of our fans), the staff got players flying under the radar.

Getting players in the top ten in the last few years has become common place but those hidden gems also are an important part of the recruiting. Celeste is currently ranked 14 by some services with plenty of time to move up. And her commitment could be the trigger to get others to come here (hopefully, imo, I am looking for Samantha Brunelle) to play with her. Celeste is the first of three to five spots that will be filled for the 2019 class. Kudos to her for leading the way.

Our classes will most likely most times feature a combination of highly ranked and lower ranked players. Simply because the staff does their homework and is not recruiting based on recruiting services' rankings but on what they see and project how a player will fit in and contribute.

However, unlike the staff, I am pretty interested in and free to speculate on how many of the top ten in any year express interest in Texas and how many eventually come here. After the signing period, I am grateful and pleased that talented young players such as Charli, Sedona, Audrey and Joanne have decided to attend Texas, regardless of their rankings. The discussion of who is going to end up where is never ending and extends two to three years into the future. And creates some dynamic conversation among fans, as well.
 
Run Pincher...this had NOTHING.....I repeat NOTHING to do with knowledge of recruits. My ONLY exception to your post was that it sounded as if you were disappointed, and you DID ACTUALLY say, that this young lady was "not top ten like we are used to with Karen". That statement in and of itself IS minimizing this verbal somewhat. So yes I DO think what you said was "ridiculous". I NEVER criticized anything else, but did find it odd that we get a verbal from the #14 ranked player in the entire nation and you had to put that "it wasn't top 10 like are used to". That is in fact a minimization. That is all I was saying. I found it odd. I was not attacking you personally and I never called you names. As far as calling me that particular name......I'd be far more impressed if you said it to my face.
I'm done trying to have a civil discussion. The fact you still keep stating a #14 ranked player when you know that prior to my post the only ranking posted was #46, and the only one I had seen, proves you have an agenda different that what you state.
 
My very first post here
I am from the Tri State area i watch a lot of East coast kids as well as do some write ups. I found this site after a young lady I have watched through the years play committed to UT Celeste Taylor. As far as her ranking she is 14 overall but 4th in her position so she is considered 4th best guard in the country. She was being heavily recruited by every school in the top 25 most college coaches had her top 3 in the nation.
Can’t lie I didn’t think you guys would land her most had her going to Notre Dame. A little bit of scouting on her; she can score from all three levels, very athletic, considered one of the best on ball defenders in the country, high motor and can play multiple positions. She is projected to be a four year starter. Congratulations to Texas Longhorn fans you should be excited
 
Oakman......glad for the input from someone who has actually seen CT play. Be a lurker here......and an active poster for any future insights on CT or other ladies the Horns are recruiting. We love Texas players but Aston is a national recruiter and can pull top players from anywhere to Austin. It is some time till actual signing day so hope ND sees she is going to come south.
 
just re-reading the ESPN article on Celeste's verbal to the Horns and the following quote caught my eye. Glad to see that recruits can see this.
"I think what really caught my attention while visiting Texas was their practice. I want to be pushed as a player, and Coach Aston and her interaction with her team was pivotal. This is something I want to be a part of."
 
Thank you guys for the positive responses. I have watched a lot of her since she joined the Belles 3 years ago so has been nice to see her development she played with another Belle who signed her NLI with ND last month so many including myself had her going there. A lot of really good kids out here not sure if they compare to CT as far as wings/guards go. Aaliyah Boston is the best big up here but rumors are she will play for UCONN. Some Texas rumors I heard were quite a few elite forwards are now showing heavy interest in Texas. I don’t want to say any names as of yet because I’m trying to get confirmation but top 10 kids. CT may have got the ball rolling for east as well as Midwest kids wanting to go there. A lot of buzz right now amongst players. As far as CT I will get to see her as well as a lot of highly rated kids this weekend in Maryland for a tournament that was started by Tina Thompson which has become one of the best high school tournaments in the country. I will post some thoughts as well as some rumors I hear regarding Texas
 
Oakman...........would love to continue to hear your thoughts on basketball from "up there". Longhorn related or other WBB. Your thought that CT's commitment might get the ball rolling is what a lot of Horns fans hoped would happen. Recent success and commitments from top players perhaps have made it easier to turn down UCONN, ND and other top teams from that area. A few like Megan Walker recently wanted to be a Longhorn but finally relented to stay with a known commodity. Aston has now shown that Texas will continue to be in the top 1-3 in the nation year over year. So any past reluctance has perhaps been overcome. Tina Thompson has been a huge asset since she joined the staff and am delighted to hear about her involvement with the tournament. Perhaps you ask Santa for some Longhorn stuff and wear it to games?? :hookem::hookem:
 
yeah, thanks for the info, Oakman. Always welcome.
love the connection, indirect as it is, with Celeste and Tina.
As far as CT I will get to see her as well as a lot of highly rated kids this weekend in Maryland for a tournament that was started by Tina Thompson which has become one of the best high school tournaments in the country.

Also like Celeste's desire to play D. She sounds like a great fit for the team's overall game.
“Coach [Karen] Aston makes it really vital that they play defense, and I love playing defense,” Taylor said. “They run up the floor and push the ball, and I found a really great connection with that, too.”
 
From DMNews from Friday night games. J Owen had 31 in a 6 point loss to McKinney. S Andrews had 28 in a 1 point loss by Irving McArthur to Duncanville. H Gusters had 14 in same game.(perhaps Duncanville is not invincible this year?) Myra Gordon had 26 for LD Bell (wonder about older sister at UCONN?). Lolo D had 20 for P West in which J Merritt had 9. Merritt had been hurt for awhile but is now back. N Green had 15 in a loss by Bishop Lynch. ERogers also had 23 for BL. ER is the player that had been in the mid-20’s for several games with Green in the mid-teens. Last game it reversed but back to recent ratio. Again...makes me wonder about Green. No score on Saginaw Boswell and Warren.
 
Not sure who I think is most likely (or best suited) to fill out our remaining 2019 class. I do want that 6'1 - 6'2 small forward who can shoot the long ball, but don't think we will find that player in state.
 
I am at the She Got Game classic. I spoke to a few coaches as well as some scouting services rumors about a bunch of kids at various schools but one that will be of interest here is Jordan Horston has high interest in Texas they are now in her top 3 with Ohio State and Michigan State. As far as Celeste wow!... Texas fans be excited.. be very excited. She owned the gym today, she won the game MVP. She was all over the place her defense was D1 ready she had two blocks that had the crowd oohing and Ahhhing.... she hit big shot after big shot... I am going back in the gym to watch more games so I will post again most likely tomorrow after I watch her team play again or if I hear any more rumors
 
Horston is from Columbus Ohio and according to ESPN Hoopgurlz, Horston is #6 overall and #3 guard for 2019. 6'1" combo guard. Here are her recent evaluations:

USA Trials-May 2017: Superior size, versatility and ultra-athletic guard prospect; quick-leaper, plays at the rim; mid-range game creator with emerging range; rebounds, handles and attacks in up-tempo game; continues as an elite prospect in the class of 2019. (Olson)
Boo Williams Invitational-April 2017: Ultra-athletic guard with superior size attacks off the dribble, elevates smoothly over defenders in key; cleans glass, handles in transition; emerging perimeter game consistency is the key ingredient for next level stardom; among the elite athletes regardless of class. (Olson)
 
Here are a couple of videos of Horston. She is definitely "ultra athletic" and a "quick leaper" as described in the USA Trials 2017 in Flash's post above.



 
I am at the She Got Game classic. I spoke to a few coaches as well as some scouting services rumors about a bunch of kids at various schools but one that will be of interest here is Jordan Horston has high interest in Texas they are now in her top 3 with Ohio State and Michigan State. As far as Celeste wow!... Texas fans be excited.. be very excited. She owned the gym today, she won the game MVP. She was all over the place her defense was D1 ready she had two blocks that had the crowd oohing and Ahhhing.... she hit big shot after big shot... I am going back in the gym to watch more games so I will post again most likely tomorrow after I watch her team play again or if I hear any more rumors

Thanks for the info Oakman. Looking forward to your next post.
 

Weekly Prediction Contest

* Predict HORNS-AGGIES *
Sat, Nov 30 • 6:30 PM on ABC

Recent Threads

Back
Top