2021-2022 Season

Run Pincher said:
True, and we're weakest at W/SF. Despite how hard Audrey plays, the athleticism just isn't there against the best teams. What I hope is Ebo/Femme step up so we can see this:
PG: 1. Rori Harmon, 2. Ashley Chevalier
SG: 1. Joanne Allen-Taylor, 2. Aliyah Matharu, 3. Kyndall Hunter
W/SF: 1. Aaliyah Moore, 2. Audrey Warren or 2. Kyndall Hunter
PF: 1. Latasha Lattimore, 2. DeYona Gaston
C: 1. Lauren Ebo,/ Femme Masudi
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It’s all a guessing game at this point, but I just don’t see Moore with the quickness to play the 3 spot. Lattimore is far quicker and athletic. Which surprised me a lot. It will be interesting and I think you may see 3 guard lineups at times with Joanne, Mathura and Hunter on the floor at the same time...
 
IMO, Deyona Gaston will exceed expectations and will be a big contributor if she can stay healthy and out of foul trouble.

I’ll also go out on the limb and predict that Shay Holle is going to display vast improvement this season and will get more playing time than expected. (And I’m someone who thought she would portal out of the program.)

However, it’s been proven that I’m more wrong than right so my 2 cents are worth 1 cent even with inflation.
 
Moooooo said:
Based on who started the scrimmage, how they played, their conditioning and health status, and any off-the-court issues, here's how I see our depth chart going into the first game of the season:

PG: 1. Rori Harmon, 2. Ashley Chevalier
SG: 1. Joanne Allen-Taylor, 2. Aliyah Matharu, 3. Kyndall Hunter
W/SF: 1. Audrey Warren, 2. Kobe King-Hawae, 3. Shay Holle
PF: 1. Aaliyah Moore, DeYona Gaston
C: 1. Latasha Lattimore, 2. Lauren Ebo, 3. Femme Masudi

And, then my thoughts on my above depth chart:

- several players can play multiple positions, and will based on the opponent matchups

- we are deepest (and most talented) at shooting guard

- scary that I have 3 true freshmen as potential starters

- the front court was more difficult for me to rank our players. I think Lattimore and Femme give us the best chance to win the opening tip, but that's not the most important reason for who starts at Center

- Ebo's experience and strength are reasons for her to see a lot of court time; but, conditioning and speed are reasons why she might not see a lot of court time

- I still think it's going to be tough for Holle to get many minutes based on the talent in front of her at SG/SF. She's fortunate she has height and speed; if our smaller guards are getting posted up a lot, Shay's height might get her on the court to provide much needed defense; but, I don't see Shay's offense being better (yet) than those I have listed in front of her

- when I see Moore, Gaston, and Lattimore, I think 2 of the 3 could be on the floor together a lot (in a 2-PF type offense); each brings something different to the frontcourt, and that's good

If the players can stay healthy, improve in practice and do what Vic asks them to do in games, it's going to be a fun season, especially come conference play
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Moo, I like this post. I think you framed it very well. There are a couple of areas that I see a little differently. For point guard, I'm sticking with Ashley. While I could see Rori taking over eventually I think Ashley's experience in Vic's system will have her starting initially. Also, since the first game was a scrimmage against a lesser opponent, I think Vic availed himself of the opportunity to get a lengthy look at his freshmen in a game situation. I think PF will be a battle, as you implied. Deyona was really coming on last year before her injury. Unless Vic is really mad at her, I think she could start. I was not overly impressed with Ebo and agree that Lattimore should start. She was tentative at the beginning of the scrimmage but she "grew" into the game. Now, I think I've motivated myself to go and rewatch that scrimmage.
 
Okay, I'm confused. The official UT game announcement for tomorrow says doors open at 4:30, while ESPN says the game starts at 10:00 a.m. Me thinks ESPN, who's broadcasting the game, is correct.
 
Bucksgal said:
Okay, I'm confused. The official UT game announcement for tomorrow says doors open at 4:30, while ESPN says the game starts at 10:00 a.m. Me thinks ESPN, who's broadcasting the game, is correct.
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I could’ve sworn the original time for the game was posted as 11am and I couldn’t make it, then noticed it was 5pm. I feel like I’m going crazy, but your post makes me think maybe I wasn’t delusional after all :e-face-tears:
 
512HornsUp said:
I could’ve sworn the original time for the game was posted as 11am and I couldn’t make it, then noticed it was 5pm. I feel like I’m going crazy, but your post makes me think maybe I wasn’t delusional after all :e-face-tears:
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Oops, I should have said 11am (I'm on Mountain Time). Didn't mean to add to your delusion! :yikes::lol:
 
Vic cannot be short of locker room/bulletin board motivation. On the one hand, I appreciate that expectations aren’t amazing going into the season. It always feels better to positively surprise than to negatively disappoint. That said, I think a few weeks ago, my personal expectations are low and it’s been a wake up call to see so many other programs ranked ahead of us and so little regard for our players. (Then again, we lost two amazing players from last year’s run.)

Ranking the 25 best women's college basketball players heading into 2021-22

No Texas players, even in the “receiving votes category”.

Big 12 Players listed:
2 Smith, Baylor
9 Joens, ISU
RV Gray, Texas Tech
RV Heard, TCU
RV Lee, KSU
RV Oliver, Baylor

I’m hopeful that our team comes out hungry. Individual accolades are not everything and I much prefer the TEAM style. But I hope that Vic can get us on the right path. Last season’s elite eight was a dream. I hope Vic can continue to work his magic!!!

Hook ‘Em Horns!
Prove all the doubters wrong!
 
Super excited for this season. It slipped up on me real fast. Just caught up reading this thread. I missed the game last week but I'm leaving work early so I can watch the game 2mrw.

It's going to be a bumpy ride this year just hoping we gel throughout the season and come guns a blazing during big 12 tourny and at the big dance. I'm going to try and enjoy the ride and the process this year.
 
‘‘Twas the night before the season!!! I’m a nobody but a true fan of Texas and Vic before Texas. I think this team is not getting any hype because the “lack of star power”. We don’t have a house name on our roster. We have what I think is the future. In similarity to what Dawn had at South Carolina about 6 years ago. I’m referring to a good start she got ahold to great recruiting class that had a star in Aja( Rori,Moore,Lattamore, Hunter take ya pick) and built a powerhouse. I’m not going to focus on what we don’t have but what we do. We have blue collar, come to work everyday leaders in JAT, Warren, and Ebo. We have young talent that is next up. So in conclusion we have a TEAM where it will be ANYBODY NIGHT. Be clear NOBODY WANTED TO PLAY US IN AUSTIN OR AT ALL. Trust me the country knows we got some smoke and they don’t want none.
 
In looking forward to Stanford game, it’s possible it’s closer than some suspect. Although they are defending National Champs, they squeaked by in last two games. I believe they have 12 of their top 13 returning plus freshmen. Just glancing at their roster, they are tall and long and experienced. They have big guards like Haley Jones who is a matchup nightmare.......and we have much smaller guards. Ours are talented; however, young and small. Size DOES matter in basketball. Looking at their first game starters and minutes, not much to glean. It was a blowout and they won’t play as many players if the game is tight. It will be interesting to see if our pressure is a huge factor. I believe they are replacing their point guard so maybe that helps. Moore has to stay out of foul trouble. Harmon and Chevalier have to limit their turnovers compared to game one. It would be nice if Hunter has a few threes. Most of her 7 first game were uncontested. Dare say, Stanford will try to contest her shots now as she is not a surprise. I believe we have to have a decent BTA game to stay in it as their inside appears to be able to negate our frontcourt. I am looking forward to watching how Schaefer plays this game. He has many more options than last year. Fun.
 
Last year, I felt we tried to slow the opponents down offensively due to our lack of healthy bodies, and offensive sluggishness.

This year, I feel like we have more quality depth and need to be more of a transition team that likes to use up-tempo to get the ball down the court and challenge our quicker players at beating the opponent to the basket.
 
If I had to come up with hour "quickest" lineup both offensively and defensively, and not give up too much on either side of the court, I'd go with:

PG - Rori
SG - Matharu (she makes it look effortless, mainly because of her great conditioning)
SF -- Warren gives ups the best combination of size/skills/quickness
PF - Lattimore
PF - tossup between Moore and Gaston

None of our players are "perfect", although a couple come close. Most lack something (conditioning, quickness, height, strength, experience, etc.). I think the challenge all game long will be for Vic to find the right combination of players that complement each other, and collectively make up for individual shortcomings.
 
To win or come close, we would have to be shooting a high percentage of shots, and play disruptive defense. I don't remember them real well, but I do remember a lot of height, including tall players who hit the three. They usually have great 3 point shooting, if I remember. Kiana being gone is good. I also remember a few years ago in the playoffs, when they backdoored us to death, which basically beat us. They are so tall, that Lattimore's height could help if she can hold her own down low. Players besides Hunter need to be hitting the three, since they will probably blanket her. It is going to be interesting. I'd like to win, but mainly want to hang with them to prove ourselves.
 
We've had several good wins over Stanford over the years, but mostly they were a long time ago, in Jody days. We had that great surprise win against them 3 or so years ago on their home court, right after they had upset UConn. They will be riding high, full of confidence, after their championship last year.
 
Mooo has some good points. No arguments there. One thing I’ll be watching is Allen-Taylor. I’ve heard/read where she played the most minutes of any D1 college player last year. Or something like that. Two reasons. Schaefer didn’t have many options for resting her last year. Second, Schaefer like what she brings to the game. Without detailing her attributes/deficiencies......I can’t believe she won’t again play huge minutes. She is simply a warrior.....what a competitor. She struggled early last year with her shot but came on later. She will be given first opportunity in tomorrow’s game to score ....primarily from outside. If she can’t, then Hunter will be given the opportunity at some point. Matharu has been impressive and Schaefer appears to have a lot of confidence in her.....so probably will sub in first for A-T. She certainly can score....and plays good D. Hunter appears to be a “microwave” with her quick release, scorer’s mentality, and no conscious to shooting(tremendous confidence). If her D is adequate, she’ll play too. I’ll with much interest watch how Schaefer sees the substitution pattern....and plays it tomorrow.
 
JoeDallas...no .thanks for bringing up the “back door nightmare” game. Aston played pressure/deny defense against them.....and we never made any recognition or adjustments to that. Schaefer obviously plays the pressure/deny game ......but somewhat differently. The staff has had a long time to strategize how to play that. I don’t expect Schaefer to abandon his forever strategy. I do expect focus on back door from the help side. I expect Stanford to have some success with that reaction to deny pressure. I also expect that Schaefer will minimize the damage. Let’s watch that intently.
 
Another thing I’m eager to watch and learn from is tonight’s game. Obviously the men/women play defense kinda differently. Beard against Gonzaga will try and slow down the Zag offense with his “no middle” defensive scheme. His Tech teams ran it wonderfully. There are pressure/deny concepts there but I see it more of a strategy to defeat the common pick and roll (pop) men’s offenses and run the offensive players to the baseline and keep out of the center of the court. The baseline is used strongly as a third player to trap the dribbler. Schaefer doesn’t employ that defense but I would think they share thoughts on how to defend tall and long teams like Gonzaga and Stanford. This will be a wonderful test of what does and doesn’t work with this team against the very top teams. Then adjust for the next top games.
 
flash34 said:
JoeDallas...no .thanks for bringing up the “back door nightmare” game. Aston played pressure/deny defense against them.....and we never made any recognition or adjustments to that. Schaefer obviously plays the pressure/deny game ......but somewhat differently. The staff has had a long time to strategize how to play that. I don’t expect Schaefer to abandon his forever strategy. I do expect focus on back door from the help side. I expect Stanford to have some success with that reaction to deny pressure. I also expect that Schaefer will minimize the damage. Let’s watch that intently.
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While Aston's team did lose that Sweet 16 game to Stanford, her teams did notch victories at Stanford (a few days after Stanford beat UConn), and then beat #1 Stanford in Austin. So, 2 out of 3 against Stanford is a take all day.
 
I don't expect them to win this game. I just want to see them try to keep it close. And apply what they learned to help them try to get better throughout the season.
 
A couple of interesting games tonight. Tennessee againdt S Florida. And Baylor against New Orlesns. Obvious reasons.
 
Vic once again mentioned having trouble getting opponents to come play Texas in Austin based on our aggressive defensive style of play. Obviously, I'd love to see the best teams come to Austin.

But, if that can't happen next season, I sure hope he gets Texas into those holiday tournaments in places like the Bahamas, Mexico, Vegas, etc. I think in those tourneys, you play who you are told to play.
 
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