2022 Transfer Season

[Jacob Johnson]

Hey I hope we all grown here. I didn't like the post. I want to respect these athletes lives outside of sports. I come here to talk about sports, not a players personal life. And I won't even begin to address some of the BS responses some of you have made this about. I will now move on.

I’m not being combative or argumentative and some of the responses to the post have been over the top but I don’t think the poster brought her personal life in this thread as just that. I believe their intention was to show that Harmon and her now girlfriend have been spending a lot of time together especially here in Austin. I think they were just saying she may want to spend even more time and enter the portal and if that were to happen Texas could be a possibility since we are in need of a backup PG at the moment. I think this entire thing was blown out of proportion from both sides but back to sports and the off season.

 

[Jacob Johnson]

The last time this was said Jones commited. Hopefully this means we landed someone and I’m hoping it’s Morris as she just followed the Texas women’s basketball page on instagram and Elena just began to follow.

 

[Texashorns2022]

lets gooooo

 

[hoopsalot]

Some actual good news at last. Now we just need to see an announcement or two for assistant coaches!

 

[LutherIsMyDog]

Was it a blessing in disguise that we did not get the commitment of Lauren Fields? IMO, the addition of Morris to our roster will have a bigger impact on our win/loss record than the addition of Fields.

I know it may be unfair to compare the two players, but I like the addition of another consistent shooter/points (Morris) more than a player whose strengths were primarily on the defense end (Fields). Hopefully Morris has above average defensive skills to go along with her offensive skill set.

Is Morris a grad transfer with one year to play?

 

[Texashorns2022]

Was it a blessing in disguise that we did not get the commitment of Lauren Fields? IMO, the addition of Morris to our roster will have a bigger impact on our win/loss record than the addition of Fields.

I know it may be unfair to compare the two players, but I like the addition of another consistent shooter/points (Morris) more than a player whose strengths were primarily on the defense end (Fields). Hopefully Morris has above average defensive skills to go along with her offensive skill set.

Is Morris a grad transfer with one year to play?

Yes she only has one year

 

[Moooooo]

 

[loyallonghorn]

Was it a blessing in disguise that we did not get the commitment of Lauren Fields? IMO, the addition of Morris to our roster will have a bigger impact on our win/loss record than the addition of Fields.

I know it may be unfair to compare the two players, but I like the addition of another consistent shooter/points (Morris) more than a player whose strengths were primarily on the defense end (Fields). Hopefully Morris has above average defensive skills to go along with her offensive skill set.

Is Morris a grad transfer with one year to play?

TOTALLY agree with you Luther!

 

[Moooooo]

Was it a blessing in disguise that we did not get the commitment of Lauren Fields? IMO, the addition of Morris to our roster will have a bigger impact on our win/loss record than the addition of Fields.

I know it may be unfair to compare the two players, but I like the addition of another consistent shooter/points (Morris) more than a player whose strengths were primarily on the defense end (Fields). Hopefully Morris has above average defensive skills to go along with her offensive skill set.

Is Morris a grad transfer with one year to play?

You may very well be correct. Obviously, we won'tknow the answer until the season is in full swing or is completed.

What I liked about Fields is her speed, experience playing in the Big 12, and probably knows the tendencies of players like OU's Taylor Robertsen and ISU's Ashley Joens and how best to defend them.

Based on the video clips posted her recently, Morris seems to have every shot in the book. She has a very pretty shot, and offense seems to come easier to her. But, we all know that Vic prioritizes defense, and that's what earns you playing time even if your shot isn't falling in a given game.

 

[Born in ATX]

You may very well be correct. Obviously, we won'tknow the answer until the season is in full swing or is completed.

What I liked about Fields is her speed, experience playing in the Big 12, and probably knows the tendencies of players like OU's Taylor Robertsen and ISU's Ashley Joens and how best to defend them.

Based on the video clips posted her recently, Morris seems to have every shot in the book. She has a very pretty shot, and offense seems to come easier to her. But, we all know that Vic prioritizes defense, and that's what earns you playing time even if your shot isn't falling in a given game.

Checking DePaul's WBB site, looks like Morris had close to 1700 points in her career! She has scored in the 20s or 30s 15 times in the last 2 seasons. She's played some point guard at times (I would assume in a backup role), and has had some decent assist games. Also, had a good amount of steals. She seems pretty quick from the limited highlights I can find. I'm assuming Vic has been able to gauge her defensive abilities with game film, but it doesn't look like DePaul stressed defense at all. I think she's a great pickup, especially at this point in the process. That leaves us 2 scholarships left for this season. I assume one post player and then we're done?

 

[kurupt]

You may very well be correct. Obviously, we won'tknow the answer until the season is in full swing or is completed.

What I liked about Fields is her speed, experience playing in the Big 12, and probably knows the tendencies of players like OU's Taylor Robertsen and ISU's Ashley Joens and how best to defend them.

Based on the video clips posted her recently, Morris seems to have every shot in the book. She has a very pretty shot, and offense seems to come easier to her. But, we all know that Vic prioritizes defense, and that's what earns you playing time even if your shot isn't falling in a given game.

I think she clearly understands what she has to do defensively or she wouldn't have committed. Doug Bruno is a coach who obviously prioritizes offense over defense. With Vic it's the other way around, and I think sometimes to a fault.

There were times last year where I thought that he should have started Matharu and played her 35+ minutes like he would do with Joanne. With Matharu obviously being our best natural scorer/ shooter. Sometimes the best defense can be your offense. Morris is a great pick up, and I think we're better at least on paper offensively.

Players like Robertson don't worry me as much because she's primarily a perimeter player. It's players like Joens and now Blackwell who at time's like to take players on the block and post up and also rebound well that I'm more worried about.

 

[Moooooo]

There were times last year where I thought that he should have started Matharu and played her 35+ minutes like he would do with Joanne. Sometimes the best defense can be your offense. Morris is a great pick up, and I think we're better at least on paper offensively. Players like Robertson don't worry me as much because she's primarily a perimeter player. It's players like Joens and now Blackwell who at time's like to take players on the block and post up and also rebound well that I'm more worried about.

We just have to hope the more offensive-minded players see the court time we all want them to see.

Robertson worries me a lot more than Joens because Robertson has unlimited range if you are not in her shirt constantly, and she rarely gets into foul trouble so she doesn't leave the court for many minutes. Joens often times gets into foul trouble, and has to leave the court for spells; her preference for never-ending dribbling towards the basket is easier to double-team as she gets into the paint.

 

[Bobcat]

You may very well be correct. Obviously, we won'tknow the answer until the season is in full swing or is completed.

What I liked about Fields is her speed, experience playing in the Big 12, and probably knows the tendencies of players like OU's Taylor Robertsen and ISU's Ashley Joens and how best to defend them.

Based on the video clips posted her recently, Morris seems to have every shot in the book. She has a very pretty shot, and offense seems to come easier to her. But, we all know that Vic prioritizes defense, and that's what earns you playing time even if your shot isn't falling in a given game.

Good points, but Fields is a moot point now. I agree with @kurupt. Even Vic said after the Stanford game that we could not score in the 4th quarter. The reason we couldn’t score was because we did not have but a couple of CONSISTENT offensive threats. Now we have FIVE, counting Gaston SIX, plus a more mature a Hunter etc. I don’t care how much defense you play, you have to score and put pressure on the other team’s defense. Spreading the floor requires threats at multiple positions, especially the perimeter. We have that now….

 

[Moooooo]

Good points, but Fields is a moot point now. I agree with @kurupt. Even Vic said after the Stanford game that we could not score in the 4th quarter. The reason we couldn’t score was because we did not have but a couple of CONSISTENT offensive threats. Now we have FIVE, counting Gaston SIX, plus a more mature a Hunter etc. I don’t care how much defense you play, you have to score and put pressure on the other team’s defense. Spreading the floor requires threats at multiple positions, especially the perimeter. We have that now….

Vic stated last pre-season how much offensive firepower the squad had; but, he didn't play the best offensive players often enough for most fans; maybe it was injuries like someone else stated.

I'm all for what you stated . . . as long as Vic puts those players on the court

 

[Born in ATX]

Looks like Texas fans aren't the only ones congratulating Sonya on her commit. I guess these two are from the same hometown:

 

[flash34]

Watching video, Morris DOES have a pretty shot per Moooo. Good repeatable fundamentals…..the ball leaving her hand just has a very smooth motion and flight. Appears to just be one of those natural and confident shooters. Seems I saw her ppg was like 17.9 but down a couple ppg from previous year. She won’t score that much for Horns….but might provide 12 or 13 ppg. That would probably challenge for team lead….unless Moore breaks out. Looks like she’s quick enough to fit in on or defensive schemes. I like this pick-up. Hook ‘Em

 

[Sincerely hookem]

Question now is what else do we NEED? I think almost all of us would say a backup PG maybe another big who can play Center/5. Out Guard depth right now is
Harmon, Mathru, Morris, starters
Hunter, Holle, Fresh name I can’t spell, Jordi
Moore,Gatson or Jones starters
Muhammad, Femme, Gatson or Jones

 

[Moooooo]

I like her twitter announcement more than her IG announcement:

 

[Moooooo]

I'm really excited to have Sonya Morris join the squad. Adding more proven scoring ability out on the wing was one of the areas I felt we needed to address via the transfer portal. While Rickea Jackson and Lauren Fields didn't join the program, our (short-staffed) coaches kept plugging away until they accomplished their objective.

 

[kurupt]

Good points, but Fields is a moot point now. I agree with @kurupt. Even Vic said after the Stanford game that we could not score in the 4th quarter. The reason we couldn’t score was because we did not have but a couple of CONSISTENT offensive threats. Now we have FIVE, counting Gaston SIX, plus a more mature a Hunter etc. I don’t care how much defense you play, you have to score and put pressure on the other team’s defense. Spreading the floor requires threats at multiple positions, especially the perimeter. We have that now….

No question. Which also means more space for Jones and Moore in the post. And less zone from teams such as Iowa St. who struggle to match up with the athleticism/quickness of our guards. I think how well Rori improves her perimeter jump shot will tell the story. If she does, with Morris' ability to shoot /score at all three levels and Matharu. There won't be many teams with that caliber of guard/wing play.

 

[Jacob Johnson]

I just watched the DePaul vs UConn game and I would say defensively she definitely has what it takes to thrive in Vic’s system. She likes to pick up full court and has great on ball defense.

I would say she needs to work on her off ball defense the most. She tends to rest when the person she’s guarding doesn’t have the ball. Can easily be fixed especially with Vic. Barring no more additions to the team my starting lineup prediction is…

1. Harmon
2. Matharu
3. Morris
4. Moore
5. Jones

or you could have…

1. Harmon
2. Morris
3. Holle
4. Moore
5. Gaston/Jones

 

[Moooooo]

DePaul guard Sonya Morris joins Texas basketball team after transfer (hookem.com)

 

[Moooooo]

Even though a couple transferred out, proud of them all:

 

[LutherIsMyDog]

DePaul guard Sonya Morris joins Texas basketball team after transfer (hookem.com)

This stat stood out to me in the AAS/Danny Davis article;

“Morris has also proved herself on the defensive end of the floor. During the 2019-20 season, her 75 steals led the Big East.”

As @Jacob Johnson pointed out in his post above, Morris can play both ends of the court.

I’m very impressed that we were able to get two high caliber players from the portal who can address the needs on our roster.

 

[Sincerely hookem]

So I can’t sleep so somebody give me yal opinion on these transfers I think we got one more 1 yr rental scholarship available.
Lasha Petree 6’0 W/F she played us while at Bradley and spent this past year at Rutgers
Treasure Hunt 6’1 W/F from UK is a elite scorer but wasn’t pushed at UK
Khadie Faye 6’4 F/C TTech seen glimpses of what she can be when health
Jewel spear 5’9 CG wake forest hasn’t entered name in portal but coaching last week she could get out
IDK anybody else

 

[xdxmmxchxxl]

So I can’t sleep so somebody give me yal opinion on these transfers I think we got one more 1 yr rental scholarship available.
Lasha Petree 6’0 W/F she played us while at Bradley and spent this past year at Rutgers
Treasure Hunt 6’1 W/F from UK is a elite scorer but wasn’t pushed at UK
Khadie Faye 6’4 F/C TTech seen glimpses of what she can be when health
Jewel spear 5’9 CG wake forest hasn’t entered name in portal but coaching last week she could get out
IDK anybody else

I think we have addressed our two biggest needs in the portal and signed two great players, plus with our incoming freshmen we have everything we need. I would be okay with us not signing anyone else for fear of recruiting over our current younger players.

 

[flash34]

Time for a roster spreadsheet update. I’ve lost track of # of players, position depth, class, etc. With Morris on board, it just got tougher to get minutes for people like Hunter. Even Holle’s minutes seem to be dropping a tad. Matharu’s inconsistencies seem to need to be minimized to keep her role on the upside. I can rationalize the freshmen not playing much for awhile but not long. Anybody up to the task?

 

[brnkj]

No question. Which also means more space for Jones and Moore in the post. And less zone from teams such as Iowa St. who struggle to match up with the athleticism/quickness of our guards. I think how well Rori improves her perimeter jump shot will tell the story. If she does, with Morris' ability to shoot /score at all three levels and Matharu. There won't be many teams with that caliber of guard/wing play.

Absolutely. This was a great get for us and will balance us offensively and create some good spacing on the floor. Teams will definitely have to defend us straight up. I can't remember the last time we had a potential lineup where all five players were each capable of putting up 20 points on any given night. I really like this roster addition.

 

[Born in ATX]

Time for a roster spreadsheet update. I’ve lost track of # of players, position depth, class, etc. With Morris on board, it just got tougher to get minutes for people like Hunter. Even Holle’s minutes seem to be dropping a tad. Matharu’s inconsistencies seem to need to be minimized to keep her role on the upside. I can rationalize the freshmen not playing much for awhile but not long. Anybody up to the task?

I was thinking the same thing last night. Somebody needs to get Moooooo up and buy him a cup of coffee. His roster will show years left and 2023 commits too.

 

[Bobcat]

Time for a roster spreadsheet update. I’ve lost track of # of players, position depth, class, etc. With Morris on board, it just got tougher to get minutes for people like Hunter. Even Holle’s minutes seem to be dropping a tad. Matharu’s inconsistencies seem to need to be minimized to keep her role on the upside. I can rationalize the freshmen not playing much for awhile but not long. Anybody up to the task?

I think Hunter will get plenty of minutes as Morris will most likely play the three spot. With all her inconsistencies as you say, Matharu was hands down our best outside shooter and Id hate to think where we would be without her. With Rori, Matharu and Morris, our bigs will now have more room to operate and we are a threat from every position. I think Vic will use his depth more because the quality has improved. Fun year ahead…