2023-2024 Season

[cactus47]

Went to buy my parking pass and there was a pop-up that said, "In order to park at the Manor garage, you need to contribute $200 to the Women's Basketball fund". Hmmmm, wait. I already increased my Foundation contribution this year. So I go ahead and ignore it and try to buy a parking pass. And then it says my final bill will be $200 (donation) + $125 (parking) = $325 for the right to park next door to Moody.

I sent a complaint to CDC. He called me. We had a short talk, he started going into the whole "Well, unfortunately, I don't own parking...." and then when I pointed out the fact that Manor turns away those who don't have a parking pass, even though people are willing to pay on game day, he got confused and said he'd get back to me...which he forgot to.

Oh well, now I'll have to figure out parking each game day.

Check your donation to see where it was applied. If it went to the Excellence part of the Longhorn Foundation, sort of a general fund, then you should be OK. But if it was applied elsewhere, you may need to have it redirected. In any case, call the Longhorn Foundation directly, 512.471.4439
The notice for tickets & parking explicitly says that the $200 gift has to go to the Excellence part, if it was not WBB-specific.

 

[Born in ATX]

Went to buy my parking pass and there was a pop-up that said, "In order to park at the Manor garage, you need to contribute $200 to the Women's Basketball fund". Hmmmm, wait. I already increased my Foundation contribution this year. So I go ahead and ignore it and try to buy a parking pass. And then it says my final bill will be $200 (donation) + $125 (parking) = $325 for the right to park next door to Moody.

I sent a complaint to CDC. He called me. We had a short talk, he started going into the whole "Well, unfortunately, I don't own parking...." and then when I pointed out the fact that Manor turns away those who don't have a parking pass, even though people are willing to pay on game day, he got confused and said he'd get back to me...which he forgot to.

Oh well, now I'll have to figure out parking each game day.

I've noticed sometimes the follow-up isn't the greatest from the athletic dept. CDC needs to decide if he wants a real WBB program or not. This is only parking we are talking about. It is utterly petty to require additional donations to park across the highway from the Moody, especially when we are talking about WBB games that need more fans. Do they want fans at the game or not? Give me a break.

 

[racerx5908]

I've noticed sometimes the follow-up isn't the greatest from the athletic dept. CDC needs to decide if he wants a real WBB program or not. This is only parking we are talking about. It is utterly petty to require additional donations to park across the highway from the Moody, especially when we are talking about WBB games that need more fans. Do they want fans at the game or not? Give me a break.

I called up the Foundation and they confirmed that the money I donate for football doesn't factor into parking for WBB. Just going to have to tack on 15 minutes for the walk up the hill from Jester. First world problems, I know.

 

[Moooooo]

I still miss Aliyah Matharu; what could have been last season had she not transferred to Florida; but, her reason must have been important enough to have to sit out last season. Now, her supporting cast is dwindling:

 

[brnkj]

So... most would say we "struck out" in the transfer portal, but there were very few players that would've met our needs. I think we had one transfer make a visit and she chose another school that is much closer to her hometown than Texas.

All of that said, my focus is the fact we had zero outgoing transfers other than Femme who was a minimal role player. We gained an unexpected post player this summer and have three new freshmen and a couple of experienced sophomores to add to our veteran crew that have 2 and 3 yrs playing in Vic's system.

Clearly, there is a good nucleus of players that have seemingly bought into the program 100%. I'm anxious and excited to see what Vic and his staff do with that.

 

[Bucksgal]

So... most would say we "struck out" in the transfer portal, but there were very few players that would've met our needs. I think we had one transfer make a visit and she chose another school that is much closer to her hometown than Texas.

All of that said, my focus is the fact we had zero outgoing transfers other than Femme who was a minimal role player. We gained an unexpected post player at the end of the summer and have three new freshmen and a couple of experienced sophomores to add to our veteran crew that have 2 and 3 yrs playing in Vic's system.

Clearly, there is a good nucleus of players that have seemingly bought into the program 100%. I'm anxious and excited to see what Vic and his staff do with that.

I, too, am excited to see if someone turns into a prolific scorer or if Texas' offense will be spread among a number of players.

 

[flash34]

Looking at the roster, there are five players coming back from serious injury/illness. Boutilier, Cordio, Maul, Moore, Herron. And one (Jones) who has had nagging injuries. Each has unique story and future promise. Some will turn out positive. Some may not. So six of fifteen. I’m expecting Jones, Maul and Moore to be important pieces this year. Herron probably not but definitely next year. Codio is a wildcard. Boutilier two years out.

 

[racerx5908]

I have to confess that I'm not as pumped up about the upcoming season as I have been the last 3 preseasons. 2020 it was because we had a new coach. 2021 was because we made a surprise entry into the Elite 8. 2022 was because we made it to the Elite 8 after some of our best players left. And last year because we thought, "Final Four baby!". This year....I feel gloomy. sorry.

 

[flash34]

Racer…..human nature to be pessimistic or perhaps “guarded” on upcoming season based on less than stellar 2022 season. Me too. It was tough to watch LSU and South Carolina and Louisville and UCONN and others doing better and Horns plateauing or worse. I think the team will be better than last year. Health and Booker are my reasons. The elephant for me is Harmon. If Harmon’s shooting is as poor as it ended up last spring, the team will be good but limited. She touches the ball so much, her ability to make a few outside or mid-range shots is critical. If she can’t, teams will play her accordingly. Looking forward with guarded optimism.

 

[Jacob Johnson]

I just hope we run more offense than just the dribble drive. It’s so predictable now and with limited outside shooting it can be easily defended. I would like to see more sets run to get shooters like Gonzales and Booker open and more one on one post touches with Gaston and Moore. I’m excited though I think Amina and Mwenentanda will be big for us this year as well as Maul to help relieve the pressure of Harmon at point guard.

 

[flash34]

Au contraire mon frere. On a lazy hot Monday, I’m a novice contrarian around here I guess on the dribble drive. In my fair and biased opinion, if a team doesn’t have good outside shooters, the dribble drive is a good option. A defense has to defend the dribble hand-offs multiple times in a possession to keep the ball handler away from the basket or a short pull-up. It does seem teams defended it better last year though. I’m old school and prefer where a lot of screening and cutting gets open short to mid-range shots. Such as the old “flex” offenses. Even then, if you can’t hit elbow, short corner or baseline 3s, it can be defended. Sure is a lot of pick and roll, pick and pop, and similar offenses in college and pros today. But those need good shooters too. Guess some astute offensive coach on here can educate me how poor shooters will do better in other offenses than dribble drive. Booker and Gonzalez might do better in other offenses. Not sure. Poor shooters don’t do very well in any offensive set. They need to work on their shooting skills. I’m open to education and mea culpa. Help please.

 

[CreakyHorn]

I just hope we run more offense than just the dribble drive. It’s so predictable now and with limited outside shooting it can be easily defended. I would like to see more sets run to get shooters like Gonzales and Booker open and more one on one post touches with Gaston and Moore. I’m excited though I think Amina and Mwenentanda will be big for us this year as well as Maul to help relieve the pressure of Harmon at point guard.

I'm glad you mentioned Amina. Aside from Booker, Amina is the one I'm most interested in seeing play. I thought she improved a lot last year and I'm expecting to see more this year. She plays with a quiet ferocity that I really enjoy.

 

[flash34]

I’m interested in all. Most intriguing is Herron. In her senior year at DeSoto while watching her in a couple of games in a national tournament, she was really good. Soft hands, good mud-range shooter and feisty. Sounds like her heart problem is behind her. I don’t believe she’ll be a world beater but could turn into a 12-15 ppg player. Probably a year away from being impactful but could help.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Au contraire mon frere. On a lazy hot Monday, I’m a novice contrarian around here I guess on the dribble drive. In my fair and biased opinion, if a team doesn’t have good outside shooters, the dribble drive is a good option. A defense has to defend the dribble hand-offs multiple times in a possession to keep the ball handler away from the basket or a short pull-up. It does seem teams defended it better last year though. I’m old school and prefer where a lot of screening and cutting gets open short to mid-range shots. Such as the old “flex” offenses. Even then, if you can’t hit elbow, short corner or baseline 3s, it can be defended. Sure is a lot of pick and roll, pick and pop, and similar offenses in college and pros today. But those need good shooters too. Guess some astute offensive coach on here can educate me how poor shooters will do better in other offenses than dribble drive. Booker and Gonzalez might do better in other offenses. Not sure. Poor shooters don’t do very well in any offensive set. They need to work on their shooting skills. I’m open to education and mea culpa. Help please.

I'm with you on this one, flash.

 

[Moooooo]

I definitely don't know the best skill sets needed for running an effective dribble-drive offense. But, I would think there would be a huge need for "quick" guards; unfortunately, we really don't have that like we did in Vic's first 2 seasons at Texas (Lambert, Allen-Taylor, Celeste, Matharu). We have Rori; and, that's the only guard I'd describe as "quick"; Holle is fast, but not sure dribbling is her strength). Maybe players like Maul and Codio will surprise me with their quickness.

In the past, we saw Audrey Warren, Shay Holle, Gonzales, Amina, even Moore used in the dribble drive; not sure it was as effective based on their lack of quickness. Players we could use in the dribble-drive offense this coming season just don't have the foot speed to get past their defender as they drive to the basket; they are more prone to have the ball poked away as dribbling isn't their best asset. I definitely could be wrong; I just don't think our players beating defenders to the basket (via dribble drive) is gonna be effective this coming season.

 

[Moooooo]

So... most would say we "struck out" in the transfer portal, but there were very few players that would've met our needs. I think we had one transfer make a visit and she chose another school that is much closer to her hometown than Texas.

All of that said, my focus is the fact we had zero outgoing transfers other than Femme who was a minimal role player. We gained an unexpected post player this summer and have three new freshmen and a couple of experienced sophomores to add to our veteran crew that have 2 and 3 yrs playing in Vic's system.

Clearly, there is a good nucleus of players that have seemingly bought into the program 100%. I'm anxious and excited to see what Vic and his staff do with that.

Sadly, yes, we struck out in the transfer portal. Just my opinion, the only reason the PG from Boston College made a visit to Texas was because Wisdom-Hylton was the recruiting coordinator at BC, despite not being her position coach. We don't even get that courtesy visit if not for that relationship. Not gonna say proximity to home is playing a huge role; Jewel Spear (metroplex) had no problem choosing Tennessee and not a program in Texas.

So many times, the relationships built in the past end up playing a role in the future as it pertains to recruiting transfers. That was a huge concern of mine when Vic hired his daughter to coach our guards; she has no former recruiting relationships that Vic himself doesn't already have. She just didn't bring those relationships; just my opinion, but that's a huge reason why she couldn't get a single transfer guard to come visit Texas. We know she followed several on social media, but the results were zero. Her lack of coaching experience and those recruiting relationships aren't beneficial.

 

[Moooooo]

I’m interested in all. Most intriguing is Herron. In her senior year at DeSoto while watching her in a couple of games in a national tournament, she was really good. Soft hands, good mud-range shooter and feisty. Sounds like her heart problem is behind her. I don’t believe she’ll be a world beater but could turn into a 12-15 ppg player. Probably a year away from being impactful but could help.

My memories of Herron when she attended summer camps under Aston were that Tionna was very thin/lanky and would get pushed around in college. So, either my memory is bad, or she has gone through growth and changes to her physique since high school.

While she will be like third string at best this season, she might be our starter come 2024-25 if Hadi Faye goes pro; so, really hoping Herron gets some great experience this season. I'd love to see Hadi stick around, but we have to realize her financial situation and potentially wanting/needing to help out her family might take precedence over returning to college for a fifth season.

 

[flash34]

Mooo….great comments on all. I learn something every post. Regarding Herron, she definitely went through the growth spurt/body change. I try to stay away from direct comment on size, but when seeing her as a senior at DeSoto, it was obvious she would need to control her weight in college. She’s definitely not the thin/lanky girl from camp days.

 

[brnkj]

She’s definitely not the thin/lanky girl from camp days.

Definitely has some good size on her now. She's in the right program to get her to her best fitness level possible. I'm looking forward to watching her development.

Women’s Basketball signs Tionna Herron - University of Texas Athletics

 

[DFW_Horn]

My memories of Herron when she attended summer camps under Aston were that Tionna was very thin/lanky and would get pushed around in college. So, either my memory is bad, or she has gone through growth and changes to her physique since high school.

She definitely put on some weight before her junior and senior seasons in HS. I held the door open for her after that embarrassing TCU loss in Fort Worth during Ariel and Brooke's senior year. I think she was a freshman at the time and recognized her from UT summer camp photos. As you said, she was very lanky then but was much more filled out when I saw her as a junior/senior. She didn't impress me much when I saw DeSoto beat Montverde in Fort Worth her senior season - Amina outplayed everyone on the floor that night including Janiah Barker - but Tree justified her ranking during the state playoffs.

I'm sure the heart surgery and necessary slow recovery time has also hindered her S&C activity quite a bit.

 

[flash34]

So who are these poor shooters that I’m and others are routinely referring to? Let’s get specific and name folks. I guess my definition of a poor shooter is one who other teams dare to shoot(back off of) cause they can’t make an uncontested 5-10 foot shot. This commentary has zero to do with players other significant skills that make them valuable. This commentary also has little factual basis but bet in most cases the eyeball test closely approximates the shooting percentages. Simply based on late last year’s view, Muhammad is at top of my list. She simply HAS to develop a short shot to keep defenses honest. Others are Faye although her role doesn’t typically require that….but it would be nice. Harmon is on this list until proven she has recovered her stroke. Jack’s efficiency is not good, and she has the ability to shoot, but she’s on the list until her shot selection is better. She wants to shoot and I think her sophomore year she will be better. Others have too little playing time to know or are passable offensively. I’m sure these players know and are practicing to improve. We’ll see.

 

[Born in ATX]

I have to confess that I'm not as pumped up about the upcoming season as I have been the last 3 preseasons. 2020 it was because we had a new coach. 2021 was because we made a surprise entry into the Elite 8. 2022 was because we made it to the Elite 8 after some of our best players left. And last year because we thought, "Final Four baby!". This year....I feel gloomy. sorry.

I'm with you Racer. Color me skeptical until the team shows me otherwise. I think we'll be better simply because everyone has been around the program longer. But we really did need that quick backup PG and didn't address the need. I'm open to see how Gisella does and am ready to see what she can do.

 

[DFW_Horn]

2023-2024 non-conference schedule has been posted. Nothing impressive we already didn't know:

• 11/2 - Midwestern State (Exhibition)
• 11/8 - Southern University
• 11/12 - Liberty University
• 11/14 - UT Arlington
• 11/19 - Louisiana Tech
• 11/23 - Arizona State (@ Virgin Islands)
• 11/24 - High Point (@ Virgin Islands)
• 11/25 - South Florida (@ Virgin Islands)
• 11/29 - Oral Roberts
• 12/3 - UCONN
• 12/6 - Long Beach State
• 12/13 - @ Arizona
• 12/20 - @ UTRGV
• 12/27 - Jackson State

Women’s Basketball announces 2023-24 non-conference schedule - University of Texas Athletics

 

[Moooooo]

2023-2024 non-conference schedule has been posted. Nothing impressive we already didn't know:

• 11/2 - Midwestern State (Exhibition)
• 11/8 - Southern University
• 11/12 - Liberty University
• 11/14 - UT Arlington
• 11/19 - Louisiana Tech
• 11/23 - Arizona State (@ Virgin Islands)
• 11/24 - High Point (@ Virgin Islands)
• 11/25 - South Florida (@ Virgin Islands)
• 11/29 - Oral Roberts
• 12/3 - UCONN
• 12/6 - Long Beach State
• 12/13 - @ Arizona
• 12/20 - @ UTRGV
• 12/27 - Jackson State

Women’s Basketball announces 2023-24 non-conference schedule - University of Texas Athletics

It just stuns me that Vic can't find a way to schedule not even one game against a team from the B1G, ACC, or SEC conferences.

 

[racerx5908]

It just stuns me that Vic can't find a way to schedule not even one game against a team from the B1G, ACC, or SEC conferences.

I've heard from Vic and some other sources (Danny Davis) that the schedule comes out later than others because he has a hard time getting teams to come visit to play. The style of suffocating defense isn't one they look forward to flying all the way to Austin to suffer. Now, that may just be an excuse. But maybe not?

 

[Moooooo]

I've heard from Vic and some other sources (Danny Davis) that the schedule comes out later than others because he has a hard time getting teams to come visit to play. The style of suffocating defense isn't one they look forward to flying all the way to Austin to suffer. Now, that may just be an excuse. But maybe not?

Yes, I recall Vic telling that to the media; not sure I believe it, though. We can't even seem to play P5 teams on the road (Arizona is a return a trip from Aston's time). South Carolina plays tough defense, as does Louisville; I don't recall those teams having problems scheduling teams from P5 conferences.

We've lost our long-time series against Stanford and Tennessee; that really leaves a void in the home non-conference schedule.

 

[Ellis21d]

The social media version of the 23-24 schedule! WBB does an excellent job of there graphic design!

 

[Ellis21d]

They are working hard getting ready for the annual mile run!

 

[DFW_Horn]

I've heard from Vic and some other sources (Danny Davis) that the schedule comes out later than others because he has a hard time getting teams to come visit to play. The style of suffocating defense isn't one they look forward to flying all the way to Austin to suffer. Now, that may just be an excuse. But maybe not?

Duke plays suffocating man-to-man defense (2nd nationally in opponent's ppg, Longhorns were 30th) and has 6 non-conference games against teams that finished in the RPI top 45 last season, 3 at home:

• @ Columbia (40)
• @ Stanford (5)
• @ Georgia (45)
• South Carolina (1)
• FGC (33)
• Toledo (30)

Texas has:

• USF in the Virgin Islands (29)
• UCONN (2)
• @ Arizona (32)

The next 3 highest RPIs after Arizona? Liberty University (72), Long Beach State (96) and Jackson State (113).

 

[flash34]

Horns “suffocating”/deny defense was pretty non-existent last year. Tried it early but abandoned it. Didn’t have the guard quickness to play that way. It’ll be interesting to see if Schaefer tries it again. Maul is perhaps the only one incoming that could play that way. So we may see Horns playing more heads up tough traditional defense again. Versus the deny defense he likes. Not sure Schaefer’s excuse passes the smell test again. There surely are other reasons.