Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story

[overseasbbfan1]

The loss to Central Michigan was certainly disappointing, as was the loss to Iowa. And it wasn't just that we lost to the Hawkeyes - it promised to be a tough game - but that we were blown out. No way to get around the fact we didn't look good in either contest.

At first glance I was happy to see txtreefan's analysis. At least it went into some detail about strategy and schemes, instead of just piling on without any commentary about what we might have done better, or diffrerently. It's too bad the facts don't support his statements, however.

It's one thing to say the team isn't executing, which clearly they are not as of late, and another altogether to imply they only have one plan, or are being taught just one (stagnant, stale) scheme by the staff. That is ridiculous. No doubt anyone who has attended practices will tell you the team has worked extensively on all the things you highlight as missing in the offense. Why that hasn't been successful, or employed to the degree you feel it should have been in games, can certainlty be discussed, and/or debated. And no question the coach is ultimately responsible if the team doesn't improve, and execution doesn't get better.

And then it's implied the so-called 'singular' game plan is to blame for the sudden drop off in Chassidy's shooting, until you realize there hasn't actually been one. Chas' % is the same this year as last, and her 3 pt % has improved. She is averaging 17.1 ppg so far this season vs. 16.5 last year, and 16.2 during her freshman campaign.

But it might suit someone's agenda better to pay the coach a backhanded compliment (she's a good "motivator") while in the same breath saying she only has one plan (i.e./ is incapable of teaching anything else). That's about as far off the mark as it's possible to get with regards to this coach. Or to imply the team's best shooter is suffering as a result of the failed scheme when clearly that isn't the case either. Although considering the source I understand why it was said.

We all realize this team has to start executing sooner rather than later. Yes, injuries are a factor, but not to the degree we've experienced the past few seasons. And we have more depth at key positions as well. We did lose three starters, and have a large number of newcomers, but we also have our best shooter back, and others (Cokie and Nneka) are much stronger this season. I guess that doesn't have anything to do with the coaching. I still believe we have the potential to be a very good team this year, but clearly have to make some noise during conference play. Entering the Big12 campaign with a 7-4 record doesn't give us a lot of margin for error, but I think we are up to the task. This is a very talented team that has shown great promise early on, and suffered some ugly losses the past week. And they will definitely be tested tonight at Iowa State. Let's just hope we have more success vs. the Cyclones than we did vs. the Hawkeyes.

 

[utfannforlife]

Excellent perspective. And I would have to agree mostly. Not only are injuries A factor, in my opinion injuries are THE factor. 2 of our best six players have missed more games than they have played in. Hard to over look that

 

[hornsgeek]

For some reason I thought the same about Chaz, but then I checked the numbers compared to last year and realized she's shooting better.

I agree we have talent and depth, although some of that depth has a lot to learn in short order. I've been impressed with how fast these players learn and still appreciate the energy and stamina they have. All 4 losses have been in the first quarter; second quarters have been played more evenly. They will improve with discipline and experience.

Go Horns!!

 

[BabHorn]

good post and info, overseas.

 

[txtreefan]

You are right - don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. Fussell's shooting percentage is down, not as much as I thought but still down .436 to .420. And how are you spinning the 20 plus turnovers a game now.

Nevertheless TX is playing much better against ISU. I have indeed seen a screen or two, and Ashley Roberts is starting to shoot. Our posts are in foul trouble, glad to see the guards play offense. I want Aston to prove me wrong. The offense is looking a little less stagnant.

 

[overseasbbfan1]

Chas % was .424 last year, not .436. The number you looked at was through the TT game. Look at the PDF file which is for the full season

. But nice of you to at least make an effort at checking, albeit well after you had already made a post bemoaning her downturn.

 

[txtreefan]

You also need to check your math( .424 is still higher than .420,) before you make false accusations. No moral victories but a much better game tonight. Maybe Aston and the team can turn the corner.

 

[overseasbbfan1]

In reply to:

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[txtreefan]

"You should have quit while you were behind. You depicted Chas as 'falling off,' becoming a bad shooter, and struggling (so very unfair for someone who tries so hard, poor thing ) in a "plodding scheme". I reiterate Chas' % is the same this year, 3pt % better, and scoring avg up as well. You wrote what served your purpose with absolutely no attempt to check stats or facts first. No reason to do that when you have an agenda.

A team struggles, or suffers a few bad losses, or misses on a recruit...or anything really...and suddenly there's more going on that meets the eye. The players only know one scheme, our best shooter is in a downard spiral, and the HC (great motivator that she is, bless her heart) only has one plan. And even that is a throwback to another era, and coach. Never mind that none of it is even remotely true. Why discuss what the team did wrong, or what the coaches and players might have done differently, when you can use the occasion to throw in a lot of other garbage as well? There was plenty to be concerned about and discussed following the two losses in SD without (intentional) misprepresentations being a part of the equation."

Nice try. I should have checked Fussell's shooting percentage. I was relying on a comment to that effect made by Amie Smith Bradley in the CMU game.

You have to be blind not to see that the offense is very stagnant. Last night was better, but more of that later. I am far from the only person who has noticed that. It was not just evident in the 2 losses in San Diego. It was more obvious in the losses - a 12 minute scoring drought in the UCLA game, but equally apparent in the wins. I am glad to hear that they work on something other than force-feeding the post in practice, I wish it would show up more on the floor. Last night was the first time I saw an in-game adjustment on offense: early foul trouble meant that business as usual was not possible, the guards stepped up, ball movement improved considerably and turnovers decreased. Good.

I don't think Aston was an optimal hire. She had zero head coaching experience in a major conference, had never won an NCAA tournament game, never placed a player in the WNBA, or do you want to dispute those facts as well. And so far there have been a few things that are helping to change my mind: recruiting has not fallen off the cliff like it could have, post play and rebounding have improved, but to be 7 and 5 against this OOC schedule with no signature win (St John's has now more losses than TX), a 20 point blow out loss to an unranked team last week, and the very real possibility of a losing record and no NCAA appearance does not thrill me. Aston's tendency to throw the players under the bus in press conferences has also not endeared her to me.

I am tired of playing Cassandra on this board, but to pretend that the poor play we have seen on offense is just due to the players and execution problems strikes me as blatantly untrue. Both coaching staff and the team are on a steep learning curve. Inexperienced and to this point inflexible head coach plus first year point guards predicted this rough start.

Where are the posters who were blithely predicting a sweet 16 finish for this team? I need some of that kool-aid.

 

[overseasbbfan1]

You are now discussing topics that weren't the subject of this post, or what I took issue with in your initial comments on the CM thread. I doubt there's anyone who wasn't concerned after the series of losses, and has been pointed out by just about everyone, it wasn't just that we lost, but they way we lost that was most troubling.

We should all be talking about that. But you made a number of assertions that simply weren't true. And if you're going to make those kinds of strong statements you should have at least taken the time to verify your facts. We've already discussed the Chas issue, and with respect to strategy, you stated no less than four times the team only had one plan. Moreover you said it was the only scheme the players had been taught, even though you clearly know that's not the case.

It doesn't matter whether you've attended practices or not; you certainly know enough about the game, and this program to understand those statements are false. And you can't have it both ways. If you're trying to imply you don't know what they've been taught because you haven't seen the team practice, then how do you know they've only been taught one thing? As you so rightly highlighted you didn't say the team wasn't executing; in fact, you made it clear execution wasn't the issue. You said they didn't know, and hadn't been shown, how to do anything else.

It's clear now your real issue is with the fact Aston was hired in the first place; you didn't have to use a game thread to make false statements in order to get your point across. And unless I'm mistaken you've covered this topic before, but either way I have news for you; that ship has sailed.

It seems pointless to re-hash the hring at this juncture, but since you brought it up, I'll put in my two-cents worth. I wasn't particularly overwhelmed by the hire either. A program like Texas doesn't change coaches very often; we've done it twice in 35 years. It just so happens both transitions happened within 5 years of one another, but the fact remains it isn't a common occurrence. Differences of opinion are to be expected, esp among long time fans, and that was certainly the case with respect to Aston's appointment.

Obvioulsy when it comes to the hiring most of us can only speculate about how the process unfolded. My guess, and it's strictly that, is the program was caught off guard by Goestenkor's sudden departure, and having gone through a national search five years ago, decided to go another route this time around. Or perhaps the few top candidates who might have been most attractive simply weren't available, or interested. It seems likely Aston ticked a lot of boxes with respect to in-state recruiting and contacts, and no doubt made a strong case as to why she was the right candidate for the job.

I also heard that Aston's initial departure from the program wasn't handled as well as perhaps it could have been, and there may have been hard feelings after-the-fact. Some people get over those more quickly than others, but clearly she re-built most of those bridges, if indeed any had been broken to begin with. She obviously has strong relationships with key people in the program, and they believe in her ability to get this team to where it should be, or she wouldn't have got the job.

Finally I felt like we needed more experienced (proven) assistants on the sidelines, in particular given Karen's relative inexperience as a HC at this level. But that was her call to make. It also seemed strange to offer an Assoc HC title to Mays given his resume; we had a former asst who had been SEC Coach of the Year, HC at two major Div 1 programs, and an Assoc HC at the country's to program Tennessee who didn't even merit that distinction. It was explained to me that he likley got the title because he wouldn't have agreed to come on board otherwise. If true does that justify giving it to him ? Not in my book but clearly others saw things differently. All of our assistants seem to be very well liked so that's not the issue, and in the end it's the HC's job to bring in those she feels the most comfortable with.

All of that is water under the bridge at this point. Aston is the coach, and she has an incredible roster to work with. This is her dream job, and you have to believe she is going to do everything in her power, with the considerable support of the program and all that entails, to make this team successful. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but I have said for a long time I expect this team to be very good this year, and championship caliber in 2014. My opinion hasn't changed because we have a new HC. We're still working some things out, and learning, but I have faith we can still have a successful run this season.

I also hope that Cokie returns next year. IMO that is key. It's strange because at one point someone referenced an interview where she confirmed she would be back, and then someone immediately posted on the board that Aston had said this would be her last year. Not sure what the real story is but if Cokie has even the slightest desire to continue her career, and use her full eligibility, it should be a foregone conclusion that she returns next season. Injury notwithstanding she looks better than she ever has, and her presense will be an important component of our success in 2014.

I hope last night's game was a turning point for this team. The silly fouls ultimately cost us the game, but overall we looked very good. We played a complete game, some new players stepped up when coverage was focused elsewhere, and the team hung tough until the very end. I would hope and expect the team to have received a great deal of positive reinforcement, and praise from the staff after last night's effort.

I think it's still way too early to give up on this team, or staff. I fully expect us to continue to get better, and will even go on record as saying an upset of the Bears isn't out of the question this year. That may be wishful thinking but for now we should all give this team and coach the benefit of the doubt. Go Horns!