egg laid

While in the past I have pointed to areas that need improvement I have also been one of the consistent supporters of this program. I still believe this program is headed in the right direction, and have a lot of optimism for the future. That said, losing to SDSU was a disappointment. Had Morris not been unconscious from behind the arc in the first half it would have been a completely different game. But, Texas should have won anyway. Had we not missed at least eight layups (I was counting) it would have been a completely different game. Texas should have won anyway.

Brit Raven did a lot of good things for Texas. But this was not the first time she had problems making layups. It is a matter of focusing on the play until the ball goes in the basket. I understand when underclassmen have a problem. The speed of the game sometimes takes some adjustment and it is easy to lose that focus. I would expect a senior to not continue to have that problem. That was a consistent issue that unfortunately Brit never overcame. I’m aware and appreciate all that she did well. But, that was a disappointment.

I was also disappointed to see some obvious conflict on the floor a few times. Times when one player wanted to run the offense when another knew it was their job. With the NCAA reconfiguration I had one of the best seats remaining, and it was close enough to see what was happening without leaving any room for doubt. You are not going to win consistently unless everyone is on the same page and has confidence in the others to do their job. In this event it was a senior trying to do more than was their role at the time.

I was disappointed that the level of effort was obviously higher at the start of the second half than it was to start the game. Seniors should not let that happen. Years ago my daughter was a shorthorn and talked more than once about Jamie Carey scaring other shorthorns as they waited for warm-ups near the UT pregame huddle. The conversation was Jamie explaining to the others that the game was going to be over in the first four minutes. That is the senior leadership I look for. I appreciate a willingness to fight, and never give up. But, you get consistency by starting the game with your best effort. Not by working up to it, or using it to come from behind.

I am less concerned about play at PG and in the post. I see underclassmen and progress and potential. I grant that there is work to be done. But, that is a different conversation.

I loved this senior class. I appreciate everything they did for Texas, and all of their hard work. But, the comment earlier was dead on. I don’t care how they were rated out of high school. Neither of two of the best coaches in WCBB ever got consistent play from them. I have trouble blaming that on the coach.

I agreed with the comment about fouling so early, and didn’t really understand why they fouled the best FT shooters on the team. But, I also disagreed at times with coach Conradt. Both coaches have won more games than my zero, and I have never seen a coach that always did what fans thought was the best move. The only thing consistent is that it seems like the best coaches always have the best players.
 
Texas will be fine, I have no doubt. It's going to take longer than I thought, but that is not the coaches fault, the players fault or the fans fault. It is what it is.

I don't like coach bashing, player bashing or anyone bashing. Again, it is what it is. I will be better at times and worse at times, it just is what it is.

Texas will be fine. I'm so very glad we have Coach G. Texas will be fine.
 
Well Hell. Jody couldn't do it. Gail can't do it. Let's go get Mulkey...Pat... Geno.... insert name here. H/she can do it.
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A coach just doesn't go from being good (both had teams in the Final Four two/ three years before these seniors arrived) to suddenly becoming bad coaches. You could argue that maybe Jody was at the end of her career but Gail was at the beginning. No. This was not about the Coach.

This was about the players... which isn't necessarily a negative about the players. The whole simply wasn't greater than the sum of the parts. We had several wonderfully talented players. Each had outstanding qualities as a player. Unfortunately they were never able to gel as a team. For what it is worth, Gail had better success with them than Jody.

It is what it is. What's done is done. They all played their best.

I really don't think we have to worry about Gail. She's proven she can get a program to elite status and keep it there. It just takes a little more time than many of us want to wait. But wait we shall...


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About attendence Sunday. Nornally I am a family of four attending. Sunday night it was just me cause Sunday night is a bad night to have a game. School night games always have lower attendance.

Also, Jody built a following over a 30 year career. Many of her faithful went with her... as expected. Gail will build a following over time.

Average attendance in 2009 was 5,288
Average attendance in 2010 was 5,731
 
First off, I'm not a newbie here. I've been on Hornfans for about 10 years but just recently changed my username.

Now, my two cents worth. As far as the attendance goes, it seems about normal for UT. Until a program is winning and winning big, don't expect big attendance numbers. Look how Rick Barnes has fought to get attendance up for the men. Until Gail gets the team winning big and beating teams regularly that are in the top 10, attendance will suffer. Just my opinion.

Secondly, I don't know if Gail will win big at Texas or not. I don't think anyone does. She did great at Duke but that doesn't mean she will here. I sure hope she does, like everyone else, but the women's game in the Big 12 has changed. Texas used to be the big dog in this part of the country and was at the top of a lot of lists for recruits because of it. Now you have OU, Baylor, A&M, and now maybe Nebraska that have surpassed us. And I think that Jody has to shoulder the blame for that. She had too many bad years and allowed other programs to establish themselves. Texas is still Texas and the right person should be able to come in and recruit elite players and take us back to the top. Is that Gail? I hope so. A question I have for everyone here is how many years should be given to get us back to the top? It's taken the Nebraska coach 7 years to get her team to the level they're at now. Is that reasonable at Texas?
 
The problem is whether UT will continue to pay Coach G a million a year, especially after her current contract expires. 7 years is a bit too long; UT is still in catch up mode with it's rivals.

Texas deserves better than a quick exit from the tournament. Last I checked the cubbard has been empty of championships for 5/6+ years and counting.
 
Nope, that's not a question at all - they will continue to pay her and that salary will pay dividends in the future!
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Anyone else notice that in the "terrible" game we played here, we were beat by the #11 seed that then went on to beat the #3 seed and advance to the sweet 16. In the big 12 tournament, we lost to A&M in another "terrible" loss. Humm. A&M went on to win the whole tournament. Did we live up to our potential this year? No. Did we play our best ball at the best time? No. But the folks who are declaring the program dead, or Gail's coaching dead, need to get some perspective on who beat us. Damn good teams playing well at the time they beat us. Maybe we didn't lay an egg as much as we didn't play well and the other teams were at the peak of their performance.
 
7 years is realistic even if it is hard to swallow. Coaches begin to notice players during their freshman year of high school. That means fours years in HS and then two years getting them into Div I shape to finally be at peak performance as Juniors and Seniors. That means it would take at least 4-6 years before Gail has a team of her recruits... many of whom would be freshman still.

We'll get there. She's a good coach. Adjusting to recruiting efforts to fit an entirely new conference against entirely new opponents takes time. Hey. She is already doing as well as Rick!
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