Few Responses to Basketball Clinic

D

Driftwood

250+ Posts
Word on the street is that the responses to the Women's Basketball Clinic have been much less than expected.

Should that be a surprise? Current administration has gone out of their way to isolate fans from players. Post game player meetings were largely cancelled and practices were closed.

I and a lot of other fans are turned off by the coaches approach to Texas basketball, so it doesn't surprise me that there are few sign-ups for the fans clinic. Hope someone in Texas Basketball gets the message.

I remain concerned by a coach who is so introspective that meeting with fans is uncomfortable and who gives minimal time to post game interviews on radio. Perhaps we could close Frank Erwin to fans on game nights so there were no uncomfortable fan- coach- player interactions, A sad state of affairs.

Hook 'em Horns!
 
i too agree with you driftwood
i was a season ticket holder since the mid 80's
nor have i renewed my sets of (4) season tickets the
past 2 years since being a fan is not much fun anymore
the way it was for so many years due to lack of fan intervention our "head coach" and the administration has taken this program.
everything is such a secret now. and believe me i was a diehard fan. I know that im not the only one either because i still speak to many friends i have who too also stopped going to basketball games. they now follow the other 3 womens sports like they once did basketball.
 
Whatever the coaches decide to do should not negatively impact fan support. Do I go to the games to see the coaches? NO. I go to the games to support the ladies who are giving their all for UT.

I guess I understand the frustration here, but giving up your support for the team isn't the way to go either, IMO. What initiative will the team have to play hard when no one's in the stands just because the coach doesn't satisfy everyone's "need" to interact with them? Seems a bit selfish to me.

Since everyone is entitled to an opinion here....

My butt will be in the Erwin Center supporting our TEAM!!!
 
I'd almost be more inclined to believe it is concern about whether it was something that might be physically taxing. Some Fantasy Clinics offered in various sports (ie. MLB, hockey etc) get VERY physical. When you think about just how much of the present fanbase is likely in the 35+ bracket, it COULD be a component.

And let us not also forget the long-standing tradition of wait until the last minute. This is something that has only been out there for what, two weeks? And there is a month to go?

I'd hold off for another few weeks before declaring this any sort of a silent referendum on the present state of Texas WBB fandom...
 
I continue to support UT Women's basketball through these changes and I strongly believe in this coach's right to make the program fit her model. All that said, it's alot harder for old, tired me to think about a "fantasy" clinic with this coach's model than it would have been with a good ole gal like Jody. It's just different. That's one cost of the difference. I'm also looking for the benefits.
 
I agree with you all. I am still irritated by the closed practices. That may be the norm. I don't know. But having them open was was something Jody did that was really special. Appreciation for the fans seemed like a guiding principle for her. You're right, she is a good ole gal, and I miss her. It will be fun if Gail can really bring her game to Texas, but, as you say, we're still waiting and trying to be patient. There are so many good, charismatic coaches in the Big 12 now. Such a different situation from when both Gail and Jody had their glory days.
 
I know what you all mean. When the ladies played in Corpus Christi it was a thrill for this area but when the game was over (The Horns won). They made a quick exit and wouldn't talk to fans or sign autographs not even for a few minutes.

I don't really have a problem with that lack of PR if the team is doing well but this not doing too good in the playoffs and losing to the Aggies 5 straight games and not even getting a split last year which would have won it (The State Farm Lone Star Showdown) for us is all something else.

I will always support the Horns but this lack of PR without serious winning isn't good.

hookem.gif
 
As far as closed practices go, what do other schools do? While I can understand the frustration of those who were accustomed to something else, I certainly agree the coaching staff has the right to do what they think is best for the program, and players. Of course, the PR component is another issue altogether. As far as Bill's comment goes...
In reply to:
Click to expand...
 
LOL! I have to say that I completely disagree with just about everything hoopsalot has to say. I love Gail - don't see that she has a PR problem - have heard her speak several times, she's not aloof, nor off-putting - to me. Of course, to each his own (perspective, that is).

One EXTREMELY AMUSING statement is that the games are not as exciting as they should be or thought they would be - or something to that effect. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! The games in the previous era where almost too painful to watch toward the end of the tenure. The games - again to me - are soooo much more exciting and fun to watch.

It is just quite amusing to see what is being written. Time will tell, I guess.
 
Terrific analysis, hoopsalot. On one of your many good points, I was personally shocked when Coach G dismissed our entire assitant coaching staff. Maybe that's a usual thing to do, but it felt like slap in the face to me and a rejection of all that had come before. Am I remembering this wrong -- didn't Travis Mays go to work with Van Chancellor at LSU? If he's good enough for Van, why not Gail? I don't know what went down with Clarissa, but if she wanted to stay, why not? She's been pretty important to UT basketball, hasn't she?
 
i can't really say i get the john mackovic analogy. yes, jody was immensely popular, but she wasn't the typical 'good 'ol gal.' while i have no clue about her likes and dislikes i would peg gail as more of a beer and bar-b-q gal than i would ever have thought of jody that way. i think a lot of these descriptions are kind of silly. while i can understand some of the PR related criticism, i am pretty certain that gail is well-liked by a majority of fans. the truth is no one would have questioned anything if she had enjoyed instant success, but the fact is that didn't happen. that said i don't believe gail will be going anywhere for a very long time, regardless of how the team team does this season (or the next for that matter).
 
Wow, I am shocked by the negativity on this thread regarding Coach G. From what I have witnessed first-hand at games, all of the open practices she has held, and in person, she has a deep connection with each and every player. I believe that she feels a strong sense of responsibility to the University of Texas and its winning traditions. I believe that she might be a bit on the shy side as an individual, but her willingness to "open up" with fans has increased dramatically since her first year here. The clinic is just one more piece of evidence that demonstrates this.

I'm with jusme...my butt will continue to be sitting in the arena at EVERY possible opportunity. My support for the team and its coaches has not wavered.
hookem.gif
 
What an odd thread. Considering this is only Coach G’s third season and that she has taken the Horns to the NCAAs each season (unexpectedly in the first season), there are some very negative thoughts about the staff. The main thread seems to be the changes she brought to the program, primarily the closing of the almost total access to the players and coaches that Coach Conradt employed. Many people seem to feel that shows that Coach G is unresponsive to the fans.

Well, the one fear that I had about those calling for Coach Conradt’s ouster was that there would be changes in the way that the program was run. That happened. Coach G has run a program for 15 seasons. She has her own idea of how she wants to run the program. It’s not the same as Coach Conradt’s. She made changes that she felt best fit in with how she wants the program to be run. Those ideas do not really correspond with the way that Coach Conradt ran the program. Really, to my way of thinking, if you want to compare Coach G to another Texas coach, I would compare her to Coach Barnes. Both are similar in while that they are very personable one on one or with small groups, they are not the great PR people like Coach Brown. They focus on growing the program through wins and players, not by going out and beating the streets, like A&M’s coach did, and probably still does. That’s not their personality. Heck, it’s not mine. For whatever reason, I find Coach G much more approachable and easy to talk to than I ever did Coach Conradt. I loved the opportunity to interact with the players, although I rarely took advantage of that, preferring to watch at practices. Now, that I miss. But with a new staff comes change. This staff prefers to carry on practices in private. That’s their right. I respect that and I have adapted to that although I miss the opportunity to see what the team is working on and how players are progressing. See Tenn’s Maria on the Summitt for an example of what I would love to see happen here. Daily updates of what is going, not necessarily detailed postings but general stuff to feed the cravings for news about the team.

I look at this the same way that I look at what happened when I got my current job six years ago. Some people didn’t like the way I did things because it was different from the way that the person I replaced did things. Others were happy to see the changes. So it is with Coach G. Some of us are happy that change has happened and others feel that a change in the staff means that nothing else should have changed. Not gonna happen. I knew that a change in staff would result in a change in the pattern that we as fans were so comfortable in. Looking at how she ran her practices at Duke should have been the first warning that things would change. It’s a new relationship we fans are building with this new staff. There will be some give and take on both sides. She has given in on some things (there have been some open practices when her background indicates that she does not do that). As fans, we need to understand and accept that she will make changes, not all of which we are comfortable or happy with.

There’s been some grumbling about Coach G not keeping all or some of the staff from Coach Conradt. Again, that was never a given. She has the right to choose whom she wants to work with her. No close recruiting ties to Texas? She recruited Texas. Coach DeMoss did the same. Several people associated with the program are still around, most noticeably Kathy McDonald. I noticed Annette Smith around. Same for former players. Coach G has kept the connection with Texas tradition. This staff has ties in Texas and nationally.

I renewed my season tickets as I have for years. I plan to go to San Antonio to cheer the team when they play UConn. And I will be in my seat for every home game, barring illness or accident. A change in coaches does not change my love for the university nor the pride I have in those young people that choose to represent my university in the field of play. I will also continue to support Coach G and her staff while they are here. Now I hope that will be for a very long time. But change happens, plans change and if a new WBB coach comes to Texas in my lifetime, I will offer my support as fully as I have supported Coach Conradt and now Coach G, understanding that they are not the same person and that each has their own ideas of how to best bring or keep this program among the elite in the nation.
 
Thank you, Babhorn, the voice of reason!

One more comment. I went to Hawaii when the team played there Coach G's first season here. I just happened to be on the plane home with the team. At the airport, a bunch of fans were standing in the airport with our burnt orange on. Coach G walked up to us. I was closest to her and she came up to me, put her arm around me and thanked us profusely for coming to watch the team play. They lost a game in that tourney and she apologized for losing that game. I was very impressed with her warmth and sincerity.

Again, just my experience. I am pleased with the direction the team is going and I'm happy for the season to start!

HOOK'EM!!
 
You're right. I got way carried away with my post and I took it down (a little late but I haven't had time to come back to the board.). My post was way more negative than I really am and I don't normally say those types of things publicly even if I think them.

I still have my season tickets and will still go to every game to cheer both the team and the coach. I want the team and program to succeed so that necessarily means I want the coaching staff to succeed.

The things I haven't liked don't have that much to do with open practices. That is disappointing but not make or break. I never went to more than a few practices a year, usually prior to the start of games.

And I have NO credibility as far as any inside knowledge. what the people who make decisions think about the progress of the program. I wouldn't place any bets based on what I have heard there.

Just talking to people who aren't the kind of die-hard fans who post here, I've enountered a slip in enthusiasm about the program. I know a lot of people not renewing tickets, for example. If my sample is skewed, and you know people who are renewing tickets and bringing friends, that's great. There sure weren't enough people at games last year.

Finally, I do not think GG was obligated to keep the previous staff. I think it was a tactical error not to hire an assistant with strong Texas recruiting ties.
 
Wow! As usual the voice of reason, Babhorn summed it up in a nutshell.

Relax everybody. Let Coach G build her program. You can not have instant success - this is not something you can pop in the microwave and BAM we're winning national championships. Growing pains hurt, that's why they call them growing PAINS!

As far as games I would love to live in Austin and attend each and every game. I wouldn't give a rip about open practices, meet and greet etc if I was able to attend all the games. R U kidding me?!?! And I'm not even a true "Longhorn". I'm a Mean Green Eagle but if I could I would bleed green and burnt orange.

Hook'em HORNS!!
hookem.gif
 
wow...just...wow.

Talk about a thread turning from what seemed to be the original topic...you know, the whole Clinic thing.

I will say this...for those with questions, Shaeeta has been relatively prompt with the email responses.
 
Why is it a shock? McCallie brought her coaching staff, director of basketball operatinos, and other people with her to Duke from Michigan State. The only reason why there was one opening is because one of her assistants had taken a head coaching job (which is why Shannon Perry was able to stay at Duke).
 
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