Hill

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That stings. Sounds like her brother pushed her hard toward OSU. Not sure why they weren't on her original list, though . . .
 
Ouch. We were SOOOOO close!

That was really tough being on the short list of two top recruits so late and having both of them go elsewhere. I know that we all had our hopes up for a bigger bang in this class.
 
I agree, this stings, but good luck to her. Interestingly, Minnesota has beaten Ohio State twice last season too.

I bet had the Longhorns season ended on a more positive note would UT had a better shot with Hill. You don't win coveted recruits with a sorry finish.
 
Hard to say since Hill had apparently decided on Texas as of last night then had a change of heart. Could be that the family tie at Ohio State could have been the deciding factor.
 
Maybe the brother factor trumped as this decision was agonizing for her, and to just know her brother would be at Ohio St for at least a year, was good enough to tip the cap to Ohio St.

Maybe Reed and Flores together will be good enough to energize the team next season.
 
Congrats to Hill and OSU. However --- this is getting old. Who understand the vagaries of players picking schools? UT has thrown all the money they can at the women's program and started the trend of the 7 figure coach (not counting Summitt, who got that first). Still, we go along with just some good recruiting results but not stellar. No matter how the program tries and who it hires to coach, it hasn't broken through to the top level of recruiting like Baylor has. I suppose everyone can't be at the top. It will be very interesting to see if Coach G can bring this team to a higher level with the good but not stellar group we have.
 
Seattle4UT, you're right. Coach G hasn't clicked much as a recruiting draw. Who knows why? Our record apparently wasn't the issue with Bone or Hill. But maybe it has influenced others. I think being in such a packed state with 2 other programs an hour or so away who have had more success than we have the last few years and who also have successful, charismatic coaches, is probably the biggest problem. Throw in OU and Tech not very far away, and it's damned difficult. Since kids that age don't remember very far back, it looks less and less likely that Coach G will be able to leverage any of her Duke success to draw kids here. We'll have to have a breakthrough some other way, maybe a breakout season or two. Or maybe we'll just roll along at this mediocre level. Through thick or thin, most of us will keep hoping.
 
Someone somewhere - can't remember where, maybe this board, maybe not, explained why it may take Coach G a bit longer than anticipated to get top recruits to Texas.

At Duke, her relationships with club team coaches was paramount - it was where/how she got her recruits. Just like with Mack Brown, when Coach G came to Texas, the recruiting game is different. Because there is so much talent in Texas, you need not only good relationships with club team coaches, but relationships with HIGH SCHOOL coaches is PARAMOUNT!

That is completely different from what Gail is used to and it takes time to form and nurture those relationships. I remember the same thing being said about Mack Brown (not the club coaches part, just the relationship with the High School coaches part).

I really think that Mickie DeMoss and Gail are two of the best recruiters in the country - BUT they are learning a new strategy and forming new relationships right now. With G's olympic BB responsibilities last summer, I can see that THIS summer might be her first real extended period of time to visit and connect with high school coaches in Texas.

I'm in the bandwagon of "everything will be fine in time". I know that not all of you are though.
 
Yeah we may did not get K.Bone or T.Hill But once again the program will be just fine. What gets me. A lot of the fans act like this staff has been in place for 8 years. Learn to be patient Success will come. And if you are paying attention. You do not need all top recruits to have a winning program. As we can look at what we have now. That was a highly rank recruiting class, that just has not paned out. I like the player that she has coming into the program C.Peoples, C.Reed,L.Flores and A.Hartung And this summer she will have time to do recruiting. Compare to last year working with USA Basketball When we hired her I did not expect her to be able to turn the program around in 2 years. I always had a goal of 4 years. I would like to see the veterans come back with a little bit of fight in them, as KARA LAWSON said during the NCAA Tournament That the veterans need to get tougher.I look forward to seeing A.Fontentte , A.Gayle,Y.Anderson next year!
 
What worries me is that I thought that we would get some of the players that Coach G had built relationships with while she was at Duke, such as Tayler Hill. But it doesn't seem that those relationship were strong enough to sway them to come to UT. So maybe we overestimated the coach as opposed to the program. I would say that this program is struggling to find its identity at this point. With the transition to the Coach G era maybe we are still in the process of developing an identity that these young recruits can relate to.
 
Don't misunderstand - I get it. Everyone wants women's basketball recruiting to look like Mack Brown, signing pretty much everyone offered. There is nothing wrong with wanting that - we are Texas. Expectations are high and that is the only way to run a program with championship aspirations. I am not, and probably never will be satisfied. Not signing either of Bone or Hill is a disappointment. I get it.

But, I also think that some of this is being blown out of proportion.

The first recruiting class Coach G brough in included one of the top post prospects and one of the top point guard prospects in the country, both from out of state. It also included AT, who was very much "under the radar" but could become the most valuable of the group. We all know that great teams must have a quality point guard and post. So, great signings to build around. Add in a potential star that most others had not identified and you have to give this staff credit for what they accomplished in only their first year, and with limited time available.

In this next, so far small, recruiting class we have Flores and Reed. Flores is not among the most highly reguarded prospects in the country, but appears to be another who has the opportunity to surprise a lot of people. Reed is one of the top recruits in the country, at any position. When we miss on two more it is easy to forget what we already have. I think this class is still too small in numbers. But, I have no problem with the quality. I will support anyone who comes to Texas. But, I would rather that they be people who want to be here, are a good fit for the program and style of play, and are also gifted enough to help win championships.

I never really believed that we would get Bone. It is very difficult to get two of the best post players in the country in the same recruiting class. Yet Texas was still on the short list until the very end. Hill's short list included home-town Minnesota, family connection and geographically much closer OSU, and Texas. I have a difficult time believing that two of the top recruits in the country only almost coming to Texas to join another of the top recruits in Coach G's second year is a sign of a recruiting problem……in particular when the players signed in those two years have all been very good.

I think this program is moving in the right direction. It may not be moving at the pace that I would like. But, I may also be underestimating what we will have next year.

Coach G missed out on a lot of great players while she was at Duke. Everyone does. I don't think she just forgot how to recruit. I don't think it was ever realistic to believe that all the top players would fight each other for a chance to come to Texas just because Coach G replaced Coach C. There is always a transition period. If we are still having this conversation two years from now I will probably feel differently. For now I am fine with giving things time to play out……Like I said, I see no problem with the quality of players coming into the program. I would just like to see more of them.

One of the things I wonder about…….Coach G has been recruiting nationally. I wonder if, as time goes by, that will change to a focus on in-state players. It seems that out of state recruiting, (outside Texas anyway), may hurt your ability to recruit in-state….While focusing on in-state players may help build those relationships that payoff long-term…like Mack Brown. I don't know which is better. I'm not completely sure that what works in football translates well to basketball. And, I might be completely wrong about the in-state impact of going out of state. It's just different from what we have typically seen in the past and I'm curious to see where it goes down the road.
 
Outlookdude: many good points. I agree that we have some quality recruits coming in, even if the quantity is not what we wanted. But like I pointed out previously, one or two top recruits each year will eventually mean that there are multiple top players on the floor at the same time, which will mean greater success in the long run and improved recruiting opportunities.

It will be interesting to see how much of a difference Reed is going to make. We are going to have a low post presence that we haven't had for some time and we all know how much difference one top post player can make in a program. Our guards and forwards have not had a release valve in the past few years, which increases pressure on them. It is much easier to play freely out front when you know you have someone under the basket who can do some clean-up work.

And to your point about recruiting Texas, if you can keep the top players in Texas at home you can compete for a national title. Just look at all of the great talent that has left the state in recent years.
 
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