Karen Aston news conference

racerx5908

racerx5908

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Interesting to listen to press conference:

The only problem is these press conferences you can barely hear the questions being asked by the reporters. She touched on a couple of interesting threads:
1) Mays leaving
2) Sara Hattis transferring
3) The Caron-Goudreau twins - At one point Aston says, "It was a numbers issue. I only had one scholarship and I think they flipped a coin"
4) Alicia Sutton - and how she likes to have 2 years between the "key" point guard
 
Would've liked to hear a follow up question to the losing assistants topic about where Coach Aston is in the assistant coach search - she wouldn't go into names of course but at least find out if she has reached out to possible candidates, had an interview or two already, etc.

I know based on the timeline info that @BabHorn shared in the Travis Mays thread that this is expected to be an accelerated hire compared to Tina Thompson's hiring but I can't wait to see the direction Coach Aston goes. She's gained quite a few Twitter followers in the last few days, quite a few D1 assistant coaches and a couple of lower division head coaches. Could simply be a coincidence but it's a plum job opportunity for just about any college assistant coach.
 
Really enjoyed listening to that.

As for Hattis, said it was bittersweet to see her decide to leave. Guess it wasn't something she was planning on, so I guess I assumed incorrectly.

Stated that Audrey-Ann is the more physical post player, and Khaleann is more of stretch-four player. Said they both shoot the 3-ball very well, and that aspect of their game will make our offense look very different from past seasons; included Joyner Holmes in that stretch-four discussion.

Very complimentary of Alecia Sutton. Said she has some TJ For similarities in her game; very smooth. Said she likes to keep her point guards two years apart, so having Brooke as a junior and Sutton as freshman is her preference in spacing that position. Also said that Lashann will play some at that point, too.
 
DFW_Horn said:
Would've liked to hear a follow up question to the losing assistants topic about where Coach Aston is in the assistant coach search - she wouldn't go into names of course but at least find out if she has reached out to possible candidates, had an interview or two already, etc.

I know based on the timeline info that @BabHorn shared in the Travis Mays thread that this is expected to be an accelerated hire compared to Tina Thompson's hiring but I can't wait to see the direction Coach Aston goes. She's gained quite a few Twitter followers in the last few days, quite a few D1 assistant coaches and a couple of lower division head coaches. Could simply be a coincidence but it's a plum job opportunity for just about any college assistant coach.
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I think the most important thing that she brought up when she talked about replacing Coach Mays was that he was a longhorn and that he knew what it was about. I think an alum like Jamie Carey makes a lot of sense. She coached the guards at Colorado and she obviously has the credentials. The new head coach at Colorado decided to bring in her own assistant coaches, so Jamie is available.
 
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HornsLewis said:
Wonder how hard is she really recruiting Patterson then? That would only be one year separating those 2
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Well, I thought about that, too. But, like Brooke, Chasity is also a very good shooter from long range, and could definitely play some shooting guard. So, playing two natural PGs on the floor at the same time, as long as one of them can be a scorer, is not uncommon.
 
I would have liked to have heard a question about next year's schedule. Since we are picking up a game with UConn will we retain our historical games with Tenn and Stanford? Plus will she pick up another west coast game with a Pac 12 team as she has in the past during the trip to Stanford? Would love to see us play Oregon State! I love the fact that Texas plays a very tough non conference schedule! Unlike other Big 12 teams.
 
As far as the non-conference schedule, we are hosting South Carolina as part of the SEC/Big 12 challenge.

I'd assume we are making a return trip to Mississippi State. And, game at Tennessee seems likely as the series has been without interruption for at least 30 years. Stanford could be the odd team out (based on adding UConn and S. Carolina), but I hope not.
 
Moooooo said:
As far as the non-conference schedule, we are hosting South Carolina as part of the SEC/Big 12 challenge.

I'd assume we are making a return trip to Mississippi State. And, game at Tennessee seems likely as the series has been without interruption for at least 30 years. Stanford could be the odd team out (based on adding UConn and S. Carolina), but I hope not.
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Oh my gosh you are right! I actually forgot about the Big 12 Challenge game and the return Mississippi State game! What a Blockbuster schedule we could have!! So ready to get it going!!
 
The following season, we go to Georgia as part of the SEC/Big 12 challenge. Was hoping for Florida or Kentucky (as they are the stronger programs at the moment), but the state of Georgia definitely produces a bunch of talented players, so that would be very good recruiting exposure.
 
Id be surprised if we added Shane seeing as how we could get a coach with a broader profile. And I had an outside thought. What if we could woo Cathy Self morgan back into the college ranks? Being a former longhorn, I think she's been a valuable asset to our program and I think having her on the sidelines would be even better. Just a random thought
 
Yea ........but Shane has ties to all these Texas kids. Right now he's the head coach for a team that has a starting 5 of....Trinity Oliver, Tatum, Sedona, Vivan Gray, and Cate Reese.
 
Which is a great point. I would counter though, that its a short sighted view that we've taken before. When we hired GW it was in hopes of not only getting Lashann but also all of his kids from the AAU circuit and I think we went 1-4 with that. I wouldn't be upset if it happened, but I wouldn't be jumping for joy either.
 
utfannforlife said:
Which is a great point. I would counter though, that its a short sighted view that we've taken before. When we hired GW it was in hopes of not only getting Lashann but also all of his kids from the AAU circuit and I think we went 1-4 with that. I wouldn't be upset if it happened, but I wouldn't be jumping for joy either.
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Actually George coached Lashann, Nakia, Jordan Hosey, Chasity Patterson, Richards, Turner, and Charlie Collier. His real good friend was the guy who was training Sedona Prince, so he has had some good connections.

Shane is pretty much the same way when it comes to these kids in Texas. Karen did the same thing in Baylor. Can see her doing it again
 
HornsLewis said:
Actually George coached Lashann, Nakia, Jordan Hosey, Chasity Patterson, Richards, Turner, and Charlie Collier. His real good friend was the guy who was training Sedona Prince, so he has had some good connections.

Shane is pretty much the same way when it comes to these kids in Texas. Karen did the same thing in Baylor. Can see her doing it again
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Shane Laflin is an interesting possibility. His bio states that he was a GA at Texas with Conradt. I did not know that he had previous coaching experience at Texas. I think HornsLewis is onto something.;)

He would most certainly have great recruiting connections to our 2017 and 2018 targets.
 
Coach Washington also coached and recruited Kelsey Lang. Because of the fact that Coach Washington was an aau coach and has now been on the staff for going on 5 years Texas has very good connections with the cy fair program. Coach Aston obviously knows the lay of the land in Texas. And because of that, and the success of the program I don't think Texas has to go out and hire another aau coach.

I don't think it would be a bad thing if Coach Aston did hire another aau coach, but Texas is at a different place than it was when Coach Aston first took over. The connections with recruits and the aau programs are already there. More importantly Texas is winning at a very high level, which is something they weren't doing when Coach Aston took over.
 
rattfatt said:
Coach Washington also coached and recruited Kelsey Lang. Because of the fact that Coach Washington was an aau coach and has now been on the staff for going on 5 years Texas has very good connections with the cy fair program. Coach Aston obviously knows the lay of the land in Texas. And because of that, and the success of the program I don't think Texas has to go out and hire another aau coach.

I don't think it would be a bad thing if Coach Aston did hire another aau coach, but Texas is at a different place than it was when Coach Aston first took over. The connections with recruits and the aau programs are already there. More importantly Texas is winning at a very high level, which is something they weren't doing when Coach Aston took over.
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This more eloquently states my point. I would like to see someone that adds to the X's & O's part of the game
 
To me, it would be most important to hire someone to fill the voids left by Travis where the rest of the current staff can't or is not as strong. So, if Travis coaching the guards is something none of he other coaches can do, that has to be priority #1. But, I thought Coach A used to be a guard herself; then again, I believe she coached the post players while an assistant under Jody, IIRC.
 
My question would be, will she hire someone with the credentials to take over as Associate Head Coach, or just have three assistants?
 
Wish someone would have asked the natural follow-up question about Alecia taking over the point guard position at some point - how is the rehab going?

If Karen is already making comparisons to TJ, I don't know if it will take two years for that transition to occur.
 
It's interesting to think about what last season's starting roster would have been had every player, especially Ariel, been healthy. Would that have pushed Celina out of the lineup and had Brooke as the starting PG, with Empress at SG, and Ariel at SF? I always got the feeling that Brooke's consistent shooting was why Coach A had Celina running the point; that allowed Brooke more chances to receive a pass and a quick shot from beyond the arc.

Prior to Alecia hurting her knee, I was thinking that Alecia could start at PG, have Brooke at SG, and Ariel at SF. Then, you insert Joyner at PF, and most likely Kelsey at Center. While Brooke may be undersized at the shooting guard spot, she has so many ways to score, and is very offensive-minded. While I'm hoping Alecia will be fully rehabbed as soon as possible, her absence early on most likely keeps Brooke at PG, with Lashann at SG, and Ariel at SF. Not much depth at PG until Aleca is cleared to play. Still, Lashann can play some point, which gives her the chance to create and penetrate while having seen the defense from the top of the key; I wouldn't expect her to be a pass-first PG while penetrating to the basket.
 
Moooo, I enjoy these speculations as much as you seem to.

The exciting thing for me - Karen is on the cusp of no longer having to rely on a 5-star newcomer to make an immediate impact - at any position. I'm not saying she will achieve that enviable distinction this Fall....she won't....because we will need Joyner, Alecia (when healthy) and to some extent, the twins, to provide height, depth, perimeter shooting and quickness. Expectations for this coming team will be high...anything less than a Final 4 would be disappointing.

But for 2017/2018, the rebuilding process will be officially over. I can't imagine how a 5-star recruit on that team could expect to get significant early minutes - let alone a starting position - with the talent surrounding her. These freshmen will finally be afforded the time to learn the college game and gradually assimilate. By this time, Karen will have built a perennial national champion contender.
 
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Coach Aston stated that one of the most important things Travis Mays brought with him was that he was a former Longhorn. I believe that being a former Longhorn will be one of the prerequisites of who she hires! That certainly limits the number of candidates.
 
You know, I thought of Jamie Carey when news of Mays leaving happened. But here are my questions:
  1. How good of a guards coach is she? I followed some of her career post-Texas and I know she played pro, for a few years. And then she went for USA Basketball and then also a high school coach who got her teams to the Colorado state finals a couple of times. So coaching is there, but college guard coaching?
  2. I know she wasn't retained as the guard coach at CU with the recent change. A sign that her coaching wasn't up to snuff?
  3. With her post-Texas career spent outside of Texas, will she have any connections to Texas players/coaches?
  4. I never got a warm fuzzy from her that she wanted to maintain a close relationship with Texas after she graduated. She never came back for any type of reunions or such. But maybe it was just a factor of scheduling. But I never felt she longed to be back?
I saw Kamie Ethridge play and I saw Jamie play and I thought Jamie was a dynamite guard (and the better of the two). A new assistant Texas coach though? Unsure.
 
utfannforlife said:
This more eloquently states my point. I would like to see someone that adds to the X's & O's part of the game
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Shane is excellent to me on the sidelines. I've watched him coach last year and this year. Understand the spacing and the defense out there. I think he would fill multiple voids.
 
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