Player Management 2017-18

DFW_Horn said:
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Interesting topic but the video was pretty vague and quite short.

The players do look like they are having fun with the bumper cars. And I get that they are supposed to bond and develop a sense of trust in each other as well as becoming a leader. Guess one can't put too much in a two minute video.
 
Jatarie looks like she has really committed to the S&C program after effectively 2 years off. I know there was some speculation earlier in the summer that Audrey was in the lead to start at the 5 but, based on how well she played in Italy (given - against usually inferior competition) and what she brings to the table, my money is on Jatarie.

 
Nice video, DFW_Horn.
My thoughts about Jatarie was that she would start at the five with Joyner at the four. With Joyner out the first semester, I would think Audrey-Ann would be the front runner for the PF spot although her sister is also a viable option, depending on what the coaches want from that spot. I wouldn't be surprised to see both twins on the court when Jatarie has to come out for a breather.

Can't wait for practice to start so that we have a better idea of how they are doing.
 
While we haven't seen much of Khaleann due to injuries, I can definitely see that Audrey-Ann puts in a lot of effort while on the court; but, she just doesn't have the quickness to play PF unless it's in an emergency. Last year, I believe I only saw her on the court with Kelsey Lang once or twice.

While Joyner is out, perhaps we'll see Audrey-Ann at Center and Jatarie White at Power Forward. I think Jatarie has more quickness, but Audrey-Ann does like to float to the perimeter and shoot the 3-pointer; not sure Jatarie has long-range shooting skills.

Rellah has the size and strength to play Center, IMO; but, she most likely is better utilized at PF. Khaleann is also a power forward, IMO; just don't think she has the quickness to play small forward.

Honestly, I just hope all our front court players can stay healthy while Joyner is out. We will need them all, including Jordan Hosey, to contribute.
 
I am as thrilled as anyone about Collier. I am always a bit of a downer about this, but I must marvel again at how on earth the coaching staff can give all these studs (studettes?) enough playing time for communal team happiness. Oh well, better to have an excess talent problem than the other kind. This is an amazing constellation of talent. Having said that...with Joyner out this Fall, this is Rellah's chance to shine. She dazzled in the MacDonald's All-American game, then was mediocre in the Jordan Brand. Joyner was ready for Division I from the start. It will be interesting to see if Rellah is. If she comes up with performances like her MacDonald's jamboree, then hoo boy, it will be hard to stop Texas. But frosh usually develop slower than that. The player I think will actually have the biggest transformative effect on our offense is Patterson. She's the outside scoring machine we've always needed, and from what I've seen of her, she's a stunningly consistent scorer. She may be the one who really competes to be a starter.
 
Dr. D said:
1) But frosh (Rellah) usually develop slower than that.
2) She (Patterson) may be the one who really competes to be a starter.
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Pardon my paraphrase of your post, Dr. D. I have to agree with these two points. The thing is, Karen has an out-sized bias for starting Seniors. (Note Brianna Taylor’s 33 of 34 starts). For good reason, they know the system's emphasis on D.

So nobody is likely to unseat McCarty and Atkins for two spots, barring injury. Sutton is my guess at PG, so there just isn't much room for Chasity to break into that starting lineup or for Rellah to figure out how to play D at the intensity necessary to earn a start prior to Joyner's return.

I'm so glad opinions are free, I certainly have my share.
 
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This is pure speculation, but I agree with Zig72 that Sug is more likely to break into the starting lineup, based on the positive things Karen has said about her this summer and her USA team experience, and just being a sophomore. I hope Patterson and Rellah are so good they simply can't be left on the bench too much. I guess I hope that about everyone....which is where the problem of having so much talent comes in. I have high hopes for Higgs getting a lot of time (one of Luther's and my favorite refrains). Can't wait to see Destiny's game, especially her 3-point shooting. Jatarie looks really good. Well....really just everyone...... Compare this to Karen's first year, when we were starting how many freshman? Three?
 
Who knows? Your guess is as good as mine. I never thought anyone would bump McCarty and Atkins. I was thinking if Patterson really puts up points, then they might play McCarty at the point and stick Patterson in at shooting guard. You're right about Karen's emphasis on D, and I don't know if Patterson can play defense or not. They say Sutton has really improved. If she shoots a lot better than last season, then she's certainly the leading candidate for point. The key is scoring. Texas has to have a point guard who's also a scoring threat in order to win at the top level. Last year there were too many times when we didn't have enough scorers on the floor. Aston has a bias for senior starters I guess, but that didn't stop her from starting Joyner and McCarty a lot as freshmen. The way Texas substitutes, it probably doesn't matter who starts, just who gets a lot of minutes. I will be very disappointed if the Horns don't average 80 or more a game with this personnel.
 
Dr. D said:
Who knows? Your guess is as good as mine. I never thought anyone would bump McCarty and Atkins. I was thinking if Patterson really puts up points, then they might play McCarty at the point and stick Patterson in at shooting guard. You're right about Karen's emphasis on D, and I don't know if Patterson can play defense or not. They say Sutton has really improved. If she shoots a lot better than last season, then she's certainly the leading candidate for point. The key is scoring. Texas has to have a point guard who's also a scoring threat in order to win at the top level. Last year there were too many times when we didn't have enough scorers on the floor. Aston has a bias for senior starters I guess, but that didn't stop her from starting Joyner and McCarty a lot as freshmen. The way Texas substitutes, it probably doesn't matter who starts, just who gets a lot of minutes. I will be very disappointed if the Horns don't average 80 or more a game with this personnel.
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Saw a message in a different forum Friday from someone who is dialed into the program that, if the season started today, the starting 5 would be:

Sutton
McCarty
Atkins
Hosey
White

By his account, Jordan has really impressed the coaching staff in the offseason and she might have flipped the switch.
 
I don't want this to veer into criticism, but I hope that, if the freshmen are as talented as many of us expect, that they aren't kept on the bench too much because they are freshmen. There are a lot of irritating cliches about freshmen (the best thing about being a freshman is that they become sophomores, etc.) Of course, it's true that it takes time to learn new systems, both offensive and probably especially defensive. Joyner started as a freshman almost every game. Her athletic abilities were hard to ignore, but also there weren't their many options after Imani left. Now it looks like we will have lots of options, especially in the backcourt. I agree with Dr. D that who starts doesn't matter much, it's the minutes that count. I also agree we MUST have more scoring. About 80 a game sounds about right against top opponents. I am anxious to see Hosey's new game, but isn't she at a bit of a height disadvantage if she plays the 4? (Not as much as Brianna had, though, and she did a respectable job.)
 
JoeDallas said:
I am anxious to see Hosey's new game, but isn't she at a bit of a height disadvantage if she plays the 4? (Not as much as Brianna had, though, and she did a respectable job.)
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I think 6-1/6-2 (Jordan's height) is probably typical of most teams' PF that Texas will face before Joyner's return so I don't think height will be an issue, especially once you factor in Jordan's long arms and jumping ability. I think the aspect of her game that would be tested most by PFs would be the strength disparity. Jordan has always been very lanky so we'll see if the new S&C coach has been able to add some muscle to her.
 
Nina Davis at Baylor was 5'11", and she was a mainstay for them at PF and was pretty darn good at it. She wasn't as effective last year because she pretty much moved to the 3 spot most of the time. I've been waiting for Hosey to shine, and can't wait to see it!!
 
Speaking of Joyner Holmes, does anybody know what kind of conditioning/training program she's on? I presume she's on one. Is she not allowed to work out with any of the UT team or training staff? I hope she's been working on her outside jump shot.
 
Zig72 said:
Pardon my paraphrase of your post, Dr. D. I have to agree with these two points. The thing is, Karen has an out-sized bias for starting Seniors. (Note Brianna Taylor’s 33 of 34 starts). For good reason, they know the system's emphasis on D.

So nobody is likely to unseat McCarty and Atkins for two spots, barring injury. Sutton is my guess at PG, so there just isn't much room for Chasity to break into that starting lineup or for Rellah to figure out how to play D at the intensity necessary to earn a start prior to Joyner's return.

I'm so glad opinions are free, I certainly have my share.
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Yes, opinions are free. I have mine, too.

I'm not convinced that Coach A starts upperclassmen over underclassmen unless it's the right choice (to her and her staff). To me, the main reasons why Brianna Taylor started so much as an undersized PF in 2015-16 and as a limited shooting SF in 2016-17 was due to injuries which affected roster depth. Don't forget that in 2015-16, Ariel Atkins was out most of the non-conference season recovering from her summer surgery. Last season, we had Alecia Sutton still not 100% after her ACL rehab. Khaleann was also unable to play early in the season.

So, last season, if Alecia had never been injured, she could have been in the starting lineup with Brook, Ariel, Joyner, and Kelsey.
 
JoeDallas said:
This is pure speculation, but I agree with Zig72 that Sug is more likely to break into the starting lineup, based on the positive things Karen has said about her this summer and her USA team experience, and just being a sophomore. I hope Patterson and Rellah are so good they simply can't be left on the bench too much. I guess I hope that about everyone....which is where the problem of having so much talent comes in. I have high hopes for Higgs getting a lot of time (one of Luther's and my favorite refrains). Can't wait to see Destiny's game, especially her 3-point shooting. Jatarie looks really good. Well....really just everyone...... Compare this to Karen's first year, when we were starting how many freshman? Three?
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Obviously, staying healthy has a huge effect on starters and playing time. Then, it's about competing for that playing time and earning it based on fitness, attitude, skill, and hard work in practice.

I agree that Brooke and Ariel are most likely going to be starters again; but, based on Joyner's absence and the fact that we seem to have more depth in the back court than in the front court, I think Ariel will slide over from starting SG to starting SF; she has the best length (even though we had the 5'9 Brianna Taylor starting there last season). Brooke could slide over from PG to SG, but I don't think it really matters too much. Starting Alecia Sutton at PG makes the most sense, assuming she beats out Chasity Patterson; good problem to have. There's always the chance that Brooke remains the starting PG and the competition for the starting SG comes down to Lashann Higgs and Destiny Littleton; if these are our problems, we are lucky.

Backing up Ariel at SF for me would be Jada Underwood.

Starting at PF comes down to Jordan Hosey, Khaleann Caron-Coudreau, or Rellah Boothe. I had also read one poster's info that Hosey was having a great offseason; that would be a huge plus. I honestly would love to see her at SF instead of PF, but perhaps the greater need will be at PF until Joyner returns.

Center is Jatarie White, Audrey-Ann Goudreau, and Olamide Aborowa; based on the summer in Europe, it seems like Jaraie is most likely to start. I'll be curious to see if Rellah gets any time at Center; having the option to float our Center to the three-point line when needed would really cause havoc against those zone defenses teams like to play against us.

Fingers crossed that everyone remains healthy and works on their fitness!
 
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justabbfan said:
Will there be a "defensive specialist" (a la Bre Taylor) this season?
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Don't really see a "defensive specialist" on the team. Everyone can score when called on. Getting playing time will be the issue. If practice determines playing time, practices should be brutal and the games easy in comparison.
 
I hope there is no defensive specialist. Don't like the whole concept, because in the past it has seemed to let people off from contributing that much offensively. They should all be defensive specialists. Of course, sometimes you do see players who are so outstanding at defense. But it is best, IMO, not to label them. (Everyone should be an offensive specialist also.)
 
I too was frustrated at times over the last couple of years when the other team dared Taylor(defensive specialist) to shoot. I will always take an offensive player in recruiting and assume you can force-feed her to be a good defensive player. If you cant shoot going into college, a player probably will never be anything other than adequate offensively. Having said all that........it sure is comforting for a coach to look down the bench and see someone she can beckon and insert into the lineup to slow down a hot shooter. I reviewed our roster and Atkins is the only really good defensive player that jumps out at me. Of course she frustrates us with picking up quick and multiple fouls..........and that really effects the entire game flow. I would doubt Aston wants to put Atkins on the other team's best guard/forward every game as Aston expects Atkins to contribute heavily offensively. This defensive deficiency may be the biggest one to overcome this year. So who does Aston use when someone like Tynice Martin of WV get hot? Last year even Taylor couldn't slow down Martin as she went for 29 in our B12 Tournament loss. But Martin simply jumped over all our players so Taylor didn't help much. You could also argue that Martin might have gone for 40 if we didn't have Taylor. I think that this team will be challenged to find someone who is really good defensively (besides Atkins). I will be open minded if someone suggests who that defensive player (Underwood or other?) that Aston can call on. The ladies may have to simply outscore the other team when they run up against that hot player. As for as post play, I would think the team would be better defensively with White replacing Lang. Lang blocked a lot of shots but was limited in other defensive areas. It will be fun to see how Aston balances the need to score at all positions with the need to keep the other team from scoring easily. Perhaps more zone this year........or not.
 
Don't forget about LaShanna as the stopper this season. She has the quickness, reaction time and anticipation be the stopper in addition to or in place of Ariel.

I pretty much took it for granted, probably a mistake, that Jatarie would replace Kelsey as the starting Center.
 
I started to say the same thing. I've seen LaShann play some might good defense when she is tuned in to stopping someone (though she is so steal oriented that, if she misses the steal, they go right on by).
 
Sug may be a good defensive player too as she develops, give her time she's improving as we saw in the summer.
 
Mide came awfully close...I'd really like to see her basketball catch up to her athletic ability.



 
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