Texas vs. Arizona

Good God KA has now got to go.

She's over her head and just damaged her whats left reputation with her team's lousy performance at home against a top 25 team. Any heralded or top player certainly won't consider Texas now. So much talk for owning it and reversing last season's "aberration." Her video on last season's reflection and plans for this new season is a joke.

The players deserve better. The program and fans certainly deserve better. Just totally at loss for words after today's game. I wouldn't be surprised if some of our players are thinking transfer portal.

It pains me to say that KA has lost the team and it is truly a sad day for Texas WBB.

Ouch. this is going to hurt for a long time.
 
kurupt said:
And of course according to Coach Aston the biggest problem is still the defense. :facepalm:

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I didn't think I could get anymore pissed than I already was for giving up 2 hours of my Sunday to watch that shitshow. But this interview takes it to a whole new level. The defense is your biggest problem? No, your biggest problem is you put teams on the floor that don't play hard except for maybe 4-8 minutes a game. When the Wicked Witch on the Brazos said last year that if Texas would play a whole game like they played in the 2nd half, watch out. She was dead on.
 
Now that Holly Warlick is gone, who does less with more than Karen Aston? We have had seven plus years of the same problems on the floor. There are many parts of the job she does well. She runs a clean program. If you ignore the attrition, graduation rates are high. She is articulate and personable and represents the university with class. Some of this no doubt explains her success as a recruiter, but there is one rather big problem. She REALLY cannot coach basketball, particularly on the offensive end and it does not matter who the personnel is. When she had three future WNBA players on the roster that could be hidden a little bit, but I feel sad when i think of what a decent coach could have achieved with Brooke, Ariel and Imani on the roster. In a game against UCLA in Houston in her first disastrous season, we saw how a halfway decent zone entirely stumped the offense. NOTHING has changed since then. There is NEVER any evidence of game planning, hardly ever an in game adjustment, the spacing on offense is nearly always terrible, there is no plan on offense besides run and gun and half hearted ball reversal. Texas has had some great shooters on the roster from Chas Fussell on, but they are invariably set up to fail, hardly ever a screen for them, let alone a double screen. Always poor movement without the ball in the half court... Sure there have been injuries, inexperience etc, but the same problems have been apparent on offense from day one, regardless who is on the floor. That's the coach. GG fired herself after four seasons when she realized she could not get it done. I think it is time for Aston to do the same. The game has passed her by, and she has repeatedly and consistently showed that she is either unwilling or incapable of learning.
 
To be clear, the FEC has sucked as a basketball arena since day one. We are not getting a new arena because anyone has a renewed interest in Texas BB. We are getting a new arena because the ground the FEC is built on is needed for the medical school.

Also, you can throw out big name coaches all you want but if any of the “elite” coaches could be lured away, they would be at Tennessee right now.

As much as it might be fun to play the who can we get game, it is at best premature and at worst a complete waste of time.

This season, as new as it is, we seem to be the team that plays non-ranked teams and makes them rank-able. Very disappointing and I hope we are able to find our mojo and turn this around.
 
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My opinion is short. Simply horrible basketball, offensively and defensively. Watching Aston sit on the bench in the first half and do nothing while the team was disintegrating says she has given up on the team. And the team has given up on her as well. I see no reason that CDC will come up with, that supports another year. It's over for her. There may be a few good spots this year but not enough. Once NC State and Tennessee and Baylor get finished, there will be little doubt. Watch the NC State coach (Wes Moore) in Hawaii......he is a Texas boy.
 
I’m sorry but it’s not premature. Even if you can’t get a big name you STILL have to make the move. If were all being honest with ourselves we know nothings going to change because it hasn’t since she’s been at Texas.
 
kurupt said:
I’m sorry but it’s not premature. Even if you can’t get a big name you STILL have to make the move. If were all being honest with ourselves we know nothings going to change because it hasn’t since she’s been at Texas.
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This is not meant as a dig, but this is what I have been saying all along.
 
kurupt said:
Ok... You want a pat on the back?
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Not at all, and I have no intention of arguing with you or anyone else. But I was ridiculed for telling the truth, and so many defended her over and over again..... I don't need a pat on the back, but everything I said has come to fruition. ENOUGH SAID......
 
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kurupt said:
I’m sorry but it’s not premature. Even if you can’t get a big name you STILL have to make the move. If were all being honest with ourselves we know nothings going to change because it hasn’t since she’s been at Texas.
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By premature, I mean there will be no change this early or even mid-season. End of season, another story...
 
Ellis21d said:
Just doesn’t understand the lack of aggression? How about poor coaching and the team knows it now! That team looked unorganized and mentally beat coming out of the gate.
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Joyner was kind of shading the coaching staff a little bit by saying they dont know which lineups work well together and which ones don't and saying they didnt realize something Arizona was doing offensively until the 2nd half so she seems to understand the problem is coaching
 
I told y'all after the scrimmage with the Division 2 team we still had Poor Coaching. Y'all got mad and tried to justify it. I knew then nothing had changed. I don't understand why she won't get help. SMH.

I don't think she's going anywhere. But My first coach suggestion Kara Lawson. I just like her. Second, Wes Moore. Third, Dawn Staley. Fourth, Shea Ralph.
 
Aston's body language on the sideline and at the news conference is atrocious. She seems lost. Holmes and Sutton didn't want to be at the news conference. I kept thinking as they were trying to shove the microphone away that one or both might get up and leave. That news conference is all anybody needs to see. I can come up with the scenario after NC State, North Texas, Tennessee, Stanford finish, that CDC just might make a mid-season change. However, if he did, who do you elevate? Jamie Carey, never. Washington, no. Terry Nooner is too new. So will lousy options, I think she survives a very painful season for all. That pain is for players, coaches, media, fans and I think CDC. What a mess.
 
flash34 said:
Aston's body language on the sideline and at the news conference is atrocious. She seems lost. Holmes and Sutton didn't want to be at the news conference. I kept thinking as they were trying to shove the microphone away that one or both might get up and leave. That news conference is all anybody needs to see. I can come up with the scenario after NC State, North Texas, Tennessee, Stanford finish, that CDC just might make a mid-season change. However, if he did, who do you elevate? Jamie Carey, never. Washington, no. Terry Nooner is too new. So will lousy options, I think she survives a very painful season for all. That pain is for players, coaches, media, fans and I think CDC. What a mess.
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None of them should even be candidates. It's there fault to that this team looks like this and they shouldn't at all because its alot of talent on this team but she doesnt know what to do with them and how to use them. Aston seems like she just doesn't care. She never tries to get her team fired up she just sits there with a stoned look hoping jesus will just come down and put some spark into the game. I hope CDC sees its time for a change and not give her multiple chances like he has with shaka smart.
 
brnkj said:
It's refreshing to see a team execute good fundamental basketball on both ends of the floor and do more with less. It isn't fun being on the TOTAL OPPOSITE end of that equation, but I can certainly appreciate how well-coached that Arizona team is. I liked Barnes as a player, and her coaching is impressive as well.
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Barnes did a great job as a young coach.
 
cynt said:
I told y'all after the scrimmage with the Division 2 team we still had Poor Coaching. Y'all got mad and tried to justify it. I knew then nothing had changed. I don't understand why she won't get help. SMH.

I don't think she's going anywhere. But My first coach suggestion Kara Lawson. I just like her. Second, Wes Moore. Third, Dawn Staley. Fourth, Shea Ralph.
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The Oregon Coach or Vic at Miss St.
 
If Coach Aston really cares about Texas she would resign with dignity. Watching the first minute of her post game video was blatantly obvious her team and staff got schooled big time. I’m done hearing out her excuses.
 
Seattle4UT said:
If Coach Aston really cares about Texas she would resign with dignity. Watching the first minute of her post game video was blatantly obvious her team and staff got schooled big time. I’m done hearing out her excuses.
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Right! Instead of making Texas look worse than they already do and to save the future of Texas she just needs to let it go and resign. After watching that conference she looked checked out and seemed like she doesnt care and joyner and sug really looked like they didnt care anymore but us fans are here forever and we want to cheer on a good winning team with a good coach over the program and right now that's not happening
 
HScoachhtx said:
I posted last year amid the transfer of Chasity Patterson and many of you got all mad. I said the truth. The culture in this program is horrendous. Aston is not only a terrible coach but horrible with players. Did you guys not think there was a problem then? You should have expected this. And some of the kids signed last week couldn’t play at a juco. Oh, and btw, Texas would never get Vic.
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I've said it too and was accused of not being a "true fan" and told I should give up my season tickets. Funny how now the same ones who vehemently defended her and the culture of this program are calling for her head.... I said a while back that our program was no longer attractive to these top recruits and you now see what has come to fruition. Their so called sudden change in recruiting philosophy about going for "different types of players" is nothing more than a poor excuse designed to cover up the fact that they simply can't get any top rated players anymore.
 
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Bottom line... IMO when your season begins the same way the previous season ended, that's the state of your program.
 
Bringing in new assistants isn’t the answer. Aston has done that repeatedly and nothing has changed. Every year Texas turns the ball over more than almost any team in the country. The offense hasn’t changed. This year she reluctantly plays zone - poorly - due to a limited roster.
If Aston were in the early stages of her career I’d believe change is possible. But she’s not.
I seriously doubt CDC would make a change mid-season. We will have to suffer through this season before there’s any light at the end of the tunnel.
The way they played yesterday, a winning season may be a stretch.
And the transfer portal will be buzzing.
 
This may make me an age-ist but I'd rather see the program put into the hands of a younger, energized coach with great potential. If it's the right hire, you have someone who could keep Texas at the top for a long time. Granted, younger means less of a track record but how long are you going to legitimately have a coach in their upper 50s-lower 60s around? Is 5 years enough just to hit reset again? Some of the names that have been tossed out in this thread:
  • Wes Moore - 62
  • Vic Schaefer - 58
  • Kelly Graves - 56
  • Jeff Walz - 48
Walz is definitely the most appealing from that list but I think he would be incredibly tough, near impossible, to pry away from Louisville.
 
Well. How about that! The sun did come up on Monday. And the emotion for me has died down some. I feel better. The morning coffee and no commute helped. If I am to be fair and biased, it is not the best use of my time to critique a poor game right after. The emotions for all are too raw. Typically it is never as bad as you think, or sometimes as good as you think. In this case, I believe it is as bad as I think. Admittedly Arizona may be better than early opinions of experts. McDonald certainly is. Their team had a lot of experienced international players. Our youth showed up for some. But you can’t get around four seniors who didn’t have a clue. I also don’t detect that Aston really had a plan, even though she said so. That had to be the worst and laziest zone defense ever seen in captivity. My thoughts watching replay revolved around the question about the basketball IQ of players. And staff. And yes I watched the replay last night and it WAS as bad as thought. The predicament Aston now is in involves how do you recover from that debacle and all that it entails. I don’t have trust that she can recover from the total lack of confidence in her. By the team, fans and future recruits. Is there any evidence or even opinion to support recovery? Not here. I agree that my mid-season coaching change was more hope than reality. Anybody excited about Wednesday’s game?
 
DFW, I agree with you. it is not ideal to have older coaches but your list says WINNERS ALL to me. I could live with 5 years with any of them to resurrect this program. But most if not all wouldn’t come. I would be excited about Nell Fortner. I can’t get by why she never was considered or hired before. In ALL corporate or academic or athletic or other enterprise, when change is needed, “change of culture” is quoted ad nauseum. If there was EVER a need, the WBB program could be the poster child for needed culture change. Nobody on here wants to hear my list of needed culture changes. I am ok with a 30 year old coach or a 62 year old coach. Just give me a gleam of hope.
 
It's disheartening.

There's a lot of "buts" that can help explain it. But that's the not the nature of how athletics works at UT. Sure, the "buts" are legit, but the buck has to stop somewhere.

I said it after the last game, and I'll say it again. Celeste's performances are concerning to me. Girl has got mad game, but it's not translating. Sure, it may just be adjustment, but whatever the real reason is, it doesn't matter. It's about perception to recruits. If an elite player struggles as much as she has to find a shot, then it has to make other elite players question. (Of course there are other things that cause questions too.)

Honestly, I think a long, hard look at the recruitment of Deja Kelly may be really indicative. Not that she's a once in a lifetime recruit, but, she was SOLID to UT. And then, mysteriously, decommitted. I'm curious about that. I wonder if that's the "beginning of the end".
 
UTexRulz23 said:
It's disheartening.

There's a lot of "buts" that can help explain it. But that's the not the nature of how athletics works at UT. Sure, the "buts" are legit, but the buck has to stop somewhere.

I said it after the last game, and I'll say it again. Celeste's performances are concerning to me. Girl has got mad game, but it's not translating. Sure, it may just be adjustment, but whatever the real reason is, it doesn't matter. It's about perception to recruits. If an elite player struggles as much as she has to find a shot, then it has to make other elite players question. (Of course there are other things that cause questions too.)

Honestly, I think a long, hard look at the recruitment of Deja Kelly may be really indicative. Not that she's a once in a lifetime recruit, but, she was SOLID to UT. And then, mysteriously, decommitted. I'm curious about that. I wonder if that's the "beginning of the end".
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Regarding the Deja Kelly situation... I have to wonder if perhaps there was some type of transgression committed during the drama that took place at Duncanville. After all, between Duncanville and Irving MacArthur there are three highly-regarded recruits. Of course that's purely speculation, but seems really odd to me that Kelly was ALL BUT SIGNED with Texas then suddenly she wants nothing else to do with the program. Just sayin'...
 
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