Thoughts to 2008-2009

This group of seniors had much expected of them, coming as the top ranked recruiting class. Knee injuries took their toll as did the coaching change, among other things that are not visible to the those of us looking in from the outside.

Want to know how much pride and effort these players have? Watch them work to get back from knee injuries and get back on the floor. Watch them play with pain as Carla and Earnie did, Carla with her finger and Earnie with her knees. It isn’t easy playing basketball with one hand or a pair of bad knees.

These players have given all they have and it was not enough to reach the goals that many of us had, probably not even their own. But they represented the University of Texas extremely well in all facets of the game and life while wearing our colors. In the end, one hopes that they grew and benefited from attending the University while playing a game that many of us take pride in. We all want to win that final game. And at some time we will witness another team accomplish that. This team went as far as they could, fighting every step of the way. And looking at all that has happened, to them and around them, probably further than realistically could have been expected. We could as easily have been mourning for Earnie if her car had flipped the wrong way instead of celebrating her play.

In the end, it’s a game, one I will be watching next season when the next group of young women step on the floor to represent Texas and carry with them my hopes once again that they will end the season as the last team standing.
 
I don't care who is the better fan, but I think it's WAY over the top to declare the program "broken" at the end of Coach G's 2nd season.
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Nope. THe better fan part has to do with not blaming a bunch of 20 something women for not living up to your expectations. The better fan part has to do with not blaming the new coach in her second season for not living up to your expectations. The better fan part has to do with being a fan in good times and in bad and wishing each and every member of this program the very best in coming years. But what the hell do I know... I like my orange colored glasses.
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Man, the claws have REALLY come out since the loss. I guess we are all frustrated and looking for answers.

The fact that Carla was out of yesterday's game cannot be stressed enough. Everything runs through the point guard and losing the starting point guard at the end of the season was a tremendous loss.

I cannot imagine what these young players went through after their injuries. I went through spinal surgery at the end of last year and I have accepted the fact that I may never be the same physically. I can only imagine trying to play at a high level like these young ladies are trying to do. For those who have never been through a physical struggle, you have no idea how much it affects you physically, as well as mentally. It can be devastating to your confidence level and is always in the back of you mind, wondering if it will happen again. Give these girls who have been through surgery a break...it ain't easy.
 
Just heard Ashley Lindsey on Longhorn Sports talk about the NCAA's, she was talking about how good she heard Ohio State was......I think they were looking ahead a bit, and not taking MS State very seriously.....

Just goes to show, you can't take that lower seed # for granted...

Just ask Texas and Tennessee at this point in the game...

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i can attest to that too! i tore my ACL twice in college. it definitely affected my game....not so much my shot, but my defensive ability. and overall just my confidence in general. so i sympathize completely with every player from 2005 class that has struggled with injury. it's not easy. but i admire them for fighting through the pain and staying with it.

i also think that serious injuries can affect the team as a whole, not just an individual player. during my junior year we had 3 players (myself included) go down with ACL injuries in 3 straight games. going into the last of the 3 games, we were on a 5 game conference winning streak. after that, we pretty much lost every game to end the season. it wasn't just the loss of talent, because only 1 of the 3 players was a starter. just the experience of watching your teammate go down with a season ending injury is unpleasant.....it can really deflate the team's chemistry and confidence.
 
It sort of makes you wonder if this group felt snake bitten and it affected their psyche more that we will ever know.
 
iirc, every member of that class, other than Lindsey suffered at least one knee injury, or in the case of Crystal, a foot injury.
 
To say nothing of playing in pain even after rehab, and just gritting your way through as best you can.....that's what totally irritates me when I hear the put-downs of this class and questions of their "heart" or "pride".......Just a great class, who have been CLASS...

Don't listen to the naysayers, '05, keep your heads up, you were (and are) great...

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Let me be the first to say that I have been too hard on this class. They have gone through more than most of us can relate to. Sometimes you have to walk in someone's shoes to appreciate what they have endured. I vow to have a much more empathetic stance going forward and I hope others can do the same.

Erika still has a chance to make a statement for this class and I hope she gets to enjoy the sort of success she desires. She is obviously still playing the game because she loves it. The article about her physical struggles as a child and her ability to overcome that and become the player that she is deserves anyone's respect.

I am hopeful for a great year in 2009-2010. I have applied for Final Four tickets and I can hope that this team will be in San Antonio playing.
 
Its amazing what I am seeing on this message board from fans. Yes the end of the season did not go how we expected it to go. But we have to be honest with ourselves. When they were undefeated at 11-0 I was amazed. I felt like this year they would do ok. I just think the fans expectations went up when they were 11-0 And I think this is why fans were expecting so much. But Coach G only in her 2 year. Come now! Now once she had 4 years of recruiting you will see the players in the program that ( KARA LAWSON) was talking about after the Miss St. game I love all of the players. We did not have a leader on the floor. We did not have a go to player. And we really did not have a inside game. And the outside shooting was inconsisted.Plus no rebounding. So how if you do not have none of that in your program. How are you going to compete with Elite teams. Its hard to do that.But we will be fine next year. Just keep supporting your Womens Basketball team. And Coach G and staff keep up the good work!
 
Totally agree DINO22. I posted this on a different thread but I think it's worth restating. I don't really know what people's expectations were/are for this team. It's going to take us more than 2 years to turn this program back around. We are probably looking at a 4-5 year process. I do think that every year we will get a little bit better. We just have to be patient, which as fans is very hard to do. However, we have to get the recruits we need in here & playing devils advocate here I'm wondering if that is maybe a little harder than Coach G thought it would be. Much more competition top to bottom in the Big 12 than the ACC. Especially the Big 12 South
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I saw Coach G a few weeks ago... told her I was thrilled to have her at UT. She smiled and said - very matter of factly - "Just give me 2 more years."
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Yeah, at my high school, the year after I graduated one of the girls tore something in her knee. She hasn't really played basketball since then, her knee still bothered her too much even a year or two later and she switched to volleyball. I've read that body structure differences mean that most women have more stress on their knees when they run and jump than most men have...
 
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