TX v. ISU Game 2

[WCBBNUT]

If that game doesn’t get a coach fired, I don’t know what does.

 

[longhorn47]

What would happen if Shaka and Karen traded places for the remainder of the season?

 

[HnH]

What would happen if Shaka and Karen traded places for the remainder of the season?

Might as well try it. At least that would be somewhat entertaining to see. More than I can say for tonight's debacle of a game.

 

[loyallonghorn]

Coach Aston has got to see that she has taken this program as far as she can. There's no point in hanging on. I hope she resigns for the good of the program.

 

[HnH]

Coach Aston has got to see that she has taken this program as far as she can. There's no point in hanging on. I hope she resigns for the good of the program.

It kinda reminds me of the horrendous game Texas played 2 years ago -- when Brooke and Ariel were seniors -- in the loss at Tennessee. The team was utterly exposed as overranked at preseason #2 and they just looked a hot mess. One boneheaded play after another, The team didn't even know how to run a simple inbounds play.

I'll never forget Karen saying afterward, "We didn't look particularly well coached," to which I screamed UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY! But I at least give her credit for the self-awareness, and hopefully that same self-awareness will make her departure less painful than it might otherwise be.

 

[WCBBNUT]

I was at the game. I’ve seen fans leave disappointed before, but they were leaving disgusted tonight. One very verbal fan left at the beginning of the 4th loudly screaming that he couldn’t take it anymore. Another (long time regular fan) left and as she walked up the stairs from her season seat, commented to anyone who would listen that this was the worst game ever.

I usually rewatch the game when I get home. Not this one. Did anyone with the benefit of TV announcers get an explanation as to why Collier with a 17 pt double double was on the bench in the third while Holmes who was shooting a dismal 1-10 (10%) at the same time was on the court? It made absolutely no sense from the stands. They both had 2 fouls at the time. Scratching my head?

I fully expected Karen to announce that the whole team had the flu and they did the best they could. But instead all we got was “uninspired performance” with no explanation as to why.

 

[DINO22]

Damn it's hard to watch Texas play.
Texas just look a mess.
Talent is there.
Coaching is not there.

 

[Hornzupp]

Karen carries herself very professionally on the sideline and during pressers. She personifies what Texas is all about.. Texas doesn't want a non-PC kind of coach like Geno or Kim. If she can win a game or two in the NCAAs CDC will extend her contract.

Non PC = non-producing coach. We already have a non PC coach. And if CDC extends Karen Aston perhaps he needs to be fired himself. No fans in the stands as someone mentioned - is a reflection of poor performance yes - but also fan sentiment in general. They don't like the coach and they don't particularly like the team - that's why they don't come. This is not going to change with an extension. How bad does Texas women's basketball have to get for CDC to understand that no matter what texas does this year short of a deep run in the NCAA tournament - the way the team is trending should be grounds for parting ways with Aston. Decent run. But a change is badly needed.

 

[Hornzupp]

Agree. If we win 20 and get in the tourney she will get another contract. CDC not gonna bring in a big name when there are literally 500 people in attendance. He’s a money guy and that money doesn’t make sense.

You think? Karen doesn't even look like she enjoys coaching. I think a lot of coaches stay in coaching because of the coin.

 

[txtreefan]

Wow. That was a depressing game to watch and confirmed what has been evident for the last seven plus years. A Karen Aston team, no matter the personnel has NO clue how to play in the half-court offense, and the half court offense against a zone is ALWAYS somewhere between laughable and tragic.

To her credit, the teams always play hard and hustle, but they are being set up for failure, by a coach who really has the lowest basketball IQ on the offense side of the ball in a power 5 conference. Now that Holly Warlick is gone, no one does less with more than Karen Aston. I think stubbornness is a virtue in a coach, but not when it is attached to stupidity.

Aston has proved her mettle as a recruiter, and a motivator and she represents the university with class. She gets great players to come to the 40 acres, but in terms of player development, x's and o's, game-planning, in-game adjustments, substitution patterns and general strategy, she is not just bad, she is terrible. Even with arguably the best back-court the country for 3 or so years with Atkins and McCarty, an elite 8 was the ceiling. Right now with one of the most talented front courts in the nation with Holmes and Collier, Texas will need a little luck to get out of the first round in the NCAA tournament.If i was Collier, I would be seriously considering the transfer portal.

An ideal situation would be not firing her, but getting her to accept a demotion to associate head coach. She has the Texas connections and can recruit and teach defense, but is a head coach who really cannot coach offense and clearly cannot learn - how much more time does she need? How much more talent can she abuse before elite recruits stop wanting to play for her? It is time for a change. I would hate to lose Aston, but she has shown that she REALLY does not have what it takes to be an elite head coach.

 

[geewago]

Holmes has 3 fouls and 2 points shooting 10%
Charlie has 2 fouls and 17 pts shooting 50%

Charlie on the bench. Holmes playing.

When you see decisions like that being made in a game that you're getting beat in - that's when you know somethings wrong with management.

 

[Bobcat]

Wow. That was a depressing game to watch and confirmed what has been evident for the last seven plus years. A Karen Aston team, no matter the personnel has NO clue how to play in the half-court offense, and the half court offense against a zone is ALWAYS somewhere between laughable and tragic.

To her credit, the teams always play hard and hustle, but they are being set up for failure, by a coach who really has the lowest basketball IQ on the offense side of the ball in a power 5 conference. Now that Holly Warlick is gone, no one does less with more than Karen Aston. I think stubbornness is a virtue in a coach, but not when it is attached to stupidity.

Aston has proved her mettle as a recruiter, and a motivator and she represents the university with class. She gets great players to come to the 40 acres, but in terms of player development, x's and o's, game-planning, in-game adjustments, substitution patterns and general strategy, she is not just bad, she is terrible. Even with arguably the best back-court the country for 3 or so years with Atkins and McCarty, an elite 8 was the ceiling. Right now with one of the most talented front courts in the nation with Holmes and Collier, Texas will need a little luck to get out of the first round in the NCAA tournament.If i was Collier, I would be seriously considering the transfer portal.

An ideal situation would be not firing her, but getting her to accept a demotion to associate head coach. She has the Texas connections and can recruit and teach defense, but is a head coach who really cannot coach offense and clearly cannot learn - how much more time does she need? How much more talent can she abuse before elite recruits stop wanting to play for her? It is time for a change. I would hate to lose Aston, but she has shown that she REALLY does not have what it takes to be an elite head coach.

Sorry, but they need to clean house!!! She has no business staying on in any capacity!!!

 

[flash34]

The Arizona and Iowa State games ......AND.....the associated press conferences were about as sad as it’s been in a very long time. And both at home. Painful to watch Aston and the players try to respond to questions. Higgs was 1-12. Taylor 1-10. Holmes at one time was 1-10 and finished 3-13. Palmer was 0-4. The attendance from watching on TV was almost as bad as the shooting (and the offense that got those shots). Someone earlier hit it on the head.....the fans don’t like the coach and don’t like the players. Added to that is the fans don’t like the basketball they are seeing. So they aren’t coming. The good news is the sun does come up in morning. There is another game Saturday. I imagine I’ll watch. And I’ll root for the kids to play better.

 

[Bobcat]

The Arizona and Iowa State games ......AND.....the associated press conferences were about as sad as it’s been in a very long time. And both at home. Painful to watch Aston and the players try to respond to questions. Higgs was 1-12. Taylor 1-10. Holmes at one time was 1-10 and finished 3-13. Palmer was 0-4. The attendance from watching on TV was almost as bad as the shooting (and the offense that got those shots). Someone earlier hit it on the head.....the fans don’t like the coach and don’t like the players. Added to that is the fans don’t like the basketball they are seeing. So they aren’t coming. The good news is the sun does come up in morning. There is another game Saturday. I imagine I’ll watch. And I’ll root for the kids to play better.

It doesn't have anything to do with liking or disliking ANY of the players. I do believe there are alot of people who don't like Aston!!!!! The rest of what you said is SPOT ON!!!!!

 

[WCBBNUT]

Iowa State Head Coach Bill Fennelly seems to think highly of Aston.

"...Big, big win for us. Any time you beat a team the caliber of Texas and a Karen Aston-coached team, it's something to be proud of. We made sure that we didn't get swept so I'm pretty pleased with our effort."

 

[HnH]

Wow. That was a depressing game to watch and confirmed what has been evident for the last seven plus years. A Karen Aston team, no matter the personnel has NO clue how to play in the half-court offense, and the half court offense against a zone is ALWAYS somewhere between laughable and tragic.

To her credit, the teams always play hard and hustle, but they are being set up for failure, by a coach who really has the lowest basketball IQ on the offense side of the ball in a power 5 conference. Now that Holly Warlick is gone, no one does less with more than Karen Aston. I think stubbornness is a virtue in a coach, but not when it is attached to stupidity.

Aston has proved her mettle as a recruiter, and a motivator and she represents the university with class. She gets great players to come to the 40 acres, but in terms of player development, x's and o's, game-planning, in-game adjustments, substitution patterns and general strategy, she is not just bad, she is terrible. Even with arguably the best back-court the country for 3 or so years with Atkins and McCarty, an elite 8 was the ceiling. Right now with one of the most talented front courts in the nation with Holmes and Collier, Texas will need a little luck to get out of the first round in the NCAA tournament.If i was Collier, I would be seriously considering the transfer portal.

An ideal situation would be not firing her, but getting her to accept a demotion to associate head coach. She has the Texas connections and can recruit and teach defense, but is a head coach who really cannot coach offense and clearly cannot learn - how much more time does she need? How much more talent can she abuse before elite recruits stop wanting to play for her? It is time for a change. I would hate to lose Aston, but she has shown that she REALLY does not have what it takes to be an elite head coach.

You had me until the last paragraph. In my life I've never heard of a head coach accepting a demotion to assistant. Even if she were willing, it's just a bad idea overall. Let the new HC pick their own staff who can recruit and teach defense.

 

[HnH]

Non PC = non-producing coach. We already have a non PC coach. And if CDC extends Karen Aston perhaps he needs to be fired himself. No fans in the stands as someone mentioned - is a reflection of poor performance yes - but also fan sentiment in general. They don't like the coach and they don't particularly like the team - that's why they don't come. This is not going to change with an extension. How bad does Texas women's basketball have to get for CDC to understand that no matter what texas does this year short of a deep run in the NCAA tournament - the way the team is trending should be grounds for parting ways with Aston. Decent run. But a change is badly needed.

But that's what I mean. Why don't the fans like the coach? It has nothing to do with her personal qualities. It's because of the piss-poor product she puts on the court, relevant to the level of talent she's recruited. The fans' indifference to the team as a whole is all about the coach's inability to coach the players up and harness them into a cohesive unit.

Almost all of the informed fans know that the players are victims of coaching malpractice here, and would be doing better under a competent coach. Watching them underachieve is just sad and painful -- and who wants to spend their free time and money to feel sadness and pain? (Or what does it say about me that I still choose to??)

 

[HnH]

Iowa State Head Coach Bill Fennelly seems to think highly of Aston.

"...Big, big win for us. Any time you beat a team the caliber of Texas and a Karen Aston-coached team, it's something to be proud of. We made sure that we didn't get swept so I'm pretty pleased with our effort."

One of the sure signs that a coach's seat is on fire is when other coaches start publicly saying nice things about her/him.

 

[brnkj]

Iowa State Head Coach Bill Fennelly seems to think highly of Aston.

"...Big, big win for us. Any time you beat a team the caliber of Texas and a Karen Aston-coached team, it's something to be proud of. We made sure that we didn't get swept so I'm pretty pleased with our effort."

Pretty sure every coach in the Big 12 is fond of her in the sense that they can beat her with far less talent.

 

[hoopsalot]

Nothing left to say about the coaching.

I like this group of players a lot! I am sad for all the seniors. I don’t know what happened to Joyner between Stanford and now but I hate seeing the expression she has played with the last few games. I am sad for all of our seniors.

I will be sad if we lose players. They could blossom quickly with the right circumstances. I wondered last night how the team might do if Karen went to the locker room!

 

[Jacob Johnson]

Although I am not at the same point as to where I am with the men's team I am definitely getting there. I won't even watch the mens team anymore because they are so frustrating but with the women's team I guess I am holding on to the small idea that something will click in there head before the tournament. I really am over Texas basketball as a whole.... only sports I care to actually watch now are track and softball and hopefully baseball does a 360 from last season.

 

[loyallonghorn]

Although I am not at the same point as to where I am with the men's team I am definitely getting there. I won't even watch the mens team anymore because they are so frustrating but with the women's team I guess I am holding on to the small idea that something will click in there head before the tournament. I really am over Texas basketball as a whole.... only sports I care to actually watch now are track and softball and hopefully baseball does a 360 from last season.

Thank goodness the softball team is enjoyable to watch.

 

[Scamp]

Hard to believe Joyner is on the short list.

 

[Statalyzer]

Even with arguably the best back-court the country for 3 or so years with Atkins and McCarty, an elite 8 was the ceiling

I think we still underestimate McCarty's impact here. She organized that entire offense and put everyone else where they needed to be. Maybe Karen Aston is like Rick Barnes in that regard and needs a TJ / DJ / Brooke to have a high-level offense.

 

[UTSUgrad]

Musing, while depressed about the state of Texas WBB ... In Austin last night for the only time I will see a game there this year. It was a total downer to see such a small crowd, especially on a night honoring Retha Swindell and Rod Paige. It was surreal to see all the trappings of college sports with such a tiny group of fans, most of them, it appeared, not students, and many of them leaving when it becam clear that there would be no second half rally. And then there was the game ... don"t recall if I have ever seen a Texas team shoot so poorly. I don't know what the problem is - it has to be a combination of coaching, player attitude, lack of focus... We suck.

 

[UTSUgrad]

Hard to believe Joyner is on the short list.

Was a reason ever made public for her ineligibility? Guessed academics, and if so, that could explain difficulty staying focused. She possibly would have been better off skipping the classroom and going overseas.

 

[Seattle4UT]

Coaching staff sucks. They need to be held accountable for such unacceptable mediocrity. Jamie ought to bail this sinking ship. Guessing she and our other assistant coaches have no say whatsoever due to Queen Aston thinking she knows it all.

 

[texexted]

Musing, while depressed about the state of Texas WBB ... In Austin last night for the only time I will see a game there this year. It was a total downer to see such a small crowd, especially on a night honoring Retha Swindell and Rod Paige. It was surreal to see all the trappings of college sports with such a tiny group of fans, most of them, it appeared, not students, and many of them leaving when it becam clear that there would be no second half rally. And then there was the game ... don"t recall if I have ever seen a Texas team shoot so poorly. I don't know what the problem is - it has to be a combination of coaching, player attitude, lack of focus... We suck.

I was there. The crowd was tiny. The team played as if they didn’t give a damn. The program, like the Erwin Center, feels like it’s on life support. The fans see it and feel it. Eight years in, no one can possibly expect a light bulb is going to turn on and KA is going to become an elite coach. What you see is what they are. Average.

 

[JoeDallas]

I usually try to find some reason for optimism, but the loss to ISU was so demoralizing, I can't think of anything to be optimistic about. The only thing that would revive my hope is if we win all the other games except Baylor and get to the final game of the Big 12 Tourney. Barring that scenario, the team is just a big disappointment. I used to be a pretty big defender of KA, but hard to do that anymore. Some of Andrea Lloyd's comments were telling, especially when she said something to the effect of, "Our team looks confused by their defense" and "We look like we really don't understand what they are doing defensively." There's really no excuse, when we have played ISU about 40 times in the past and they have always used this defense against us. And this is with some great seniors on our team --- Sug, Lashann, and you could include Joyner. Underwood has gotten pretty good, too. But even with all them, we get crushed. What is it going to be like next year when we have a team with much less talent and experience? Don't even like to think about it.

 

[WCBBNUT]

... I used to be a pretty big defender of KA, but hard to do that anymore...

Same.