Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Don't fall for the spring football okey-doke ...)

[bbussell1]

I have never been so aligned with a Ketch's 10 Thoughts. Top to bottom ... I'm like "he's f***in right on point with that one". Only exception 4a as I'm not in the "Shaka is a good coach" camp right now ... but I can at least respect how one could be. Even Buy or Sell ... I'm like "shite, he's reading my mind".

By the way, not sure Ketch should consider this a good thing considering my warped mind and serious butt hurt feelings over the state of our Men's Programs.

 

[DKR-3rings]

I agree.

But, I also remember taking calls in that 24-hour period when there was thought that Texas would pass on him and there weren't any fresh ideas floating around from a back-up plan standpoint.

He was the ONLY candidate.

True dat.

 

[chastok]

"There's only so much that can be fixed on a 7-6 team in a couple of months, especially on the side of the ball where so much attention will be focused."

That's an excuse. I don't believe Bob Stoops in Feb of 2000 was thinking that there was a limit to his 7-5 team. His team then went 13-0 including kicking Texas in the mouth.

You can accomplish a lot in one year. If you make the right choices. If Tom pulls a Charlie and chooses poorly, his tenure won't end any better. Right now, he's barely holding water (although his team has clearly played better). Had he lost the bowl game, he would have been tracking right on pace win loss wise (again without showing the clear ugly issues Charlie's team had including blowout losses over and over again).

 

[txfight]

So even with AJ, and the several wins he would have brought us with his presence, this team would have disappointed. A failed offense is a failed offense no matter how talented the players are that are operating it.

I hate to say it but this is spot on. And the reason I hate to say that is because I LIKE Shaka. But I have decided I do not like his offense... at all.

 

[txfight]

Texas actually had some very nice offensive showings this season when it had all of its parts and before a umber of guys had really started to show improvement.

Ketch,
Are you telling me that you can watch this offense, which mostly uses Bamba, Sims and DO to set picks at the top of the key, doesn't make you crazy?

You don't get screaming mad when we pass the ball around the perimeter, without getting it inside, and then Davis or Roach has to frantically drive the lane or jack a 3 when the playclock hits 5 seconds?

I honestly don't know how we recruit any big man to come to Texas.

 

[Ketchum]

Karen Aston has taken her teams to three straight Sweet 16s, hopefully #4 tonight. Her first 5 years are everything Barnes' were, including his best run from 2001-4. Considering Barnes never replicated that early success, though he still had a lot of damn good years, I think you might want to ease up on how you continue to frame Astons success at UT.

As a Longhorn fan, I can assure you that I think Aston is one of the few coaches who has more than held up her end of the bargain in every way one can measure.



If you think Smart earned a "B" this year, and is a damn good coach, etc etc....... you need to reconsider the scale on which you grade Aston.

Aston's teams have stopped climbing the ladder.That would be the concern.

 

[Ketchum]

Roach and DO aren't freshman. They are juniors. They basically played the entire Nevada game and most all the minutes possible this season. Jones spot was mostly filled by Davis, also a junior. The bench was filled with freshmen, and a sophomore who rarely saw the floor.

Texas started three freshmen.

 

[Ketchum]

This mindset wasn't created in a vacuum.

Perhaps not in creation,but certainly in the spread of it as an idea.

 

[Ketchum]

I have never been so aligned with a Ketch's 10 Thoughts. Top to bottom ... I'm like "he's f***in right on point with that one". Only exception 4a as I'm not in the "Shaka is a good coach" camp right now ... but I can at least respect how one could be. Even Buy or Sell ... I'm like "shite, he's reading my mind".

By the way, not sure Ketch should consider this a good thing considering my warped mind and serious butt hurt feelings over the state of our Men's Programs.

I'm pretty warped myself. I'll never run from that.

 

[Ketchum]

"There's only so much that can be fixed on a 7-6 team in a couple of months, especially on the side of the ball where so much attention will be focused."

That's an excuse. I don't believe Bob Stoops in Feb of 2000 was thinking that there was a limit to his 7-5 team. His team then went 13-0 including kicking Texas in the mouth.

You can accomplish a lot in one year. If you make the right choices. If Tom pulls a Charlie and chooses poorly, his tenure won't end any better. Right now, he's barely holding water (although his team has clearly played better). Had he lost the bowl game, he would have been tracking right on pace win loss wise (again without showing the clear ugly issues Charlie's team had including blowout losses over and over again).

a. Sometimes an excuse is actually the reason for something.
b. I'm not sure we're really in any disagreement.

 

[drunk randoke]

Ketch v. OB on Shaka:

 

[Ketchum]

I hate to say it but this is spot on. And the reason I hate to say that is because I LIKE Shaka. But I have decided I do not like his offense... at all.

The offense has to get better. Period.

 

[Ketchum]

Ketch,
Are you telling me that you can watch this offense, which mostly uses Bamba, Sims and DO to set picks at the top of the key, doesn't make you crazy?

You don't get screaming mad when we pass the ball around the perimeter, without getting it inside, and then Davis or Roach has to frantically drive the lane or jack a 3 when the playclock hits 5 seconds?

I honestly don't know how we recruit any big man to come to Texas.

a. I'm telling you there were times when this team had some very nice offensive showings.
b. The big men will keep coming if they keep emerging as lottery picks when they leave.

 

[Ketchum]

Ketch v. OB on Shaka:

No doubt.

 

[LonghornBuc]

Texas started three freshmen.

Febres started, and played 6 minutes. Young played 40. If someone had made the post you did here you would be all over them for being disingenuous.

Another freshman that started was Bamba. A guy hailed, rightfully, as very advanced and mature for a freshman. He would have started at most every single program in the country. If you had five just like him, we would have been calling them the new fab five. Somehow, you and Dustin use him playing as an excuse for Shakas disappointing season. Its just a bizarre argument.

Coleman is a freshman, at a position that you much prefer to have a lot of experience. And while he has improved a lot, and is a good player, he clearly isn't an elite talent like Bamba. So yeah, I am fine with using Colemans inexperience as part of the seasons disappointment. But in the Nevada game, he and Roach were the guts of the team, and the producers.

 

[LonghornBuc]

Aston's teams have stopped climbing the ladder.That would be the concern.

My goodness, that's beyond unrealistic expectations. She took over a team in a nose dive, that had two losing seasons in conference. Her first year was a total rebuild.

The next two years she takes a team that finished 3d in conference both years and goes to the second round, then the Sweet 16. Huge improvements.

The next three years here teams go 15-3 each year and come in second in conference. They go to the Elite 8 and then the Sweet 16 and now whatever they do this year.

Your focus appears to be limited to beating Baylor and UConn.

As I said above, when we look at the golden age of Mack, Augie and Rick.......Aston would be right there with them if she coached at that time. She has done every bit as well as Barnes did his first 5 years, and those were arguably Ricks best 5 year run.

Her recruiting is elite. She will lose some great players this year, but the roster is loaded. If she never wins a national championship or beats Baylor, I will be surprised, but I will never say she hasn't been hugely successful. If Shaka did anything remotely close to what Karen has done in her first years we would be crowning him King, not hoping Louisville hires him away.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Longhorns_women's_basketball

 

[rlstep]

They have been “ok”. I would argue worse than Barnes first 3 because of season 2 of course. Barnes won 19 is season 3 and I don’t think the league was as solid from top to bottom.

Shaka has to win and win pretty and then win in the dance into weekend 2 next year. If not, the Shaka haters can rejoice in their “rightness” and we will be looking for a new coach, which means a few more years of sucking.

I am pulling for the upset and hoping Shaka gets the luck that has eluded him over the first few years.

As for the football team - pick a ****ing QB and work on timing. That summer workout thing explains a lot. They need more than ever, not less. Good lord the timing sucked. Good to finally know one of the big reasons why.

That actually pisses me off at Shane. That was his job regardless of Herman. Shows a flaw perhaps. Let’s get this shit done, Sam.

Don't know how many games Barnes won in his first season, but that team did win the Big 12 conference regular season with Chris Mihms at the post...IIRC.

 

[Ketchum]

Febres started, and played 6 minutes. Young played 40. If someone had made the post you did here you would be all over them for being disingenuous.

Another freshman that started was Bamba. A guy hailed, rightfully, as very advanced and mature for a freshman. He would have started at most every single program in the country. If you had five just like him, we would have been calling them the new fab five. Somehow, you and Dustin use him playing as an excuse for Shakas disappointing season. Its just a bizarre argument.

Coleman is a freshman, at a position that you much prefer to have a lot of experience. And while he has improved a lot, and is a good player, he clearly isn't an elite talent like Bamba. So yeah, I am fine with using Colemans inexperience as part of the seasons disappointment. But in the Nevada game, he and Roach were the guts of the team, and the producers.

Freshmen are still freshmen. There's a reason why so many elite ones aren't still playing in the tournament.

At some point, Shaka can't keep leaning on them. Next year is a step in that direction.

 

[Ketchum]

My goodness, that's beyond unrealistic expectations. She took over a team in a nose dive, that had two losing seasons in conference. Her first year was a total rebuild.

The next two years she takes a team that finished 3d in conference both years and goes to the second round, then the Sweet 16. Huge improvements.

The next three years here teams go 15-3 each year and come in second in conference. They go to the Elite 8 and then the Sweet 16 and now whatever they do this year.

Your focus appears to be limited to beating Baylor and UConn.

As I said above, when we look at the golden age of Mack, Augie and Rick.......Aston would be right there with them if she coached at that time. She has done every bit as well as Barnes did his first 5 years, and those were arguably Ricks best 5 year run.

Her recruiting is elite. She will lose some great players this year, but the roster is loaded. If she never wins a national championship or beats Baylor, I will be surprised, but I will never say she hasn't been hugely successful. If Shaka did anything remotely close to what Karen has done in her first years we would be crowning him King, not hoping Louisville hires him away.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Longhorns_women's_basketball

My focus is simply seeing the program continue to progress and not hit its ceiling so short of elite status.

 

[Ketchum]

Don't know how many games Barnes won in his first season, but that team did win the Big 12 conference regular season with Chris Mihms at the post...IIRC.

And that team flamed out in the Tournament.

 

[HorntoWin]

Davis is a non issue. Young is the same or better player, shoots about the same and better energy Davis only missed 8 games all year, his absence meant little. If anything, we may well have lost the OSU and WVa games if Davis plays and Young took his normal bench role. And Tech would have blown us off the court.

Clearly Jones is just the opposite. With him this was a borderline top 10 team. Two first round NBA talents and a decent supporting cast.

But your question really misses the main point about Shaka. Which is, Shakas offense is every bit as bad as anything Herman had last year. It has not only has no identity, it has little purpose. Half court play is basically slow perimeter passes and then a random drive to the basket and hope for the best with little time on the clock. With three big guys like we had, that's criminal. DO, if nothing else, should have been passing hi lo to Bamba and Sims over the top of any defense. It rarely happened, maybe never. Sims and Bamba are made to jump and dunk, and we couldn't do that with short teams, like Nevada. Its just mind bottling.

Sure AJ opens up the floor with his shooting. But the floor was open for those elite bigs without him, and we didn't take advantage. And Andrew opening up the floor doesn't matte much when no one cuts to the basket. I have rarely seen an offense that's so stagnant. It makes Rick Barnes offense look like Phil Jacksons. This isn't a matter of "plays" or "playbook". Its a matter of ball movement and player movement. Movement is the antithesis of a Shaka offense.

So even with AJ, and the several wins he would have brought us with his presence, this team would have disappointed. A failed offense is a failed offense no matter how talented the players are that are operating it.

Spot on. When can you recall a Longhorn setting a screen AWAY from the basketball?

When did Osetkowski or any Horn go down low and screen Bamba’s defender to enable the big fella to burst into the lane OPEN for an entry pass?

Except for the 3 games Bamba missed when the player movement was much improved (Shaka astutely spread the formation and had Matt and Kerwin penetrate off the 2-man high post staggered screen), the Horn O all season was dribble and pass around the arc, do on-ball pick and rolls (with the screener failing to roll) and the dribbler staring at Bamba until the shot clock ran down, thereby causing a forced jumper.

When bounce passes did go to the Bigs, Bamba would often turn it over or Osetkowski would get off a weak shot or get his shot blocked.

By way of contrast, watch Texas Tech play half court O with frequent off-ball screens and constant off-ball motion.

 

[LonghornBuc]

Freshmen are still freshmen. There's a reason why so many elite ones aren't still playing in the tournament.

At some point, Shaka can't keep leaning on them. Next year is a step in that direction.

Fine, but your post misled about the three freshman starters, though I am sure you will never admit it. Yes, three freshman started. One barely played the rest of the game. One is one of the top 25 players in the entire tourney per ESPN, let alone draft projections.

We played Nevada with two juniors, a soph and Bamba and Coleman. Coleman is the only one with a freshman excuse. Whatever. Cya next year about Mens BB. Its over, sadly.

 

[LonghornBuc]

My focus is simply seeing the program continue to progress and not hit its ceiling so short of elite status.

Astons teams have been elite for going on four years now. We are a #2 seed this year. Trying to discredit that is silliness.

 

[Ketchum]

Fine, but your post misled about the three freshman starters, though I am sure you will never admit it. Yes, three freshman started. One barely played the rest of the game. One is one of the top 25 players in the entire tourney per ESPN, let alone draft projections.

We played Nevada with two juniors, a soph and Bamba and Coleman. Coleman is the only one with a freshman excuse. Whatever. Cya next year about Mens BB. Its over, sadly.

The fact that one freshman starter played six minutes actually reinforces my points, I would think. There wasn't much more than a capgun down the stretch.

 

[Ketchum]

Astons teams have been elite for going on four years now. We are a #2 seed this year. Trying to discredit that is silliness.

You and have a different view of elite, just like you and I have a different view of damn good. You can't be elite without ever making a Final Four.

 

[MEP1992]

Enough of the basketball trashing on the coach and especially the players. I spent reading some of the bullshit threads talking shit about the players. The crap I read about Dylan O was absolute disgusting - making fun of his weight, his hair and what a horrible player. Do you not think he is more upset with himself for missing at the charity stripe? Instead of feeling for the kid, some of "so called fans" trashed the kid. You are nothing more than school yard bullies that would not dare talk shit to him in person. Keep your venom to yourself on talking shit about a kid who has done nothing but bust his ass for the longhorns. How you feel reading this crap on OB about your kid as maybe the kids, coaches and parents are here reading your bullshit? Be better people!

Cut off the hair and.lose some weight, develop a verical leap and use your body correctly and we cqn talk.. Otherwise shhhhh

 

[Ketchum]

Astons teams have been elite for going on four years now. We are a #2 seed this year. Trying to discredit that is silliness.

You never answered the question.

What will be a successful season for the women's basketball team?

 

[RLong68]

You and have a different view of elite, just like you and I have a different view of damn good. You can't be elite without ever making a Final Four.

This. Particularly in Women's basketball where even the difference between the top dog and #2 is relatively significant.

 

[LonghornBuc]

You never answered the question.

What will be a successful season for the women's basketball team?

They have already done that last night. Sustained excellence is the hallmark of an elite coach and a successful team. Four years of Sweet 16 or better is sustained excellence that you have to go back more than 30 years to match, and that was the incredible run of Coach Conradt when womens BB was a much smaller stage and far less competitive.

Now we will see if the team can win a few more games that will put them at the top of the world.

 

[Ketchum]

They have already done that last night. Sustained excellence is the hallmark of an elite coach and a successful team. Four years of Sweet 16 or better is sustained excellence that you have to go back more than 30 years to match, and that was the incredible run of Coach Conradt when womens BB was a much smaller stage and far less competitive.

Now we will see if the team can win a few more games that will put them at the top of the world.

Let me get this right. Making the Sweet 16 for this team makes for a successful season?

In a sport dominated by the top teams that get to play the first two rounds against substandard competition at home?

Give me a break.