WBB: 2022-2023 Offseason - Odds and Ends

LH817 · Mar 21, 2023

Well, it's over. While injury issues played a role, I think this team just didn't have the consistent level of dogged intensity necessary.

The Good:

Rori finished the season 4th nationally in assists per game (7.4), conference DPOTY.
Shaylee's improvement as a defender from November to February was impressive.
The Longhorns ranked 4th nationally in blocks per game (6 per game) - Taylor accounted for 62 of the team's 214 (Texas WBB record) followed by DeYona (40) and Hadi (34) with 4 other players registering at least 10.
The freshmen played like talented freshmen. Amina and Jak both had ups and downs as you'd expect but flashed potential. When matched up with a more prototype 4, Amina can drive and finish at the bucket (usually). Jak is aggressive to the basket, sometimes too much so, but for a player as lanky as she is, she's not afraid to mix it up physically. Amina needs to work on her FT shooting (44%) and finishing with contact, Jak has to do a lot of footwork/agility drills on the defensive end. Both have to work on passing decisions.

The Bad:

Rori shot 31.9% from 3 (22/69) as a freshman, 15.7% as a sophomore (8/51). Her FT shooting also regressed from 73.3% (99/135) to 56.2% (59/105). Adding 15 pounds of muscle to such a small frame really helped her absorb punishment but it had to have impacted her shot. Hopefully an offseason acclimating and refining her mechanics will get her back on track.
The Texas post players, Taylor (56.7%), Hadi (54.3%) and DeYona (51.5%), led the team in shooting % as you'd expect from players taking most of their shots from inside 5 feet but the highest rate was Taylor at 56.7%. Bigs coach Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton needs to get at least 1 of them to 60%.
Lack of grit. I wish Joanne Allen-Taylor had come back for her COVID year. She wasn't a world beater on offense but she had an infectious intensity that I just didn't see at the same level from a player this season.
Free throw shooting. 67.6% is turrible, just turrible. 265th out of 350 teams is not going to get it done.

The Future Longhorns:

W Madison Booker - I usually don't like projecting freshman as immediate starters but the only thing that will keep her out of the starting lineup within the first 5 games will be her picking up Vic's defense. She can score, handle the ball and is a good distributor with better than average size and athleticism at the position.
G Gisella Maul - Enrolling early to rehab an ACL injury along with participating in practices/meetings will probably pay off significantly for her next season. With her length and scoring ability, I'd be surprised if she isn't one of the first off the bench next season.
C Abbie Boutiler - Vic mentioned that one of the incoming freshmen would be spending a lot of time with the track team and I assume he was referring to Boutilier. She did not play much as a senior due to an injury and needs to learn how to move efficiently at her height (6' 9"). I would bet she ends up redshirting next season.
Portal-Horns - Vic needs a backup point guard in the worst way. Rori played a ton of minutes at the increased size and tired legs might have also caused some of the shooting woes, especially later in the season.

Big12: 2023-2024 (Portal could have a significant impact)

Iowa State loses the best player in the history of the program in SF Ashley Joens, C Morgan Kane is graduating and senior G Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw entered the Portal yesterday. MEM was a key reserve during the 2021-2022 season but got significantly fewer minutes this season. Fennelly has said they will try to get an additional year of elgibility for C Stephanie Soares but that's not a sure thing. If Soares is available, ISU will be good - they take a major step back if she isn't.
Oklahoma (sux) loses a ton of scoring (3 of the Top 10 in program history) in G Taylor Robertson, F Madi Williams and G Ana Llanusa. They have another couple of seniors who may move on. Aubrey Joens, younger sister of ISU's Ashley, had some big games down the stretch for the land-thieves. I think OU (sux) finishes somewhere in the middle of the standings at best their final year in the Big12.
Kansas State should go from 2nd to last in the Big to the Top 3 in the standings next season with the return of C Ayoka Lee - a 1st team AA last year - from an ACL injury. I'm assuming G Gabby Gregory will get a 17th year of eligibility and freshman F Eliza Maupin is an athletic combo forward who showed real potential against some good opponents.
Baylor will be returning most of their roster including PG Sarah Andrews, reigning Big12 FOTY F Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and "add" Kentucky transfer F Dreuna Edwards who was forced to sit out this season. I'm looking forward to seeing Bickle gone - a very Mulkeyesque player. She and Jamee Asberry were their 2nd and 3rd highest scorers. The bears also add C Letycia Vasconcelos, a 6' 7" freshman, who has looked really good playing for the Brazilian junior national teams.
Okie Lite gets a mention because I think their coach is a good one and could continue to make some noise in the conference.
West Virginia was intriguing until their new head coach bolted for the University of Minnesota (@Moooooo ) after 1 season in Morgantown.

What did I miss?

Scholarships assuming everyone who can come back does come back:

SG Shaylee Gonzales (GR)
G/F Shay Holle (Sr) ***
PF DeYona Gaston (Sr) ***
C Taylor Jones (Sr)
C Khadija Faye (Sr) ***
PF Aaliyah Moore (Jr)
PG Rori Harmon (Jr)
G/F Jordana Codio (RS-Fr)
F Amina Muhammad (So)
G/F Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (So)
SG Gisellla Maul (Fr)
W Madison Booker (Fr)
C Abbie Boutilier (Fr)
???
???
G Sarah Graves (walk-on So)

@mln59 @thar0902 @icdb17 @wb3032

marsgar · Mar 21, 2023