|
Post by mavsman53 on Apr 6, 2020 21:23:30 GMT -6
One of the players, Sydney Goodson, RJr from Texas Tech, that we were after, committed to Kansas St tonight. She would have been a huge addition and would have been immediately eligible as she is a grad transfer. She started 24 games last year for Tech, averaging 7.9 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Not too worry, the staff is still after 3-4 others, and some we are closer at getting than others.
|
|
|
Post by SportsWizard15 on Apr 17, 2020 16:24:34 GMT -6
6'1 RS Sophomore Sarah Griswold from Northern Oklahoma College has committed to Wildcats. got a very good resume
|
|
|
Post by mavsman53 on Apr 17, 2020 16:29:47 GMT -6
Her Fr year was really solid. 17.3 points per game and almost 6 rebounds. This year in only 8 games, she averaged 11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game before getting injured.
|
|
|
Post by bogeyman on Apr 17, 2020 18:44:12 GMT -6
NJCAA all-american. Has 3 yrs to play for us. 6'1" or 6 ' "a ferocious rebounder." Takes Ducat's position maybe.
|
|
|
Post by mavsman53 on Apr 19, 2020 12:04:22 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Cap'n Cattitude on Apr 19, 2020 12:39:19 GMT -6
I was just about to post this. Instead, I’ll just recommend the story to everybody. Alice is going to be another small town star for the Cats.
|
|
|
Post by bogeyman on Apr 19, 2020 14:56:54 GMT -6
Sounds pretty impressive to me. We need some toughness. With the addition of Griswald too we may have added some needed toughness under the basket. My concern remains the same for next years team; we need height. Goodenough seems to be able to find shooters but in the women's game a tall rebounder goes a long way. Maybe we are slowly getting there. Toughness first and then tallness. I'm excited with the players we are bringing in. Should be another very good team.
|
|
|
Post by mavsman53 on Apr 19, 2020 15:37:13 GMT -6
I would argue we have won without height for many years under Coach Goodenough.
Last year, they predominantly used 4 players at 6'1; went 24-5 2018-2019 used 3 players at 6'1; won 23 games 2017-2018 used 3 players at 6'1; won 16 games 2016-2017 used 2 players at 6'1; won 23 games 2015-2016 used 2 players at 6'1; won 26 games 2014-2015 used 1 player at 6'1; won 17 games 2013-2014 used 1 player at 6'1; won 18 games
The key is athletes. You have to have unselfish players that can run up and down the floor and knock down shots consistently.
|
|
|
Post by bogeyman on Apr 19, 2020 21:43:15 GMT -6
Yes, we've been a big fish in a little puddle for some time now. But what happens when we venture into the ocean. We can look no further than 2018 when our "very successful" team got their first experience playing really good teams and what happened? Texas Tech 105, ACU 54 or Baylor 95 and ACU 38. Those were not fluke games, they were games against "really good" teams who were "tall", unselfish and could run up and down the floor and we didn't stand a chance. At some time in our history winning the SLC and then getting beaten by 57 points in the 1st round of the NCAA tourney will get old. I am our biggest fan, I love Julie and our coaching staff. I can puff out my chest and say "we are winning 20 games a year" to anyone without the least bit of shame but to deny we need some taller players to compete with really good teams is just crazy.
|
|
|
Post by acutrackfan on Apr 20, 2020 7:27:04 GMT -6
It looks to me that ACU is trying to get taller. On the current roster, the 'Cats have 7 returnees and three of them are 6-1 (Anna McLeod, Makayla Mabry, and Alyssa Adams -- 2 starters and 1 part-time starter). It looks to me that we have 6 newcomers that include 6-2 Hannah Matthews, 6-1 Sarah Griswold (will be perfect if her Dad's first name is Clark), and 6-0 Alice Stevenson. So, we should start the season with 6 6-footers. Freshman Hannah Matthews could have a real chance to hit 6-3.
Where we have difficulty is dealing with the super-tall kids who have proliferated about the country. ACU recruited Brittany Brewer (6-4 out of HS and now listed at 6-5), from Abilene Wylie, hard -- we wanted her badly and she ended up at Tech and last week ended up the #17 pick in the WNBA draft. We rolled the dice on Lexi Kirgan as a possible force in the middle and I love the kid, but she only rarely had much impact for ACU. There are so few mobile super-talls, I just don't see getting one anytime soon.
I love the fact that we have brought in 2 point guards - Paige Emborsky, as a JC transfer can bring the immediate impact; and Tay Morgan, who could be a superstar in a few years.
|
|
|
Post by mavsman53 on Apr 20, 2020 8:21:57 GMT -6
I agree that we could have been more competitive in those games, but we aren't beating Baylor anytime soon. Not with Mulkey as their coach and all of the HS All-Americans they get in every year. Honestly, we shouldn't have played them in the first round, but that is how it worked and they beat us pretty good; heck, they beat everyone pretty good. I'll also say, that was our first time in the Big Dance. If we can keep getting there, I like our chances of being more competitive.
Let me remind you, we beat Texas Tech in Lubbock in 2013-2014 with a bunch of "little players." Shelstead, Mason and the Dimba twins were freshmen.
This debate just makes me chuckle. It's like in the late 90s early 2000s with Princeton. They would back door you to death. They never ran up and down the floor, they didn't have great athletes, but they won a lot of games. The goal will always be to win the SLC first. Julie is a winner and we are lucky to have her at ACU. For our style of play, run and gun, find the open shooter, unless that 6'4+ girl can run, she isn't going to play much here.
One last note: When Brittany Brewer was a HS Sr. it was between ACU and Tech. We all know where she wound up and she had a stellar career. Tech made Brittany the focal point of their offense. Who knows, had she come here, maybe we would have too. But Julie has a system and to me, the system works just fine.
|
|
|
Post by Cap'n Cattitude on Apr 20, 2020 10:19:51 GMT -6
Gonna jump in here. Good discussion. Talking to the asst coaches, I can assure you that they go hard after players 6’2” and more but so do a lot of other people. They tell me that while tall athletic girls are at the top of the list, they won’t recruit big girls just for their height. They have to be able to run the floor and play defense and rebound. The SLC last year had a half dozen 6’4” and above players, none of whom were impact players. HBU has a 6’3” sophomore who told the coaches she was coming here and at the 11th hour switched. She’s from Houston so I guess she didn’t want to leave home. She’s going to be very good, I think, despite playing for the worst head coach in the league. Ouch.
|
|
|
Post by mavsman53 on Apr 20, 2020 13:32:37 GMT -6
Cattitude, you are absolutely correct. This staff is comfortable with the team they have now, but they are still looking for 1 more transfer; not sure if it is a guard or forward. The old adage is you can't teach height, and that is 100% true. But if height can't move, then what good does that do?
|
|
|
Post by Cap'n Cattitude on Apr 20, 2020 17:49:53 GMT -6
Mavsman, I’m thinking it has to be a guard. There’s no good option at point guard unless Emborsky can play there. But she hasn’t had to bring the ball upcourt against 5’11” D1 guards. Taylor is lightning quick but is a freshman. The wild card is Katie. She is 5’9” and played point. Remember Brea was thrown in as a freshman. Maybe Katie or Tay can do the same. But another 2 year or grad eligible would seem to be a good idea.
|
|
|
Post by wildcatter on Apr 20, 2020 18:06:51 GMT -6
So we are ruling out Mraz and Larson as options?
|
|