Looks like......
by txfan76 on Apr 3, 2007 2:43 PM CDT
32 comments
We got our woman. I'm not a big women's basketball fan, but I like to see us do well. I hope this gets our women's program back where they need to be.
All comments, FanPosts, and FanShots are the views of the reader-authors who create them.
0 recs |
32 comments
Email
Print
Comments
Beat me to it
And yes, I think this is the woman who will bring us back to the top of the womens' bball game.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070403/...
by patienthornsfan on Apr 3, 2007 2:49 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
That's awesome
I'm going to the first home game for sure. It would be great if at least the first home game be a sell out so that she sees our support.
by Cyrus on Apr 3, 2007 2:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I'll settle for 5,000 fans
I don't think we've ever sold out the FEC for a womens' game.
by patienthornsfan on Apr 3, 2007 2:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
We've come close
The mezzanine has been almost full in the glory days of the 80's. I'd love to see us fill the arena and have a partially full mezzanine!
by TempestHorn on Apr 3, 2007 3:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I Was At A Stanford Game
With prox 11K back in the mid 90's.
by realmccoy on Apr 3, 2007 3:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
People should be excited
about this hire and maybe we'll see more people showing up. For example: me! i have been to only one women's bbal game, but after this hire, I like to see the evolution of the team, and I'll go to more games.
by Cyrus on Apr 3, 2007 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
proof that our Athletic dept owns
just about everyone
by the other Andrew on Apr 3, 2007 3:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
how does this affect recruiting for this year?
i thought i remembered seeing that Duke had a couple McDonald's All-Americans. Will they be following? Is our recruiting class already full?
by jc25 on Apr 3, 2007 3:22 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Not full
I read somewhere we had two scholarships but I'm not sure about that. I do know we have at least one because Merguson left the program this year after we'd already signed next year's class. So Gail has at least one to play with if not two.
by TempestHorn on Apr 3, 2007 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i think one of the
recruits is from Houston or Texas at least.
I'm not much of a follower of Womens BB either but I think it is great news for everyone associated with "The" University of Texas.
Really, really good news.............
by ouALWAYSsux on Apr 3, 2007 3:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
immediate impact
PHF, what kind of immediate impact do you see her having?
by whoopspat on Apr 3, 2007 3:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
No one should expect
... a Final Four team in Gail's first year.
However, as I've posted before, Jody is not leaving the cupboard bare. We have brought in top-5 recruiting classes for the past 3 years, and we have several players who showed flashes of brilliance this season. The Big XII is not going to be as fearsome next year as it was this year, and any of you who followed the post-season will know that the Big XII was a huge flop in March Madness. Texas should contend for the conference title with OU and A&M, with Baylor likely having a down year or two.
Texas has two very talented recruits coming in next year, and will have three players back from injury (Erika Arriaran, Crystal Boyd, Kristen Nash). We also have one or two scholarships that have come available due to players leaving the team, so Gail could bring in another star recruit or two to fill in the missing pieces - we really need a stud PG. And perhaps Gail can finally figure out what to do with Erika, who was considered the best recruit in the country two years ago, but has not lived up to the hype.
Texas also has the same vaunted facilities that the men have, and great conditioning programs. And with the excitement of having a new coach on board, there should be more fans in the seats, especially if Texas starts off the season on a winning note, and is still in contention when we get to Big XII play.
I think Gail's hiring will be like Rick's. She will have this team in the post-season every year, and will take the team to the Sweet 16 and beyond regularly. And like Rick, she will bring in a special player every few years that will get us to the Final Four, and maybe win it all before she's done. She's only 44 - I can see her coaching at Texas for 20 years.
So, immediate impact? I think we contend for the Big XII and get to the post-season again in the first year. After two years of GG recruiting - she is supposed to be one of the best in the business - I think we are an Elite Eight team, and win the Big XII regularly.
But they don't call me PHF for nothing. I'm more than happy to give her 2-3 years to turn this program around. I am very excited to have her on board. She's the kind of coach that Texas fans deserve.
by patienthornsfan on Apr 4, 2007 12:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yawn
The games will still be boring. I know there are some hardcore womens hoops junkies on this board but the fact remains that they can't give away tickets to the ladies games. I love basketball but can't the stand missed layups and the inability to box out on rebounds that make up a women's game. I'm sure this is a great hire or whatever for UT but the FEC will still be a ghost town when the lady horns play. Did anyone see the women's regionals? Empty seats as far as the eyes can see. Then again when you have a team scoring 35 in a final four game who is gonna tune in?
by ChiTown Longhorn on Apr 3, 2007 4:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Fundamentals my man
If you like technically sound basketball, then you should pay attention to women's basketball. The women shoot better, on average, than the men. They play good, sound basketball. It's like a sport comprised of shorter Tim "the big fundamental" Duncans.
by Bob LaBlog on Apr 3, 2007 5:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah, i don't buy that
i have nothing against women's basketball or people who really like it, nor do i want anyone to stop posting about it. i watch Texas women's basketball games when they're on tv and i'm proud of our team.
that being said, i just don't buy the argument that women have better fundamentals than men. i will say that mid-range jump shooting is better, but passing and dribbling are very often much, much worse in the women's game. they're different games and each can be rewarding and exciting. i just don't buy the "fundamentals" argument.
by billyzane on Apr 3, 2007 5:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't know where to begin
I know I won't change anyone's mind about womens' basketball with a blog post. All I can do is tell you why I love the game, just like I've tried to do with volleyball. My biggest hope is that I can get some of you to attend a WBB game or Vball match just once, to check it out for yourselves.
Three of my top five Texas sporting experiences have come from one of these two sports: Vball beating #1 and undefeated Nebraska in 5 games in 2005, Bball beating a top 5 Tennessee team on a last-second shot from Nina Norman in 2002, and Jamie Carey hitting a 3-pointer to beat K-State in 2004.
I'm not going to argue fundamentals, because I just don't know enough about things like dribbling and passing and shooting to comment properly. And comparing male and female athletes in this particular sport is still comparing apples and oranges, because the athleticism in the mens' game is still at a far higher level. What I enjoy about the womens' game is the passion for the game and the sheer joy these athletes display when they play. Most players in the college womens' game these days have no hope of making a living from their sport, so they still play for the fun of it, for the most part. Yes, some games can be painful to watch, especially over the past two seasons, when there were games where we couldn't hit the broad side of the barn. But when you have two top teams clicking on all cylinders - think Duke v. Tennessee or UConn v. LSU this year - the game can be very exciting to watch.
And watching in person is so much better than watching on TV. You think the mens' commentators are bad???? So just stop by the FEC once this fall to check out the new coach and the new era of Texas womens' basketball. That's all I ask. Oh, and one visit to Gregory Gym too!
by patienthornsfan on Apr 4, 2007 1:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i don't know how much this was aimed at me...
...specifically, or how much this was aimed at this line of commentary generally. But to the extent that it was aimed at me, let me explain.
PHF, you know I have nothing but repsect for women's sports. My point with this was merely to say that "fundamentals" isn't a good reason to watch a game nor is it accurate to say that the women's game has much better fundamentals. But there are plenty of good reasons to watch women's basketball, particularly Texas games. One is that these women represent your University as much as the men do -- in some ways even more so because they're always there for 4 years and aren't using UT basketball as a mere stepping stone (not that there's anything wrong with doing that, just to be clear).
And while there isn't as much parity in the women's game yet because there just aren't enough girls who have grown up playing ball to fill D-1 rosters with good players, the games between the best teams (a group that UT is usually in) are very often fun and exciting.
Essentially, I wasn't criticizing the sport of women's basketball. I was criticizing one argument for why we should like women's basketball. We don't have to invent reasons to like it. It's not hard to like it for what it really is.
by billyzane on Apr 4, 2007 9:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nossir
It wasn't aimed at you, BZ, it was a general community comment. I shouldn't have replied specifically to your post, I should have just posted on the general line of this discussion.
My frustration with the lack of interest in - and general lack of respect for - womens' athletics at UT has been well-documented, but I think as a rule this BON'er community has always been willing to listen to my rants, and have actively participated in the discussions. With one or two glaring excpetions, from posters who are no longer BON'ers!
The next step from engaging you guys in active discussions is getting you to get your butts in seats!
I can't seem to post a comment on the KD Pledge link, but I would even promise to give up posting on womens' athletics for the duration of the mens' basketball season next year if KD agreed to come back! Now, how bout THAT for an incentive for the young man to stay one more year?
by patienthornsfan on Apr 4, 2007 10:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
shoot better
because they use a smaller ball in the same size hoop
by titans10 on Apr 3, 2007 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Interesting
"The regulation WNBA ball is a minimum 28.5 inches (72.4 cm) in circumference, 1.00 inch (2.54 cm) smaller than the NBA ball. As of 2004, this size is used for all senior-level women's competitions worldwide."
I knew it was a different ball, didn't realise it was that significant.
by patienthornsfan on Apr 4, 2007 2:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
1 inch in diameter
equals a little less that 1/3 of an inch in diameter. Making a 9.4 in diameter ball in an 18 in hoop and making a 9.1 in diameter ball in an 18 in hoop should not greatly affect the shooting percentage.
I think it has more to do with the style of play that puts such a premium on shooting ability.
by Wells on Apr 4, 2007 3:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
doesn't sound like that much...
but it makes a difference...
You give the men that same ball and I bet the shooting percentages skyrocket.
Bottom line, I'm just not a huge fan of women's basketball. Not really sure why. I think the comparative difference in sheer athleticism for some reason affects my enjoyment of the game. Much more so than for some other sports, like tennis. I remember years ago when Navratilova was dominating women's tennis, and people were saying she'd contend on the men's tour, a controversy arose when someone (I think it was McEnroe) said she couldn't even beat the #100 men's player. Chris Evert put the whole thing to rest when she weighed in on it as just silly, since Martina couldn't beat the 200th-ranked man either... The whole point was that it didn't matter - women's tennis was just fine on its own merits. The same thing should hold true for all women's sports. They shouldn't be compared to men's events, they should be appreciated for the competition and the grace and the beauty inherent in the game itself. But... somehow, that just doesn't work for me when it comes to roundball.
I do love women's volleyball, and if I lived close enough, would definitely be a butt in a seat, so you've got me there, phf. But even then, I like men's volleyball even more. Wish the gov't. would get the hell out of college athletics so maybe we could field a team...
by agent orange on Apr 4, 2007 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
No
I can assure you that giving men the same ball will not instantly increase shooting percentage. It would actually drop a lot, as the men would not be used to the size or weight of the ball.
Over time men's shooting percentage may increase slightly, but not for the reason of a slightly decreased diameter allowing for more shots to go into the same size hoop. The smaller diameter would only allow shots that would have missed by less than a 1/3 of an inch with a regulation ball to go in.
What really would cause the change in shooting percentage is the ability to control the ball better. The reason for this is the small difference in diameter equates to a 1 inch circumference difference. Which is a lot when you take into account the size of the hand used to control the ball. Better control would increase the shooting percentage. The girls ball is smaller because girls have generally smaller and weaker hands and therefor have a tougher time controlling a regulation size ball.
by Wells on Apr 5, 2007 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
well, sure...
I don't think they'd automatically shoot better without even practicing.....
But I think that if you started practicing with the new ball at the beginning of the season, the shooting percentages for the year would increase dramatically across the board. I think you underestimate how many shots miss by less than that 1/3 inch...
But by the way, I don't mean to sound like that's the only reason there's better shooting in women's bb. I think someone else already alluded to it, but the style of the game itself rewards and emphasizes shooting much more so than the men's game. It's like a league of slow white guys like Steve Kerr...
by agent orange on Apr 5, 2007 5:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
re: Yawn
Source of sport's excitement is not just from level of play. If you only care about how good teams are, you should only watch nba/nfl.
Then again, I hear ya! women games can be really boring at times. I haven't been to a women's game in three years, I'm planning to give it a shot this year though ...
PS. I'm not a women bbal junkie by any standard!
by Cyrus on Apr 3, 2007 5:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
do you think...
that durant will stay another year now?
by cowboyhorn on Apr 3, 2007 10:51 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Cute.
At least DJ's family is confirming HE will be back.
"He's not going to put his name in (the draft pool) or explore the NBA," Darryl Sr. said.
The elder Augustin said his son enjoys college and has "a lot of things he needs to work on."
"He wants to come back and play another year at Texas," he said. "He thinks another year would do him good."
by patienthornsfan on Apr 4, 2007 3:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's Official
"Duke athletic director Joe Alleva has confirmed that Gail Goestenkors has resigned to take the job as Texas women’s basketball coach.
Meanwhile, she won’t be officially introduced as the newest Longhorns coach until Thursday morning.
In a statement released to the media this afternoon, Alleva said Goestenkors told him about her decision to leave.
Alleva said: "During the last week and throughout her entire time at Duke, we addressed everything that Gail requested in order to remain our coach for the duration of her career. In the end, it came down to her seeking a new challenge at this stage in her career and her life. We respect her decision and wish her the best of luck in her new role."
Goestenkors, 44, will replace Jody Conradt, who retired March 12 after 31 years at Texas. Conradt’s 900 victories rank second, all-time, in college basketball history. Goestenkors has 396 wins, but is well on her way to much higher victory totals given hr recent success. Her Duke teams have won at least 30 games in each of the past seven seasons, an NCAA record. The Blue Devils were undefeated in the regular season this season before losing to Rutgers in the Sweet 16. Rutgers plays for the national championship tonight."
30 wins a season for 7 years! Yowza! I'll just be happy if we can get back to 20 wins every year. At this rate, Gail will retire from UT with over 1000 wins.
by patienthornsfan on Apr 4, 2007 3:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Money Talks
"While Goestenkors' salary at Duke is not a public record, it was believed the private school wasn't likely to match a high offer from the Longhorns, which is expected to be upwards of $800,000."
So does tradition.
"In a statement last week, Goestenkors said she admired the program built by Conradt, who spent 31 seasons with the Longhorns. Conradt retired with a career record of 900-306 in 38 seasons at Sam Houston State, Texas-Arlington and Texas.
That tradition seemed to intrigue Goestenkors. The Longhorns also boasted a program regarded as one of the nation's best, with first-rate facilities and a recruiting pipeline to 1,300 Texas high schools. Goestenkors already has established herself with those schools, signing All-American senior Lindsey Harding out of the Houston area."
by patienthornsfan on Apr 4, 2007 3:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Bigger expectations
"With that big raise will come bigger expectations.
Which brings us to that to-do list. These people will expect you to win a championship within the next five years. Seriously. They understand that Tiffany Jackson is graduating, but that's not an excuse they want to hear and there's a nice nucleus returning. They want Texas back in the NCAA tournament in 2008, a Final Four appearance by 2010 and a national championship by 2012.
Yes, I know that other coach who came from North Carolina took eight seasons to win a national football championship, but that didn't seem so long compared to the 35 years since Texas' last title.
Another chore: Beat Baylor. Assuming Mulkey stays in Waco and doesn't bolt to Louisiana State, your coming here sets up a I-35 coaching rivalry. You're both the same age and have both coached in a Final Four during the past three seasons. She's one heck of a recruiter, but I don't have to tell you that.
You already know the value of Texas talent. You came in here five years ago and signed Harding out of Cy-Fair High near Houston. She was the best point guard in college basketball by the time she finished. There are others just like her. Find them.
You won't have to beg them to come here. Here's why:
You will inherit the best basketball facilities in the country. We hear it was a struggle for you get the administration to put your team on nice flights for road trips. Not a problem here. The women get as good as the men at UT.
Don't worry about all the questions you will get about coach Conradt, and the large shadow that will loom over this program for a while. That's natural. Darrell Royal is still larger than life around here, and he hasn't coached in 30 years."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
by patienthornsfan on Apr 4, 2007 3:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
FUNDAMENTALS? SCHOOL PRIDE?
What the F..., are we doing here. I don't like to watch womens BB because I'm not much of a BB man to begin with, womens or mens.
I will say this......I'm going to a game or 2 next year, to put one more "Butt" in the stands. I'd much rather watch a men's game, but hey the cheerleaders are at the womens game too...., right?
Let's support the Athletic Department as a whole.
PHF & BZ are both right..........
by ouALWAYSsux on Apr 4, 2007 10:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Right! Cheerleaders are there and......
the cheerleading squads for women's basketball are 100% female. No males to block your view. The UT dance team performs now too, equivalent to Texas Pom.
by TempestHorn on Apr 4, 2007 6:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
