The New Beginning Starts When?

[Oliver Hardy]

If I understand correctly what seems to be developing is this:

At the 5 we have Simpson currently, but we all expect Bloom to start from day one.

M. Williams is our penetrating pf who needs to improve her mid-range shot. She's going to be our 4.

Gregory or Robertson are going to be our 3; one because she's deadly behind the arc, the other because she has a superb shot inside the arc and she can rebound and drive.

Lluanusa is our 2 and that is not going to change until she graduates. (YAY!)

At point guard it's probably going to be Murcer, as, I think, we all think it should be.

There should be 4 roster spots open for next season, so that means Sherri has 4 scholarships to offer -- and two assistant coaches positions.

Now, the team officially starts team practices some time in August after classes start, I believe. If anyone knows this year's start date, I would appreciate knowing it.

So, trying to develop a timeline on when might be the latest for new coach hires, I'm estimating Sherri is going to want to have her coaches in absolutely no later than May 1st.

They have to find housing, school, banks, etc. They also have to have a ton of meetings with each other, learn what Sherri wants to do/change. I would think Sherri would want to have all of that out of the way by June 1st.

Then the girls spend two months working out, playing pick-up games by themselves, implementing their to-do list from coaches, etc. before real practice starts.

So, I'm saying I think Sherri announces her new coach hires by April 30th.

I also think we will know about any new player additions by the same date.

Thoughts?

 

[SoonerSpock]

I am just not certain that Bloom is a 5. From watching her in early shoot arounds prior to games she always shot facing be basket from the elbow to the wing from 17' to BTA. Never saw her work on shots with her back to the basket. I see Bloom as a 3 moreso than a 4 as I never saw her shooting from the corner or the baseline.

She may play the 5 because of her length but I do not think that she plays to the strength of her game if she does so based on what I have seen to date.

 

[sybarite]

I don't know what type of progress that each person will make in the off-season. I think Nydia could make a run at the five, and Liz could make a run at the four. I still think Sherri has a high long-term regard for Tatum, and she does have better hands than Jessi.

In most of the videos that I have seen of Bloom, she would be a four. Although, I did see her in a championship game (of what I don't know) when she just took over the interior, offensively and defensively,and dominated. Only time I saw her show that attitude. She doesn't really have the body for it, the last I saw. But, she does have the hands to do it, snaking above the crowd for blocks and rebounds. Good agility.

I think it is far too open among about eight or nine players. Madi will start. Ana will start. Everything else is up for grabs.

Time to get settled? I was drafted out of graduate school. When I got out of the Army, I intended to come back when school started and resume my work, about Sept 15, when school usually started. I was on CQ duty one night when the Chairman of the Department called for me. I just happened to be the one answering the phone as CQ. Told me school started 8/31 these days. I wouldn't get out until 8/28 (8/27 since they let you out a day early, something to do with the reserves), and I was to have reported to TA preparation duty on 8/24. Well, I flew out of Baltimore 8/27 and went to my parents house in western OK.

At 4:30 the next morning, I went to the cafe at the bus station for breakfast, waiting for the bus to OKC. Customer had a 66 Lemans GTO for sale. I paid cash at breakfast at 5:00, and drove to Norman. Found I had a car that needed a valve job. Checked into the job, met with the faculty, enrolled---all by 11:00 AM. Instead of lunch, I went to DeBarr and yelled in the middle of the street for anyone who had a room. One eighty year old man said he had one. I took it and reported to another TA (teaching assistants) meeting at 1:00. At 3:30, I drove back west, gave the guy his car back. 8/29 was a Saturday. I bought another used car, went to the only clothing store in town and bought a couple of sports coats, slacks, and shirts, not having any civilian clothing in which to teach. Drove a hundred twenty miles back to Norman on Sunday. Was early to class on Monday.

The point---getting settled at a university is quick, and you don't need to be cemented in place to get started.

 

[atlantasooner]

May 1st is ideal. June 1st is critical.
Also depends if you need the new assistants to help with 2019 spring recruiting.
Basketball recruiting is relationship building. Pure and simple, and it's generally a marathon
not a sprint.
That new assistants must be in before the summer AAU season to have any impact in 2020
but really you're shooting for 2021.
It nearly takes two recruiting cycles to see the impact of a new assistant.
I have few hopes the new assistants can make a huge impact in this current class.
I hope I'm wrong, but that's not the way recruiting works.
On the court, that's where you hope that they can make a bigger impact.

 

[SoonerSpock]

+1

 

[Pike Pastor]

Priority One is hiring the new assistants--hopefully people who have worked in winning programs with aggressive recruiting cultures. And yeah, Ollie, this truly needs to occur in the next 2-3 weeks.

I may be wrong, but I believe that these hires will be a very clear indicator of what kind of "new beginning" or "getting things right" turnaround we can expect next season. We already know that OU will have to overcome being undersized in the paint. Will we see an improvement in fundamental basketball skills? Turnover ratio? Overcoming their lack of quickness?
There are still solid players to work with. But what will actually usher in a fresh new breeze of improvement/excitement/focus?

I'm gonna tilt in the direction of cautious optimism in hopes that Sherri lures some help that will be difference makers. Oh, and a shocker grad transfer..or two.. would also be very helpful and timely.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Completely agree on the grad transfer or a JC kid. She needs to do something out of her normal routine, because I think she really only has next season to make a big change.

I don't think Joe C. is going to give her two years to do it -- but that's just my opinion.

 

[SoonerSpock]

I concur with rocjunkie. I think Sherri has 2 years to make a turnaround unless 2020 is a disaster. JMHO.

 

[Leroy]

Oliver, Gregory shoots the three as well as Robertson and can rebound and play defense which Robertson can't. By conference play Gregory should be a starter at the three. She is an athlete that made all state in volleyball this year. Not someone that can't run or jump.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Oliver, Gregory shoots the three as well as Robertson and can rebound and play defense which Robertson can't. By conference play Gregory should be a starter at the three. She is an athlete that made all state in volleyball this year. Not someone that can't run or jump.

Thanks, Leroy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SoonerSpock]

Oliver, Gregory shoots the three as well as Robertson and can rebound and play defense which Robertson can't. By conference play Gregory should be a starter at the three. She is an athlete that made all state in volleyball this year. Not someone that can't run or jump.

I am inclined to doubt that Gregory can shoot the 3 like Robertson (46.7%) until I have seen her produce against D-1 defenses. Her 46.7% BTA was ranked #2 nationally last year on 225 attempts which were 52 more attempts than anyone ranked in the top 5 nationally.

Those type of shooters come along once a decade not in every class.

https://stats.ncaa.org/rankings/change_sport_year_div

 

[CoachTalk]

Oliver, Gregory shoots the three as well as Robertson and can rebound and play defense which Robertson can't. By conference play Gregory should be a starter at the three. She is an athlete that made all state in volleyball this year. Not someone that can't run or jump.

Not sure you can shoot it that well. Yes she can stroke it but not as well as Robertson.

 

[Pike Pastor]

Can anyone confirm if Sherri has gone on record with her opinion of grad transfers? We know she has expressed reservations about transfers/JUCOs in genteral, but Grad Transfers played a huge role in many women and men's teams elevating their outcomes this season. Exhibit A would have to be Chloe Jackson at Baylor. A career 2 guard, Jackson learned how to run the point and contributed significantly to BU cutting down the nets last week. There are many others that could be listed.
It seems that an experienced grad who has played in a solid program could infuse some much-needed experience, seasoning and confidence to the young players currently on the roster.
It will come down to Sherri's feeling on the GT, and then the right player seeing OU as a great place to close out her career.
Here's hoping.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Sherri virtually never talks (tweets, face books or instagrams) about:

Recruiting (in fairness she's limited by the NCAA about what she can say & when)
Players
Details of anything she's doing or why...

Oh, what's the use of going on...

You don't question Cerci Lannister without getting killed in a horrible way do you?

Sorry -- feeling a bit testy today.

 

[Pike Pastor]

Well, thanks a helluva lot, Ollie, for spoiling Cerci's death for me!!
I am two seasons behind on GOT.

Ah, well. I suppose when discussing the current prospects for OU WBB, it's best to keep things light and breezy. We will know soon enough about much---assistants, transfers, plans, hope....

 

[soonerstar]

It was one month ago today when she axed the 2 assistants. Ought to here somrthing on new hires soon.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

What? What?! WHAT??? Cerci's already dead?!!! MF is it SUNDAY? OMG!!! I din't miss it did I?

Crap.

Took a deep breath...Wife told me it's not Sunday. Thanks for the heart attack Pastor!

 

[MisterF]

Coale doesn’t appear to be in any hurry to start the righting of the ship. I’m wondering if she is having troubles finding anybody of high quality interested?

 

[cjhsooner]

Nobody in media cares about women's basketball, for the most part. There are very few reporters who tweet about goings-on in the coaching ranks, or even recruiting. So no news is expected, since no one cares enough to cover it, for the most part.

 

[Oliver Hardy]

Sad and too often true.

The news media still doesn't know what to do with women's sports, it doesn't matter what sport it is. They treat it like no one is interested so why spend the money covering it?

It is a shame because there are a lot of really great female athletes out there -- a lot!

When I was coaching girls soccer for 20 years at middle school and high school aged girls, one of the reason I liked it so much was because the athletes weren't playing for scholarships (although that changed towards the end of my coaching). I loved it because the girls loved to play the game and they were a lot tougher and meaner than the boys, let me tell you.

I never once had a female soccer player complain about anything training, practice, games, tournaments all around the country year round.

They all loved it.