Showing posts with label Vic Schaefer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vic Schaefer. Show all posts

Monday, December 6, 2021

Gary Blair’s Aggie Women vs. Vic Schaefer’s Longhorn Women — The Good, The Bad, and the Sad

Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, was part of A&M Women’s Basketball History in the meeting between Coach Gary Blair’s Texas Aggies (#17, 8-1) and Coach Vic Schaefer’s Texas Longhorns (#15, 6-1). For two men who coached together at Arkansas and Texas A&M for 15 years, sadly I never thought I’d write that sentence with the phrase “Coach Vic Schaefer’s Longhorns” in it. Even sadder, the Aggies lost to Schaefer’s Longhorns today, at least on the scoreboard. [Photo: TAMU Athletics]

An Aggie is an Aggie for life, and I didn’t think it would irritate me as much that the Aggie alum would go down the road and take the national spotlight at the school’s oldest rival. Had it been to teach at their vet school, or their medical school, it would have not even crossed my mind.

But with the emotion that is inbred in Aggies from Midnight Yell on up, it’s as unfathomable just as a Harvard alum going to coach at Yale. Or a USC alum coaching at UCLA. Some things “Just ain’t right” as they say.

Friends of Coach Schaefer’s need not rush to his defense and cite 17 reasons why he’s the right guy for the job at UT; I’m not questioning anything but his decision to join “that other school.” But it’s his life and his choices have netted him great financial prosperity.

Okay. So many of us just assumed that an Aggie would lead the Aggies beyond the Blair dynasty. In April 2020, local sportswriter Robert Cessna penned “Texas A&M left without a sure-fire replacement for women’s basketball” (re UT’s hire of Schaefer).

But Texas? I had wondered what the big rush was, when the handwriting was on the wall for Blair when the new AD was hired; it’s tradition to follow the all-sport national championship quest. Nothing less will do.

With all the miracles he worked at Mississippi State, surely Schaefer could have named his price to be Head Coach here, next year, had he stayed another year there. That’s a thought of just one person who has absolutely no insight or back-room knowledge of the way these things really work.

Have to admit it, though, when a UT friend shared a photo from their Alcalde magazine, showing four Schaefer’s with at least three Aggie degrees among them doing the “Hook ‘em Sign,” I shook my head. It's like welcoming Matthew McConnaughey as the new face of 12th Man giving a thumbs up; it is not according to nature. Tell you what, though, UT has a winner with his support, though, and he's a welcome UT guest here anytime. [Photo credit: UT Alcalde magazine.]

I’d only had great feelings about Schaefer’s transfer to Mississippi State, because undoubtedly he could turn their program around, and show his natural leadership as a Head Coach. Indeed he did, and he took Blair’s blessing with him, as he personally works so hard to promote his associates. Vic raised the Lady Bulldogs to national prominence in a very fast time, and set new attendance records for The Hump arena there. He did that also by taking Asso. Coach Johnnie Harris, the hidden gem, and defense genius-in-training Mary Ann Baker, with him when he left Aggieland. But yesterday was different.

It was “interesting” to watch Coach Schaefer running up and down the sidelines, rolled-up program in hand, constantly stepping over the baseline and never getting flagged once for it. The histrionics, even with a 20-point lead, seemed to be overkill. Surely I was grumpy, and clearly his team was well coached and they were following the plan, but the other behavior was confusing because you’d have thought they were behind by 30 points.

I prefer calm to manic sideline action. As an Aggie coach, he’d confine his jumping up and down to the chair’s width he was alotted at the time. Meanwhile, the only real temper Blair showed was to take off his suit coat and toss it to Radar Ricke (now retired, sigh, is NOTHING going to be the same this year?) and reach for his koozie of Diet Coke. Calm and assured is the vibe I want to be in sync with, please.

I actually like and respect the University of Texas—even as a multiple-degreed Aggie, because for many years they offered degrees and majors that we didn’t. It’s important to have multiple flagship schools in the state. Texas Tech competes nicely with the Aggies in veterinary medicine and they had a solid law school long before we ever ‘acquired’ one because surely we must have one if everyone else did. Hard to fathom there being any more pressing a reason that that. And that doesn’t make me a 2%-er. Don’t question my Aggie blood; you’ll lose that argument.

There is always a matter of state pride in being comfortable to join in whenever any Texas school was playing an out-of-state school. As long as it wasn’t A&M that UT was playing, you root for UT for the sake of state pride. At least a few others subscribe to this generosity of spirit, too.

Even when we were not playing the University of Texas, since we joined the SEC, no one changed our school song, because it was simply inevitable that Texas would have to find their way back to our sandbox. An in-state rivalry is only as lucrative as when you put these teams in direct contention, so four years will fly by and then we’ll all be one (un)happy family together, just like before. So what? Why do we keep singing “Goodbye to Texas University” when they won’t stay gone?

For every game that the Aggies and the Longhorns play, families who have mixed alliances have a lot of pride at stake for their team to win. It’s based on a premise that we (that’s right, you!) made the “best” choice of where to attain your academic credentials and that the opposition exists simply to be crushed, ground, and spit out under our monolithic superiority and strength.

My mind keeps wandering back to last Monday’s first Gary Blair radio show of the season at Rudy’s BBQ. For last week and for all the years of these shows, Gary Blair has made fans proud he’s their coach, exhibiting only solid personal on-court, and off-court professional behavior. He owns every loss and never tries to hope we didn’t notice. The days of Gary Blair and his style of coaching are approaching an end at A&M but will live long in the minds and hearts of every Aggie who regards and respects him.

Blair is forthright, analytical, and has a wise sense of humor to keep his student-athletes focused on what they did right and what they need to do for next time. He‘s had a wide range of playing talent coming through our portals and he’s done his best to teach, model, and keep up with the players to have as close to a 100% graduation rate as he can possibly manage. His teams graduate. They are out in the community with regularity as they are expected to be good resident citizens and give back selflessly to the town where they reside and play as “home.”

This is not to say he’s the only one to do it. Every school has a similar program in place. It’s just that the way Blair does it, he’s modeled in his players the need to unite, he has instilled in them loyalty to their alma mater. He “gets” A&M, and he is the best ambassador of all things Aggie with a genuine sincerity and joy that just spills out of whatever he says and does.

Even at the top, when the Aggie name was a brief household word nationally as the victors of the 2011 Women’s National Championships, Blair’s ego remained in check. His joy was unparalleled of course, but he didn’t buy all the hype that comes with that “one moment in time.” He has always been in it for the long haul. It’s easy to get caught up in hardware of trophies and accolades of titles, but it’s the work that his team puts forth by which he measures his accomplishments.

That name plate on his desk still says “Gary Blair: Building Champions.” And it’s still very early in the season. Lots of games to go, many players are building excellent skills on solid foundations, many future professional players and coaches in training—that’s who this team was last night, and they have a positive role model to thank for their education. There are many victories, tournament wins, and likely NCAA appearances ahead.

The Aggies might have been outscored, but they definitely were not outclassed. The rest of the season has many bright spots ahead of it. Join the crowd in Reed Arena and keep the momentum going. It may be Blair’s last year as head coach, but his dynasty will last far beyond this game. Congratulations to the UT players who were relentless and played with passion. They have a good year ahead of them as well.

Only a handful of women’s basketball programs have immediate national recognition by just one name alone: Geno’s UConn, Pat’s (Summit) Tennessee, Muffet’s Notre Dame, Mulkey’s Baylor (it will take a while for the LSU thing to stick, even if she’s going home), Iowa’s Lisa (Bluder) and (yes, all one word the way announcer Mark Edwards says it) GaryBlair’s Aggies.

To the season at hand, the Aggie women (8-1) are destined for a great year ahead, especially after Sunday’s learning session. So much to be proud of and for the team and many of the great things they did today, in front of 7,100 people. They played the first part of the first quarter brilliantly, which we can do more of, just keep playing basketball “Blair’s way.”

The next Gary Blair Radio Show is tonight, 6pm at Rudy’s BBQ.

Next home game is vs. Texas Southern Thursday, Dec. 9, at 7pm.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Violation of Team Rules Cause Aggie Women’s Basketball Team Embarrassing Loss to Miss. St.

Today, the No. 17 Texas A&M Women’s Basketball team put on their single-most embarrassing effort this season, as they unfortunately cratered, faded, and tanked, 76-55, against the now-SEC Champions, the No. 2 Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs, playing in Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi. And that was before the game had even started. Everyone could see the “L” coming home on the plane with the team. Why?

Because without even a media press release sent out to alert beforehand, the TV announcers had only seconds before game time to note for the audience that freshman Chennedy Carter and senior Khaalia Hillsman would not be starting the game today for a “violation of team rules.”

Announcers were quick to say that the players had “been late to an important team event,” just so the audience would know it was “different” than the violations of team rules that members of other Aggie teams have committed, also the most selfish acts of irresponsibility on their parts.

No matter the circumstances, it’s reasonable to say that this irresponsible behavior cost the Aggies the game today. How selfish is that? Immeasurably. In the first few minutes of the game, without the whirling dervish centerpiece around which the Aggie offense must revolve, and the absence of the post player to prevent opponents from easy access to drive to the basket, it was no surprise that Mississippi State jumped out to an early 11–0 lead.

If there was ever a slim chance of staying close in the game, it was already a major fail with this opening move. You have to commend Aggie Head Coach Gary Blair for enforcing team rules, because to do so meant accepting the predictable loss. You can’t begin a championship caliber game with two “star” players on the bench the first three minutes and expect the other team members to be able to run plays around which they were not the original focus. It was a confusion-laden offense, reminiscent of clown cars driving in every direction at Ringling Brothers Circus again.

No, it didn’t have to be this way. All good things considered, with preparation and mental toughness, it would have been just as easy to walk in there, having prepared, and desiring with passion and determination to be the team that turned the Lady Bulldogs into 27-1. Imagine what a victory like that would have done for the No. 17 Aggie women? Tomorrow, that No. 17 will disappear as quickly as the two hours of today’s game.

Four years ago, Mississippi State’s team didn’t execute the plays the way they did today; they didn’t have the physicality that they did today. They didn’t seem like a powerhouse on the court, but off the court, they were a team united by example, by force, and by fierce insistence of the man whose nickname here was the “Secretary of Defense.” On the court, that gentleman is far from warm and fuzzy.

The Lady Bulldogs began building this year’s team four years ago, and four of the five starters are seniors. They couldn’t recruit nationally—they drew from Mississippi, an even more important accomplishment. So, 2018 is their year. Next year, there will be an all-new group of players on their court. And Coach Schaefer’s lawn will be a little less busy, or maybe it won’t be.

But who and what has taken over the Aggie court, and who has changed this team from a group of nationally recruited players to the team on the court today? Last year Danni Williams was the team hero, more so than any other player, and remained humble and felt the respect and regard of her team. This year, Williams has had moments, or games, filled with self-doubt. Or, she’s been double-teamed out of key position, and is trying to fight her way out of that slump, and there’s no pressure like not performing this year as you did last year.

What does it say about Aggie post play when the smallest Lady Bulldog on the court, Morgan William, whose listed 5’5” height is about 5 inches too generous, was able to drive right to the basket, undaunted?

Another good question is why is Anriel Howard always in double-doubles for her shooting and her rebounding? Simple. Anriel fights for that rebound every single time there’s a shot. She winds up getting her own misses and going for second-chance shots, often getting them.

Jasmine Lumpkin’s shooting time has increased the last few games, mostly because she’s worked herself into an open spot on the court and has the guts to shoot, no matter the outcome. She has no reason to be anything but proud of how she played today. Her defensive abilities are exceptional. But she can't do it all by herself out there, though she fights every play of the game. It doesn’t matter about her missed shots—at least she took shots.

If you’re looking for one potential source of the biggest problem in todays’ loss, assuming that the Aggies did well the second quarter and really kept Mississippi State contained well, the stat sheet has the answer. Courtesy of Asst. SID, David Waxman, here’s how today’s game stacked up.

Five Mississippi State players scored in double figures, and Victoria Vivians had 26 on the day, with 2 assists. Vivians also had 12 rebounds and teammate Teaira McCowan had 11 rebounds. The Lady Bulldogs had 10 of 21 three-point shots fall their way, compared to 1 of 12 by the Aggies, the 1 three-pointer going to Chennedy Carter.

Roshunda Johnson scored 16, point guard Morgan William scored 12, Blair Schaefer had 11, and Teaira McCowan had 11 points…a very nice spread. Only five Lady Bulldog players scored. Morgan William, by the way, led the team with 7 assists, and guess how many assists Aggie players had for the game: 3. Just 3 assists. Anriel had one, Jasmine had 1 and Chennedy Carter had 1. There’s your loss. No one was getting the ball to the open person.

To be fair Mississippi State played a swarming defense, yet not every Aggie was covered all the time. Apparently, every time Chennedy Carter had the ball, she shot it. She made 12 of 29 field goals, 1 of 8 three-point attempts, and 6 of 7 free throws. She held the ball 37 times compared to her teammates. The most shots attempted by any other Aggie were 7 by Howard (making 3), 7 by Williams (making 0), 7 by Hillsman (making 2), and 3 by Lumpkin (making 0).

Right as the game began, the announcers spoke glowingly again of the value of having Chennedy Carter in the lineup for the Aggies (noting how they were scoreless without her), and how she’s surely freshman of the year, having shot 46 points in one game and 36 (I think) in another.

That’s too much pressure on one child, and apparently she’s put it on herself to carry this team when she thinks they can’t perform. And yet, shooting 12 of 29 field goals and 1 of 8 three-pointers is hardly freshman of the year material, nor is it anything like shooting lights out. It’s just volume, volume, volume.

Anriel Howard and Jasmine Lumpkin continued to be the MVPs of Aggie team play, as Anriel was perfect on free throws, making 8 of 8. Jasmine made 3 of 4. This duo also led in rebounds (Anriel had 10, Jasmine had 7). One bright new spot is that Caylinne Martin was thrust into starting role and got 2 points and 5 rebounds in 10 minutes of play, compared to 4 points and 8 rebounds in 30 minutes of play by Hillsman. Martin is finding herself more at home when in the game. Still plenty of teaching time ahead.

Carter can be proud, individually, that she is now third place on Texas A&M’s single-season point list, with 605 points this season; her 31 points “tie for the third-most for a Texas A&M freshman in a single game,” and today her fifth 30+ point game of the season. But her team lost, so…so what?

After this game, the team will have a chance to talk to one another and determine how they will play Arkansas, Missouri, and in the SEC Tournament. Change has to begin from the bottom up. The coaches can’t fix this. They’ve done everything they can. They’ve taught the players, supervised them, coached them, encouraged them and even coddled some of them. But their job ended with the end of this game.

Only the players can effect positive change, which begins in their attitudes, their commitment to this team, and their passion for winning. No ball will go unrebounded. No shot will not be followed up, and no opposing team will slip past them every single play in the future--if they choose to win.

Today's attendance was 9933 fans of Mississippi State--that's another record to match as well.

Meanwhile, quoting Vic Schaefer, God bless and Go Dawgs, to Aggie Coach Vic Schaefer, Associate Head Coach Johnnie Harris, Director of Operations, Maryann Baker, and Director of Scouting/Video Coordinator, Skylar Collins, and congratulations to Teaira McCowan, Blair Schaefer, Morgan William, Roshunda Johnson, Victoria Vivians, Jazzmun Holmes, Jordan Danberry, Zion Campbell and Chloe Bibby on being the SEC Champions.

It was indeed the day for Coach Vic Schaefer and all of his staff and team to celebrate their SEC Championship. They earned it. And one thing is clear: they celebrated as a team.

Either this team will return as the fightin’ Texas Aggies that everyone sings the song about, or they won't. One thing is sure: they'll either be united or untied. By Thursday the fans should know for certain. Aggie fans are hoping for the best.