The team has a legitimate candidate for National Player of the Year.
There are no other collegiate All Americans on this squad, though Andrews (who played very little last year) and Egbo were included on some high school All American lists. Egbo has oft been cited here for her inconsistency (we saw a little of that today, though nothing like some of her past games). Lewis was a second team All SEC player last season and has been a real asset. Asberry made the All Big 12 squad last year, I believe, but was not in the top ranks. Jaden Owens, another high school All American, scarcely saw the floor last year. It is noteworthy how many high school "All Americans" don't pan out as college players. What are the criteria for these selections, anyway?
Bickle was well thought of coming out of Arizona, but an injury blighted her senior year. She is an asset to this team, no question. There it is...and while it is a very good group, the guards and Bickle are a bit undersized for their positions, particularly since we need more rebounding from those positions than they can give us. Teams with size have hurt us on the boards and often limited us to one shot, while occasionally getting multiple shots in a possession. Our balance and ability have compensated for that for the most part, but in the NCAA Tournament, particularly after the first weekend, we will see the gap in ability narrow and the importance of size become larger.
We replaced some quality starters from last year and dropped down in size. It has taken us awhile to become accustomed to the new coach and her system. It is beautiful to watch when the shots are dropping and the passes are on the mark. Neither was true of today, so the win was an ugly one. Given the circumstances I was happy to see our team win and leave that arena.
Coaches do not win awards, as a rule, for doing what they are expected to do. However, if what they are expected to do is to protect their top-ranked status and bring home a championship, as Dawn Staley appears on the path to do, that usually results in favorable notice for coaching awards. She has had two of the last three top ranked classes, and that always helps. When she is not dominant in personnel, she usually struggles just like other coaches do in similar situations, including Auriemma.
The myth of "'coaching 'em up" that has frequently surfaced on this board over the years is not a persuasive one to me, nor the one that he or she can beat you with hers, or take yours and beat you equally well. No, Don Shula could not do that in football and Mike K. could not do it in basketball. I am a big admirer of Aranda, but he lost just as big season before last as he won in this recent one. There were a number of differences that made that possible, including the schedule. I feel the same way about our basketball coaches, recent past and present.
The portal makes a huge difference for the current coaches, and particularly so in basketball. We will see how it plays out in the years ahead. I think that Baylor is fortunate to have many fine coaches, particularly in the "major" sports, and I do not mean to imply that coaching does not make a difference. But there is a reason that recruiting budgets have soared into fanciful regions, these days, and that multiple people are employed to do almost nothing but scout, evaluate, and recruit.
