I remember thinking a couple of years ago that they had shown flashes that they could be good and that they were recruiting pretty well. It looked to me like Candi had them moving in the right direction. This year looks like whatever they were building has collapsed.

TEXAS TECH & KANSAS

TEXAS TECH

4-star Lyndsey Whilby signs with Lady Raiders

November 9, 2016

Lyndsey Whilby felt comfortable with Texas Tech. And supported. So, the 5-foot-11 guard from Hiram, Georgia, and one of the top 30 wings in the 2017 class by ESPNU HoopGurlz, signed with the Lady Raiders on Wednesday.

"I chose Texas Tech because of the welcoming feeling I received from my future teammates when I stepped on campus," Whilby said in the release. "Coach Whitaker and her staff were also a major reason for my decision. They were on the sidelines to support me at every AAU game. Coach Brandi Poole was there through the good games and bad."

Whilby is listed as a four-star recruit by ProspectsNation.com and a top 100 recruit by All Star Girls Report. During her high school career, Whilby helped lead McEachern High School to win three-straight Girls 4-5A Georgia State Championships.

"We couldn't be more excited to welcome Lyndsey to the Lady Raider family," Texas Tech coach Candi Whitaker said in a Texas Tech news release. "Her skillset as a dynamic wing with a high motor, good size and prolific three-point shooting fits perfectly with our team. Lyndsey is a high-character kid that is a great fit for our program. She comes from a nationally renowned high school in McEachern and is a proven winner."

Whilby joins transfer Erin DeGrate in the 2017 class. She chose Texas Tech over Kansas, Georgia Tech, Houston and Arizona. She is the 13th player on scholarship next season for Tech. Ivonne CookTaylor is the team's only senior.

Dan Olson of ESPN Girls Basketball report said Whilby has a "streaky deep-range game," and a quick first-step attack that allows he to drive the lane.

"While on my official visit, I was able to see how intense the Lady Raiders' practices were and Coach [Ray] Caldwell walked me though exactly how I would impact the team," Whilby said in the news release. "The campus is so beautiful and the fans bring a spirited passion to cheering on the Lady Raiders. The academic support is top notch and I know I will be successful in the classroom. When my visit was over, my mom and I knew Texas Tech was the place for me to spend the next four years."

- Nicholas Talbot, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Media

OP NOTE

April 2017 Ray Caldwell announced on Twitter that he is no longer an Assistant Coach for Texas Tech.

Nice.

Merry Christmas my dearest sister in Christ.
May God bless you and your family.

Any chance we can watch on TV tomorrow? Or is it Thursday?

It's on Thirsty bro Pale.

thanks a bunch gee.

Pale Rider said:

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Merry Christmas my dearest sister in Christ.
May God bless you and your family.

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Hi Brother Pale Rider,
Thank you so much! Merry Christmas to you and your family.
SIncerely, sister slimecap

Pale Rider said:

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Any chance we can watch on TV tomorrow? Or is it Thursday?

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12/28/17
at Kansas State in Manhattan KS
7:00 p.m. CT

TV Cox Channel Kansas

April 2017 Ray Caldwell announced on Twitter that he is no longer an Assistant Coach for Texas Tech

NOW...Melanie Baucomb has resigned for family reasons

slimecap said:

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Pale Rider said:

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Any chance we can watch on TV tomorrow? Or is it Thursday?

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12/28/17
at Kansas State in Manhattan KS
7:00 p.m. CT

TV Cox Channel Kansas

---

The Athletics page had a link for "Cox Channel Kansas" which went here:
http://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Live=1186&type=Archive

I guess the stream will be free. (?)

Super. Thanks bone.

BIG 12

Non-Conference Game Standings
as of December 26, 06:22 PM CT

12-0 West Virginia
10-1 Baylor
9-1 Texas
9-2 Kansas
9-2 Oklahoma State
9-2 TCU
8 3 Kansas State
6-5 Iowa State
6-5 Texas Tech
5-6 Oklahoma

Opening Day of BIG 12 Conference Play


Thursday - Dec 28

Baylor 88 @ Kansas State 58
Kansas 69 @ Iowa State 71 OT
Oklahoma State 98 @ Texas Tech 57
Texas 88 @ Oklahoma 78
West Virginia 87 @ TCU 82

OKLAHOMA



"How good are they?

Not only does that question apply to the Oklahoma women, but to the entirety of the Big 12 Conference as all 10 programs begin league play today.

That mean's No. 8 Texas (9-1) visiting OU (5-6) inside Lloyd Noble Center at 7 tonight.

The Sooners may be unlike any other sub-.500 team in the nation. They're scoring 80.5 points per game (5.6 more than their opponents), and in their last three have topped then-No. 16 South Florida 79-74, beaten previousluy unbeaten New Mexico 105-63 and played No. 1 Connecticut within 88-64 in Connecticut.

Only No. 11 UCLA (18 points) and No. 2 Notre Dame (nine) have played the Huskies any closer. Those who haven't include Stanford, Cal and Maryland, all top-20 teams at the time they met UConn.

It goes without saying the Sooners will have to put together a successful conference season to reach a 19th straight NCAA tournament. This is the first campaign since the streak began OU has lost more than it won outside the conference. Still, if the Sooners find themselves on any bubble, they're likely to get the nod.

Despite that record, they're still carrying an official NCAA RPI of No. 34. That actually puts them in front of sixth-ranked Baylor (No. 37) and two-loss TCU (No. 71), two-loss Oklahoma State (No. 80) and two-loss Kansas (No. 81).

Only Texas (No 10) and ninth-ranked West Virginia (No. 14) carry higher RPIs among Big 12 teams than OU.

All of which makes tonight a huge opportunity. The Longhorns are highly-ranked, carry a high RPI and may just be a team OU can beat.

The Longhorns have beaten just one current top-25 team, yet it was their last time out, an 87-72 setback of No. 13 Florida State. OU has only recently found itself, and a victory tonight could propel it forward.

"I think it helps us for the rest of the season," coach Sherri Coale said of standing up to No. 1 UConn.

The rest of the season begins now.


- Clay Horning, Norman Transcript, 27 Dec 2017

slimecap said:

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BIG 12

Non-Conference Game Standings
as of December 26, 06:22 PM CT

12-0 West Virginia
10-1 Baylor
9-1 Texas
9-2 Kansas
9-2 Oklahoma State
9-2 TCU
8 3 Kansas State
6-5 Iowa State
6-5 Texas Tech
5-6 Oklahoma

---

Only one program with a losing record. I'm not sure about the caliber of competition thus far but that has to be a good thing for the conference...right?

Maybe, or maybe not.

74Bear said:

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Texas Tech ... Melanie Baucomb has resigned for family reasons

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74Bear,
Appreciate your post. Texas Tech is promoting Sheryl Swoopes to replace Balcomb.




6'0" Sheryl Swoopes & 7'6" Yao Ming: Class of 2016 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame


December 27, 2017

"Former Texas Tech great Sheryl Swoopes has been moved from the Lady Raiders' director of player development to assistant coach in the wake of Melanie Balcomb's resignation announced Tuesday. The upshot: Swoopes goes from an off-court role to an on-court coach.

"It's different now," Lady Raiders guard Recee Caldwell said Wednesday, "because she can actually coach and give me advice and stuff like that. Obviously, I tried to learn from her every day, but now she's way more accessible. I don't have to wait until after practice to get my pointers. I can get it right then and there."

Balcomb, hired in July as Tech's associate head coach, cited a "family medical issue" in her resignation announcement, saying she was unable to give her full attention to the job. She won 425 games as head coach at Ashland, Xavier and Vanderbilt and spent last season on the staff of national champion South Carolina.

Asked how Balcomb's duties will be redistributed, Lady Raiders coach Candi Whitaker said, "We have done scouting reports in kind of a unique way this year, so Sheryl has taken on coach Mel's responsibility in scouting reports, which is primarily (opponents') defense and how will we attack. Guard coach. Coach Swoopes will step into the guard coach position. Recruiting, she (Balcomb) wasn't doing a ton of, but we are taking advantage of the opportunity to have coach Swoopes in a recruiting position. I think we have that opportunity to put her more in front of recruits than maybe we did with coach Mel."

Swoopes led the Lady Raiders to the 1993 national championship, was a three-time WNBA most valuable player and a three-time member of U.S. Olympic teams. She is an inductee into the Women's Basketball and Naismith Memorial Basketball Halls of Fame.

She rejoined the Lady Raiders' program in July. In addition to off-court basketball duties, Swoopes' previous role included components for players' personal and academic development as well as being a liaison with academic services, sports performance and sports medicine departments.

Given that Swoopes was already on staff, Whitaker said she expects an transition among her and the players.

"She's had mentoring meetings with them and been in every staff meeting," Whitaker said, "so the transition for her will be smooth. It's pretty cool, I think, for our kids to be able to be coached now by one of the best players to ever play the game. Sheryl has great energy about her, and we have a connection on our staff with her and it's just a really good fit."

- article by Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Media
- photo from web gathering

RioRata said:

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slimecap said:

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BIG 12

---

Only one program with a losing record. I'm not sure about the caliber of competition thus far but that has to be a good thing for the conference...right?

---

WEST VIRGINIA & BAYLOR

Sunday - Dec 31

Texas Tech 49 @ Baylor 97
Oklahoma 74 @ Iowa State 69
TCU 77 @ Kansas 86
Kansas State 68 @ Oklahoma State 76
West Virginia 58 @ Texas 79

Interesting. More parity than we thought.

OKLAHOMA STATE



December 15, 2017

"Fourth time is the charm just ask Oklahoma State's Loryn Goodwin.

For the graduate transfer, the road to Stillwater has been long, winding and peppered with plenty of stops, but has ultimately resulted in the talented point guard finding a home in historic Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Lightly recruited out of Cypress Falls (Texas) High School, Goodwin caught the eye of then-North Texas head coach Karen Aston and thought her next four years would be spent as a member of the Mean Green program. However, the first curve in the road to Payne County presented itself before Goodwin arrived in Denton. Aston moved on to the head coaching position at the University of Texas, leaving behind an uncertain incoming freshman.

"I liked her vision for the program and the other people she was bringing in. There were five other freshmen coming in with me as well. Right before we stepped on campus, we found out Coach Aston had taken the head job at Texas," Goodwin said.

Undeterred by Aston's departure, Goodwin averaged 13.1 points per game and led the Sun Belt Conference with 83 steals during the 2012-13 season on her way to being named the league's freshman of the year. At season's end, Goodwin sat down with her family to mull her future and the decision to transfer was reached. With that, it was determined stop No. 2 on the route to Stillwater would be Indianapolis and Butler University.

"I think I really made the right decision by going to Butler. It was probably the biggest challenge for me in my college career. I went there and that staff was amazing and I could not wait to play for them. I sat out a year and then whenever it was time for them to be able to coach me, they were fired," Goodwin said. "I decided I had no film from the past year since I had to sit out, so I decided I might as well stay and play a year regardless of who was going to end up being the head coach."

And play she did. Just like her rookie campaign at North Texas, Goodwin excelled with uncertainty surrounding the remainder of her career. During the 2014-15 season for the Bulldogs, she averaged 15.6 points per game and was named an honorable mention All-Big East pick. Despite her success on the hardwood, Goodwin found herself in the all-too-familiar quest for a place to lace them up at season's end.

"I decided my family was really important to me and I was just going to go somewhere where I could go back home. They could see me play every night and I could see my grandparents and they could experience games that they hadn't been able to before," Goodwin said.

The University of Texas at San Antonio fit the bill for the Cypress, Texas native, who made her return to the Lone Star State for what she thought would be the remainder of her collegiate career.

After sitting out the 2015-16 campaign, Goodwin picked up where she had left off, adding to her list of accolades. The 5-9 point guard led the Roadrunners in scoring (17.5 ppg), assists (4.5 apg) and steals (3.0 spg), earning first-team all-league honors and Conference USA's newcomer of the year distinction. All the while, Goodwin handled her business off the floor, earning academic all-league plaudits as well.

The final bend on her road to becoming a Cowgirl had nothing to do with basketball, but everything to do with Goodwin's academic pursuits. With a degree in multidisciplinary studies in hand, Goodwin hit a snag in the pursuit of her desired graduate degree.

"It was a really great experience. Nothing at UTSA was negative. They did not have the master's program that I wanted, which is entrepreneurship. I was either going to stay there and get a master's degree in business, which had the exact same classes I had already taken or I was going to go somewhere else that had the master's that was going to help me in my career," she explained.

Not only did OSU offer the program, but a connection existed in assistant coach Ashley Davis, who was on staff during Goodwin's year at North Texas. Davis would prove to be key in landing the Cowgirls' latest standout point guard.

"I knew there would be a familiar face. It just so happened I was able to get a scholarship and be able to play basketball as well, but education was always first for me," Goodwin said.

With Goodwin seeking a place to finish her education and OSU head coach Jim Littell looking to bolster the Cowgirls' backcourt, the stars aligned for both parties. After Davis offered a favorable recommendation on her former player, Littell was sold.

"Coach Davis told our staff that she was a really good player as well as a really good kid," Littell said. "We knew she was a great person and we had a great idea about her work ethic, her tenacity on the court and in the weight room with how she attacked workouts. We felt very comfortable bringing Loryn into the Cowgirl program."

Goodwin understands the stigma many will attach to her nomadic career, but she is appreciative of those who took the time to examine her situation and afforded her the opportunity to finish her career the way she had always intended.

"When you transfer that many times, it seems that it is about you and that you are the problem and you are transferring because you did something wrong. That is how you know I was destined to be here, the fact that I got a year back from the NCAA. They looked at my story, looked at the schools I had been at and saw that it wasn't my fault. There were things that were out of my control," Goodwin said. They decided to give me that year back to help me be successful and I am really appreciative of that. It has gotten me to this point and now I am where I was always supposed to be."

Being the repeated victim of circumstance, it would be understandable if Goodwin was soured on her college days, but it is quite the contrary. She instead has taken the approach that each stop along the way has been a blessing and readied her for life in one of the sport's premiere conferences.

"Every place that I transferred, I grew and experienced something that I wasn't going to had I stayed at the same university for four years. Had I not done that, I would not have come into this so ready and so prepared and confident in what I am doing," Goodwin said. "I am really excited to be on this different journey with these girls. Everybody has a story and I am glad that they accept mine and what I have faced and what I have dealt with. It makes it an easy experience for me to be with girls who accept me for who I am and how I play."

Since arriving in Stillwater, Goodwin has resumed what she had done at each of the three previous programs, filling stat sheets. In her first nine games as a Cowgirl, she ranks among the Big 12's best in scoring (21.6 ppg, 3rd), assists (5.1 apg, 5th) and steals (4.3, 1st).

Any questions about Goodwin's ability to play against top-level competition were quickly answered with OSU's rugged non-conference schedule. During the Cowgirls' battle with No. 12 Tennessee, she finished with 29 points and five assists on her way to securing Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team honors.

Goodwin has since backed it up with eye-opening performances at No. 3 Mississippi State (35 points, 10 rebounds) and in OSU's win over No. 7 UCLA (27 pts, six rebounds, five assists), proving she not only belongs in the spotlight, but thrives when said spotlight is brightest.

Having coached countless talented players over the course of his illustrious career, even Littell has been taken aback at what he has seen to this point from Goodwin.

"She has exceeded our expectations. What has really impressed me has been her work ethic, her leadership, her desire for success and how humble she has been," Littell said. "Every interview, she has never mentioned 'I', She is always deferring to her teammates and how they have made her feel comfortable and helped her assume her role in this program."

Goodwin credits being given defined responsibilities immediately and the people within the Cowgirl program with helping her adjust so quickly.

"They gave me a role up front and told me what they needed me to do, so I was able to find my way, watch film and do what I needed to do to figure out how to be the best in that role. My teammates and my coaches have all coached me up and helped me be ready for what is going on right now," Goodwin said.

Goodwin and her mature approach to the game can be traced not only to her various college stops, but also to growing up in a family of athletes. Her father, Trampas, played football at West Texas A&M, while her mother, Laura, was a member of the Sam Houston State volleyball team.

"They were both really driven and did what I have wanted to do. They coached me up until about seventh grade. That is what has made me so mentally tough, in the weight room and in sprints and things I can control. I always want to be the hardest worker and I think they really instilled that in me at a young age, to work for everything," said Goodwin.

Additionally, Goodwin's cousin, Marquise, currently stars for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. The two have enjoyed a close relationship and having someone who has reached the pinnacle in his sport of choice has helped Goodwin navigate her unique college experience.

"He has helped me through my transfer situations. Every time he was there and gave me advice for what he thought I should do, if I should leave and where I should end up. He is my cousin, but he is also one of my really good friends," Goodwin said. "Seeing him succeed on the same path I am going on now gives me motivation to know that I can do it if he can do it. To also have him as a mentor and to keep me grounded and focused on what I need to do is priceless."

OSU has enjoyed success at the guard position in recent history, a fact not lost on Goodwin as she hopes to make the most of her single season in Stillwater and leave her mark on the program.

"The people who have paved the way, like Andrea Riley and Tiffany Bias. Those players have motivated me to want to fulfill the spot Coach Littell needs me to fill and play the role I need to fill," Goodwin said. "To be compared to those type of players who went on to the WNBA and were All-Americans and things like that is something that I could have never imagined, but something I am so grateful and happy that I get to do at Oklahoma State."

- Ryan Cameron, Oklahoma State WBB website

Nice story.
Sounds like OSU is definitely going to be a force to contend with in the conference this year.

Happy New Year sis.

Pale Rider said:

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Happy New Year sis.

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Thank you, Brother Pale Rider.



Happy New Year to you, my dear friend. Sincerely, sister slimecap

Happy New Year slimecap! Hope you had a good one.

That's a very nice and insightful article on Goodwin. Honestly, I was kind of skeptical about her as four different schools would seem like an issue to most. But she was very aware of what people might think and did a good job of clearing that all up for us outsiders. Respect to her for not giving up and going after what's best for herself.

bowdedg said:

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Happy New Year slimecap! Hope you had a good one.

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Hi bowdedg,
Thank you! Happy New Year.
Looking forward to seeing you at the games in 2018

TEXAS TECH

New interim head coach Shimmy Gray-Miller
Promoted from Texas Tech assistant coach on January 1, 2018

Sounds like she may be a good choice.