Lauren Cox (15) blocks a shot by Kansas State forward Jasauen Beard
Feb 13, 2019

Lauren is playing with a sense of purpose, and it is rare to see a big interior presence go out to the arc and guard with effectiveness the smaller and quicker players, as well as bigger players who are trying to spread the floor. She is the focal point of our defense, a fine one on one defender but an even more impressive help defender. It always surprises me a bit when she is in the paint and an opponent gets to the rim without much of a challenge.

She is aggressive now at the offensive end, and her work on the boards is a direct result of that highly developed sense of presence that all the great interior players display. I love her effort and admire her game.

Although I imagine that she will play a lot at the 5 next year, Lauren is the quintessential 4. Ability to dribble drive, shoot the 3, superior passer, excellent rebounder, tough as nails defensively. I bet if you assigned equal value for all offensive (points, assists) and defensive (blocks, rebounds) stats, she would rank among the top in BU history at the end of her 4 years. She's a stat sheet stuffer and the team that drafts her for the WNBA next year will have as complete a front court player as there is in the country.

In short, my favorite player.

'lauren cox - actually taking prisoners*'

- KKM

* emoto-cognitively speaking - as the entrants - initially intrepid upon entering the lane - almost immediately realize the folly of their decision - yet - full of bravada - yes, bravada, continue on their errant arc, only to met with rejection vaguely reminiscent of the once and former spur greats gj johnson, and more accurately, the all around skill set of the legendary timmay duncan..............

I honestly thought when Lauren signed with Baylor, we might see our own multi-year winning streak. She didn't come out of the gate quite as ready for the D1 level as many of us hoped, hardly any freshmen do, but she worked hard and has become everything we had hoped. And, but for a couple of bad breaks and some costly transfers and dismissals, that streak could have started last year. Certainly, Lauren has done her part.

Lauren has been loyal to her commitment to Baylor and has taken on leadership responsibilities, preaching patience and hard-work to her teammates and always bringing to the court a relentless desire to win. She and Kalani play so great together. Though it is so difficult to achieve, I really hope they'll be rewarded with a National Championship this year.

Who knows, perhaps when this dynamic freshmen group really starts to contribute next year, that long winning streak might just happen and we'll all reflect back to that time back in 2018 that we last lost to Stanford.

With Lauren, these dreams are within reach.


Thanks Lady Bears!

Born_A_Bear said:

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Pale Rider said:

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In short, my favorite player.

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Now PR, you (we) have several favorite players.

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But Lauren is my favorite favorite.

Kansas State's Kayla Goth faces the Venus Flytrap effect of Lauren Cox's defense

Feb 13, 2019

Love Lauren. She is truly a complete player.

slimecap said:

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Also, Lauren maintains close to a 4.0 GPA!!!

slimecap said:

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Kansas State's Kayla Goth faces the Venus Flytrap effect of Lauren Cox's defense

Feb 13, 2019

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Has to be one of my favorite pictures of one of my most favorite players. Most favorite.

slimecap said:

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Lauren Cox (15) blocks a shot by Kansas State forward Jasauen Beard
Feb 13, 2019

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Tat's a rejection.

historian said:

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Pale Rider said:

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In short, my favorite player.

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Is that a pun?

Correction: is that pun intentional? Clearly it is a pun.

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I'm not smart enough to create a pun. I'm way too existential.

DaCosta has potential to be a superstar...
And Egbo to a lesser degree...

ChapBear said:

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What a great opportunity to watch Lauren and Kalani play for the last two years. KM has created a wonderful series of teams that play with passion and incredible skill. This year Chloe and Juicy and Moon might get us over the top like Kristy might have done for us last year. We have to be realistic, KM has recruited 4 Superstars in my memory, Griner, Sims, Cox and Brown. There just are't that many superstars out there. In her no. 1 rated class, I only see Smith as a potential superstar but her game has to improve substantially to fill that role. So in the next 3 or four years we might return to a team that will have excellent talent but much fewer easy baskets by depending on the big girls. Enjoy the heck out of this team because it is improbable that we will always be successful in recruiting Superstars.

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To be honest, Nalyssa and maybe even Queen look better now than Lauren did her freshman year. Also look at the improvement of both Juicy and Moon from their freshmen years. This program develops players and more than just Smith has the potential to develop into a "Superstar"

historian said:

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bearbone11 said:

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Here is my stat on the night on Cox. During the 23 minutes she played, she recorded 7 blocks and no fouls. Oklahoma as a team only made 7 field goals while Lauren was on the floor. If that doesn't win Big 12 DPOY then nothing will. Most other teams have realized that they shouldn't even try to score in the paint.

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I noticed the last couple of games (at least) that the opposing teams were scoring a lot more 3s than the Lady Bears. I'd like to see our gals score more of them but it's a testimony to the effectiveness of our defense and it's hard to argue with the results.

Sic 'em Lady Bears!!

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Teams will continue to score more threes because they have to shoot more threes because of our interior defense. Twelve blocks is a ridiculous number! OU made 16 shots and we blocked 12 shots, almost as many shots as they made all night.

Feb 16, 2019

ChapBear, your assessment of our Superstar list is an accurate one, insofar as the arrival, stay and departure of the four players are concerned. Griner was unquestionably the most anticipated recruit in the country, a sensation before her arrival. Sims, whose original commitment coincided with that of Griner, was throughout her high school years the gem of gems among guards, though Skylar Diggins would at any other time have been so considered. It tells you all you need to know about Odyssey that even her senior year injury did nothing to dim her prospects as the finest guard in the country. She did not disappoint; if anything she was better than we could have anticipated.

Brown was the top ranked post player in the country and arrived at a time of dire need for a dominating interior player. She has been better than anticipated, and much was expected. Cox arrived a year later, surprising many people with her commitment to a program already possessing a great post player. I had watched Cox dominate in the 16 and Under World Tournament when she had the announcer and analyst rhapsodizing over the quality of her play, and she was just a junior in high school. I wanted her commitment as much as anyone we have recruited.

When she committed I said that in my opinion she would be second only to Griner in the impact she would have on this program. I watched her practice in October of her freshman year and told DFWBill who was present that I thought that I was in love...her game was that good. When the season got underway my expectations were not unreasonably high, but her performance was inconsistent and worrisome, as she never seemed to get a comfort zone in her time on the floor. She had moments of brilliance, interspersed with long periods of drought. I had no doubt that she would right the vessel and get under full sail, but I could not predict just when that would occur. She did it last year for the full campaign, and this year has been even better. Next year she will be second only to Griner among the interior players in Baylor history, if she is not already.

Notice that twice for three years we had two superstars in tandem. Six years and two Final Fours and one National Championship to this point. Few teams win a national championship without two superstars, and some don't win one with two. This is a good year to win it all, but the competition is strong and matchups will probably go a long way to determine outcomes. I am cautiously optimistic.

As for our current frosh players, Smith is the gem of the class because of her all around game and her physical ability. The skill set will get better and she will be outstanding. Whether she will be dominant, and how long she will maintain and build on that remains to be seen. Queen is gifted and has great athleticism, but even now she is still a bit raw. I love her maturity and her work ethic, so my expectation for her is high. To be a dominant player she will have to develop a consistent midrange shot to pull her defender away from the basket and maximize her quickness and strength to the basket, but that is possible for her. We will see.

Aquira starts out behind because of her injury and the system that she played in while in high school. The physical ability is certainly there, and a partial skill set, but I think that it will be her junior year before we will see the full range of what she has to offer. I don't anticipate superstar status for her, but neither would I be surprised to see aspects of it should she put in the work. She has to fall in love with defense and I don't believe that has occurred, yet.

Grayson is a very fine player, but we have seen too little of her to comment one way or the other. Bickle also was set back by injury and while I like certain elements that she brings to the court, I would prefer to wait for a time and see how she moves after she is completely beyond the injury she suffered last season. The same thing can be said for Oliver.

Summing up, I don't see anyone on hand who has the unmistakable prospects for enshrinement at the pinnacle of Lady Bear basketball, but I see two or three who could be just a tier below, and that means that they are candidates to possibly move up. Consistency and longevity are essential to determining status above and beyond the level of mere superiority, the full measure of what it means to be a superstar. I think that Smith has the itch and urge for it. I am not sure about the others.

Sheesh.