I realize it is a coaches job to sell the program/product but Stephens went overboard with selling us on her recruits. I bought it!

I saw Nicky Hughes in HS. She is clearly the teams best player. I was lead to believe that Rachel Cuffie was going to be special. Huge disapointment! Where is LeKevia Taylor from Hempstead? The girl from Co. can't play.

This team is full of 1's and 2's with only 1 big (Chyna Burwell) she is actually better than I though being a 2nd team reserve center at TVCC!

I only see 3 good players on this team. (Britney Hudson, Rice transfer, Hughes, UT transfer and Burwell. Nellum, kilgore transfer, is very quick but erratic. Tamara Tourru is a Slinker holdover from Houston Bellaire that I was not too high on after seeing her at Duncanville. She's a fixture in the starting lineup.

To top off my early disappointment would be the early signings of 2 below the radar kids from Everman and Flower Mound. I don't see where they play with so many guard bodies in front of them. (wasted recruits) Early at that!

Stephens continues to talk about building a national program. I would settle for the best in the DFW region for now.

The Taylor kid has already left the team.

I can't keep count of the number of players that Stephens has run off.

BTW...last night's loss to SFA by 30....pathetic. SFA was 15-14 last year.

The Texas game.....will not be pretty.

I'm not ready to quit on Stephens yet, but the early returns are not promising at all. By February we'll see where we are.

Cooley, Cooley, Cooley....

I have some thoughts on this and your general assessment of what you have seen so far - and specifically your evaluation of talent. I had posted my thoughts after the TWU loss, but through the magic of internet - BAM!... it disappeared....when I hit enter and is floating around in cyberspace somewhere.

First if we evaluate your assessment by the numbers (over the past 3 games) – Hudson, Hughes & Burwell being the best.
(These are totals, not averages)

Player Points
James 46
Hughes 36
Godbolt 27
Cuffie 24
Torru 24
Burwell 21
Hudson 13
Kellum 11
Brown 7
Timms 5
Hawkins 0

Player Rebounds
Godbolt 24
Burwell 22
Torru 18
James 17
Hudson 11
Hughes 9
Kellum 9
Timms 7
Cuffie 6
Hawkins 4
Brown 3

Player Assists
Hudson 8
James 7
Kellum 5
Torru 3
Burwell 2
Cuffie 2
Godbolt 2
Hughes 2
Brown 0
Hawkins 0
Timms 0

Player Turn Overs
Hudson 15
Godbolt 13
Hughes 10
Burwell 8
Kellum 8
Cuffie 5
Hawkins 5
Timms 4
James 3
Brown 2
Torru 2

Player Blocks
Burwell 7
Godbolt 6
Timms 3
Kellum 1
Torru 1
Brown 0
Cuffie 0
Hawkins 0
Hudson 0
Hughes 0
James 0

Player Steals
Kellum 8
James 6
Hudson 5
Torru 5
Burwell 4
Hughes 4
Cuffie 2
Godbolt 2
Hawkins 2
Timms 2
Brown 0

Player Minutes
James 89
Godbolt 78
Hudson 69
Torru 62
Burwell 57
Kellum 57
Hughes 55
Cuffie 53
Timms 50
Brown 19
Hawkins 12


So, from an objective point of view... What we find is Hudson leads the team in turnovers. Hughes, although second on the team in scoring - didn't score at all against TWU (basically shut her down) and only scored 10 points against a D1 team (I don't think counting the 26 points against a "B" rated D2 team is a fair assessment of her ability to score) and she is 3rd on the team in Turnovers. Burwell, has not produced - not for her size and ability. She can't catch, she's 50% from the line, and is tied for 4th in turnovers. Granted, she's 2nd on the team in rebounds.. but come on man, she's 6'4" - and not dominating the rebound column. So of the 3 that you think are "the best"... I beg to differ (based on raw data). Now, don't get me wrong - all three are talented, but are not getting it done on the floor.

Torru, Godboldt, Cuffie, and Kellum bring the most intensity. Torru earned her spot as a starter and although she's tied for 4th in scoring - is doing a lot of little things. She has 18 rebounds (3rd) and is posting formidable stats in the scoring and steals column. Godboldt & Cuffie (just freshmen) are going to be special. Both are very strong players, high intensity and have a lot of heart. Godboldt leads the team in rebounds, 3rd on the team in scoring. She has to work on taking care of the ball - but that rebound column holds a lot of water for me. Cuffie is tied with Torru in scoring (and 8th on the team in minutes played), so she is getting it done. I’ve seen her doing a lot of the little things (like Torru) that don't get counted in the stats columns. Kellum has a lot of upside. She leads the team in steals and once she finds her rhythm - and is put in with the right group is going to be a stat leader as well.

The other freshmen - need time to develop. Keep in mind that they have come directly out of HS and for some kids, the college experience, intense workouts, game tempo - takes a little getting used to. SS saw something in these girls that we haven't seen yet.

We all want immediate gratification - they're only 3 games in though - meaning, no matter how much time you practice, only 3 of the girls were familiar with "the system" and I'm sure with the adjustment period - we haven't taken the last of our lumps.

So, don't jump off the wagon just yet. There is a lot of teaching going on. This team is very talented, but needs to 1. find on-court chemistry, 2. work on taking care of the ball, 3. knock down shots... and it will happen (in any order would be fine - at this point). I think SS major task at hand is finding the group that works best together (create a core), and sub around them to get the most out of each player’s potential.

I would also like to add from a recruiting perspective... Watching this team which is heavy at the 2 (SG) & 3 (SF)spots, they are in desperate need of a true PG and more depth in the post. If she goes out and finds a "drive & dish" PG, and a Post Player that can make free throws - we'll be in very good shape for next year.

As far as "running off" players. I would keep in mind there are 3 sides to all stories (my side, your side, and what really happened). Yes, it does seem SS is very demanding - but considering where the players that left, ended up - oh well. Excellence demands excellence and some kids can't handle the expectation.

Part of creating a "national" program is building character (you must follow team rules), demanding excellence in the classroom (some girls were dismissed for lack of performance), and commitment. D1 basketball is not for everyone - and considering the sub-par performance (and the reason they looked for someone to replace Slinker) is because the program had gotten "lax" on those standards.