Texas Tech has two conference games left in the women's basketball season: @Baylor (ugh) on Saturday and the final home game vs TCU on Tuesday. Then one more at the Big 12 tournament.
The 2016-17 season had promise. Especially after the overtime game at Texas A&M in mid-November when Tech got career games from Recee Caldwell and Jada Terry to almost win a great women's basketball game.
That was the best game those two would play by far this season. It has been progressively downhill for both since. You know that famous .gif of Baker Mayfield after he threw the interception against Kansas State? That is Recee Caldwell's defensive effort on many possessions these last few games. At least Jada Terry will dive on the floor to get possession of a loose ball.
I was thinking at the time in November that all the preseason praise for Caldwell's shooting skills were true and those skills were going to make a difference. That this group could push the program up to the middle of the Big 12 pack and lay groundwork for a steady improvement toward a future where Tech could compete in the post season.
Then Japreece Dean quit and so did the Lady Raider defense, soon to be followed by rebounding and then offense.
As I watched the last two games against Kansas and Oklahoma State there were stretches where Tech played the worst defense I've ever seen a Lady Raider team play. I sarcastically said a couple of weeks ago in the game they played at Kansas that I've seen 4th grade teams play better defense. Well it got worse these last two games. It was just flat out embarrassingly bad defense to be coupled with dumb basketball mistakes. It was so bad at one point in the OSU game that the OSU TV announces commented how bad Tech's defense was and saying that certainly isn't what you typically see from a Texas Tech team. Now THAT is embarrassing when the opposing announcers say that about your team.
I feel sad for the lone senior Ivonne Cook Taylor. She came from California to play for Curry, tore an ACL her freshman year and has quietly improved her game despite bad knees. Things were looking up for the 5th year senior to play on a better team this season. Ivonne's redshirt year the Lady Raiders were 21-10 and 11-7 in conference with a senior laden Curry team finishing 3rd in the Big 12.
Since then the records have been:
6-24 (0-18)
15-16 (5-13)
13-18 (3-15)
12-15 (4-12)
Cook Taylor has done her part. Her teammates and coaches not so much.
The 2016-17 season had promise. Especially after the overtime game at Texas A&M in mid-November when Tech got career games from Recee Caldwell and Jada Terry to almost win a great women's basketball game.
That was the best game those two would play by far this season. It has been progressively downhill for both since. You know that famous .gif of Baker Mayfield after he threw the interception against Kansas State? That is Recee Caldwell's defensive effort on many possessions these last few games. At least Jada Terry will dive on the floor to get possession of a loose ball.
I was thinking at the time in November that all the preseason praise for Caldwell's shooting skills were true and those skills were going to make a difference. That this group could push the program up to the middle of the Big 12 pack and lay groundwork for a steady improvement toward a future where Tech could compete in the post season.
Then Japreece Dean quit and so did the Lady Raider defense, soon to be followed by rebounding and then offense.
As I watched the last two games against Kansas and Oklahoma State there were stretches where Tech played the worst defense I've ever seen a Lady Raider team play. I sarcastically said a couple of weeks ago in the game they played at Kansas that I've seen 4th grade teams play better defense. Well it got worse these last two games. It was just flat out embarrassingly bad defense to be coupled with dumb basketball mistakes. It was so bad at one point in the OSU game that the OSU TV announces commented how bad Tech's defense was and saying that certainly isn't what you typically see from a Texas Tech team. Now THAT is embarrassing when the opposing announcers say that about your team.
I feel sad for the lone senior Ivonne Cook Taylor. She came from California to play for Curry, tore an ACL her freshman year and has quietly improved her game despite bad knees. Things were looking up for the 5th year senior to play on a better team this season. Ivonne's redshirt year the Lady Raiders were 21-10 and 11-7 in conference with a senior laden Curry team finishing 3rd in the Big 12.
Since then the records have been:
6-24 (0-18)
15-16 (5-13)
13-18 (3-15)
12-15 (4-12)
Cook Taylor has done her part. Her teammates and coaches not so much.
