Tag: horns

Former Texas women’s coach Karen Aston should get call from Texas Tech

Following the dismissal of Texas Tech coach Marlene Stollins, they should give former Longhorns coach Karen Aston a call.

Early last week USA TODAY Sports writer Jori Epstein produced a report in collaboration with The Intercollegiate. The Intercollegiate is a college sports investigative media company. In the report they took exit interviews from players that detailed the abuse of players from the Texas Tech women’s basketball program. This led to the eventual dismissal of then head coach Marlene Stollings.

In a press conference that soon followed the announcement of the firing, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt admitted that “We have failed them.” The one thing that Texas Tech and Hocutt need to do is find a coach that not only can heal them but can be a proven leader for the team.

One available head coach is former Longhorns women’s head coach Karen Aston. Upon the season’s cancellation, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte decided to move on from Aston in favor of Vic Schaeffer. Schaeffer left Mississippi State to take over in Austin.

Aston was coming off six straight NCAA Tournament appearances with Texas. She likely would have made it seven had the season not been cancelled due to COVID-19. She left Texas with a career record of 184-83 overall. Aston also had a conference record 93-51. Over her career from Charlotte, North Texas and Texas she has a career .661 winning percentage. It was .689 in Austin.

It isn’t just her ability to to win games in Austin that should make her an attractive target but she is quite familiar with Big 12 basketball. Before getting her first job in Charlotte, Aston spent time as an assistant with Baylor twice and once with Texas. It is what she meant to her players. Following her dismissal, senior guard Sug Sutton posted a message about Aston on Instagram.

Thank you for giving me the best 4 years I could ask for. There was nothing that you wouldn’t have done for us! You had our backs just as much as we had yours. You weren’t perfect to everyone else but you were perfect to us (this team). You instilled the importance of Texas pride and Texas tradition into this program better than anyone could have ever done. Your hard-work, sacrifice, and commitment did not go unnoticed to us. You are an inspiration and I am so thankful for the relationship that we have built because it’ll go way beyond our time together at Texas.
I love you coach

Freshman guard Celeste Taylor also posted a message for her first collegiate coach.

Given how respected Aston was on and off the court plus her proven track record on it, should be enough to at least be considered in Lubbock.

Ahead of Tuesday’s Board of Directors meeting, Big 12 split on season plan

The Big 12 Conference is set to have their Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday. Reports being that the conference split on action plan.

While the news swirls  from source to source on the ongoing will the Big Ten cancel or won’t they, Big 12 is set to meet. The Big 12 Conference looks be caught in the middle of the cancel/postpone or proceed groups that the Power Five conferences are split into. On one side the Big Ten and Pac-12 seem poised to cancel while the ACC and SEC plan on moving forward with a college football season.

Social media is filled with so called medical experts on why they should or shouldn’t play. However, some of the actual medical experts in the field are weighing in on the topic. One such person is Mayo Clinic Genetic Cardiologist Dr. Michael J. Ackerman. He believes that the basis for cancellation that the Big Ten and Pac-12 are using isn’t supported by research.

This is also more fuel towards playing the season, while some state that the risk isn’t worth taking. According to the Oregon Duck’s 247Sports site, the Pac-12 medical experts are calling for a stop of contact and athletic activities.

News: UofU doctor tells @ESPN700 that #Pac12 medical advisors will recommend to “stop contact and competitive activities at this time” until criteria in place to move forward, including testing protocol – frequency will depend on rate of community spread.”

Meanwhile, medical experts have told the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey that they have the green light to continue towards a 2020 season. He appeared on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday and provided that update.

Then we have the Big 12, who according to Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated is the one conference on the fence. According to his report, they are currently split on the best course of action heading into Tuesday’s Board of Directors meeting.

“If the SEC, ACC and Big 12 can play, I think they will,” says one industry source. One Big 12 administrator, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “All of us know that the Big Ten and Pac-12 are going to do something. Are we going to be followers? Is it time to pull the plug? If we’re on the fence, let’s not make a decision. If we’re still questioning it, why do we have to make a decision? If the ACC and SEC are saying yes, we can gather more information.”

Added another Big 12 administrator: “In the event we cancel the season—and I’m not saying we will—we have to be able to come out and say why. It can’t be, ‘Well, because the Pac-12 decided to.’ We’re trying to get people who think we should cancel right now to take a deep breath. We don’t have a requirement to make a decision right now about the entire year.”

The Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences are expected to make their announcements ahead of the Big 12’s meeting but hadn’t officially done so at the time of publication. According to Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, the Big 12’s meeting isn’t one that is expected to announce a course of action. More so that they are using the meeting to educate the decision makers.

The Longhorns administration and staff have made it well known that they want to play football. While their rivals up north and Lincoln Riley have talked about spring ball. With the two most powerful schools in the conference not in agreement, it should come as no shock that the conference themselves aren’t on the same page. Hopefully this meeting gives some idea of which way they are leaning.

Stay tuned.

Opinion: The Big 12 Conference should give Nebraska, Ohio State a call

With the uncertainty of the Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 set to meet on Tuesday, they should entertain the idea of expansion.

It was a wild and crazy Monday as the day started with discussions of the Big Ten Conference ready to announce that they would be cancelling or postponing the 2020 college football season. It was even reported that there was a vote of 12-2 in favor of cancellation. Iowa and Nebraska were named as the two schools still in favor of moving forward with the season.

Given the certainty of the conference announcing a cancellation, it was quite believable that there was a vote. Until reports began surfacing that a vote didn’t take place. Was it a bad source? Or did the Big Ten put out a rumor to gauge the backlash that would follow? We may never know but it was quite interesting to say the very least.

According to Phil Harrison of Buckeyes Wire, the Big Ten Conference will hold a meeting Tuesday morning with school presidents. Could we finally have some sense of a season from the Big Ten perspective? Well, maybe. The interesting thing that came out of Monday’s chaos just happen to be a few coaches standing up for their teams and pleading to play.

Nebraska’s Scott Frost was the first to be brought to my attention.

In a message to the media, Frost said they want to play football whether they have to look outside of the Big Ten to accomplish that task. In a similar statement, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day wants to play whether that is in the Big Ten or with another conference.

Even the Buckeyes bitter rivals, Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh issued a statement about playing this season. If it all comes to a head and the school presidents cancel football, should those schools go looking elsewhere? One rumored report discussed all three teams discussing a move to the Big 12 even if it was just for one season. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman refuted the report but should Bob Bowlsby entertain the idea?

As the Big 12 Board of Directors meeting draws near, they should exhaust every avenue, every discussion and ask every question. If those three teams plus Iowa want to join for a season so they can have football then why not? If it can be deemed safe enough to play, a season should be played.

The Texas Longhorns have future matchups with Michigan and Ohio State down the road but what if you could see those matchups this season? Nebraska head coach Scott Frost brought up some valid points on the financial side during his press conference. Schools, college towns, states, faculty and staff would all be impacted by no sports.

Many reports surfacing show that the Big 12 is likely split on their decision as of right now. However, the school feels like they are in a good place to have football. The team is ready to play, the coaches are ready to coach and you can be the fans are ready to be fanatics. The idea might sound crazy at this point but it is 2020.

To quote head coach Tom Herman, “desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Texas falls to a four-seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology

According to ESPN’s latest bracketology, Texas will be a four-seed in the Midwest region. UT was a three-seed in the previous projection.

College basketball is just around the corner, with the Longhorns season opener against Louisiana scheduled for Nov. 10 in Austin. Shaka Smart will enter the season with a warm seat, needing to make the NCAA Tournament.

According to ESPN’s latest bracketology, not only will Texas make the big dance, but they will be a four-seed in the Midwest region. This is one seed lower since analyst Joe Lunardi’s previous prediction, which had the Longhorns as a three-seed.

Lunardi has Texas facing Murray State in the first round, a team coming from the Ohio Valley Conference. The Racers were 23-9 last season, finishing first in the OVC regular-season rankings.

If Smart’s squad got a win in the first round, the winner of Tennessee/Western Kentucky would be on the cards.

Here is the full region:

Five other Big 12 teams are in Lunardi’s latest projection, the fourth most for a single conference in the country.

Baylor (one-seed), Kansas (two-seed), Oklahoma (10-seed), Texas Tech (three-seed), and West Virginia (three-seed) will join Texas in representing the Big 12.

Texas will have the opportunity to rise from a projected four-seed throughout the entire season. Once again, the Big 12 is going to be the toughest conference in all of college basketball. Playing teams such as Kansas, Baylor, and Texas Tech twice a season gives the Longhorns great opportunities to boost their resume.

Shaka Smart did an excellent job scheduling nonconference games as well, starting with Gonzaga. The Bulldogs are the preseason No. 1 team in the country and will be visiting Austin on Nov. 13.

Then, Texas will be traveling to Maui, Hawaii to play in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The field consists of Alabama, Davidson, Indiana, North Carolina, Providence, Stanford, and UNLV.

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Locked on Longhorns Podcast: ‘We Want To Play, Big 10 cancelled?’

The latest Locked on Longhorns Podcast discusses the ‘We Want To Play’ movement that started Sunday. Plus is the Big 10 cancelled?

It seems as if we know a lot and nothing all at the same time. In an attempt to gauge the temperature around the college football landscape, it seems like a lot of battle for position. On Sunday night players, coaches and athletic directors took to Twitter to voice their opinion on the top of playing football. This movement came off the heels of the Big Ten Conference allegedly getting ready to cancel the 2020 season.

Clemson’s star quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields joined players from Power Five conferences with the hashtag “We Want To Play.” Lawrence has been vocal about players needing to be on campus, he sent a series of tweets pleading his case. As far as the Big 12 is concerned, they are scheduling a Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday to make their final decision on playing football in 2020.

One rumor on the docket being four Big Ten schools heading to the Big 12 to play football for one season. Bruce Feldman of the Athletic refuted the report on Twitter. The rumored schools were Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa and former Big 12 foe Nebraska. Another report from the Dan Patrick show discussed Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC for one season. Seems farfetched but it would be a fun idea. Maybe the Longhorns could finally get their hands on the Texas A&M Aggies once again.

The Tony Fields II saga is continuing as Longhorns fans are waiting on his transfer announcement. All reports are trending towards Texas but he has yet to make a formal announcement. It could be due to the fact that a school he was looking at Minnesota is part of the Big Ten, they are set to cancel the season. Also Myron Warren has removed himself from the transfer portal.

Plus we discuss Longhorns in the NFL, Charles Omenihu and Alex Okafor.

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President Donald Trump shows supports to #WeWantToPlay

Players have tweeted out ‘#WeWantToPlay’, in response to season cancelations. President Trump showed his support for the movement on Monday.

College football has been a circus in the past 24 hours, with rumors of the Power Five conferences canceling their seasons. In response, players from across the country have tweeted out ‘#WeWantToPlay’, showing their desire to have a 2020 college football season.

It began with Clemson’s quarterback Trevor Lawrence and has spread throughout the entire country. Texas players such as Caden Sterns and D’Shawn Jamison have show support for the movement.

The biggest endorsement of all came on Monday afternoon when President Trump quote tweeted Lawrence’s original tweet. Support from such a figure such as the president will massively help the players, coaches, and administration who are in favor of having a football season of sorts.

“The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be canceled. #WeWantToPlay,” said President Trump. 

There is still a long way to go for college football to happen this season. The players involved with #WeWantToPlay are giving it their best shot, outlining guidelines for how it can be done.

Even if it takes Texas joining another conference for one season, the Longhorns seem committed to playing their 2020 season for now. However, things can always change at the snap of a finger.

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Report: SEC courting teams to play, Texas and Oklahoma among them

According to Dan Patrick of the Dan Patrick Show, Texas and Oklahoma could join the SEC for the 2020 college football season.

If there was ever a time to get wild and think outside the box, it is during the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially with college football on its last limb, trying to find a way to be played.

Reportedly, the Big 10 has already pulled the plug, with the Pac 12 shortly behind them. Three other Power 5 conferences remain. The ACC, Big 12, and SEC.

While there are multiple different things being reported, one scenario could bode as a last-ditch ever from Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma. The two rivals could link up together and join the SEC for the 2020 regular season.

According to Dan Patrick of the Dan Patrick Show, that could be an option. The SEC wants the ACC and Big 12 “to go along with them” in having a college football season. If they decide to cancel, the conference could pouch some teams to join them.

“The SEC is trying to see if they can pick off some of these schools and see if they want to join them,” Patrick said. “If you can get Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 and they’re going to join you in the SEC, you’ve got a super conference.”

This, of course, would pair Texas back with their oldest rivals, Texas A&M. It has been since 2011 since the two schools matched up because of the Aggies’ departure to the SEC.

During a normal SEC schedule, the conference holds 14 teams across 11 different states. Adding in Oklahoma would make 12 total states teams from around the SEC could possibly travel to.

Here is what the hypothetical divisions could look like in the SEC:

East West
Arkansas Alabama
Florida Auburn
Georgia LSU
Kentucky Mississippi State
Missouri Ole Miss
South Carolina Oklahoma
Tennessee Texas
Vanderbilt Texas A&M

The only flip that would be needed would Arkansas joining the SEC East after being in the SEC West throughout their time in the conference. None of this is official, so there is no definite answer as to how the SEC would handle the addition of two teams.

College football is in for an interesting roller coaster before the season starts up in either August or September. The Big 12 has said they are still planning on playing football at the moment.

Commissioners and athletic directors across the conference seem as if they will do anything in order for the 2020 college football season to be saved. Even if it takes the Longhorns joining a tougher conference for one season.

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Report: Longhorns’ Myron Warren no longer in transfer portal

According to a report from 247Sports, Texas redshirt freshman defensive lineman Myron Warren has removed himself from the transfer portal.

It was only a few days ago that Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Myron Warren put his name into the transfer portal. Texas has seen this occur a few times this offseason with Anthony Cook and Juwan Mitchell. Much like the previous two cases it appears that Warren has removed his name from the portal and will continue his playing career in Austin per 247Sports.

According to Chip Brown of Horns247, Warren removed himself on Monday morning.

According to a 247Sports check of the transfer portal, Warren’s name was removed shortly after 10 am CT on Monday.

Warren came to Austin as part of the Longhorns’ 2019 class and did not play last season. He ranked as the No. 289 overall player in the 247Sports Composite that cycle. The 6-foot-2, 290-pound Louisiana native is expected to be a part of the Longhorns’ two-deep this season as a redshirt freshman, potentially backing up defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham.

The redshirt freshman is looking to get into the mix among the defensive line now headed up by new defensive coordinator Chris Ash. The report also stats that Warren could be in the mix at nose tackle as a backup for Keondre Coburn.

Despite rumors swirling around the possible cancellation of the college football season, the Longhorns are in the midst of fall camp. Provided the season continues as planned they will open up the year hosting Texas-El Paso on September 12th at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The kickoff time has yet to be announced. As the Big 12 meeting draws near, we hope to have some finality on all these questions.

Caden Sterns: ‘Worked way too hard for the season to be cancelled’

Texas Longhorns junior safety Caden Sterns went to Twitter to have his voice heard. He feels like he worked too hard for this.

Much like many of the fans are expressing on social media with the reports of a cancelled season, the players are just as upset. Much like Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, other players are taking to Twitter to get their voice heard. Players much like Lawrence feel as if they would be better off on campus around their team than at home. One reason was that often times these athletes are in better situations than home. Football is their way to escape a world and they are given a better opportunity.

One Texas Longhorn has made his voice known. Caden Sterns is no stranger to letting his voice be heard. He took to Twitter shortly after Lawrence to let his frustrations be known.

Caden joined his teammates on Friday in the first day of fall camp as they tried to get ready for the upcoming season. Under new defensive coordinator Chris Ash there was much to be optimistic about. Ash’s defense was going to focus on pressure and taking the ball away. Sterns was pretty good at taking the ball from offenses in his freshman season. It is a craft he was working on early in camp.

After a down year in 2019, Sterns seemed poised to become the ballhawk he was in 2018. He was named Freshman All-American for his efforts and led the team in interceptions that year with four. It is unclear at this moment whether or not the Big 12 Conference and Bob Bowlsby will follow the lead of the Big Ten.

All we know is the players want to do what they do best, play the game they love.

As reports surface about cancelling football, Big 12 sets meeting

SI’s Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger are reporting that the Power Five conferences are looking to cancel the season. Big 12 set Monday meeting.

Over the past several days there has been an uneasy feeling about the possibility of a cancelled 2020 college football season. The NCAA President Mark Emmert recently spoke about the path forward being a rough one. Even CBS Sports writer Dennis Dodd spoke with two anonymous athletic directors that believed it was inevitable.

On Sunday afternoon however, the report that many didn’t want to hear began to make its way to twitter. Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger tweeted out that the Big Ten Conference was set to cancel football for the 2021 season. Again it isn’t surprising but nothing something that one wants to hear.

Shortly afater that report surfaced, Clemson’s quarterback Trevor Lawrence took to Twitter to plead for the opportunity to play. Many athletes have voiced their opinions with hashtag Let Us Play. Here is what Lawrence had to say about it.

People are at just as much, if not more risk, if we don’t play. Players will all be sent home to their own communities where social distancing is highly unlikely and medical care and expenses will be placed on the families if they were to contract covid19 (1)

Not to mention the players coming from situations that are not good for them/ their future and having to go back to that. Football is a safe haven for so many people. We are more likely to get the virus in everyday life than playing football. Having a season also incentivizes

Players being safe and taking all of the right precautions to try to avoid contracting covid because the season/ teammates safety is on the line. Without the season, as we’ve seen already, people will not social distance or wear masks and take the proper precautions

The former National Championship winning quarterback makes a sound argument for not only his teammates but for players across the nation. While you can argue it could be safer for athletes if they don’t subject themselves to contraction by playing. The players seem to want to play. They don’t feel that they are safer by not playing. You can be the judge on being for or against it. As for the Big 12 Conference, they are set to meet on Monday at 5 p.m. according to Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Nothing has been made official yet but it is quite possible come 6 p.m. on Monday that we will have some finality to this situation. Whether or not the Big 12 follows the Big Ten or they attempt to play on their own.