New UTSA women's basketball coach says local recruiting will be key to program's growth

[meangreen11]

SAN ANTONIO — New UTSA Women's Basketball Head Coach Karen Aston was upfront about fans assuming her time in San Antonio will be nothing but the standard stepping stone to her next opportunity. 

"I just wanna be clear that I'm committed to UTSA," she said. 

Athletics Director Lisa Campos made the hire in the spring, and Aston and her staff have wasted no time putting their early mark on the program. 

"We've hit the ground running, enormously, as far as recruiting is concerned," Aston said. "I think in particular the three junior college transfers are going to help us lots." 

But the new hire knows those transfers are only a temporary hold for her much-bigger plans for the future. 

"There is no question about it. We've got to get some local players to sort of take the plunge with us and say, 'OK, we wanna build this program with you,'" Aston said. "I tell them all the time, 'Why don't you be on the (UTSA) billboard?'"

Obviously the working list for any new NCAA Division 1 head coach will be quite busy, but Coach Aston is seeing action happen with the support of Campos. 

read more:  https://www.kens5.com/article/sports/meet-karen-aston-utsa-basketball-roadrunners-sports/273-6645b801-43fc-42c0-8c17-cf5f6cb1eb0b

Edited June 25, 2021 by meangreen11

[El Paso Eagle]

Not going to lie, hate seeing her there

[southsideguy]

she will be gone when the big dogs coming knocking

[UNTLifer]

19 minutes ago, southsideguy said:

she will be gone when the big dogs coming knocking

Yep.  After being at big programs, coaching in that band box with poor facilities will wear on her.  $20 says she rents.

[PlummMeanGreen]

Will the utsa women practice in their on-campus open air indoor practice facility? 
Golly, has anyone been to SA in the Summer time? And anyone think Houston is  the humidity capital of America? 

[Mean Green Matt]

Slam dunk hire for them. She will bail at first opportunity but the program will be left in better shape. I’m sure Mike Petersen would love the job once Aston leaves. 

[meangreen11]

11 minutes ago, Mean Green Matt said:

Slam dunk hire for them. She will bail at first opportunity but the program will be left in better shape. I’m sure Mike Petersen would love the job once Aston leaves. 

I worry that we may wish we had her again.  Jalie has really struggled with holding onto players.

[wardly]

Every program has struggled holding on to players with the new transfer rule. Look no further than our men's program

[GrandGreen]

3 hours ago, meangreen11 said:

I worry that we may wish we had her again.  Jalie has really struggled with holding onto players.

 

2 hours ago, wardly said:

Every program has struggled holding on to players with the new transfer rule. Look no further than our men's program

I don't get either comment.  "Look no further than the men's program", the men have lost mostly players they moved to upgrade the team and fifth year players going closer to home IReese) or trying pro ball (Hamlet, Simmons). 

The women lost a good one in Boyd, but overall looks like they have made substantial improvements to the team.  Mitchell, without research it appears  had turnover problems early, but has settled the roster down.  Getting Townley back for a grad year seems very positive.  

All this is subject to change, as this portal thing, has enabled teams to cover up recruiting other team's players.   

To this point, I think both basketball teams have done well and still have a few spots open.  

[Mean Green Matt]

3 hours ago, meangreen11 said:

I worry that we may wish we had her again.  Jalie has really struggled with holding onto players.

Karen Aston (except maybe Grant Mccasland) is the best coach we’ve had in any sport in the modern era. Rodney Delong is beginning to enter himself into that convo. It’s a shame Karen was only here for a year. Dream scenario would have been 4 years or so of Karen followed by Jalie. Petersen in between decimated the program. 

Jalie has certainly struggled at times but her tenure has been the best run for the program since she was a player. 
 

I will admit on account of who she is, Jalie gets way more benefit of the doubt from me than an outsider would. She isn’t just a former player, she’s arguably the most significant individual in program history. BUT her coaching tenure on its own, while not spectacular, really hasn’t been bad. 
 

 

[greenminer]

7 minutes ago, Mean Green Matt said:

Karen Aston (except maybe Grant Mccasland) is the best coach we’ve had in any sport in the modern era. Rodney Delong is beginning to enter himself into that convo. It’s a shame Karen was only here for a year.

Not sure, but you might be forgetting someone

[Mean Green Matt]

32 minutes ago, greenminer said:

Not sure, but you might be forgetting someone

No, I didn’t forget Hedlund. He wins a lot. So much so I think it’s difficult to move on from him, but I’d argue against his being an elite coach. I believe @Travis has some hot opinions on this. His teams simply out-athlete the competition in an inferior conference. It is not really done via compelling soccer. I’ve actually defended him in the past a fair amount, but the continued failure to even score a goal in the NCAA tournament has soured me. 

[meangreen11]

49 minutes ago, greenminer said:

Not sure, but you might be forgetting someone

Hedlund has done well but Inalso would like to see him win some bigger non conference opponent games as he finishes out his career.

[GrandGreen]

1 hour ago, Mean Green Matt said:

No, I didn’t forget Hedlund. He wins a lot. So much so I think it’s difficult to move on from him, but I’d argue against his being an elite coach. I believe @Travis has some hot opinions on this. His teams simply out-athlete the competition in an inferior conference. It is not really done via compelling soccer. I’ve actually defended him in the past a fair amount, but the continued failure to even score a goal in the NCAA tournament has soured me. 

I wish NT had some more coaches that could just out-athlete the competition in an inferior conference.  I guess he has little to do with recruiting better athletes.  

He is undoubtedly an elite coach for NT.   His continued success proves that point, he has done that by recruiting primarily DFW players.  

I believe that NT's failure to win a NCAA game is that they play better teams, not because Hedlund's coaching style can't compete at that level.  Simplistic but true, it is almost impossible for a CUSA team to be seeded high enough not to be starting against one of the better teams in the nation.  

 

 

[greenminer]

3 hours ago, Mean Green Matt said:

No, I didn’t forget Hedlund. He wins a lot. So much so I think it’s difficult to move on from him, but I’d argue against his being an elite coach. I believe @Travis has some hot opinions on this. His teams simply out-athlete the competition in an inferior conference. It is not really done via compelling soccer. I’ve actually defended him in the past a fair amount, but the continued failure to even score a goal in the NCAA tournament has soured me. 

I wasn't suggesting he was an elite coach.  I just think he's def in the conversation for best coaches we've had in the modern era.  Isn't that what you were saying?

Grant immediately caught up with Hedlund after winning the CBI, then leap-frogged him with everything that happened this past season.

Karen was 15-16 in Denton. There's no way she's the best coach we've had recently.  And I share your respect for her.  She got her squad running though brick walls for her.  But any successes she had were in a 2nd season that never actually happened.

Edited June 26, 2021 by greenminer

[Mean Green Matt]

2 hours ago, greenminer said:

I wasn't suggesting he was an elite coach.  I just think he's def in the conversation for best coaches we've had in the modern era.  Isn't that what you were saying?

Grant immediately caught up with Hedlund after winning the CBI, then leap-frogged him with everything that happened this past season.

Karen was 15-16 in Denton. There's no way she's the best coach we've had recently.  And I share your respect for her.  She got her squad running though brick walls for her.  But any successes she had were in a 2nd season that never actually happened.

Well, Karen took a 5 win team and won 15 games. She has been very successful everywhere she’s been, including Texas. 

[Mean Green Matt]

3 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

I wish NT had some more coaches that could just out-athlete the competition in an inferior conference.  I guess he has little to do with recruiting better athletes.  

He is undoubtedly an elite coach for NT.   His continued success proves that point, he has done that by recruiting primarily DFW players.  

I believe that NT's failure to win a NCAA game is that they play better teams, not because Hedlund's coaching style can't compete at that level.  Simplistic but true, it is almost impossible for a CUSA team to be seeded high enough not to be starting against one of the better teams in the nation.  

 

 

This used to be my position almost verbatim. We haven’t just not won a game. We haven’t scored a goal. And that’s because we play a style that is extremely easy for teams that match us athletically to defend. 

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

7 hours ago, Mean Green Matt said:

No, I didn’t forget Hedlund. He wins a lot. So much so I think it’s difficult to move on from him, but I’d argue against his being an elite coach. I believe @Travis has some hot opinions on this. His teams simply out-athlete the competition in an inferior conference. It is not really done via compelling soccer. I’ve actually defended him in the past a fair amount, but the continued failure to even score a goal in the NCAA tournament has soured me. 

Here’s the deal with Hedlund. He’s been here since day 1 and has built the program from the ground. Each year they are starting to get more talented teams, but drawing some tough opponents. 
He loaded up in the portal for this upcoming season, and I expect a top 25 team all year. I am throwing all the chips in on this team breaking the streak of the tournament. Basketball did it, why not soccer!!!

Softball is getting to that level, but I firmly believe they would’ve made a huge run in 2020 if Covid didn’t wipe everything out. Had a sellout crowd against a top 5 team at the Lace just a week after Covid happened. That would’ve been the biggest game in NT softball history…

Oh I seemed to have gotten on a spree.

My point is, all of the programs (other than MBB because they already did it) are primed to break the tournament droughts in the next year. In my opinion, this upcoming season has the makings of the best in school history for winning.

[meangreen11]

14 minutes ago, NorthTexasSportsNetwork said:

Here’s the deal with Hedlund. He’s been here since day 1 and has built the program from the ground. Each year they are starting to get more talented teams, but drawing some tough opponents. 
He loaded up in the portal for this upcoming season, and I expect a top 25 team all year. I am throwing all the chips in on this team breaking the streak of the tournament. Basketball did it, why not soccer!!!

Softball is getting to that level, but I firmly believe they would’ve made a huge run in 2020 if Covid didn’t wipe everything out. Had a sellout crowd against a top 5 team at the Lace just a week after Covid happened. That would’ve been the biggest game in NT softball history…

Oh I seemed to have gotten on a spree.

My point is, all of the programs (other than MBB because they already did it) are primed to break the tournament droughts in the next year. In my opinion, this upcoming season has the makings of the best in school history for winning.

Love your optimism and knowledge of the programs.  I share in your optimism about the coming seasons for all sports at UNT.

[meanrob]

I don’t know Jalie or how happy she is at UNT but if I’m the AD I sit down with her after every season and ask her what she needs to keep moving in the right direction and then do whatever it takes to get it to her.  There’s no way I let a distinguished former athlete fail here especially if she wants to be here.