Aquira DeCosta transferring from Baylor

[bballnut90]

Cox averaged 7.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 13.1 MPG.

DeCosta averaged 3.0 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 6.9 PPG.

Cox may not have looked like a #1 recruit her freshman year, but she was a solid post off the bench behind Cox and Mompremier. Not a disappointment.

Cox was a disappointment for being the top overall recruit. Especially compared to the impact we saw from both Holmes and Ionescu. Decosta was injured to start last year and had an uphill battle to get playing time. Was also playing behind two all americans and was beat out by a better offensive player in Nalyssa Smith. If she didnt have so much talent in front of her she wouldve been a rotation player at literally any other school.

 

[willtalk]

Richards. DeCosta is more of an undersized post, who was trying to become a 3 point shooter, Smith is the better player and likely starter from here on out.

Actually you have that in reverse. DeCosta is a better 3pt shooter than Smith. She was not ever going to play in the post. Her best position would be at the two. She was behind Di Di and the other guards not Smith. She was transitioning to and needed the experience of playing on the perimeter which would have been hard to get at Baylor this season.

 

[bballnut90]

I'm not understanding a lot of the comments that she wouldn't be getting a lot of playing time. It's not like Baylor has many 5'11 to 6'1 wing players on their roster, do they?

In their 2018 recruiting class of 5 signees, I thought it was all laid out with Egbo (Center), Smith (PF), DeCosta (SF), Bickle (SG), and Scott-Grayson (PG)? Perhaps some can play multiple positions.

So, who is going to play SF if DeCosta is now gone?

Not a ton of minutes for her with Richards/Smith both capable of playing the 3. She wasnt beating either out for a starting spot. She probably would've been a rotation player but not many top 5 recruits want to ride the pine as a frosh and only play 15-20 min as a sophomore. She also isnt getting guard minutes with Cooper, Landrum and Ursin all there.

 

[JonathanXIV]

YYou cannot overrank a post player.

Really?

 

[DeeHusky]

Those monster classes almost never work at any school. It’s good to enjoy them as fans though.

 

[DeeHusky]

The only player in that class that’s going to get minutes for the first two years is Smith. She’s a baller. I don’t even see argon getting minutes with Erin DeGrate being there.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I don’t even see argon getting minutes

Autocorrect? Argon is an inert gas, so you shouldn't expect too much of it.

 

[Dwilliams02]

Really?

Yes really. I never seen a top post player be a bust.... I'm talking about centers.

 

[Dwilliams02]

The only player in that class that’s going to get minutes for the first two years is Smith. She’s a baller. I don’t even see argon getting minutes with Erin DeGrate being there.

Egbo* and yes she will get minutes. If Smith starts then she'll have to play the 4 position. If not. Then depending on who Baylor plays. Egbo gonna have to go instead of DeGrate being done teams may try to play faster.

 

[southie]

Not sure how I forgot about Richards. Thought she was playing a lot of time at guard the last few years (especially on defense), and not really SF; guess they are interchangeable based on her length and quickness. She is definitely a starter at either SG/SF for the next two seasons, but her lack of perimeter game (unless she's improved her shooting) still leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[southie]

Those monster classes almost never work at any school. It’s good to enjoy them as fans though.

Better to start out with several signees, and just let the chips fall where they may as far as which ones stick it out all 4 years (heck, even 2-3 years).

 

[Dwilliams02]

Not sure how I forgot about Richards. Thought she was playing a lot of time at guard the last few years (especially on defense), and not really SF; guess they are interchangeable based on her length and quickness. She is definitely a starter at either SG/SF for the next two seasons, but her lack of perimeter game (unless she's improved her shooting) still leaves a lot to be desired.

I heard she's working on it. But her mid-range is pretty much gonna be her strength.

 

[Go/huskies]

Actually you have that in reverse. DeCosta is a better 3pt shooter than Smith. She was not ever going to play in the post. Her best position would be at the two. She was behind Di Di and the other guards not Smith. She was transitioning to and needed the experience of playing on the perimeter which would have been hard to get at Baylor this season.

I’m going off her high school and AAU level play, DeCosta was a center. It’s hard for a player to go from playing all post all the time, to playing on perimeter in college, when other players are being recruited. Remember Jasmine Dixon? who started at Rutgers and then went on to have an ok career at UCLA after transferring?

 

[DeeHusky]

Autocorrect? Argon is an inert gas, so you shouldn't expect too much of it.

Yes Autocorrect haha

 

[DeeHusky]

Egbo* and yes she will get minutes. If Smith starts then she'll have to play the 4 position. If not. Then depending on who Baylor plays. Egbo gonna have to go instead of DeGrate being done teams may try to play faster.

She won’t get minutes with Cox, Smith, and DeGrate being there. If she does, they will be garbage minutes

 

[JonathanXIV]

Yes really. I never seen a top post player be a bust.... I'm talking about centers.

But plenty have played below their expectations, i.e. Taya Reimer.

 

[southie]

She won’t get minutes with Cox, Smith, and DeGrate being there. If she does, they will be garbage minutes

DeGrate got into a lot of foul trouble (at Texas Tech), and could never play very many minutes due to conditioning issues. Egbo showed neither of those attributes as a true freshman. Egbo's rebounding alone ensures she will get plenty of minutes, and they won't be during garbage time.

 

[Bear11]

Egbo played meaningful minutes last year when we had Kalani, though not in the Final Four. I can easily see her averaging 15-20 minutes a game. The expectation is for the offense to be more up tempo this year, which Egbo will do well with.

 

[DeeHusky]

DeGrate got into a lot of foul trouble (at Texas Tech), and could never play very many minutes due to conditioning issues. Egbo showed neither of those attributes as a true freshman. Egbo's rebounding alone ensures she will get plenty of minutes, and they won't be during garbage time.

Kim claimed she didn’t like to go after graduate transfers so I don’t see DeGrate sitting much. I expect her to be the first off the bench.

 

[Dwilliams02]

Kim claimed she didn’t like to go after graduate transfers so I don’t see DeGrate sitting much. I expect her to be the first off the bench.

That don't mean she won't get minutes. Egbo can easily play 4. Baylor will be too thin at the 5 after this year to let her not play and risk the transfer. The transfer portal don't have too many centers. And She may not want Gusters starting right away.

 

[southie]

Kim claimed she didn’t like to go after graduate transfers so I don’t see DeGrate sitting much. I expect her to be the first off the bench.

I must have missed that considering she's now taken 3 grad transfers in 2 seasons . . .

 

[PoppaBear]

Hard to turn away that much talent when they're knocking on your door.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

USA Basketball article had her at 6'3. Is she 6'2 or 6'3 or is she 6'0?

 

[Gamecockfan77]

South Carolina doesn't have an obvious starting spot at this exact moment for her, but certainly having more depth would be something worth exploring.

DeCosta might not be the best fit for that. She might want to get closer to home or want defined playing time opportunity.

you always wonder about chemistry issues when someone leaves an elite program but sometimes it's about fit and opportunity.

 

[Shades]

Cox averaged 7.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 13.1 MPG.

DeCosta averaged 3.0 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 6.9 PPG.

Cox may not have looked like a #1 recruit her freshman year, but she was a solid post off the bench behind Cox and Mompremier. Not a disappointment.

It’s all relative to expectations, but I wouldn’t consider that a “disappointment“ at all. In fact, that’s very good considering she was on a talented senior-ladened team. She has to have known coming in she couldn’t have expected more minutes than she got. The following years would be her time with one-time first team All American Nina Davis, Khadijiah Cave, and Alexis Prince all graduating that year. And it turns out Mompremier saw the writing on the wall and didn’t want to be a career backup to Kalani Brown. So she transferred, further opening up Baylor’s roster to opportunities to the patient ones who remained.