Aquira DeCosta transferring from Baylor

[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.

 

[jennyo70]

Wow, another monster class falls by the wayside. HSG gone as well. That leaves Smith and Egbo.

Of the 4 only Smith has any impact last year.

Caitlin Bickle was the 5th one in that class.

 

[DallasBUFan]

Caitlin Bickle was the 5th one in that class.

DeCosta chose to leave, where as HSG was dismissed.

Smith and Egbo still serving out their punishments.

 

[Geew1992]

DeCosta chose to leave, where as HSG was dismissed.

Smith and Egbo still serving out their punishments.

How much of a punishment is it?? It's pre-season.

 

[DallasBUFan]

From what I have heard....it's 5 games.....Bickle played last night, so not sure if they all have different punishments....

 

[DeeHusky]

DeCosta chose to leave, where as HSG was dismissed.

Smith and Egbo still serving out their punishments.

Hopefully Cooper stays out of trouble in her last season of eligibility.

 

[bballnut90]

Hopefully Cooper stays out of trouble in her last season of eligibility.

Besides the Tennessee incident that led to her transferring, has she had any other instances of getting in trouble?

 

[Geew1992]

Besides the Tennessee incident that led to her transferring, has she had any other instances of getting in trouble?

Rumors say there was trouble at SC

 

[skilz]

Cooper has been fine at Baylor, and getting along with the team.

 

[DefenseBB]

Egbo wasn’t even a factor against HS kids this summer in the USA U19 tournament after a year at Baylor. Another one over ranked by the gurus in HS.

Or underdeveloped by Mulkey...

 

[SECbbfan24]

Or underdeveloped by Mulkey...

Is this sarcasm?

 

[southie]

Cooper has been fine at Baylor, and getting along with the team.

Sounds like insider information . . .

 

[tazmaz]

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.

I thought Cox looked clumsy and very immature as a freshman

 

[tazmaz]

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

Good point. 2015 Lvilles #1 class was Asia Durr #2, Taja Cole #26, Brianna Jones #40, Sam Fuehring #60 and Erin DeGrate #99. Only two stuck but they were good - Durr and Fuehring. Fuehring didn’t come around until her Jr year but she was worth the wait.
Duke was rated a close 2nd in recruiting that year with Angela Salvadores, Kyra Lambert, Crystal Primm, Faith Suggs, and Haley Gorecki. Salvadores was a disaster. Lambert injury riddled. Primm transferred to Auburn, Suggs low impact bench player and Gorecki good but injuries

 

[Dillon77]

DeCosta Transfers to....drum roll, please..Loyola Marymount!
Post courtesy of Raoul.


Obivously not going to a P5 conference, but having just been in LA, that campus is certainly in an awfully nice area, just of the PCH. As the coach's comments indicate, Loyola must feel like they've gotten a totally unexpected, early Xmas present!

BTW, the Lions have not been to a NCAA tournament since 2004, when they lost to, coincidentally, Baylor.

 

[Lwrc]

I don’t think she’ll have her pick of places. My understanding her not fitting at Baylor has more to do with her than anything else. Prime example of a girl made into a star too early. If you can’t have discipline, work hard, and be a good teammate then you will struggle at the top 5-10 programs. You could see this unfolding with her before she committed to Baylor. She would never have survived one season at UConn, and Geno knew that. They passed on her for a reason and now you see it unfolding.

As I mentioned, picking from the top schools was not something that was going to happen. There was decent talent but that’s not enough in the top programs. Best of luck to her, I think she made a good choice and hope she enjoys her free education while playing this great sport!