University Star

Several sports have come to an end this school year, and it is time to grade each of Texas State’s on its accomplishments.

This report card analyzes player progression, record, coaching and overall team accomplishments.

 

Football: B- 

Football started bleakly this year, losing by 40 points to Houston on the road but still posting 28 to a Football Bowl Subdivision school. Three straight wins going into what would be the last year of Southland Conference play, the Bobcats were embarrassed from the first kick of the ball and throw of a pass. The Bobcats finished the season 4-7 overall and 1-7 in SLC play. Wright was fired, and the football program was left without a leader going into the 2011 season and into the Western Athletic Conference. Dennis Franchione filled the role, hired an almost all-new coaching staff, talked about his playbook style and brought in a terrific recruiting class, all things considered. It might have started rocky for football, but the Bobcats can only have high hopes from here, that is, until next season rolls around.

 

Soccer: A 

Women’s soccer has much to reflect on after an up-and-down 2010 season, but the biggest issue to look at is filling the shoes of Brittney Curry. The senior is now off the playing field but should return as a graduate assistant under Coach Kat Conner, who is returning for her 13th season. Looking back on the last four years, winning only one SLC Tournament with Curry as a starter (in Curry’s first year) has to be disappointing, and the feeling has to be that opportunities were wasted. Texas State has much talent returning and is still a relatively young team. The Bobcats will bounce back.

 

Volleyball: B

Volleyball’s season finally got going after a rocky 7-4 SLC start. Going into the tournament, the Bobcats won five straight matches by a combined win total of 15-1. Entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed, volleyball was upended by sixth seed Lamar, 3-2, and dropped out of the tournament early. This team is young, and Coach Karen Chisum has built up the program. Volleyball loses leaders like Melinda Cave and Shelbi Irvin but will be back in the spotlight in no time.

 

Men’s Basketball: A-

Maybe the men’s basketball team did not have a spectacular year going just 16-16 overall, but the Bobcats did something they have not been able to do in the last five years, which is win an SLC Tournament game. Texas State went 9-3 at home, and that is encouraging to the fan base. The men’s program released A.J. Stewart when the Bobcats realized he was becoming a cancer and went on to win seven of eight conference games through February. It was not the greatest year, but Texas State only could have gone up from where the program was before.

 

Women’s Basketball: C- 

Coach Suzanne Fox retired after another rough year for Texas State — the one of missed opportunities and sloppy basketball. Texas State’s lowest turnover total from the entire season was 19, and the players who were expected to develop did not have much to show. Key players like Diamond Ford and Verinus Kalu have to be leaders on the court next year if the team wants to go anywhere. They cannot turn the ball over and pick up fouls that can swing momentum. There is no telling what this team needs out of a coaching staff, but the Bobcats need a mistake-free guard and a dominating post presence to step up. Without these changes, it’ll be another long season.