Women’s golf team places 7th in Napa
in the state’s northeast corner. Asheville is just a short drive south on Interstate 26. Morrell’s journey actually started at King College in Bristol, Tenn., where he was a basketball assistant and the head golf coach. It took him through Clemson, where he spent three seasons under Oliver Purnell and one year at Charleston Southern.
Smart and Morrell actually worked together during the 2007-08 season at Clemson, when Smart was an assistant coach and Morrell was a graduate assistant. Smart added Morrell to his staff at VCU prior to the 2011-12 season. They’ve been together ever since, going through four years at VCU and three more at Texas.
“I’m extremely happy for Mike,” Smart said in a state- ment issued by UT. “He is driven, diligent and tremen- dously hard working. He does a phenomenal job connecting with student-athletes, parents, recruits and supporters. UNC-Asheville is getting a terrific head coach!”
Morrell has long been considered one of Smart’s closest advisers. At UT, he helped oversee recruiting and scheduling and served as a side- line firebrand.
The Longhorns produced back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes in 2016 and 2017. Those classes produced Jar- rett Allen, a first-round NBA pick, and Mo Bamba, who will likely be a top-five pick this summer. There were some misses, too. Jacob Young and James Banks III were both highly touted players that came to UT and transferred.
The remainder of the 2017 class, which includes guard Matt Coleman and forward Jericho Sims, and the four newcomers in 2018 will make up the majority of the roster next season.
Morrell, who had a base salary of $228,000 at UT, also made the selfless decision to step back into a secondary coaching role during the 2015- 16 season. He became the director of program development so Smart could hire Jai Lucas as a full-time assistant coach. Morrell was promoted back to on-court assistant last season in a staff shakeup.
“I think the one thing is that I just really believe in coach (Smart),” Morrell said. “We’re leaving this place in a good place with Matt, Dylan (Osetkowski) and Jericho. They’re going to be all right.”
Morrell inherits a program that’s enjoyed three straight 20-win seasons under Nick McDevitt. He was 98-66 the past five seasons and recently left to take over at Middle Tennessee State.
“This was a highly coveted position,” UNC-Asheville interim chancellor Joe Urgo said in a statement, “and I feel like we have the individual in place to not only keep us among the best, but also help us reach even new heights over the com- ing years.”
Most WNBA mock drafts have the Texas duo being chosen by one or two of the league’s 12 clubs. Imani McGee-Stafford, a 6-7 post, was the most recent Longhorn to be drafted, a firstround pick of the Chicago Sky in 2016. She averaged 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds this past season in 16.1 minutes per game.
The Associated Press projected Atkins to be taken in the first round — No. 10 overall — by the New York Liberty. The AP predicted McCarty will be picked in the second round — No. 19 overall — by the Washing- ton Mystics.
ESPN reporter Mechelle Voepel also has projected Atkins to land with New York as a first-round pick, but Voepel has McCarty as the first pick of the third round, No. 25 overall, going to the Las Vegas Aces, formerly the San Antonio Stars.
During a teleconference call last week that included three WNBA coaches and a pair of ESPN analysts, Atkins and McCarty were lauded for their ability and their team’s style of play.
“The one thi n g about Brooke and Ariel that will benefit them at the next level is that they played where they played fast,” said analyst LaChina Robinson. “Karen (Aston) loves her team to play fast. They get up and down the floor. That’s one thing that sets players apart.”
WNBA coaches Bill Laim- beer of Las Vegas and Pokey Chatman of the Indiana Fever said the WNBA prefers “big guards.” That bodes well for Atkins but could present a problem for McCarty.
“It’s one of those things where (a shorter guard) can run a team, be vocal, get the ball (to her team- mates),” Chatm a n said. “Some of those things will stand up (well) for Brooke. She’s small. Some of those shots she takes, she’s not going to get them off and the court shrinks when you’re in the paint.”
Robinson had a different take on McCarty, saying: “She reminds me a lot of Leilani Mitchell (a 5-5 point guard for the Phoenix Mercury), who has had a great career in the WNBA. With Brooke, you know what you’re going to get — all-out effort. She can get up and down the floor and has a dependable three-point shot.
“She’s a tremend ous leader. She’s very coach- able, a mature player and I like her disposition.”
McCarty said she adjusted to playing against bigger guards throughout her college career and will have to make similar changes once she’s in the WNBA.
“I have to get better at a lot of on-ball things, get through screens and a lot of stuff you can get away with (in college),” she said. “But when you’re going against pros, you have to get on top of things.”
As for Atkins, Laimbeer praised her work ethic.
“She’s not spectacular at any phase of the game, but there are no major weaknesses either,” said Laimbeer, who won two NBA champi- onships during his playing career with the Detroit Pistons before claiming three WNBA titles as coach of the Detroit Shock. “I think she’ll be a solid player whether she makes the team (this year) or not . ... She’ll be a late first-round pick, maybe early second-round pick, but she’s a solid player.”
The No. 6 Texas women’s golf team finished in seventh place at the Silverado Showdown in Napa, Calif., on Tuesday.
Sophia Schubert and Kaitlyn Papp each finished in the top ten for the Longhorns.
Texas finished at 10-overpar 874, 15 strokes behind team champion No. 8 Southern California. Jennifer Chang of USC and Patty Tavatanakit of UCLA tied for first place in individual competition at 208, 8 under par.
Schubert finished tied for fifth after shooting 73 in the final round. Her total for three rounds was 213, 3 under par.
Papp finished 1 under par after shooting 72 in the last round to tie for ninth. She didn’t make a bogey in the final 40 holes of the tournament.
Emilee Hoffman shot 73 to finish at 221 overall. That was good for a tie for 28th.
Greta Isabella Voelker competed as an individual and finished tied for 52nd.
Agathe Laisne and Maddie Luitwieler both shot 228 overall to tie for 58th.