The Tennessee Lady Vols began individual women's basketball workouts Thursday at Pratt Pavilion with six freshmen and another player who sat out her first year last season.
Given the influx of inexperience, UT coach Pat Summitt is not about to step on the coaching accelerator.
"It's going to take a lot of time," she said. "We have to understand we're not trying to play a basketball game next week or in a month."
Redshirt freshman center Kelley Cain, who missed last season after undergoing surgery to address the tracking of her right kneecap, came out of her workout session to have her knee iced and examined. Summitt described it as a precautionary measure.
"She didn't feel good when she was cutting,'' Summitt said. "We want to err on the side of caution."
Sophomore Vicki Baugh and freshman Briana Bass, who are recovering from anterior cruciate knee ligament surgeries, were on the court but didn't participate. The same was true for freshman Amber Gray, who had a left quadriceps injury.
The squad was divided into groups of four and each had a one-hour session with the coaches.
"They're looking at you from different angles,'' freshman Glory Johnson said. "If you make a mistake, you have three people teaching you. Individually, you can get a lot more done."
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Comments » 25
threehundredbowler writes:
may be a long season this year with all the losses from last year.
vol4gzus writes:
Need some major healing here for sure! This might be a campaign of patience and endurance from a short bench. Confident we will get each players tops with Coach Pat and her staff leading and teaching.
utvol008 writes:
Hope the injuries will be all healed by the start of the season
ladivolfan writes:
We just have to keep them all healthy this year. Next year will be the year to really look forward to. This year they learn how to play ball Pat's way. Next year, they begin to win big. And by the time they're juniors and seniors, we may be looking at #9 & #10.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
we are looking at a 10-loss season. that is not to be unexpectd. remember Chamique's first year?? It took quite a while for the team to get to together.
Pat has a LOT of fundamental coaching to do, more than she's had to do in quite a while.
No NC for us this season, let's just hope for a strong team at the end.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
BTW, I am excited to see Cain (if she can play) and Baugh (when she heals). Different than our recent past, but should be fun.
Caspian writes:
The injuries will heal and be a non-factor. There is every reason to believe next season will be just as successful as the last two. It's not unusual for a *team* to be even better without a superstar like Parker. And who's to say there's not another superstar lurking in this freshman class? Reload and repeat. The sky's the limit. I expect nothing less from next year's Summit team.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
gate12;
in all due respect, there is just no way. The talent coming in is good, but not proven.
The remaining talent (fuller, bjorklund, smallbone, et al) are pretty average.
This team just lost five senior players who dominated the playing time and the games.
To expect this team to be as 'successful as the last two' is setting unreal goals.
Keep in mind something: UT had a long drought until 2 years ago. We had good teams, but others (Uconn, baylor, notre dame, etc) had better teams. Candace Parker was by far the best player in the country, adn even she could not deliver 3 in a row.
See part 2;
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Part 2;
IMHO, Pat has one thing going against her: she works freshmen too hard, and they burn out. Bjorklund clearly wore out last season, same with hornbuckle a few years back.
Most freshmen are small school superstars. they get to play all four years, they can score at ease, and they domiante. the girls 'work hard'....for high school.
well, college is NOT high school. practices are MUCH longer, and every single day. add weitght-lifting, runnning, all at a college pace.
It will be interesting; I don't see Pat changing her way of doing things, so with a freshmen-dominated team, I expect to see them 'hit the wall' in late December.
98reax writes:
My goodness, you all are not intentionally preaching gloom & doom, but your comments are coming across with that flavor. Yes, it will be a season of growth, '08/'09, but Pat will get her 1K win. There will be a big ceremony, players will surprise us. It will be a season to remember.
rockytopron writes:
10 loss season? Long season? There is no way?
You gloom and doomers need to get a clue!
The Lady Vols will compete for another SEC championship and will get at least as far as the Elite 8 and they might even make it to final four. Why? Pat Summitt!
This is just another challenge which she will take on and overcome. She expects nothing less than a 30 win season. I believe in Pat and I believe in this team. Pat has taken far less talented teams to final fours and she will do wonders with this team. Sure, we may suffer some early season losses, but by SEC season, this team will be good enough to win the SEC.
You doom and gloomers will be proven wrong again and I hope you are man enough to admit it later on.
GO LADY VOLS!
drwfocus writes:
mparker @8:03 - and what would you advise Pat to do different?
98reax writes:
Advise Pat, now that is a hoot... Remember '97? How much (unsolicited) advice do you suppose Pat received that season? She simply said, quite frankly, "We'll win 20." So she won 20 & another championship, the first of a back-to-back-to-back.
threehundredbowler writes:
Rockytopron,speaking only for myself.I was not speaking doom and gloom.Only saying with such a green team,it will be a challenge this year.A lot was lost from last year and little experience returning along with improvements from the opposition could make this a down year by anyones standards.Good,however to know you hold such a high place in your heart for the Vols and Pat.Just hope that heart is strong enough for reality.I hope they threepeat but wont get my hopes up too high.I look for 20 wins at best.
ncvol writes:
This is a Lady Vol's team and they will make us proud...It's Great to be a Tennessee Vol....
rockytop47 writes:
I agree. Pat will be looking to have a very good year. I would never say to start a season we have no chance at a championship! Doesn't make sense. I could never see Pat saying "okay lets go play, we don't want to win or anything just get better for next year." I would say the minimum goal is SEC champs and Final 4 nothing less from the Lady Vols would be acceptable. These are the best of the best of women ballers in the country. They WILL be able to compete, maybe some lumps early but come tourney time they will be ready. GO VOLS!
98reax writes:
Rockytop47, you are so right. Our expectations should always do the very best we can do. I know that's the mentality from which the Lady Vols begin and end each season. That's not to say we will not be disappointed when we experience defeat. Going into a season with the notion of NOT making the Big Dance is preposterous.
I think we fanatics just use those remarks like, "well, this will be a down year for our Lady Vols" to preface our own doubts, and we definitely don't want to feel the let-down of a less than stellar season. I'm guilty of that. If I say "just wait until next year," that's my cover-up for being really disappointed when we don't get the W.
When we lose a game where we've really left it all on the court, I'm going to try really hard to be encouraged. Yes it will be a rebuilding season. Who knows? These freshmen have already been in the spotlight. They may be ready to kick it up a notch for Pat.
pammyvol1000 writes:
Great Job.. USA and Lady Vols..Kara,Tamika,Candace you have represented TN and the USA first class.
Congratulations for winning the Gold.
98reax writes:
What a beautiful sight to see Kara, Catchings and Candace on the court together playing such a huge part in this Gold Medal victory. How could you not feel blessed to be a Tennessee Lady Vol fan today?
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
drwfocus (in response to my 8:03 post).
What diff does it make what I might suggest?? Not like Pat is going to change her approach for some random fan.
There's a whole slew of stuff for young athletes: muscle memory, fatigue, 'away from home', college life.
I don't expect Pat will change one dang thing, but I do believe the young ones will burn out.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Doom and gloom?? Be real. There is no Chamique and no Candace. The rest of the country is picking up bigtime on women's ball.
A 10-loos season is nothing to sneer at with a team so young. I'd take in a heartbeat as long as they are ramping up at season's end.
Look, I think it's fine that some of you worship Coach Pat. She's a fine lady and great coach. On the other hand, cut the woman a break. This is as big a challenge as she has faced in YEARS.
Think about this: FIVE senior starters gone. Of the players returning:
-Fuller, marginal career, a few good games
-Bauch, hurt, going to be really good
-Cain, we don't know yet, but she might be really good; we'll see how the knee goes
-Bjorklund, hit the fresman wall. Maybe this summer has put her back on track.
-McMahan; unproven
-Smallbone; unproven
I'm probably missing someone. Now, add in the mix of freshmen: they are FRESHMEN. I expect some good play, but I also expect some freshmen moments and for them to weat down.
I certainly don't think the vols will fall apart, that would be totally out of character. What I DO think is there will be some hard lessons this season.
98reax writes:
Now that I'm suffering some serious Olympic game withdrawal, I look forward to at least some meaningful conversation on this forum.
Hoop season cannot start soon enough for me. I wish I could speed up MLbaseball, get right into college football with the Vols smashing Florida and move right into college basketball.
Somewhere in between seasons, I would enjoy seeing Candace Parker take over the WNBA, winning POY after defeating Sacremento and Kara Lawson in the playoffs. As a finale, LA Sparks defeat Detroit Shock to win the '08 WNBA Championship. Of course Plenette Pierson is held scoreless and fouls out of the game early at the mercy of Parker's double digit blocked shot/steal stat line which includes 44 points, 22 rebounds and 12 assists.
Oh, it's so fun to dream.
bobbizee#247300 writes:
hey 98reax dreams do come true if we truly believe I'm from Stone Mtn.Ga. and a huge LadyVol fan went to Final Four 2008. I bought Atlanta Dream season tickets and had Candace-Bobbitt-Alexis and Nicky sign that Final Four ticket book. Also familiar with Cain you will have a very pleasant surprise saw her play several times here in metro Atlanta. Before someone starts screaming about signatures Dream had special exhibition and sigups (new team).keep dreaming everyone.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
bobbizee;
Moashak had a comment about Cain, to paraphrase:
"I'm not a coach, but she is a really GOOD post player".
I've got my fingers crossed on how her knee does.
I do indeed wish Baugh hadn't got hurt. She is no Candane, but she can flat play.
98reax writes:
Baugh has had all season to rest and rehab. She could be ready to play sooner than later. Who knows? If not, someone else will have to step up and fill the need. You know those rookies will be fighting like heck to earn some PT. What better opportunity to write their own script.
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