Scouting reports will have some serious competition on Tennessee's latest women's basketball road trip.
Weather reports and flight schedules will be pressing for equal time on a journey that might feel more like an odyssey before it's finished.
The eighth-ranked Lady Vols (9-2) traveled to Spokane, Wash., on Saturday to begin preparations for a game against Gonzaga on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday morning, they fly across the country in advance of a game at Rutgers (N.J.) next Saturday afternoon.
"Obviously, it's a tough test for us as far as the travel involved," UT coach Pat Summitt said. "It's going to be tough. It's going to be tough."
The first leg of the journey will be particularly cold and snowy. During Christmas break, Summitt sent a text message to Lady Vols guard Angie Bjorklund, who lives in Spokane, and asked her: How much snow?
Bjorklund's answer: 46 inches. Of that total, 23.3 inches fell during a 36-hour period that ended on Dec. 18. Spokane city officials declared a "Condition Red" emergency and kept crews working non-stop to clear the streets. Private contractors also were hired.
The total snowfall so far translates into nearly four feet, which would all but bury Lady Vols point guard Briana Bass, who stands 5-foot-2.
"Brie would be lost if she stepped into four feet of snow,'' Summitt said jokingly.
The Lady Vols packed accordingly, which shifted the challenge to Tennessee center Kelley Cain, who is 6-6.
"I'm not sure I have enough clothes that will allow me to function well in the snow,'' she said.
One item Cain lacks is snow boots. They're hard to find in size 15.
"I don't know what I'm going to do about that," she said.
The sight of snow will be nostalgic for freshman forward Glory Johnson, who spent the first seven years of her life in Colorado.
"It will remind me a little bit of home,'' she said. "I did live in Colorado Springs."
Senior forward Alex Fuller said the sheer volume is hard to fathom.
"I like playing in the snow,'' she said. "As far as being in it a long time ..."
Well, that's a different story for her and at least one of her teammates.
"I do like snow,'' Cain said. "(but) only to a certain extent. As long as I don't have to be out in it a long time, I'm good."
The Lady Vols sound better suited to spending a long week together. As long as a snowball fight doesn't break out, they ought to be fine.
"We'll definitely be closer as a team,'' Fuller said, "because we're spending a week in close proximity with each other."
Notebook: Guard Cait McMahan, who has been resting her surgically repaired right knee since Dec. 15, practiced Saturday.
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Comments » 24
bcbobcat82 writes:
I want snow in KNOXVILLE!!
tums writes:
I live in Spokane and I am excited to see the lady Vols play here, I got tickets the day they started selling them. Its the first time the lady Bulldogs have sold out a game...
DroopyDrawers writes:
Turd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LadyVolFanForever writes:
Ok ladies, look at the snow & enjoy it....then get down to business and take care of business.
Too bad Angie will not get to play against her sister but I hope her shot is "on" and she scores big time !
Then you must fly across country and go the the unfriendly confines at Rutgers. The fans will be very hostile and this year you never know which Rutgers team will show up. Just play your game as I think they will try to rise to the challenge. Hope you head back home with 2 wins !!
YankeeVol writes:
Seriously people, you don't want significant snow in Knoxville. I am going to start reporting the snow/ice totals where I live in terms of Lady Vol players. Right now, I have snowbanks in my driveway that are 2.5 Kelly Cain's. There Brianna Bass sized icicles hanging from my windows. The thaw is coming when the snow mountains shrink to 1 Bjorkland. I dream of the south in winter....
tums writes:
Yes. But the tickets were 8 bucks. Its just nice to see any Tennessee team play anywhere near here. I find it funny though that the UT football team was on more games nationally than Florida. There were only 4 games not on national TV. Anyway, I will be there in support of the lady Vols on Tuesday. I just hope the Men's team can return the favor to Gonzaga.
ncvol writes:
The Lady Vols will have a rough time on the road but will continue to grow as a team. Hope all goes well and we bring home the wins.....Go Vols...
Butchisback is definitely wrong when it comes to the Lady Vols taking money from the men's athletic dept. They have brought their share of funds into UT on their own. They are 8 times National Champs......Go L.Vols!
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Kelley, you don't need boots...I live in yankee land and get by almost all the time in loafers or basketball shotes...then again, I'm not playing in it, I'm just showeling out my driveway or taking my dog for a walk.
I laugh like hell at times: he's (the dog) about 9 inches tall. Doesn't take much snow to cover him up. he has to be carried over the big, soft drifts, else he just sindks in.
mississippi writes:
HEY butchie, at least they have a brain unlike you and your thugs at ucant
ncvol writes:
I think you are way off base my friend ...Most women retain their married name when they divorce unless they remarry. Her lifestyle consists of basketball and her family and the Lord. Shame on you for trying to stir up trouble....Go Vols!
YankeeVol writes:
OK, mparker...
If you live in yankee land and get by all winter in loafers and sneakers, you are either wrapping your feet in plastic bags, or you have nerve damage caused by permanent frostbite...
BigOrangeVol writes:
Way to go Tyler! Thanks for picking up the slack for those of us that cannot be there to support our team in person.
BIB is a stooge that doesn't know any more about basketball than he does football...which is nothing.
Mike if I were you I'd be more worried about your coward coach that only got his American citizenship after living in our country for 33 years because he was scared that he would be tagged for military service when he went to Italy. As far as our recruiting goes...
In 2007 we signed #'s 2,5,12 & 38; all UConn got was #1 & 11.
In 2008 we signed #'s 3,4,8,15 & 20; UConn got #'s 10,11 & 31.
For 2009 we signed #'s 13,69 & 75; UConn got # 34.
For 2010 we've signed the #4 player and UConn got #1. What happened to the last #1 you signed? Oh yeah, volleyball at Delaware.
In case you weren't paying attention the Lady Vols just won the last TWO National Championships while your team got to watch at home...UConn has won NONE since Mr. Ed, er "F'bomb" Taurasi was there.
All those #1 rankings during the season that are GIVEN to UConn mean nothing. It is the Final rankings that matter.
Final Rankings
2003-2004
UT-#2 UConn-#6
2004-2005
UT-#3 UConn-#13
2005-2006
UT-#3 UConn-#4
2006-2007
UT-#1 UConn-#5
2007-2008
UT-#1 UConn-#4
98reax writes:
BIB & Mikey sitting on a train
Wishing they could play, but they got no game.
Neither have a thing to say
Remotely pertinent in any way
To the subject matter at hand.
Spite is all they understand.
Why you log in here no one knows;
College hoop ignorance is all that shows.
"I've lost respect" is a line you use;
Don't you have to have it before it's yours to lose?
You have no respect for anyone else.
You don't even respect yourself.
Logging in here making strong allegations
Toward team and coaches in Lady Vol Nation,
Is seriously defamatory. You may be banned.
Read the disclaimer. Do you not understand?
You've violated all the rules on our Lady Vol site.
Go play elsewhere while you learn to act right.
SomeGuy writes:
Hey, B-i-t-c-hIsBack - UConn's women's basketball team may depend on men's sports for money but that's not the case at UT. You may now return to your worship of the UConn Cheating Huskies.
SomeGuy writes:
Looks like Mike from UConn suffered a humiliating first-round knockout, courtesy of BigOrangeVol! Way to set yourself up there Mike. Maybe you and the Butch should consider undergoing some counseling to find out why you feel the urge to come here and demonstrate your lack of intelligence on a regular basis.
rooski1 writes:
As usual, you show your lack of knowledge on sports. If just signing the #1 player would win championships every year, then you would only recruit that player. It takes many good players, team chemistry, great coaching, and some luck to take home the trophy. Who knows what could happen to your #1 plyer over the next two years. As Pat says, "you have to play with what you have now". We had the #1 recruiting class in the nation this past year, at least that is what most national sports magazines said last year. We have had top three classes in three of the past five years. We have never had the #1 player in the nation REFUSE TO EVEN COME TO SCHOOL after signing. Did you forget that. I wonder if that has something to do with Geno's lifestyle! As far as respect goes, you have never shown any respect for Pat, so who cares what you think about Pat. I guess since you can't attck 980+ wins and 8 NCAA championships, you will try and divert attention from your team's lack of matching success. There is nothing that the Huskies can do that the Lady Vols haven't done already, except go on probation. Your team has come MUCH CLOSER to that than the Lady Vols EVER will.
mississippi writes:
Hey Butchie & Mikey from ucant/ucoon,we dont care who "gino the clown" signs nor will we lose any sleep. we not ucoon are the 2 time defending NC. So you 2 thugs get a life.Matter of fact i feel like taking you 2 clowns on the court and taking you to school.Unfortunately i don't have the time to waste on LOSERS like yourselves
mississippi writes:
i agree with every word
ladyvolsbballluver writes:
do you ever give up? You think that geno is the best coach ever but you know what he is gonna probably retire before 12 more years. You are jealous of our GREAT records and you are jealous of our coach, our players, and our championships. So go on a run your mouth you just have nothing better to do with you life than be on an UT site and post jealous comments.
BigOrangeVol writes:
Little Mikey, your ignorance is absolutely astounding! Then again, that's what we expect from novice basketball fans.
We ALL joined the NCAA from the AIAW in the 1981-1982 season; UConn and UT. As soon as UT, ODU and La Tech left the AIAW it was over. Auri-enema came to UConn in 1985 and Pat was hired in 1974. BTW, Pat is only two years older than Guido so she'll out-last him in coaching because he'll have a stroke and kick the bucket from the stress of always playing second-fiddle to a legend and never surpassing the Greatest basketball coach of all-time.
Pat and the Lady Vols won their FIRST National Championship in 1987 - two years after Guido was hired at UConn. So all EIGHT of our National Championships have been won while GenoSmurf was coaching at UConn. Pat has only had three more years to get eight national titles. UConn is winning national championships at a 4.6 year clip; UT is winning them at a rate of one every 3.375 years. The only way that Auri-enema passes Pat in wins is if he continues his practice of playing the Northeastern Catholic High School Circuit and powerhouse teams like Queens, Rhode Island, Long Island, Niagara, Iona, Fairfield, Colgate, Hartford, Northeastern, Central Conn, New Hampshire, Vermont, Morgan St, Dartmouth, Manhattan… I could get 1,000 wins in 20 years against those teams with a junior high church league squad of slow fat girls. Whoopty-freakin’-do!!!
That sad looking hard-hat high school gym you play in has a capacity of 10K and the old Civic Center only holds 16½K. FYI, Thompson-Boling Arena seats 21,000. Say it with me, twenty-one thousand. That is more than TWICE what your rinky-dink bush-league gym holds. We get 10K at pre-season scrimmages and 17K at exhibition games you uneducated nub. Are you really stupid enough to want to compare home attendance numbers?
mississippi writes:
Mikey, you just got humiliated.please stop your non sense & have a happy new year
rooski1 writes:
Mikey, you are a glutton for punishment. In 12 years Geno probably will have a 1000 victories and 8 titles,if he keeps up his current pace. Big Deal. Pat, by that time will have 1400 wins and 12 titles. He will still be chasing Pat. Maybe if Geno hadn't taken so long to show that he was smart enough to be a head coach, he might have been able to start sooner. Is it Pat's fault that she has always been smarter than Geno? She is only 2 years older than Geno, so what took him so long?
mississippi writes:
YOU FORGOT THE POWERFUL HOLY CROSS SQUAD
ncvol writes:
All the back and forth bickering will last forever when it comes to Lady Vols and UConn Women.
We are partial to Pat Summitt and the UT Lady Vols on this site and we love the Vols...
The truth is: Most could probably agree that we both have good teams and good coaches. Both have produced excellent players...Both have multiple Championships....Both have Coach of the year awards....I think this is all we are going to agree on. Go Vols!
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