Tennessee took in an unusual women's basketball view and listened to a different viewpoint Monday afternoon.
Before the team's practice, the Lady Vols marched up to the back row of section 322 at Thompson-Boling Arena - the very top of the facility - to experience a fan's perspective.
The team climb was associate head coach Holly Warlick's idea. It was inspired by the team's uninspired 72-36 victory over Mississippi State on Sunday before a crowd of 20,249. The largest turnout of the season filled the far reaches of the arena, including the back row of section 322.
"I'm always touched by that when we have great crowds,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said. "I never want to take it for granted."
The fans' collective stamina also impressed Summitt.
"(They) stayed late, stayed late,'' she said. "I don't know. They must've been serving good hot dogs up there because we didn't give them much to cheer about, especially in the first half."
From their vantage point Monday, the players were asked to jot down some personal observations about the team. They turned in their notes in the locker room.
They then watched a replay of the FSN game broadcast, during which analyst Teresa Edwards was critical of Tennessee's effort.
These tactics were the latest attempt to motivate a team that, despite its 25-2 record and No. 3 national ranking, continues to meander through the season.
The home portion of the regular season concludes with Florida at 7 p.m. Thursday.
"I think every time you play the game, you should play the game with great passion if you're competitive, if you love the game,'' Summitt said. "You don't disrespect the game. If you don't play hard, what are you bringing, what are you saying?"
Baugh Honored: Lady Vols freshman Vicki Baugh was named SEC freshman of week, the first such honor for the 6-foot-4 forward. In games against Alabama and Mississippi State, she made all seven of her field-goal attempts and was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Baugh averaged 10 points and 3.5 rebounds for the two games. She scored a season-high 12 points against Alabama.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Memorable moments in Pat Summitt's…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 32
tenn32rebel writes:
Pat is a master motivatior however, she may have met her match with this team. When players come to a point where they cease to learn from their coach, motivation is mute. I think these senior Lady Vols have reached that point on their learning curve and now it is headed downward.
They won't say it but their actions speak volumes. They are NOT playing like Pat Summit coached Lady Vols. They are playing like experienced seniors who THINK they know how to play the game. They AREN'T LISTENING to Pat.
The guard play has been horrible since early Feb. Shannon did EXACTLY what Pat told her to do last year and so did Bird. This year, they think they're experienced enough to know what to do. New York street ball almost lost the Rugters game with Shannon's ill-timed technical. Even with the cameras on her and Pat grilling her, she gave a flippant answer to Pat!!! She needs to deep-six that New York attitude and return to Pat's style of play.
Alexis is off in fairy-tale land because she sure isn't rooted on planet Earth. She should be enriching her soon-to-be professional career by showing off her complete game. Right now, she better hope the pro scouts are looking at last year's games and not watching her current level of (sub)play.
Nicki. Well, Nicki is just Nicki. You just don't know which player will show up at game time. Now I know why she has a triple major. She doesn't know which student she wants to be, either! I wish I had a dollar for every two-foot shot she has missed. It would be a huge 401K! Finish those shots!!! We need all of them.
Usually when a team has a National Player of the Year and is sputtering in their performance, you can blame that person. Here, we go against the grain. Candace has played well. It speaks volumes of her play when you look at the assists column and she is usually first or second.
Some folks have dogged Candace all year about being "lazy" and "not playing defense." She expects her teammates to play with her, not watch her play. Her defensive play has greatly improved over last year's effort. Otherwise, she would never have come close to the shot block record at UT. She still has two regular season games plus the SEC tourney and the Big Dance to add to that record.
Can't leave Angie out of this even if she is a freshman. When March arrives, there are NO FRESHMEN. Girl, learn to shoot in your home gym! There is no excuse for your horrible shooting at TBA. Look for it, get it, shoot it, and MAKE IT!!!!
Ms. Fuller, if you want to be a leader on this team, you had better start now. They need it now more than you can imagine.
Vicki, congrats on SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Now, do it again!!!
Folks, I'm just as frustrated as you are about the Lady Vols lackluster effort all year long. Here's hoping the earwax will fall out so they can hear AND LISTEN to Pat. I'm still hoping for #8 in '08. Go Lady Vols!!!!!!!!!!!!
98reax writes:
I wonder if either of them (the players) would sit up there in the nosebleed section and watch an uninspired team play. Wonder if any one of them have the insight and savvy enough to read a player who is playing at less than the highest level she can play on every play.
harrierncd#500054 writes:
Dead on, folks. I, again, wrote-off this team during their first-half collapse against Mississippi State. Then, their second-half made me reconsider and become a bit more optimistic. I am hopeful, but I have no confidence that this collection of shiny, well-made parts will ever become a team long enough (or at the right time) to win the conference tournament or the NCAA tournament. Coach Summitt is the best that has been, but my estimation of her will get even bigger if she can get any sort of championship for this group.
ODA751 writes:
Well, let's hope that the ladies get inspired for the final run. If they don't wake up soon, they won't make it past the sweet 16.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Well, giving the devil his due. I watched a great Conn team beat LSU and I'm not sure we have an answer for them, if we get there. That's why they pay Pat the big bucks and I sit on the farm.
Crank 'em up Pat, compete and give it your best shot. Men are hot now. You go ladies.
GreerVol22 writes:
I feel Pat's pain. Ole Miss was never a challenge and its really hard to motivate anyone if you know you will crush them with your foot only half way down on the gas. I mean, we beat them by 36 for Pete's sake with very little effort. But to pduff's point above. We should have won by 70.
Coach Raleigh said it when he benched a couple of starters this weekend. "Play hard or sit down."
Parker has already pushed the auto-pilot button, and like it or not it effect the rest of the team when its leader is loafing.
GreerVol22 writes:
by the way...is it me or does Pat seem to be missing her dentures?
adimatteo#261830 writes:
Every year, a different team, different kids, personalities, different chemistry, different issues both on court and personal... That is what makes a coaches job so tough, and why it is so difficult to stay on top, keep performing, etc.
Every team is unique, Coach Summitt will tell you that in her books she has written.
That makes it both exciting, new, but frustrating as well, and also a challange for the coaches and helps keep them going I suppose.
Here's to a strong finish, give it your best, weve had a
great few years with this group, and a chance to do some more exciting things before this season and some of your college careers are over. We went quite a few years between our last championship and we all survived, the University kept going...
Everyone just bring your A game to each and every remaing game, and lets remind everyone what a Volunteer can do .Go lady Vols!
houvol#438636 writes:
As much as I love the Lady Vols I do agree they have the attitude- we won it last year so who cares what happens this year. UConn is about to win two or three in a row. This is the year the Lady Vols need to work hard to win the Championship. UConn is thinking next year unless we do something to stop them they will not have to wait till next year.
NOLAvol writes:
Last Sunday's game was my very first Lady Vol game--a trip I've wanted to make for over 20 years, living most of that time away in New Orleans. And after their first game at Starkville, I was sure that, though we would not be seeing a game against an SEC power, we would certainly be seeing some excellent basketball as the Lady Vols would surely kick it up a notch after their previous malaise.
So, was going to the game a birthday-worthy experience? Sure. Was it a disappointment? Well, though I don't want the people who gave me this gift to know... yes. The old adage is true: fans come hoping to see great basketball, but they will never be disappointed by great effort.
That said, college athletics should always be about the players, not the fans. Here's what I wish I could communicate to our ("ours" by adoption--not expectation) young lady Vols:
The joy (and occasional danger) of being 18-22 in college is discovering all the things "I can DO." That ability to DO releases you from the long suffering tethers of adolescence and propels you into full-fledged adulthood. It's heady stuff!
But there's a difference between that ability to DO and the ability to turn it on, focus, and DO IT whenever you determine it's TIME to do it. Being able to "flip the switch" and turn it on when needed FEELS more powerful, but it's a practice that actually WEAKENS you. Working/playing at your best ALL the time, regardless of circumstances (or competition, or fear of injury, or fatigue, etc.) builds CHARACTER--what you ARE as opposed to what you DO.
Please, ladies, don't EVER get yourself caught in the trap of defining who you ARE by what you DO. It'll screw up your life, for sure!
Who you ARE will transfer to anything you do for the rest of your life. Your ability to do on the court--or anywhere else--will always be limited by the skillset you've developed. The ability to do will not transfer to new activities which demand a different skillset. But character will always transfer to any new challenge which demands a new skillset.
And believe me, though it will be years before you realize it, life IS a series of ever-decreasing capabilities--a shrinking list of things you can "turn on" whenever you choose. That can be a depressing, debilitating process--in the absence of character. But, when faced with proven character, it can be the most envigorating challenge of your life (because the things you do LATER in life are the most important things you'll EVER do--other than develop character!).
Lady Vols, we don't want our applause to stop when you no longer wear the orange--we want to be fans of YOU... for the rest of your lives!
lewhs93#205993 writes:
I had to go back and see who won this game.According to the score we won by a wide margin.Friends we are spoiled.We have the best coach in bb and i'm sure she will get the best out of this team.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Some very eloquent, heart-felt posts on here today. For all its potential, it is clear that too many of the Lady Vols are living in their own heads these days and not living through the team. They are not all pulling in the same direction. I think it is a form of "battle fatigue", for want of a better term. Few of us can imagine the stress inherent in being a member of such a highly-scrutinized program, of which everyone has such high expectations. It must be especially hard on the seniors, and especially Alexis and Nicky, who have lived in this fishbowl for four years now. We can say that this is the life they have chosen, but no one can foresee how all their choices will turn out in reality. I just hope this season doesn't end in a way that causes the team members to regret the choices they made along the way. We--and they--are lucky none of them have apparently so far chosen more destructive ways of coping with the stress. I'm surely not giving up on the season. I have enough faith in CPS, and the players she has brought in and nurtured, to believe that they will go out representing the Lady Vols as a team and themselves as individuals in a way they, and we, can be proud of.
98reax writes:
The Lady Vols will be tested in the SEC tournament. They always are. Every team in that bracket will be playing their best bball. I hope we don't wait until post season to crank it. I was able to see bits of the LSU vs UConn game last night. We will need to be tough as nails, physically unshakable and outright determined to win at any cost to beat either of these teams. Geno is mean, mean mouthed, kill- 'em-if-you-have-to dead set on knocking off the world.
knoxtenor writes:
I wonder if Pat could have Peyton Manning come down and talk to the team about how hard it is to repeat as a national champion? How hard it is to avoid that I-am-the-greatest mindset? Or maybe they're a little downhearted that they now have to share the basketball spotlight at UT with the men? Maybe Pat can get Bruce to give them the "I don't know if we're No. 1. I do know that we're 40 minutes from being No. 1" pep talk. I'm just throwing some things out here.
One thing I have noticed is that when someone isn't having a good game, the other ladies aren't stepping up to cover their teammate's behind. Sunday, when Bjorkland wasn't swishing the FGs through the basket like she has been, no one stepped up to help; hence, the outside game suffered. Without the outside game, the LVs had to rely on their somewhat-mediocre inside game. When Candace has a bad game, the Lady Vols have a bad game. Compare that to the men's attitude: Saturday night, when Tiger High put a strangle hold on Chris Lofton, J.P Prince and the "three brothers Smith" were there to make sure that things got done.
The girls need to wake up and start playing with both head and heart; otherwise, at some point in the next month or so, they're going to have to cross paths with LSU, Rutgers, and Duke again, not to mention UConn. I guarantee you Gino's girls aren't loafing and playing with their heads in the clouds.
I have faith in Pat. She'll figure out a way to psyche this team up. Look at what she did last year: She took an except-for-Parker-they're-so-so team and shepherded them through to another ring-sizing ceremony. There's no reason to think that we Vol fans can't start dreaming about a double-championship year like UConn had a few years ago.
Embarrassed writes:
After watching Uconn play again last night it is obviously they are a little better than us despite losing two starters for the year and another one did not play against LSU. With that being said we should not worry. We have Pat Summitt and they have Geno the jerk. The lady vols will win it all.
P.S. I am still embarrased about the shot clock against Rutgers.....and Pat needs to reinstate the regular season Uconn game. Its the most relevant game in womens basketball. Check attendance and ratings if you doubt that.
fortandrews writes:
Congrads to NOLAvol your comments were excellent. I have NEVER understood why any one who plays a sport, either for a "pick up game" or on a class one team like the Lady Vols has to be motivated by their coach. When I was playing basketball and baseball I was always ready to do my best and I didn't need a coach to get me "fired up". Don't these ladies understand the fun they are having and in a few days/years they will have to face the REAL WORLD. Get your self ready now - tomorrow may be to late.
GreerVol22 writes:
Embarrassed is Ole miss getting pounded by 36. We have noting but lack of effort to be embarrassed about lately. If Rutgers feels cheated then try a little harder and beat us by 10 points next time.
As for UConn....Geno pissed her off. Seems there was and old song that went.."Don't tug on Wonder Woman's rope, Don't spit in the wind....
volfan_in_mississippi writes:
GreerVol: You are right. Ole Miss never was a challenge....especially since we were playing Mississippi State.
PureOrange writes:
I am glad to hear the team did the exercise yesterday. I was afraid people would leave on Sunday because of the total lack of effort. I watched the LSU-UConn game last night. UConn (I hate to admit it) played very hard. LSU gave the effort last night that we gave against them. I only hope our girls get the message and take it to heart. If they don't, we will come home very early. It would really be hard to see Candace leave without another championship after all she has given to UT.
PureOrange writes:
I am glad to hear the team did the exercise yesterday. I was afraid people would leave on Sunday because of the total lack of effort. I watched the LSU-UConn game last night. UConn (I hate to admit it) played very hard. LSU gave the effort last night that we gave against them. I only hope our girls get the message and take it to heart. If they don't, we will come home very early. It would really be hard to see Candace leave without another championship after all she has given to UT.
adimatteo#261830 writes:
NOLAvol- the game was a disappointment? the ladies won by 26 points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GreerVol22 writes:
thats 36...but whos countin'?
bmaples writes:
It's not the point total, or the margin -- it's looking ahead and knowing that the lackadaisacal approach the LV are showing will cause them to lose to a lesser team.
Yes, we won -- but in another way, we lost. We lost the opportunity to get better. We lost the chance to fine-tune our game, to see how fast we could put a scouting report into practice. We lost a game-time learning moment -- and there are only so many of those per year and per player.
As noted above -- wanna-be great players think they can turn it on when needed. Truly great players never turn it off.
amcguire01 writes:
I don't understand, the core of this team is still the same, that's why I don't understand why they seem to be so different now than they did a year ago? I just don't know if they are hungry enough to go deep in the tournament. At times, they have the killer instinct, then poof! It goes away.
janchattn#610676 writes:
If the Lady Vols had put forth a little more effort, especially against Rutgers and LSU, our men's and women's teams could have both been #1 at the same time, now that would be one for the record books, I would think. It's frustrating to watch them right now, they've got all the talent needed to win #8 but talent is nothing by itself, it needs motivation to go along with it. I wonder if they had gotten their rings earlier if it would have helped them remember we are the defending NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, why can't we play with a little more energy??? 20,000 fans is more than were at the Memphis-Vols men's game, that doesn't do anything for you at all?? Come on Lady Vols, win or lose, your fans just want to see you do your best!!!
tenn32rebel writes:
wewhite -
"I have faith in Pat. She'll figure out a way to psyche this team up. Look at what she did last year: She took an except-for-Parker-they're-so-so team and shepherded them through to another ring-sizing ceremony. There's no reason to think that we Vol fans can't start dreaming about a double-championship year like UConn had a few years ago."
The problem is not a lack of faith in Pat but in the players with their current mindset. The problem is they aren't listening to Pat. She can devise the best plan possible to capture #8 in '08, but the players have to execute it!!! That is the HARD PART.
Until they start listening and playing together as a team, another NC is just a pipe dream!!!
Also, I do not believe that Candace is on AUTO-PILOT!!! She will lead but the rest must follow in step with Pat's plan.
Go Lady Vols!!!
anthony writes:
winning is not everything, it's just how i play the game.
RockyTop1 writes:
Simple..last year they were hungry to win...this year they EXPECT to win by simply walking on the court! Shame on our seniors that HAVE NOT led this TEAM - I love the Lady VOLS but they have been underwhelming all year. Get fired up and remember what LSU did on YOUR HOME Court!! GO Lady VOLS!!
jcvol writes:
It's time to step up to the next level. Last year's team was successful in doing that and in my heart, I feel like this year's team can do the same. Kick it in gear and lets go. LUV THOSE LADY VOLS!
pendav#661488 writes:
UT is 25-2 and 3rd in the country. Reading the comments I would think UT is 15-12 and ranked 12th. Now is not the time to panic. Maybe the team is playing as well as they can. Next year the #1 recruiting class should help. In the meantime enjoy the wins as they continue to dominate.
NCLADYVOLFAN writes:
I just can't resist any longer. I must comment on my reaction to the team's performances. I have followed the Lady Vols for 20 years and I love basketball. I am so disappointed in the lack of intensity, desire to play the game, and lack of motivation that for the first time ever, I changed channels on the tv during a lady vol game- my family thought the world was coming to an end!
I am proud the team has a great record. I supported them loudly and proudly at the Duke game. I don't understand the team's recent performances, but it is clear they are "not" a team....they hardly communicate among each other on or off the court. It appears that they are in their own worlds.
I have utmost respect Pat Summitt, however, over the years, she has mellowed. I think this can be good and bad. I just hope we can see a return of enthusiasm, desire, and team attitude in the weeks to come.
Don't worry, I am not turning my back on the lady vols...that will never happen. I just want to see some "spunk" in the girls again.
Suggestion: Another possible motivator- Let them read the comments on this page and write a report on them?
98reax writes:
pendav, you know the team is NOT "playing as well as they can." I respect most posters' opinion in here, but you must be kidding. I too am turning the games off. I cannot bear to watch the slop that I see at times. It just hurts me to admit my Lady Vols are not playing with intensity and the sense of urgency they should have with SEC tournament beginning next weekend. NCLADYVOLFAN, how do we know they don't read these posts? I think many of these posts are objective enough to be helpful. You know we love our children, even when they are showing out and being little brats, BUT if we are truly loving parents, we teach them the importance of good behavior 24/7. We demand the best that they can possibly be 24/7. That's what love is. Now if we come in here and critique the team and point out the inconsistencies, that doesn't mean we are NOT loyal fans. I'm certainly not going to praise them for slacking. If they did not have the talent, nor the coaching, nor the facilities to give them every possible thing needed to be an elite team, THEN maybe I would give them some slack. We all know that is not the case at Tennessee. They were good enough last year to overcome defeat by LSU, play thru the NCAA brackets and knock off NC and Rutgers to bring home #7. They have everything it takes to bring home #8. The thing is, they may need to dig down there and find it again. Do they want it enough to dig deep enough? That's what they need to decide pretty soon. If they get in there, starting tonight with Florida, fighting and scrapping from the first tick to the final horn, if they play smart ball, no showboating, no chest bumping, just fundamental ball; If they play team ball on every play and will every shot thru the net, grab every board like the basketball is 'your ball, it's the only ball you will ever own, it's was signed and delivered personally to you by LeBron James along with a Sharpee and a kiss,' make every pass like it was the game winning assist, I will be convinced, they want it enough to TAKE IT ALL.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.