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Rebounding from a lack of boards
Lady Vols have improved since Tar Heels game
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Alberta Auguste goes by the nickname "Bird." Forgive her if she answers to "boards" as well.
"You hear 'boards' more than your name on this team,'' the Tennessee senior said.
"Boards" is a nickname of sorts for rebounding - one of Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt's favorite subjects. She'll refer to it in some fashion before Tennessee faces SEC women's basketball rival Ole Miss (8-10, 2-3 SEC) at 8 tonight at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Miss. (TV: CSS).
Summitt isn't getting bored talking about boards. More likely she's perplexed. No. 2 Tennessee (18-1, 5-0) added to the confusion Monday with its 40-29 rebounding dominance in a 67-64 victory over No. 9 Duke, one of the nation's top rebounding teams.
Was this the same Tennessee team that was outrebounded by 18 by North Carolina last month? How could this team be outrebounded five other times this season and have a relatively modest plus-4.2 rebounding margin?
Summitt asked after Monday's game: "Why wouldn't you rebound?''
After all, it's not like the Lady Vols aren't listening when the coach speaks. They were all ears Monday, which served as an inspiration to their rebounding effort and ultimately the victory.
Auguste sounds like Summitt in saying, "We know boards are the key to victory."
They were the key to last season's march through the NCAA tournament and to the top of the step ladder at the national championship celebration in Cleveland, Ohio. The Lady Vols often couldn't make a shot in the postseason. But they could retrieve the basketball with the best of them, as reflected by their plus-8.7 rebounding margin for six tournament games.
Summitt went through a similar regular-season rebounding ordeal with the Lady Vols last season. So she's not changing her tune. If anything, she's gathering her assistant coaches and forming a choir.
"I always say, it's not what you teach but what you emphasize,'' Summitt said. "... We're going to constantly make it a priority, talk about it in practice, work on it in practice, put it in our pre-game and halftime speeches and on the board when we write up the keys to the game. We can't impress it too much because of its significance."
Senior guard Alexis Hornbuckle thinks the prevailing issue with the players is attitude, not ability.
"I think rebounding, with us, it's more mental than anything,'' she said.
Attitude? The Lady Vols are in good shape after Monday's hard-fought result. Since the outcome hinged directly on their rebounding prowess, they might be more open-minded to the recurring theme.
"We stayed real positive in the Duke game,'' Hornbuckle said, "which was a change because I feel like in the Stanford game (a 73-69 loss on Dec. 22) we came across a tough time and seemed at times people were getting more frustrated, and it was more individuals than team."
Tonight's game brings to mind the postseason. The last time these teams met was an Elite Eight game last March in the Dayton, Ohio, Regional. That seems like a long time ago. Ole Miss is missing three departed senior starters from that team, including All-American Armintie Price. The calendar for this season, though, is about to flip over to February. Another March isn't far off.
"I think we need to have a higher, consistent standard,'' said Hornbuckle, regarding UT's rebounding. "Come tournament time, you go down and that one time you go down, it's one and done. You want to be more consistent before you reach the postseason."
Summitt plans on being consistent with her message and her motivation. The rest is up to the players.
"She (Summitt) harps on us and she's been doing a great job of trying to hold us accountable,'' Hornbuckle said. "When it comes down to it, we're the five people on the court."
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Posted by Hunter on January 30, 2008 at 11:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"I always say, it's not what you teach but what you emphasize."
I'm a teacher by trade - a teacher of future teachers as a matter of fact. You'd better believe this quote will be on the bulletin board tomorrow morning. Pat is a genius......
Posted by johnlg00 on January 31, 2008 at 8:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This has always been a puzzle to me. All too often at every level of basketball, the majority of players just don't seem to WANT the ball. They will stick their hands up sometimes to keep the ball from hitting them in the face, but seldom do I see the attitude of "That one is MINE!" For inside players especially, at least half of defensive positioning should be about getting the rebound, i.e., if the shot is taken from there, where is the rebound likely to go and who do I have to block out. Maneuvering for position begins before the ball ever goes up. Hands are always up and ready. It is amazing how difficult it is to get most players to understand this and do it consistently.
Posted by oldvolsfan on January 31, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
hey uconn fan march is coming and we all will see
Posted by THE_VOL on January 31, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's WOMEN'S basketball for cripes sake!!! Who cares????? All rebounding is in this so-called sport is finding a place in the lane, waiting for the ball to come down (since no one can jump more than 6 inches) and hoping it falls in your hands! LMFAO!!!! Title IX has destroyed all that is good and worthy in college athletics!!!
Posted by johnlg00 on January 31, 2008 at 12:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So glad to have your enlightened opinion, THE_VOL. If you don't like women's BB, just go back to the 19th century and stop inflicting your stupidity on the rest of us. Believe me, ANY player in ANY big-time women's program can take your sorry butt to school. I'll bet even Pat could take you, and she's in her 50s! Women generally aren't as big as men--so what. They don't play competitively with men, but all women who play in college these days grew up playing against guys in the parks and rec centers where most players make their reputations outside of school. If you had any playing experience in the last 50 years, you would know that was true.
Posted by johnlg00 on January 31, 2008 at 12:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
BTW, THE_VOL, the fundamentals of good rebounding are the same, no matter the level of play or the gender of the player. Guys in general jump higher, but, again, so what? The player in good position who is hungry for the ball is the one who gets it most of the time, pretty much regardless of size.
Posted by johnlg00 on January 31, 2008 at 1:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You know, UConnFan, your devotion to your team is commendable--obnoxious, but commendable. I'm just afraid that you are so invested in it that you will lose it entirely if your gals fall short of the championship, which could surely happen. Not that I am really all that interested in your welfare, jerk, but I'm trying to be kind here.
Posted by utfreakster on January 31, 2008 at 3:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
BTW UconnFan...do youknow why Pat has refused to play your beloved Huskies anymore in the regular season? It is because of the tactics in recruiting that Geno uses..........most unfair and probably illegal. And I know that Geno is an arrogant, obnoxious idiot that curses fans if they don't always agree with him. If you don[t believe me, just send him an email and ask about the gaudy watch he wears. I have seen the response to that.
Posted by pendav on January 31, 2008 at 6:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey TN fans
Pat has won more games than Geno only cuz she is older. As of last night Geno's win Pctg is .8421 And Pat S is .8420. Please don't tell me that she plays a tougher schedule than Uconn. When you are #1 as Uconn is it is not possible to play anyone better than you.
Enjoy the SEC cuz thats the only tournament you will win.
Posted by mad_poly_uct on January 31, 2008 at 9:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
...and what are those "tactics" Geno uses, if I may ask?
Posted by 98reax on February 1, 2008 at 2:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't understand why anyone who hates TN Vols so much would spend so much time and energy on this site. Have they been kicked out of their beloved geno.con? I do believe I would gag reading their remarks. Can't imagine actually going to such a site. It would be like entering the front door of some house where you were sure the residents hated you.
Posted by BloneyBoy on February 1, 2008 at 4:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by UconnFan on January 31, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Nobody can jump, lol, uconn fans were shown video last night of maya moore(6ft) and tina charles(6 ft 4 inches) dunking,, i bet you cant dunk a basketball,,
I can if it's on video and the camera is at such an angle that the trampoline doesn't appear in the shot. Typical geno hype. Greaser.
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