Posted by mparker on March 17, 2008 at 12:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

okay, deep breath...
--Bjorklund is TIRED. Pat, give her some damn time off in practice. Look not every kid is the same. This is Bjorklunds first college season, on a high-profile team. I could almost gaurantee you that you'd get better results if you sent her to Gatlinburg for a couple of days and said 'forget basketball'.
-the seniors will NOT need motivating; they are ready and a little pissed off.
-look for big things from Vicki Baugh. Unilke Bjorklund, she's gotten to work in a bit. I'd almost bet you she has some big minutes with good play coming up.
-Shannon Bobbit: shoot early and often. Don't force it, but take the good looks.
-Alexis: DON'T shoot. Penetrate and dish. Take the other teams best player and shut them down.
-Candace: drow the fouls, and play D.

yeah, yeah, I can anticipate all the 'CPS knows all, she is great..and on'. Yes, Pat is great. But, gentle reminder, this IS a chat board and you ARE allowed to express ideas on it, as long as you don't cuss too much.

Posted by LadyVolFanForever on March 17, 2008 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)

mparker

I mostly agree except that Lex should take the shot when it is open and not try to make a woo the crowd pass that gets picked off.....stick to those steals and rebounds. Nicki has to be the rebounding machine she was last postseason !

Every possession does count. I know they are sick of hearing it but it is so true and they already know the glorious feeling of making it happen. To become a member of the select few who have won multiple national championships....that is the goal ! GO LADY VOLS, see you in Tampa !!

Posted by gogreen on March 17, 2008 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Funny how freshman players at UT underachieve and freshman at certain other universities become scoring machines. I won't mention any names but the initials are MM.

Parker is a hot dog. This year I see her paying as an individual and not as a team member. Anosike has always been lousy at free throws and is just plain lazy.

No matter the seedings, UT will be out after the sweet 16. No team chemistry. Poor shooters. Both equate to failure.

Posted by 98reax on March 17, 2008 at 11:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

mparker, I agree with almost everything you post except the "send her away for a couple of days." This is no time for a freshman to be tired. If anyone needs a break, and I'm not saying she does, Hornbuckle is the one carrying 16-hour class load. Now is not the time to be taking a break. The little test and the gathering at Pat's place to view the bracketology is break enough. Forget basketball? You've got to be kidding. First Round is this weekend and our opponent could be a challenge. Now it's get back to work time. Maybe a couple of days of shooting jumpers and foul shots, working on finishing at the basket, making crisp passes without telegraphing them would provide some nice indolent tranquility. This is the time to Dance, baby. There will be plenty of time for Gatlinburg if they don't get back to basics. Sixteen seeds can be nasty and hungry.(Marist, Harvard) I saw Kellie Jolly Harper's Western Carolina team play Wes Moore's Chattanooga team, if we draw a team like either of these in the first round, most likely will, we cannot slack off or we will be gassing up for the mountains way too early. When we see the bracket unfold this evening, we'll decide if they can take a couple days off, right?

Posted by mparker on March 17, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

98reaux, with all due respect:
Bjorklund needs her legs, and her head clear. Tehre is also that thing called 'muscle memory', and to break a slump often requires a day or 2 away.

Look, fof the players, they have a routine for games: read the scouting report, walk-through the schemes, maybe scrimmage against the subs. They don't have to pump and drill and prep constantly at this point.

As I said, each player is different. Shooters just sometimes need a break.

Posted by jh43 on March 17, 2008 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Pretty good article. Parker is on a mission, but she does not need to be on it alone. Anosike has helped with her new effort to rebound. She can do even more, and she should go to the basket with the determination to not be denied. Bjorklund is a great shooter. She has been passing up a lot of open shots. She is one of the most pitiful passers I have ever seen. She is too smart to make those kind of passes. It is simply a case of not concentrating. She throws a lazy pass when she has to see the defender standing in line for the interception. Get her head on straight. She has been starting for a year. That means she has had plenty of time to learn better. Hornbuckle is a great defender and can be a great shooter, but she gets caught up in trying to look good too many times. We need the points; not the cool plays. Baugh could be a real asset with her size. She needs to anticipate more. She seems to react slowly on obvious plays coming to her. Augusti needs to shoot from outside. She gets too excited shooting layups and misses more than she makes. She can play defense. Bobbitt can be a difference maker when she pushes the ball and makes good, quick passes. When she dribbles too much, she slows down the offense and causes confusion. She is a great shooter and needs to put it up. She passes up too many good shots, and she does makes some lazy passes. Fuller needs to play with more confidence. She is a good shooter and can really take the pressure off.
This is not meant to be negative. I think we have a great team. If each will give 100% for the full game, there is no team out there that can stay with us. The SEC tournament showed us they can make the effort, unlike the regular season. It is up to them. If they want number 8, they can win it, but they have to give it all they have for 40 minutes of each game.
We expect no less. Go Lady Vols!

Posted by mparker on March 17, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

gogreen, you are of course entitled to your opinion, tho it seems to be snotty.

Candace Parker has worked her butt off this season. I'm thinking you have limited experience with being hacked and pushed on every shot?? She's no firlly guard who gets contact maybe once every 2 or 3 minutes; she is constntly being wrestled the entire game.

Sweet sixteen and out, huh?? We'll see, eh?? Every team has some issues, but the LV's have shown in the past they can pull it together in tourney time.

Good luck to you and whomever you are pulling for.

Posted by 98reax on March 17, 2008 at 6:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

mparker, sounds like you know your stuff. I'm excited to see where we go and who we have to go thru to get where we want to be. As they say, "Enjoy the journey." I have to psyche myself up every year about this time. I do have withdrawals from the season, even though I have a real life outside this basketball craze. I know it cannot go on forever and when I hear Peter Gammons, I know our days are numbered and eventually I will have to move on to baseball, football and those non-basket sports. In the meantime I would like to see us play until the day we take down the big net.

Posted by mparker on March 17, 2008 at 6:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

jh43;
fully agree on Bobbitt; I cringe when she face-driblles on an opponent, as the clock winds away. It is almost always a wasted possession.

My real point with her: she IS a good shooter and passer. By shooting, she frees up Candace (or can-dance, as I normally mess up).

As for Angie: I think she has done well for a freshman at UT. She will be VERY good next year.

I stand by what I said: some kids are almost college athletes in high school. They play other near-college kids. i don't think that's Angie. I think she played against average kids, at an average pace.

The girl just looks physically and mentally tired. If Pat doesn't realize it, she will get nothing out of her, and we need Angie.

Posted by amcguire01 on March 18, 2008 at 6:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Parker has worked her tail off. For someone to suggest that she's a hotdog is silly. Hotdogs don't carry their teams. CP has not cost the LVs a loss. If you were really watching, she was the leading scorer in both of their losses! Angie needs to find her confidence, but the coaches also gotta help her get some looks off of screens. She doesn't have the speed to create her own offense. Hornbuckle needs to score. Her performance in the LSU/SEC Final was terrible and uninspired. Bobbitt needs to be a "game manager". For a point guard, she doesn't even lead her team in assists. I think it's Parker. Nicky is a liability on offense and when she's out of control on defense too. We need her to walk the talk in this tourney. I hope these kids have fun. Winning is fun.