Virginia gave Tennessee 83 reasons to be worried about its women's basketball defense Monday night.
And that was reason enough for Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt to cancel a recruiting trip Tuesday and concentrate solely on the team's practice in advance of Friday's game at Chattanooga.
By the time the team convened to watch a video review of the 83-82 loss to the Cavaliers, Summitt had watched a replay three times.
"We just did not step up defensively,'' she said. "I think we thought we were going to have a shootout."
Virginia guard Monica Wright did most of the shooting, torching UT for a career-high 35 points on 14 for 26 shooting.
The day after, the Lady Vols were still sorting through their share of the blame for Wright's heroics. Summitt was second-guessing decisions relating to designating and rotating defenders on Wright. She said the Lady Vols' inability to control the player with the basketball also worked to Wright's advantage.
"We had so many lapses on defense,'' Summitt said. "We didn't stop the ball. The ball got deep and (Wright) got a lot of touches."
In some cases, Wright had the ball. In other instances, she benefitted from the resulting chaos.
Summitt said a "miscommunication" contributed to a key possession in which the 5-foot-11 Wright swished a jumper over 5-2 Briana Bass, tying the score at 82-82 with 39 seconds left.
Summitt's video review also included multiple looks at Glory Johnson's technical foul with 3:38 left. Summitt sounded skeptical about whether the call was warranted after Johnson got tangled with Virginia's Whitny Edwards.
"My staff believed it did, I'm not sold on it,'' she said. "I think there had been a confrontation in the backcourt before that.
"I have looked at it three times. I just thought she was frustrated."
Summitt said that she wasn't planning any disciplinary action for the freshman forward. Summitt wants Johnson to be aggressive but not overdo it.
"I don't want to take that away from her but we're not the type of team that's going to be a dirty team,'' Summitt said. "We're going to be an aggressive team."
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Memorable moments in Pat Summitt's…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 26
MrBamSeydu writes:
First on a Lady Vols basketball article, you should be proud. Tell your mommy and daddy to let you have ice cream after din din tonight little kid.
eefor10c writes:
The idiot, hiresanders, shouldn't be saying anything. After all his little blue got beat by VMI. Sorry about this response Lady Vol fans but this is the best he can do and believe me he has used that same stupid line many time and its still as lame as ever.
Chartervol writes:
Carolina blue is not a Tennessee color. Might be a bad time to point that out. I'm just saying.
xvolx writes:
Pat has problems with brewer, gray , cain and fuller. none of them play with fire and toughness. manning was a big disappointment, but they are young.
ladivolfan writes:
It's just the beginning of the season and we're not even playing with the full team. Smallbone and Fuller are just too slow. Cain's nerves got the best of her since it was the first game she played where everyone had high expectations of her. It won't be long before Baugh comes back to replace Fuller, Bjorkland comes back to replace Smallbone, Cain will get over it, Bass will light a fire under everyones butt and the Lady Vols' defense will step up. At the end of the year, Manning, Brewer and/or Gray will move on to other programs. They're good - very good - but it is obvious that they are not stepping up to the Lady Vol level of playing.
LadyVolFanForever writes:
ladivolfan, let's not give up on some of our freshmen so quickly. I agree things will be better when Bjorkland & Baugh can get back on the court but we have to remember these kids were all "stars" last year and this is a huge step up for them. This isn't high school and many adjustments must be made.
I believe Manning has great potential as does Brewer & Gray....they just need more time to adjust. Afterall, they moved directly to the "spotlight of women's basketball". Being a Lady Vol isn't easy but the blood, sweat & tears will be so worth it !
Keep working and learning young ladies....Go Lady Vols !!
MassVol writes:
I haven't had a chance to see these ladies play ball yet. However, I will trust coach Summitt to have the ladies ready by March. Also, this is their second game. Don't give up on any of these ladies just yet. Pat knows a winner when she sees one. Go Lady Vols!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Officially at least, it is called "Columbia blue" and has been used as a distinguishing color for the Lady Vols since, as far as I know, forever. It is not unusual for a team to use some color other than their "official" ones. Might be a bad example on several levels, but the color orange is NOT one of Clemson's "official" colors, yet that is easily their most common uni color.
utang1602#204610 writes:
Actually, it is. It is a Tennessee Lady Vol color.
If you ever read the history of the program, you'd know that Joan Cronan, when she was the coach, couldn't order orange uniforms unless they were special ordered, which the program couldn't afford. So, instead, she selected the blue, which has been an official part of the University of Tennessee women's athletic department ever since.
As for one of the worst teams ever, as stated by hiresanders: wrong. This team is young, but they will improve and surprise many people come tournament time.
ladivolfan writes:
"Being a Lady Vol isn't easy but the blood, sweat & tears will be so worth it !"
Amen LadyVolFanForever! I really wasn't dissing Manning, Gray and Brewer. And it is a pre-season call. I hope they prove me wrong. Right now, Manning is my favorite of all the new LVols (although Bass and Johnson are not very far behind) and I really really want to see her step up.
98reax writes:
Please do not give that poster any recognition at all. It is so obvious IT needs attention to qualify itself as a being. Don't be sucked into ITS passive aggressive behavior.
Perhaps the webmaster will realize the poster's comments are bordering on abusive and defamatory. Actually if you read the screen name, the comment becomes invisible. They have no content at all. We really should stay far away from them because there's no telling where they've been. Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer nearby.
98reax writes:
I love the way Pat breaks down a game to find the simplest fix. Of course it's defense. It's always defense. If a team scores 83 points on you, most likely you will be in the L column.
This group of freshmen has a shoot-the-ball mindset. That's great, we've not seen so much of that as of late. Lady Vol teams have relied on one or two players to do most of the scoring. Not so much with this bunch. Look at all the stat sheets including the exhibition games. Double figure scoring down the line pretty much. Pat will drill into their heads the importance of defense and it will not be pretty.
We got beat down the floor time after time Monday night. The miscommunication on the mismatch of Bass on Wright in the waning seconds was key to the loss, but the porous defense from the get go was obvious. Never fear. Pat will 'whip' them into a defensive minded team.
I certainly do not agree with these comments about Manning, Gray and Brewer leaving. They are key players on this young team and they will emerge to their place in Pat's rotation. Keep in mind, IT IS NOVEMBER, for pete's sake. This team has a ton of potential. Do you remember Kyra Elzy and Niya Butts from the '97 championship team? Was it the Kellie Jolly/Chamiqua Holdsclaw show? Maybe, but without Elzy and Butts, the Lady Vols don't upset #1 UConn in the Midwest Regional to advance to the Final Four. That freshman duo provided the smothering defense that led to several breakaway lay-ups to seal the deal and take home the second of the back2back NC titles for Pat and her Lady Vols.
People were ready to write the Lady Vol team off. Coach was vowing to win 20 games. Players were crying and fans were frustrated. Post season came, we lost to unranked Auburn in the SEC tournament semi-finals. We were seeded 3rd in the NCAA brackets. The rest is history, very good history.
Fans, stay the course. Do not get down on this team. These players will develop. You will see. And yes, they can't NOT read these remarks. A positive attitude is contagious.
rockytopron writes:
We should start calling this posts the over react posts. Its bad enough on the football boards, but now after two games people are over reacting on the women's basketball side.
Write the following down, go ahead, get your pen and paper, I'll wait................................
This is a final four team.
ladivolfan writes:
Check out this future Lady Vol point guard
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball...
Rockytop98 writes:
Get a life loser ... still on sanders after all this time? Sad...
xvolx writes:
no kidding. one person scores 35 pts. better find more players with hustle and desire. gray, brewer, fuller and manning arent showing any.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
some of you are .... I won't say.
Have you not figured this out?? Thsse girls have to LEARN to play D. Any of you play college ball? It isn't HS or AAU. Why do you think Pat spends SO MUCH TIME of defense???
You are kind of pissing me off with the 'no intensity' phooey. HOw do you know?? is it that, or maybe uncertainty??
I tell you what, you give me about 10 games; after 10 games, if you say the girls aren't playing with intensity, and can demonstrate it, I'll shut up.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
by the way, I'll add something. Read Tyler Smith's comments about the MALE freshmen. to paraphrase "it was their first weekday game. they had to be at eight o'clock class, then the tutors and studying, then the game. they aren't used ot that"
same goes for these girls. I am actually pleased so far, I think they are on their way. Yes, 10 losses. That will happen. By the end of the year, they will be tough.
WeLoveTennesseeVols writes:
Who is this hiresanders guy? Is he for real or what? Where does he belong? Whose child is he?
dopedawg writes:
Keep it up ladys!!!! We love ya!!
p.s. Can anyone tell me the name of the opening/intro music played in TBA at Lady Vols games, the intro where the trophies are shown?
thanks in advance!!
98reax writes:
mparker, please keep posting. Sense & sensibility prevails, the 'Baby Vols' are now ranked 13th which is closer to reality. I've heard a lot of people say, regarding the Lady Vols' loss to UVA, "They should have won that game." The truth of the matter is, the inexperienced Tennessee team did well to hang with UVA as well as they did. Reverse a couple of big calls, the one that resulted in a technical foul on Glory Johnson, and the perceived push out of bounds play on Stricklin; the young'uns could have grabbed their first victory over a ranked team. We at least get a shot at the basket off that last inbound if we're listening to Pat and heeding her advice.
You are right, mparker, they are on their way. These early close losses can be exactly what these young'uns need. For one thing, it takes a lot of pressure off the team and coaches. Game tape is a valuable tool to show these freshmen what it takes to hold a lead and close out a game at this level. Second, it shows them they are not 'all that' just because they can score a lot of points. This game tape also makes a glaring statement, "rankings don't mean squat right now." The only squat that makes any sense right now is pleasing Pat Summitt in a defensive stance.
volonthehill writes:
Orange is not one of Clemson's official colors? That is like saying orange isn't one of our official colors. You just might want to check this out ... http://www.clemson.edu/guidelines/col...
johnlg00#206211 writes:
My mistake. However, that piece doesn't say WHEN that became the case. I lived in SC for several years and it was generally believed, at least, that their colors were some dark shade of blue or purple and some shade of yellow or gold. People of the USC persuasion made much of how stupid they thought Clemson people were in making such use of the color orange when it wasn't one of their "official" colors. Of course, given the rancor of that particular relationship, that may have just been a base canard(;-D)!
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
98, you know I was s bit upset with Pat's recruiting for a while. We have NO juniors, and one senior. We had 'waste' recruits like Lindsey Moss (I thought she might've been good, too).
What hurts us is that Alex Fuller is NOT a starter-type. Just think if we ahd Candace still...not just being Candace, but being s strong player. Any of last year's seniors would fit that role, too.
I like that Pat said she disagrred with her staff about the Glory Johnson foul. Pretty candid statement!
98reax writes:
No matter what color you see in Thompson Boling Arena, the main color is Big Orange. And lots of it. Another reason to be so proud to be a Lady Vols fan. I look around the SEC women's games and see empty seats. I saw South Carolina's home opener against rival Clemson. Not only did new coach, Dawn Staley lose the game, she had to have been disappointed in the attendance, a whopping 2,315. My goodness, can you imagine such a sparse turnout for a Lady Vols game? That would be silly scary, would it not?
You know these young'uns are inspired by the tremendous support at home and (as a rule) even the road following. That's one reason we can get these All-Americans to come to Tennessee. That and the greatest coach in the country. Some dweebs are quick to question the marketing strategy for the women's program. Those doubters show their ignorance of advertising as well as their negative attempt to obfuscate the preeminence of Pat Summitt's Lady Vols Basketball legacy.
It is not essential to win EVERY game, especially early on. National rankings are a joke to the 8-Time National Champion Coach, but you can bet your britches an itinerary is in place for the post season, albeit the distinguished coach will never speak of a trip beyond the next scheduled game.
We need to try and emulate our coach's mentality as in being patient with this team, looking at the individual improvements, being realistic with expectations and especially staying positive and supportive of our Lady Vols.
amcguire01 writes:
98reax, you are a tremendous writer.
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.