Pat Summitt reaffirmed Tuesday the likelihood of Tennessee adding another women's basketball player to the signing class of 2010.
NCAA regulations don't allow the Lady Vols coach to say who she has in mind. Summitt did elaborate on the type of player UT wants.
"Probably a combo guard,'' said Summitt, following UT's basketball workout at Pratt Pavilion. "There's some good players out there."
To date, Lauren Avant, a point guard from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, is the lone commitment to the class.
Tennessee will have an extra scholarship to offer. Summitt said that Cait McMahan, who stopped playing in January because of persistent knee problems, will follow through on her intentions of becoming a student assistant. Therefore, the former point guard will go on a medical scholarship.
"It will not count in our basketball scholarships,'' Summitt said.
Summitt said that there are no plans to recruit a junior college guard. Instead, she mentioned incoming guards Kamiko Williams and Taber Spani.
"I'm excited about Kamiko coming in and what she's going to add, and Taber,'' Summitt said.
Summitt said that Williams and signee Faith Dupree from Webb School both plan to attend both sessions of summer school. Summitt said that Spani will attend the first session and might attend both sessions, too.
Mind Games: Sophomore guard Angie Bjorklund is sold on the non-punitive nature of these workouts and is doing her part to convince her teammates.
"I don't think we need to look at it as punishment and I've tried to make that clear, as clear as possible,'' Bjorklund said. "This is a time to get better."
With that in mind, Bjorklund and teammates Sydney Smallbone and Alicia Manning helped to arrange a team meeting Tuesday with Joe Whitney, the program's director of mental training.
"We came together as a team and said we need to get our mindset right,'' Bjorklund said.
Notebook: Tickets go on sale today for "Pat Summitt's Day of 1,000 Stories" at the Tennessee Theatre on May 3. Tickets are available at the theatre box office, Tickets Unlimited (865-656-4444) or at www.tennesseetheatre.com. . . . Freshman Amber Gray sat out Tuesday's workout to rehab a shoulder injury suffered last Thursday. . . . Freshman guard Briana Bass had the expression "No More" written on her T-shirt. Summitt asked what that meant, and Bass told her, "Don't want to lose anymore."
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Comments » 49
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
holy cr*p this dude is bitter. I don't quite get posting on a thread where you despise the people involved. Something is unstable with the 'poster no. 1' on this thread.
Caspian writes:
Not only unstable - Did you notice the big wart on his nose and the odd looking birthmark? Dude is just plain ugly.
CTOWNICON writes:
Out hustled, I don't think so. She just did not stoop to the level that Geno did to recruit her, you know, the giving of goods and services to her and her family members, ESPN tours, stuff of that nature. After all, they are being investigated, I am sure you have seen it all over the news. Don't forget Geno has been at Uconn for 24 years, his numbers are not all that great either, not to mention he was an assistant somewhere before he came to Uconn, I forgot where the commentator said so add those years in to. Fact is, Pat has 8 championships and Geno has to get 3 more to even catch up.
oldvolsfan writes:
go suck an egg dirtbag
BigRMan writes:
Butchey: Hey Man You got the market cornered on stupid! Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Candace Parker, Deanna Nolan, Brittany Griner, Tameka Catchings, Chamique Holdsclaw, Sheryl Swoopes,and Yolanda Griffith are all better female basketball players than Moore-Wake up Dumb a@@!
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
I do indeed wonder about that at times.
rockytopron writes:
Hey dude, you misspelled your name. It should read female dogIsBack.
Let's compare notes...
UT has 8 National Championships, 13 trips to the final game, Pat's 1005 wins is better alone than any women's basketball team has all together, 13 former Lady Vols play in the WNBA, more play overseas, 70 former coaches and players are head coaches somewhere, 28 straight tournament appearances and no one will every be able to match that since there has only been 28 tournaments, 27 sweet 16 appearances, and BTW her youngest team ever, with her top two players missing most of the season still managed to win 22 games.
Last, but not least, she runs the cleanest program in sports. Geno is a cheat and one day he will be exposed and maybe some, if not all of those victories will be banished. You know, those victories he piles up playing the likes of Farliegh-Dickersons and the Big Least conference.
LadyVolFanForever writes:
Forget the intruders and get back to the subject !
Coach knows what we need and she will get it.
I like the mental training route, we needed more mental toughness on this squad. Angie got a little help after last years' end of season burnout and it really helped. I am glad that everyone is just wanting to get better !
I totally agaree with Brees shirt, "no more". All Lady Vol fans agaree, we don't want to lose anymore. We are spoiled and we are proud and we are Lady Vol fans !!!
dwa7#337691 writes:
sometimes the truth hurts..........UCONN is far superior to any lady BB teams this year. It is UCONN's to lose and methinks they will not lose this year....and maybe next year. Geno has quite a team this year!!!
BigRMan writes:
Hey: I can't forget THE INtruders-They did "Cowboys to Girls" -One of my favorite R&B hits from the late 60's (LOL)
KCHS63 writes:
They had quite a team last year, too. You know, just like they did in 1997.
BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Go Stanford! ABC.....
CrankE writes:
Bjorklund said. "This is a time to get better."
"We came together as a team and said we need to get our mindset right,'' Bjorklund said.
_____________
Get better, not "work harder". Cool!
Get our mindset right. Also cool!
I like what I'm hearing, hope that it'll translate into results on the floor this fall.
bobbarbilly writes:
Butch, does your web name imply "work release" ???
littleorange writes:
JERK ALERT!
Volchaz writes:
Butchie? Is that you, Geno?
abnermc writes:
The uconn Sopranos? Geno & Calhoun biggest cheats in bb. Now under investigation I see.
BigRMan writes:
It is very much an honor to post on this site with 98 Reaux, Lady volfan, rockytopron mpparker and so many other UT fans. I'm not even going to go into the trolls. I promise I won't go there. Was the season for the LV's disappointing- Yes! and that is an understatement. However, the body of work amassed over the years by CPS & the LV's stand the test of time. Nothing is promised to anyone, not next year, next week or even 5 minutes from now. I would have every confidence that this year was an aberation, and that Coach Summitt will be able to add the missing ingredients whether it be additional recruits, different motivational styles or tools, or maybe retool her strategical plan of attack with the current group. No one ever really knows it all. Even when it comes to coaching: John Wooden constantly learned, Red Auerbach learned constantly throughout his coaching career, and I'm sure Coach Summitt's mentor Billie Moore, found coaching to be a constant learning process. Sometimes losing gets you back to basics, humbles you and makes you realize that you need to consistently strive to get better. The UT LV program took a jolt this year. It is NOT the Titanic, and it did NOT hit the iceberg. THis program will be fine and bounce back in the long run. Let's have faith in God's blessings on the school's program, in its' tradition, and in Coach Summitt to show her strength to be the Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Her expertise, knowledge and integrity in doing things above board-the right way-I think will triumph in the long run
LadyVolFanForever writes:
BigRMan, you are absolutely right. It was a learning year for all of us and we WILL get better. Thanks for your interesting posts and support.
Go Lady Vols, never give up and never give in !!!
volfan2002 writes:
Geno how long you been posting on Go Vols Extra. Thought you would be out buying more recruits and wouldn't have the time.
queens2183#661836 writes:
"LadyVolFanForever writes:
BigRMan, you are absolutely right. It was a learning year for all of us and we WILL get better. Thanks for your interesting posts and support.
Go Lady Vols, never give up and never give in !!!"
It was a learning year for the players and fans alike. For the players, learning the TN system and learning how to be a team with completely new parts. It was what it was, a REBUILDING year, not the colossal upset its been made out to be. For fans, it was a year to learn that youth and inexperience will cause even the greatest programs to struggle; it's the nature of the beast. Those that chose to have it also learned patience. It is a virtue and one that far too many on this board and others weren't willing to have with this young team.
On topic, love Bri's shirt/attitude as well as Angie's attitude on leadership and mental toughness. The team seems to be putting in the necessary work to become not only better players but a better team with the right mindset. Angie is taking over leadership and with Vicki and Kelley having her back at that position, the team should be much more secure than they were this year with just Alex. Championships are won in the offseason and the kids are doing nothing but getting a headstart on the competition.
Volunatic writes:
I agree, and go one step further-- the highest seed in every sub-regional should get home-court advantage, if they so choose (although sometimes that isn't possible due to other contracts for the court).
BigRMan writes:
ROFLMAO: THAT IS TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY Why don't you write skits and material for Letterman or Leno. Elevate the quality of late night TV
ps11824 writes:
I cannot wait to read the article proclaiming STANFORD CARDINAL, '09 NATIONAL CHAMPS! Huskies suffer back-to-back mushing from dogged Cardinal.
You know if Tara VanDerveer can take down mighty Australia for a chance to play for the '96 Olympic Gold Medal, before a crowd of 33,952 fans, she can out coach the very frightened, ill-tempered, always ready to explode Connecticut coach. He's surely thinking he can't be beaten again by the same team, same situation as last season.
It just so happened, the old coach of the Australia Olympic team had shot his mouth off before the semifinals, "There's no way they are going to beat us twice." VanDerveer got word of the arrogant statement and issued one of her own to her team, "We'll kick their --- worse than before."
Geno thinks he's done something? Heck, Tara VanDerveer had a 60-0 win-loss record at after her USA team accepted the Gold Medal in 1996.
Don't get the idea that I'm a Stanford fan. I'd be pulling for any team UConn contested. I have seen what Tara VanDerveer can do to motivate a basketball team.
I'm a Geno NonFan! Anything he's involved in is nothing I want to be about. I will not be content until justice is served making him a NonFactor in women's basketball. I hope that day is sooner than later for the sake of Women's College Basketball. If every coach is allowed to get away with the violations, the integrity of the game will be permanently flawed.
Too many coaches have struggled mightily to preserve the dignity of the women's game. Pat Summitt may be the one who has been publicly persecuted the most in the media for taking a stand, but there are many. Hopefully, more will have the courage to rid him from their schedule.
I say, send him to the pros where it is legal to pay for the best players, where perks are part of the game, where beyond-the-game coach/player activities are acceptable.
Wait and see...
YankeeVol writes:
Why would allow yourself to be diminished to this level?
Do you really think there are no gay students or coaches on this team? Aren't you supposed to be a supporter of the program?
ps11824 writes:
Since it is a slow day at the office, mikeymouse, I will respond to your no-brainer comment and I will attempt to use as many 4-letter words as I can since you obviously have limited cerebral resources.
First of all, who is this 'we' you often refer to? Do you honestly think you are on anyone's team? Can you be so naive as to believe you are a fan of anything other than your own self?
To answer your first query, yes, I do believe you care, mikeymouse. You were quick to respond. And yes, I think TN Lady Vol fans care about my opinion since this IS a Lady Vol site. That's what we do here, mikeymouse, we comment on our team. Notice, those of us who have a shread of dignity, keep our opinions to OUR site, not your hallowed boneyard.
If you would care to take a poll on 'how funny is hell' on your own fan site, go for it. But here on GVX, I am a fan, not a hater. I have no desire to flaunt my allegiance to the Lady Vols on someone else's host site. I have no wish to be in the neighborhood of your coach idol. And I don't think hell will be funnny. I don't wish to find out. I hope you don't either.
Why don't you change your screen name to 'i2luvladyvols' and start enjoying life? There's no need to hide your admiration for our storied program behind that mask of hate and contempt any longer. Who knows? As soon as the NCAA acts appropriately, we may add the huskies to our regular season schedule.
Won't that be swell when we can all be friends? Finally, you could truly claim to be a fan of the best team with the most winning coach, and the most national championships, and the best fans.
BigRMan writes:
I'm sure Tara wouldn't mind taking on UCON with some of that '96 team: Lisa Leslie, Nikki Mc Cray, Sheryl Swoopes, Katrina McLain, and Teresa Edwards to name a few. That would put the fear of the Almighty into them
BigRMan writes:
Just don't play Baylor, or you'll get dunked on multiple times. Brittany Griner will posterize your entire front line. You have no one that can block her shot-she can shoot at will over ANY of your Centers or Forwards. UCON gets defeated when playing Baylor, You can run in the regular season, but you can't hide in the NCAA's from the 6'8" frame of perfection that is Brittany Griner
BigRMan writes:
Now Geno could have solved that problem by serving as a tooth pick in a plate of lasagna for the Pope-Said Grace and his Hail Marys All at once-How many birds could he have killed with that stone(Don't get any ideas Michael Vick)
BigRMan writes:
Hey Mikey: Why don't you get Michael Vick to train, or paper train your lady Huskies when he gets out of the joint? I'm sure he's going to be up for some serious community service work. Just make sure you got plenty of pooper scoopers! You know he has a way with DOGS! ROFLMAO
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Speaking of Stanford...I do pull for them, same as I pull for Vandy or Dike. They are schools with very high academic standards who rely a LOT on individual growth and teamwork. It's hard to knock that.
I've always been a LV fan because I've always been a UT fan, but as I've gotten older I've come to appreciate other programs that stand for other things.
I will indeed be pulling for Stanford to win it all. Jayne Appel and Kayla Pederson...those are girls I can point out for MY daughter as role models on how to play the game. Candace Parker fit that too, except not too many girls can do athletically what Candace does (but I talk to my daughter a LOT about Candace's attitude).
BigRMan writes:
Griner is the Real Deal. She's got a skill set comparable to Parker. She will bring multiple titles to Kim Mulkey at Baylor, and she will be a fixture on the Olympic team for the next 4 Olympics. She will be the # 1 draft in the WNBA in '13 (if the league is still around)-Della Donna is not at UCON because the spaghetti bender was getting close to getting his hand caught in the cookie jar regarding his recruiting tactics-He decided discretion was the better part of indiscretion in that case. Mikey: By the way you're spewing out nothing but feces today-Is your E-LAX working you overtime? ROFLMAO
BY_HIS_WOUNDS_WE_ARE_HEALED writes:
BUTCH, YOUR JUST MAD BECAUSE BUTCH DAVIS ISN'T THE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH! GO FIND A BOTTLE WHINE BAG!
ps11824 writes:
You know what, BigR, I think the fear is there anyway. The pressure is so great, Geno may break if he doesn't win. I believe any New England Patriot could tell him a thing or 2 about how mindboggling it is to go down to the wire dragging that huge satchel of expectation, glory looming within reach and only a semblance of competition standing between you and PERFECTION. It's enough to make a coach explode, especially one that's wound a little too tight already.
I'm recalling the awesome '98 season of perfection for the Lady Vols when we were down 49-61 to UNC with 7:19 to go in Nashville in the region finals. Selfishly I thought of how much I had spent on tickets and plans for the trip to Kansas City, site '98 Final 4. I broke out in a sweat, I started making promises to myself, "Oh please, ladies, if you will just win, I'll give up peanuts, I'll wash and wax my neighbor's car...
Bertha Randall, Semeka 'Boo" Randall's mother said to her room full of friends and neighbors, "This is going to take a whole lot of praying."
Pat Summitt's sister, Linda was about to throw up. She had invested $34,000 in nonrefundable rooms and tickets for her and her family. The predominantly orange-clad crowd of 14,848 rabid fans had gone flush in a state of bedlam.
The best player in the nation, Chamique Holdsclaw had made just 4 of 21 shots and had gone scoreless for 16 agonizing minutes. There was a TV timeout, team huddled, point guard, Kellie Jolly slammed the little orange stool down and screamed at her team, "We've got to run the floor." Tarheels were killing us with transition baskets. "We've got to go, and we've got to go now!" Kyra stood over the team demanding, "Are we going to Kansas City? Somebody answer me, tell me we are going to Kansas City!" Finally Tree Geter looked at Kyra and calmly said "We're going to Kansas City." Kyra said, "Okay, then, we're going."
I don't know if you saw that game, BigR, but what happened when the horn sounded to restart play was the most awesome comeback I have EVER witnessed.
I digress. I said all that to say this, the pressure can be volcanic. Can Geno handle it? Can the huskies handle it?
Did I mention that milkeymouse from whatever is a striking resemblance to what's stuck on the bottom of your shoe?
Volfantm writes:
Thanks for the great memory 98, it was terrific all right. I didn't know what was said in the huddle but that team had mental toughness and then some. Lots of great posts today from the faithful. It's been strange watching the tournament without that anticipation building for the LV's.
This weekend I will be cheering for Stanford or Oklahoma. I do think Tara deserves one and this might as well be the year.
I read that the tournament sites are determined in advance now mostly to help tv coverage. In the past not too many lower seeds pulled the upset on their home floors but this year it seemed to happen more often. So that is something the tournament committee will have to ponder in the off season (and how to improve officiating, perhaps, which still seems of lower quality than the men's game to me).
Just some random thought generated by reading the above posts. Work hard Lady Vols!
ps11824 writes:
Volfantm, read the book, Raise The Roof. Word for word of the waning minutes of that regional final will give you goose bumps all over again. That team was awesome. That game was awesome. We out scored NC 17-3 in 4 minutes. Ace Clement was brilliant. Tree Geter was so calm, yet such a force. Catchings and Randall were a dynamic duo and Chamique was the Terminator but she was beaten to a pulp. They mauled her. Her hands and arms were bruised and scratched, so sore that she could barely hold a soda can, according to Pat. That's what I call playing to win.
After the game someone handed Tree a sign that said "Kansas City, 529 miles." She paraded it around the arena. I packed my bags and headed northwest.
CTOWNICON writes:
Britney is going to destroy Uconn. I read an article on her on yahoo of some of the schools that tried to recruit her, Geno tried but she turned him down. If Uconn don't win the championship this year and I hope they don't, they can hang it up the next four years. I checked Britney out on youtube and she is the real deal. I can only imagine what she will become when Kim and Leon get finish molding her. Scary!
CTOWNICON writes:
I thought I read an article somewhere about Della going to Uconn and leaving the program but it was never revealed why.
ps11824 writes:
I think the Cardinal learned last year that solid defense will shut that husky team down good and proper. We'll see....
pammyvol1000 writes:
Maya is a pure shooter and a great player but Candace Parker is by far better. She has moves that nobody has. I am really surprised that Maya has not gotten the attention that Candace did in her years at TN. Candace has that beauty and talent that everybody loves.
volball7222 writes:
A chick named Moore--You're so.........macho! Butchdab*tch is back!
ladyvolmaniac writes:
The Lady Vols and THE Coach Summitt will kick UCONN'S butt the next time UCONN has the priviledge to be on the same court with them....
Good enough for ya ?????
BigRMan writes:
Great memories for you to recount from that most famous regional for the Lady Vols. You pointed out the vast contributions of Jolley, Geter and Kyra Elzy. When players "buy in" to the system, and take ownership of the product on the court, results go on a sudden upsurge-Witness that amazing comeback! As far as my shoe, apologies all around. I thought I stepped around that pile. (LOL)-By the way, Happy Easter 98!
BigRMan writes:
I didn't know she turned Geno down. Well that shows that girl has good taste, and an insight into human nature beyond her years. Too bad she won't be wearing orange, playing for Coach Summitt, but Mulkey and Barmore will give her a good understanding of the game and prep her for pro ball.
BigRMan writes:
I am not a fan of the Los Angeles pro sports teams. That is my preface. However the world is Candace Parker's oyster. She is so gorgeous she could be a movie star, a runway model. She is intelligent enough to be a talk show hostess and speak on a myriad of topics. Her atletic talent and competitive drive make her along with tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova the face of women's sports for the forseeable future. Parker's game is very versatile and is translating into more male interest (she's so easy on the eyes, sorry Shelden) since she plays at least a reasonable percentage of her game above the rim. By the same token she has an ankle breakin, Iverson-like cross over. The Griner recruit for Baylor has a similar skill set. Candace will be a fixture on the sports and social scene for years to come.
ps11824 writes:
I appreciate that early morning greeting, BigR.
That was an incredible team, an unforgettable season. No one in their right mind would have predicted the following season ('99) to end any way different. But it did. They should have cruised thru the NCAA finals with their 4th consecutive NC, but they let the pressure of 'being the best' get to them. On that night in the Greensboro Regionals, every player in orange had an off-night. I think the coaching staff was shell-shocked.
I know it sounds goofy to say 11 years later; and I had said it to our sportswriters before we went into the regionals, "They (the team) are too full of themselves. They need to come back down off that high-horse, and play the game." I can't say I expected to lose, but I was afraid of all the pressure on the team.
I shouldn't say I want UConn to fail — BUT. . . We all know his recruiting tactics are suspect. We know he received verbal admonitions as a 'slap on the hand' after the ESPN thing. We are not so naive as to think the EDD thing was all on her. What is left to postulate?
Folks not having familial ties could not believe there is some mysterious magnetism which draws an overwhelming percentage of top recruits to play for such a narcissistic, rancorous bully, could they?
BigRMan writes:
98: I'm totally impressed! Your intelligence is only equalled by you precise command of vocabulary and your intense commitment to LV basketball. I think we all admit Geno has gotten some remarkable talent at UCON over the past 14 years or so. As being a Comet fan, I wanted Chancellor to trade Swoopes to Orlando for Sales when she stabbed Cooper in the back in 2000 signaling the end of the WNBA's 1st dynasty. Back to the point, we are seeing come to light now maybe how he was getting this talent, and that at least some of the means used is not above board. Caught in the cross fire are talented young ladies who by the non sanctioned recruiting methods are being sent messages that it's OK to take short cuts, circumvent the rules when it suits your pyrpose. These types of messages serve to undermine the moral fabric of the very kids that will be the future of this country. The only entitlement that should be advanced is that right of the individual to progress as far in life as their talent and work ethic will take them. At UT, Coach Summitt has cultivated the opportunity for players that have represented the university to take full advantage of that. The vast majority of LV alumni are standouts in their various fields of endeavor, and citizens of which this country can be proud.
BigRMan writes:
To 98 Reaux, mpparker or any regular poster that would know: What are both Nya Butts and Abby Conklin (sp?) doing in life now?
ps11824 writes:
Abby just completed her 3rd year as top assistant coach at U of San Frabcisco. We had the opportunity to see Abby early this season as we hosted a contest with SanFran at TBA.
Niya just finished her rookie year as head coach at Arizona. Thanks for inquiring as I always have a swelled head when I'm able to talk about our alum. I feel like a proud parent. Thank you, Pat Summitt for getting these ladies started on an excellent path to their future careers.
I'm hoping we can get Arizona on the schedule soon.
tnboy76 writes:
www.knoxvilleambassadors.com
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