SAN FRANCISCO - The Tennessee women's basketball players wanted to find out what real solitary confinement feels like. Unfortunately, Monday's Alcatraz tour already was sold out.
Oh well, the Lady Vols didn't totally miss out on the experience. There was no escaping UT coach Pat Summitt and her staff the past two days after Saturday's 67-52 loss at Stanford.
Summitt referred to this time as a "gut check."
"I think they were hurting, too," Summitt said of the players. "It wasn't just the coaches who were upset. They're invested, just like we are."
As much as two practice sessions might've helped, a game against San Francisco (4-9) gives the fourth-ranked Lady Vols (9-1) a better chance to feel good about themselves before breaking for Christmas. Tipoff is at 10:30 (EST) tonight at USF's War Memorial Gym.
"You don't want to go home with a bad taste in your mouth at Christmas,'' Summitt said. "I've been there and done that."
Like on the last Bay Area trip two years ago, which concluded with an overtime loss at Stanford. Summitt went home and stewed over the outcome. The team felt the tremors into the new year.
"I can't let it go,'' Summitt said. "I'm watching tape. I'm thinking all the things that maybe I should've done or tried. As a coach you go through every possession."
A game against the Dons allows both her and the players to begin working through their post-Stanford issues. Summitt plans to use some alignments on offense that will give the players greater flexibility. She's hoping that the reserves are afforded a good workout against an overmatched opponent, and she wants everyone to shore up their play.
Freshman Taber Spani is way ahead of her coach. She was asking for her shooting percentages on Sunday. Her overall accuracy has dipped to 39.7 percent (27-for-68). She's one of several Lady Vols whose marksmanship is trending downward.
"I think I can help this team,'' she said. "We need everybody on the floor to be some sort of a threat. I really believe I can be a big offensive threat.''
Of course, none of this Tennessee talk was welcome for San Francisco coach Tanya Haave. As a former Lady Vol, she's well aware of UT's intentions after a loss. As she watched her former team on Saturday, she found herself thinking: "Please win. Please win."
Haave doesn't need another challenge. The Dons' record reflects the ongoing difficulties of building a program. She has one of the world's most beautiful cities to sell along with a picturesque campus setting next to Golden Gate Park. But not everyone is buying.
"It's got to be a fit in that they want to go to a school on an urban campus,'' Haave said. "This isn't a traditional campus where there's football. The student body is so eclectic. There are so many other things to do."
Haave has decided that it would behoove her to recruit more internationally, where the city's name value might be more of an advantage. She's has contacts in both Europe and Australia after playing professionally overseas and recruiting internationally while an assistant at Colorado.
"Our men sent an assistant to Germany for three weeks,'' Haave said. "We can do it."
In the meantime, Haave is less certain about her current players and their feeling about tonight's game.
"They're pretty good about hiding their cards,'' she said. ". . . I think they're excited. They're probably a little nervous. But I think they're taking the approach they have nothing to lose."
Leave that to Tennessee, which wants to shed its sense of loss - the sooner the better.
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Comments » 21
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
LdyVolFaninKS writes:
Have to disagree with moving Kelley to the high post. She has such a nice touch around the rim that I think her best spot is from the block. Might not be a bad idea to move Brewer to the high post when Kelley is on the bench though! Then you just have to worry about Glory playing to fast and getting the charge called on her or banging it off the glass too hard!
Totally agree with getting Strick off of the PG position...it's time for Bass to step up to the plate and earn that scholarship.
Manning? Still not sure about her. She's pretty streaky at times and don't see a great potential to score there, but I do like her defensive effort.
Elite 8 for sure...final four a possibility...
CTOWNICON writes:
I guess sometimes a loss can be a good thing as long as you learn from it and it seems the coaching staff and the lady vols are making adjustments. I agree, it is time for Bass to earn this scholarship and be the pointguard she was recruited to be. Glory has calmed down a lot since last year and Glory has done well in every game this year. She played a good game at Stanford. Manning,I have to agree plays good defense and I have seen her get to the basket a couple of times, just needs to finish. Taber wants to do well but I think she might contribute more coming off the bench. Kelly, stay low, but a high low game would be great if they can get it going. I can't wait to see the new alignment Pat is going to use.
tnboy76 writes:
Agree with "uconnsux". Taber Spani is wise beyond her years. Just look at her production in those two games she was the leading scorer. You don't see too many true freshman scoring like that on a team as deep from a talent standpoint that we are. She has looked a little less involved, and we seem to have become predictable, get the ball down to the low post, or have Angie pull up for a 3 after dribbling for a while. We have too many shooters on this team to become that predictable
playtowin writes:
I think both pat and bruce pearl are offensively challenged. She needs to get a true point guard to run the team or they will always look lost. Same thing for the men. They are not going anywhere with bobby maze/allen iverson at point. college basketball is a game of guards
Bodecker writes:
A lesson that Stanford is an academic powerhouse
kazoo writes:
Spani and Manning have to give the team more scoring--consistent scoring--if this team aims to be a title threat. Strickland can score--but she's got the run the team because there is no point guard--and it's hard to do everything. Bjorklund can score--but there is too much pressure on her to score sometimes. Love her game and her smarts, but she lacks the quickness to get her shot off consistently against decent perimeter defenders.
Spani is a lot like Bjorklund in that she's a big girl with not a lot of quickness trying to play mostly on the perimeter. Upshot: She will have trouble getting her shot.
Manning has offensive potential, offensive skills--but I already sense that Summitt is ruining her confidence with her INCESSANT harping about defense. She could join a long line of UT players who came to here with scoring skills and scoring confidence--but lost them because of the coach's fanaticism about defense. Every player knows that they sit unless they play great defense. That is fine, in theory, but PS's one-dimensional philosophy caused more than a few offensive games to disappear over the years.
richvol writes:
Kazoo- you bring up an interesting topic as it's hard to be an offensive player when all you can think about is defense. Obviously one must play shutdown defense.
I think Pat's teams tend to rely on only one or two options to score most of the time. Look at the Candace Parker years...we really struggled to score when she was hurt and put all the pressure to score on her when healthy. You ride the horse that's fastest but ALL the girls need to be more agressive. Looking to Angie solely every time we need a score is blatantly obvious to other teams.
Manning has very good skills on both sides of the floor and so does Spani. If they become more agressive along with Glory and Stricklen then it would be hard to stop UT. As for Bass...she is not the answer as she has no idea what to do with the ball after bringing it up the floor. I don't know why it's so difficult for the LadyVols and the men to recruit an effective pointguard.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I think several of us have had similar thoughts about Pat's approach to offense. One only occasionally sees a player shoot with a smooth, relaxed, confident motion. The gals started out this year looking more confident on offense, but as the season has gone on and the level of competition has increased, it seems that the players have tightened up with their shooting, one by one. CPS is a defense-and-rebounding coach in her bones. I think she appreciates good offense when it happens, but it seems to be distinctly third in the way she evaluates players and doles out playing time. It is hard to argue with her record over the long haul, but her philosophy often results, in the immortal words of Stacey Dales, in "painful-looking" offense.
ladyvolsfan789 writes:
I think the biggest offensive problem this team has is that all of their offense is in the starters. All of them can score very effectively and they all have the ability to have explosive games, but once you get past the starting five their isn't much left. Fortunately I think some of the bench is starting to step up their offensive play especially Brewer. Manning also looks much more confidant offensively than she was a year ago. If Bass can develop a strong 3 point shot and Williams works on her drives to the basket I think it will greatly help the team as it would take a lot of pressure off of the starters to score.
rogatl2002#222395 writes:
stanford's 3 point shooters were not fast either and they were able to get many wide open looks. schemes matter. spacing spacing spacing.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Amen! I meant no disrespect or was not trying to sound like a "woman of ill repute"! I was just using my bubbly personality trying to get a laugh. I would never make a comment like that to someone face to face!!! I am not "that" kind of a girl...if anything, I would be totally opposite! I was only flirting and trying to be a little funny. Thanks!! And KNS....WELL EXCUSE ME!!!! Good grief, whats wrong with you people????????????????????????????
LV....TCB...Keep on keeping on...GBO!!!!
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
P.S. When did the word "long" become a dirty word? All I did was refer to his name!!! I did not even use an inappropriate word. I have seen and do see comments that you post that are much worse than the one I posted. I guess he will have to change his name now if "long" is illegal!
LV...TCB...Keep on keepin on......GBO!!!
CTOWNICON writes:
Amen!
RoadTrip writes:
You hit the nail on the head - nice post. This team is doing the same thing that several other young teams have done under Pat - they are tensing up and afraid to make a mistake because they are afraid of her and her reactions. Watch the low trajectory of the shots and how they clang off the rims and slam against the backboard. Watch how they constantly look over to the bench out of their peripheral vision. They run around frantically on defense using up all of their energy and then act lost on offense. I know she has a method to all of this, however, her teams have been offensively challenged for years. If they do not win in the paint, they do not win. Some of that is due to who she recruits, some of it is due to her overemphasizing the defensive side of the ball. She brings in good shooters from time to time and they usually lose their shots due to this other stuff.
You have to have good defense and rebounding, however, you build the offense to feature the scorers and their strengths since that gives you the best chance to win. You are wearing Bjorklund out running all over the court. Set the screens/picks near her and have her work off them in a smaller area. I promise you she will be more open with less effort while freeing the others for cuts to the basket and 3's. Then when you go on a run, leave them in the game until the run is over - quit substituting so much. None of them are able to get in a rhythm before she pulls them for someone else.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Excellent point! While I was watching the game, I kept wondering, "Why are Stanford's shooters open while UT's are all contested?" That was a rhetorical question, but you answered it correctly.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Well said! We seem to think a lot alike on this. I think nearly all of us hold CPS in the highest possible regard, but she clearly has her own views about what constitutes good offense and where it fits in her scheme of things.
CTOWNICON writes:
I agree on the substitutions! There are too many at times! The players are not going to come off the bench and have an immediate impact, in most cases. You got to give them a chance to get into a rhythm and get a feel for how the game is flowing. I have never understood the reason for that, I would have to assume they are making a mistake or two, but as I said you have to give them a chance to get a feel for the game. This is a good team with a good coach, they will work out the kinks!
gladiator06 writes:
totally agree...and yes, Spani should be coming off the bench and would be in most programs. she's a freshman so i want be too hard on her, but geez! when the top teams realize she's starting i bet they LOL, knowing that she can't create her shot they just keep someone in her face. Manning can create and if Pat hasn't ruined her confidence already, i believe she can help this team. Spani is no Bjorklund. Spani has a set shot, not a jumper. Bjorklund came to TN with a jumper enabling her to shoot over some defenders, but even she disappears against stifling defenses. I'm surprised that Pat hasn't made this move already. i have been wondering what she's trying to make of Spani. She's got 3 more years to play, so there's plenty time to make people believe she's better than what she really is. Against ranked teams this year, Spani averages 5pts,1ast,and a little more than 4 rebounds while averaging 25min/game. Opponents are glad to see her take the floor. She doesn't pose a threat and if Pat doesn't realize it soon, I don't see them making the much talked about Final Four. I would also like to see what Bri and/or Kamiko could bring to this team. I've seen Kamiko take defenders off the dribble and believe with a little 1:1, she could be a huge asset to this team.
BigRMan writes:
Stacey Dales now works for NFL Network!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I wondered what happened to her! She was, IMHO, an outstanding women's basketball analyst. I don't like the whole idea of the NFL Network, so I am doubly annoyed that she is working there. She definitely has a bright future in the sports-broadcasting business.
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