A 15-3 record and a No. 10 national ranking doesn't look like an identity crisis for Tennessee.
Pat Summitt sees things differently.
The Lady Vols coach is looking past the results to her team's inconsistent play and taking action. She's devised a buddy system for the players and presented her plan on Friday, after the Lady Vols set up camp in Opelika, Ala., and began preparations for Sunday's women's basketball showdown with No. 6 Auburn (19-0, 4-0 SEC) at Beard-Eaves Coliseum.
"I expect more,'' Summitt said. "You can learn through winning. Sometimes a team only learns by losing."
Summitt is pairing veteran players with freshmen in the hopes of enhancing overall accountability and involvement. The matchups are: Vicki Baugh-Alyssia Brewer and Kelley Cain, Alex Fuller-Glory Johnson, Angie Bjorklund-Shekinna Stricklen, Sydney Smallbone-Amber Gray and Cait McMahan-Briana Bass and Alicia Manning.
"They have to hold them accountable,'' Summitt said. "If Brewer's not playing hard, Baugh needs to call her out."
Summitt said that the arrangement isn't one-sided. The freshmen can have their say as well. The ultimate objective is for the players to police their effort.
"It means a lot more when it comes from them,'' she said.
Summitt also is a having each player list two attributes that they will provide for each game.
"Give us two things we can count on you to do,'' she said. "What two things are going to be your bread and butter."
Summitt devised her own strategy rather than leave it to the players. After Thursday night's 76-67 victory at Arkansas, she had encouraged them to meet.
For their part, the players realize that they can't rely solely on their knack for strong finishes.
"We need to learn as a team how to turn that competitive switch on early, you know the beginning of the game, before we even set foot on the court," Bjorklund said.
Baugh Update: Baugh's left knee was irritated but not damaged when she was clipped by an Arkansas player.
The sophomore forward, who's been recovering from a knee sprain, played just one minute before pulling herself.
Jenny Moshak, the Lady Vols associate athletic director for sports medicine, is listing Baugh as day to day, pending more treatment.
Cain did not play Thursday because she felt pain in her surgically repaired right knee during pregame warmups.
A Crowd Gathering: During a teleconference Friday, Auburn coach Nell Fortner said Sunday's game has a chance to be a sellout. Beard-Eaves' capacity is 10,500.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
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Comments » 12
bmaples writes:
Before they lost at Vandy, I was thinking about driving from The Ville to Auburn (dang long drive) just to be there for CPS's 1,000th win. Now I'm hoping they win this weekend so the 1K comes at home.
Like the buddy system. Here's hoping it takes them to another level. They need to move up about three more levels to be ready for March. Go Baby Vols -- kick it up a notch or four!
xvolx writes:
how about playing hard for 40 minutes bacause you are lady vols. tradition, fans, summitt, pride. If they can't move bonner out of the paint, they aren't trying. the only way she should get open is if she turns sideways. then it would be hard to see her.
Saban_Palin writes:
Hmmmm. Buddy system?
LadyVolFanForever writes:
Sounds like another great strategy by Coach Summitt to me. Kinda like a Anosike player agreement......hold each other accountable. This team has got to learn to pull together and maybe this will be the glue to do that.
Auburn will be a tremendous task for us. I wish it wasn't such a long drive as I would love to have my orange body in a seat there. A 20 minute effort will not get us a win, we must fight for this one for the entire game, every possession. Rebound, defend, box-out, watch those fouls and crisp passes to the open teammate.
Come on Lady Vols, we are counting on you to make Coachs' 1000th game at home !!!
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Baugh and Cain may by wasting their seasons...although Cain has already redshirted one year.
IMHO, the reason for the bad starts is straightforward: the LV's are a brand new team and every game it takes a while to get into a rhythm. Depdnidng on the opponent, it may take longer some games. Falling behind creates a sense of urgency, which gets the focus going.
The veteran UT teams did not need to fall behind to get going; they were motivated by FEAR OF LOOKING BAD and FEAR OF LOSING and OPPORTUNITY TO EXCEL. All 3 factors are important. The last, OPPORTUNITY TO EXCEL, is a result of confidence in yourself, your coaches, and your teammates.
psych class is now adjourned.
Waldorf writes:
I like this.
Now that Coach Summitt is teaching these young ladies to be the domesticated housewives they should be by having them do laundry, the next logical step would be to have the older ladies give them some one on one pointers on how to be a good woman.
Bravo coach, bravo.
98reax writes:
Speaking of psych class, mparker, the secret to our Baby Vols coping with the Auburn Tigers tomorrow may lie in how we handle their senior psychology major, point guard, Boddie. She just scored her 3rd double-double of the season against Bama with 12 points and 12 assists. She has shown her prowess on the board work too in an OT win over Ohio State with 10 rebounds to accompany her 20 points.
I don't know who Pat will assign to guard this kid, (I wish we had a Hornbuckle) but if we don't put the clamps on her she will make for long, painful group therapy sessions for our Babies. Of course All-American Bonner is always a threat when she has the ball in her hands. Somebody has to body up and (O Glory, play smart) keep that from happening. (I wish, I wish we had a healthy front court) DB can score from anywhere on the court, and Boddie seems to find her.
Even though the Tigers are undefeated, the SEC teams they have faced are not the best in the league. So Carolina, gave us a run and so did Arky. Bama gave them a pretty close game until they ran out of steam late in the game. They beat Florida handily. The Ohio State game was their toughest foe of the 11 non-conference match-ups with NC State a close second, I suppose.
I see no reason why we can't take these Tigers by the tail if we play solid ball as we did against Stanford and Rutgers. We have to contain the point gaurd and make life very difficult for Bonner. She averaged 24+ ppg last season in league play. We must not allow her to go off, and we have to stay out of foul trouble while wrapping up the point guard.
We need this game. A win would be a shot in the arm for team confidence. We need it for our psyche.
LadyVolFanForever writes:
98reax, my bet is that Stricklen will be tasked (a rather huge task) to guard her. She has done the best job so far this season on guarding the opposing teams' best. Everyone will have to play SMART and HARD but this can be a huge win for us if we want it enough. Go Lady Vols !
98reax writes:
LVFF, how many times has Nell Fortner beaten Pat?
martic#220796 writes:
I like the buddy system. Hope it works! I also intended to be in Auburn for 1K win; since that won't happen, will be leaving Kpt in the morning to cheer them on so we can get that 1K win at home. Don't like our chances in Okla.
LadyVolFanForever writes:
98, we have a 10 year (16 game) winning streak against Auburn. Fortner has been there 6 years, I think. So, she has never beaten us at Auburn............let's hope that continues !
catch24rules writes:
Stricklin has the best shot at defending the guard. she is the closest thing we have to a Hornbuckle.
Glory Johnson needs to use her quickness instead of being physical to try and handle Bonner. Physical will just get her 2 quick fouls and a seat on the bench next to night train. Which will lead to a very long game for us Baby vol fans.
Let's hope we can get some good minutes from Baugh and Cain. Whatever they can give us will be huge.
GO LADY VOL's
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