The number "23" was in play at Tennessee's women's basketball practice Monday.
This wasn't a case of former Lady Vols great Chamique Holdsclaw making an appearance and pulling on her retired jersey. Instead, the number served as a grim reminder of the 23 turnovers UT committed in Sunday's 82-68 loss at Auburn.
In one drill, the players had to record 23 defensive stops. In another, they performed 23 defensive slides in rapid-fire fashion.
UT coach Pat Summitt raised the workout's intensity, as well as her voice, in response to Sunday's rout along with a pattern of inconsistent play that has lasted more than three weeks.
"I was trying to be patient,'' she said. "I've lost my patience. It's gone."
Summitt wants to set a new course by demanding more from the players during practice. It won't be quantity - as in longer workouts - but quality, specifically the nature of their effort.
"I've probably been too nice,'' she said. "One thing I can do, I can demand every day. I can hold the bar higher."
Summitt also intends to revamp game-day shooting practices, shortening the length while increasing the pace. She's borrowing from the philosophy of former Tennessee men's coach Kevin O'Neill.
"Without the language,'' said Summitt in a joking reference to O'Neill's salty dialogue. "I love Kevin but the language was a little more than I can handle."
Along with altering practice, Summitt will change the starting lineup, replacing 5-foot-2 Briana Bass with 6-1 Alicia Manning and moving 6-2 Shekinna Stricklen to point guard in place of Bass. The change gives UT more size and sends a message to Bass about upgrading her play.
"I think Bree has got to commit to being a better defender one on one,'' Summitt said. "If she's not really aggressive defensively, that's a liability for us."
Summitt also said that she will consider shortening the player rotation as a means of regulating effort.
After Auburn's aggressive performance on Sunday, Summitt said she told her players: "They made us look like a high school team."
Baugh Update: Forward Vicki Baugh, who has been recovering from a left knee sprain, will not play Thursday against Ole Miss.
Baugh tried to play Sunday but lasted only 19 seconds.
Rankings: Tennessee dropped three spots back to No. 13 in the Associated Press' weekly top 25.
Judging by Auburn's new ranking, beating UT doesn't mean as much anymore. The Tigers, the only undefeated team other than Connecticut, moved up just one spot to No. 5.
Paying Their Respects: Summitt and associate head coach Holly Warlick will attend the funeral Friday of former North Carolina State coach Kay Yow, who died Saturday.
Summitt said that she expects Wolfpack assistant Stephanie Glance, the interim head coach, to become the new head coach.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 76
kjneel#238751 writes:
still doesnt matter.. they will be in the final 4
bluetick writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
et_vol_fan writes:
I wouldn't want to tick off Pat. I'd rather tick off Chuck Norris. My odds would be better.
BSweet writes:
Pat's lost her patience? I feel sorry for this team, lol. If they thought she was tough before, they're about to find out that was her "soft" side. Now they're really in for it. This woman is a champion and she will push them like no other. I think the Lady Vol Express might be getting ready for take off. I have every confidence she'll have them ready come March.
et_vol_fan writes:
Pat makes General Neyland look like a cross dressing pansy! lol!
jasoncounts writes:
amen brother
mparker writes:
sorry, there is no way. I'm doubting sweet 16 right now. we have basically a month to go...and the girls are struggling.
benee#234696 writes:
Maybe Pat should put some Associated Press writer through the wringer also, whoever he/she is that provided this bulletin board material for Auburn last week:
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Angie Bjorklund scored 18 points and Glory Johnson added 15 points and No. 10 Tennessee held off Arkansas for a 76-67 victory Thursday night.
The victory for Tennessee (15-3, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) gave coach Pat Summitt her 998th career victory. Summitt will have her first chance at win No. 1,000 on Jan. 29 when the Lady Vols host Mississippi.
xvolx writes:
this sounds more like summitt. she was never easy on other frosh. classes. she is not the same coach without her fire and stare. kick butt and take names.
billwall writes:
Is this the year the men's team makes it farther in the tournament than the women's? Could be interesting. Both teams allow the other team's guards to dictate play and score career highs. I don't see the women getting past the round of 16, but things could change. Pat will payback some revenge to Auburn next year!
utclassof1992 writes:
Pat Summitt is a unit of measurement in Greece.
BigOrangeVol writes:
Pat Summitt kicking his butt is the reason that Chuck Norris took up karate and works out with Total Gym. He sends her a fresh bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates everyday because he's afraid she'll track him down and do it again.
Before the Boogeyman goes to sleep at night, he checks under his bed for Pat Summitt.
There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Pat Summitt has allowed to live.
Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Pat Summitt.
Pat Summitt does not sleep. She waits.
When Pat Summitt does a push-up, she isn’t lifting herself up, she’s pushing the Earth down.
Pat Summitt can lead a horse to water AND make it drink.
Pat Summitt doesn’t wear a watch, SHE decides what time it is.
Pat Summitt does not get frostbite. Pat Summitt bites frost.
Pat Summitt can stare-down a black hole and absorb IT.
Pat Summitt IS a quantum state.
Remember the Soviet Union? They decided to surrender to UT after watching Pat win the 1991 National Championship on Satellite TV.
(Props to Dae-Dae; Jodi; Dena; Nikki; Princess; Peggy; Debbie; Regina; Keli and Marlene too)
Hey Lady Vols...DON'T MAKE PAT MAD!!!
utclassof1992 writes:
Pat doesnt get wet. Water gets Patted. That is not a new hairstyle on Pats head. It is a third fist coiled around her head ready to strike.
utvolz#637682 writes:
Nope, they probably get bounced pretty early. Their youth is a glaring issue as March Madness rapidly approaches....additionally, both teams aren't particularly healthy at this point in the season as well.
At this stage of the season, if I were a player I'd much rather play for Pearl than Pat! The ladies laid an egg on the Plains yesterday and whooooooo you just know it's gonna get ugly!
Frank (broadcasting live from Manchester, TN!)
VAvolfanRON writes:
im gonna trust Pat on this......
yea, we are on a first name basis!!!...lol
BigOrangeVol writes:
Pat Summitt does not hunt because the word hunting infers the possibility of failure. Pat Summitt goes killing; ask the racoon's family!
Pat Summitt built a time machine and went back in time to stop the JFK assassination. As Oswald shot, Pat Summitt stopped all three bullets with her stare. JFK's head exploded out of sheer amazement.
They once made a Pat Summitt toilet paper, but it wouldn't take s**t off of anybody.
In fine print on the last page of the Guinness Book of World Records it notes that all world records are held by Pat Summitt, and those listed in the book are simply the closest anyone else has ever gotten.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse actually live in Pat Summitt's brassiere.
Pat Summitt kicked Neo out of Zion, now Neo is "The Two".
When Pat Summitt had surgery, the anesthesia was applied to the doctors.
VolPatrick writes:
Icy-Hot' is too weak for Pat Summit. After a workout, Pat rubs her muscles down with liquid-hot MAGMA.
Pat Summit brushes her teeth with a mixture of iron shavings, industrial paint remover, and wood-grain alcohol.
Pat Summit once got into a fight with a one-armed raccoon. Seeing that she had an unfair advantage, Pat ripped both of her arms off and one of her legs. She then roundhouse-kicked the raccoon in the head, killing him instantly, and proceeded to sow her limbs back on using only a rusty tent spike and bailing wire.
When Pat Summit sends in her taxes, she sends blank forms and includes only a picture of herself, crouched and ready to attack. Pat Summit has not had to pay taxes, ever.
BigOrangeVol writes:
The Rabbit of Caerbannog fears Pat Summitt!!!
According to the Book of Armaments, Pat Summit ate the Holy hand grenade of Antioch and burped a puff of smoke.
Every Knight of the Round Table personally soiled their armor when Pat Summitt glared at them.
Pat Summit can employ a sheep's bladder to prevent earthquakes.
Pat Summitt knows the air-speed velocity of unladen African and European swallows.
Pat Summit DID cut down the mightiest tree in the forest with a herring.
Pat Summitt owns the Holy Grail.
Pat Summitt can summon fire without flint or tinder.
A Pat Summitt stare gave the Beast of Aaaaauuuugggggghhh a fatal heart attack.
allvol9 writes:
Go get um Pat. She will get it done....love the rotation change. Young, young team but she will not let that be an excuse. Best coach in the world.
randzimm#255981 writes:
That was some of the funniest post I have ever read!! You guys are hilarious!!
adimatteo#261830 writes:
everyone forgets that we were expecting and forecasting a season of ups and downs.
Coach herself said to expect to lose games a more mature team would win, a roller coaster type season.
And that was before the season, due to the young kids, and that was before we lost players at the end of last year, this year, etc...
cant be perfect all the time, ladys basketball has evolved into a country wide sport, girls growing up in california dont have to go to UT anymore if they want to stay closer to home..
UT and Coach Summitt and others like her, helped make this sport what it is, but all the great things they did, make it more difficult for themselves.
Now many schools are creating a ladies program, etc.. What is good for the game may not be so good for UT, CT, NC, etc...but that is what it hould be about.
Enjoy it, accept the ups and downs, evry game lost is not because the kids dont try, inconsistency doesnt equate to not trying.
Enjoy all that UT stands for with ladys basketball, accept the ups and downs, there will be more ups than downs with this program and group of players and coaches...
No one can take away what UT is and has been to ladys basketball
GreerVol22 writes:
Like Chuck Norris, it takes Pat 20 minutes to watch 60 minutes.
Chuck Norris and Pat are the only people to ever defeat a brick wall in a game of basketball.
and finally...like Chuck...Pat doesn't wear a watch...she decides what time it is...
the sooner her players realize this the better off they will be.
rockytopron writes:
Excellent Post!
rockytopron writes:
It's an honor to wear the Lady Vols blue and orange uniforms and she is making sure her players understand that. Remember, she has yanked all of the greats out of games and sat them when they were not giving it their all. Chamique, Daedra, Candace, Tamika all had a taste of Pat's tough love.
This team will get better. This game is a good reminder to the players that they are not their yet. We will have a tune up game with Ole Miss then come Monday I sense number 1000 will come against Oklahoma!
STNVol09 writes:
Dupree was normal until he dropped Pat's groceries while carrying them to her car.
shipperman#280095 writes:
http://www.firepatsummitt.com
http://www.firebrucepearl.org
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Glad to hear that Pat is cracking down. Again, I don't so much think that the players don't care, don't play hard, and don't hustle. I think they do. What they may not have realized to this point is that playing at THIS level, for the LADY VOLS, requires a DEGREE of caring, playing hard, and hustling that they never realized EXISTED before. Their natural abilities allowed them to succeed in HS without having to go out of their comfort zone. Now, against better competition, they have to learn to extend their comfort zone of effort and then even play beyond it. Average players practice and play hard until they are tired; great players practice and play hard until they are EXHAUSTED. I still think that overcoming the injuries to Baugh and Cain so that they can practice and play for extended periods at full speed will do more than anything else to get the competitiveness and cohesion back. I just hope she doesn't run the legs off the others or cause them to hit the mental "freshman wall" sooner and harder.
BigRMan writes:
Hey Rockytopron: If, as you say, Daedra, Chamique, Tamika, and Candace got a taste of Pat's tough love, The team is in for the buufet serving of it for the duration of this season. If they don't respond, the season may be shorter than many in recent memory.
mmynatt writes:
I wondered what it would take to make Pat go back to her "old" ways...now I know ---- and I think the girls know. I am glad it is them and not me who the object of her scorn:)
But I still think the knee injuries are going to be too much to overcome. As much as I love Pat (and believe me I am not ever going to turn into a Fulmerite when it comes to Pat Summitt) even she can not make someone overlook knee injuries. Not everyone is a Candace Parker (yes I am still amazed at what Candace accomplished last year after she hurt her shoulder; admittedly I thought there was NO way the Lady Vols could win last year)....but this team does not have anyone resembling Candace in any way, shape, or form. I hope I am proven wrong --- maybe the fire from Pat will wake them up. I know the talent is there - flashes have come from a lot of the gals this year. There just has been NO consistency. Too many times (4 to be exact so far) one player on the other team goes bonkers and cannot be stopped (like Bonner for Auburn). Pat is right -- Auburn made them look like a high school team; so many easy layups in the first half (and it didn't get better in the second half).
knoxtenor writes:
You know, the thing is, that Pat has actually learned to be patient over the years, particularly with some of the teams in the late 90s. But along with that patience has come the wisdom to know when to lose that patience and start whuppin' some butt!
This team is not playing like a Lady Vols team. They're still playing nice-nice girls' high school basketball. Guess what? Pat did away with that girlie kind of basketball long ago; we're just now seeing the rest of the SEC and NCAA realizing that and getting caught back up. There'll be no more easy national titles... just as there won't be any more "slacker" practices this season. Give 'em hell, Pat!
volfan#207874 writes:
Lazy passes have been our downfall too many times! If an opposing player is blocking, or has the potential to block, a passing lane, abandon that lane and seek other possibilities. It irks me when a Lady Vol tries to pass a ball THROUGH an opposing player. Use your perephrial vision ladies and anticipate what the opposition is anaticipating.
We love you ladies, now get with the program and make us all proud. Embrace an "I CAN" attitude.
98reax writes:
shipperman, this id no longer funny. It is irritating. If you have nothing constructive to post, please don't irritate. This is neither informative nor entertaining. My patience is running thin.
IPOrange writes:
Git r done, girls, or Pat's gonna turn green and swell up like the Incredible Hulk. You don't want that...
mogreer_tn#213464 writes:
It will be interesting to see how Manning works out with the replacement of Bree. They need bree's speed and point play with Stricklen. Manning is long but slow and not a good ball handler under pressure.
But I'm sure Pat knows what she is doing.
shipperman#280095 writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
shipperman#280095 writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I guess posting phony URLs is all he can do. Don't recall him ever actually contributing anything.
98reax writes:
At this time (Jan 26, 1997) 12 years ago after the 8th/9th-ranked Lady Vols had lost to Florida for the first time ever, we faced 4th-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa in front of the largest-ever crowd to watch the Crimson Tide women. We fell behind early in the first half and had to fight our way out of a big hole. We did that often back then just as we get off to slow starts now. The highlight of that game was seeing Chamiqua Holdsclaw score her 1000th career point in 57 games — fastest ever of any Lady Vol. Coincidentally, it was the first time ever Holdsclaw had failed to START a game. Pat had lost her patience with Mique too.
The Lady Vols fell behind by as many as 9 points but kept hanging around and finally took the lead off a pair of three-pointers by Holdsclaw & Abby Conklin and some clutch free throws by Kellie Jolly and Conklin to win by 3 points, 60-63. Holdsclaw's 22 and Abby's 16 points were the only double digit scorers for the LVs.
We often speak of the injury bug which feeds on this group of young'uns. 98reax goes so far as to say we practice too soft because of the injuries and the apprehension of re-injuries. It seems obvious the kids are not giving that "Tamika Catchings" effort. Kellie Jolly was a perfect example of a gutsy team leader who was willing to do whatever it took to get back on the court nd lead her team. Pat and Chamiqua went so far as to say "I don'k know if we could have won the championship without her. She's the heart of the team."
So far this season, I've seen no player willing to be 'the heart of the team.' I see flashes in Stricklen, but she needs a partner to form a dynamic duo. Glory could be that partner, IMO, but she needs to grow up and play smart. Pat has said how smart and willing Manning is. Perhaps she could be a Kellie Jolly-like PG.
That '97 team struggled mightly. Thy had point guard problems because of injury, they had disciplinary problems too. Tif Johnson had been dismissed before the season had even begun. Tennessee had lost Abby Conklin, & Pashen Thompson, a darn good front court, which also left this team seniorless for the first time ever. We think we lost a lot after last season's national championship game? We did, but the hopes for the girls in orange were slim to none for the defending champions of '97.
One thing we have yet to establish, perhaps, with this team is a dynamic duo like Mique and Kellie. That is no small task for Pat to build a pair of court-savvy leaders such as #14 and #23 proved to be. But we all know it is doable. We saw it with our own eyes.
DroopyDrawers writes:
Where is the Witch Doctor? Bones never lie!
shipperman#280095 writes:
I believe i was the first, and only one to stick by my guns to tell you that Lane Kiffin would be the new football coach. I can contribute when I choose to, or clown around like others when i choose to. Pat Summitt will leave when she is ready and not before. She may be the greatest coach to ever live. Interesting that you know the URL's are phoney, guess you must have tried them out. :o)
shipperman#280095 writes:
I believe i was the first, and only one to stick by my guns to tell you that Lane Kiffin would be the new football coach. I can contribute when I choose to, or clown around like others when i choose to. Pat Summitt will leave when she is ready and not before. She may be the greatest coach to ever live. Interesting that you know the URL's are phoney, guess you must have tried them out. :o)
reachkim00 writes:
Hang in there Baby Vols, ya'll will get it together... Coach will see to that! The talent is SO obvious, and the fans will support you and be patient with you. GO LADY VOLS!!
BigRMan writes:
Tiffany Johnson was one of the laziest players I have ever seen. When she played for the Comets last title team in 2000, Cynthia Cooper had to stay on her butt constantly to hustle, and get on the boards strong much like Magic Johnson used to do with Vlade Divac-after Kareem retired.
topgun writes:
Amen!!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
No, I never tried them because I knew they were phony; nobody would seriously post such silly stuff. Congrats on the CLK prediction. Agree completely about Pat. If you WERE kidding with the URLs, you forgot to hit your "sarcasm" button(;-P)!
shipperman#280095 writes:
I ALWAYS FORGET TO DO THAT. Heck, i would have made pat the football coach. :o)
doctorfingervol writes:
That old washed up wrinkly sack of prunes needs to shut the HE11 UP!
volboy81 writes:
a member of the media who can't count??? Imagine that!
98reax writes:
BigRMan, you might qualify for the lazy category. You need not cut & paste an entire 'wordy' post to make your response. : )
TJ accomplished more 'lazy' than any post player we've had in a while. With the exception of Anosike, TJ was as tough a big girl as we've had in at least 2 decades. She was key in the national championship win over Georgia in Charlotte. She was selected All Tournament team. She averaged 14.5 pts and 7 rebounds in that Final Four.
As a freshman, she was only the 3rd to start a game for Pat Summitt who said "she was one of the most sought-after post players in the country." In her rookie debut she scored a double-double against La Tech with 18 pts, 17 rebs & 5 blks. She followed that up with 17 pts 12 rebs against Stanford. She shot 50% or better in all her games.
Tif Johnson had off-season shoulder surgery after her sophomore year. She had been playing injured in many games as a rookie. She gutted out a 40-minute game against La Tech.
Can you name another post player who has contributed what TJ did? Another Johnson, Dana, comes to mind. Sometimes big girls just look lazy because they are big girls. Courtney Paris looks lazy because she is not svelte, but she is an All-American and one of the best in the field now.
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
The Auburn game was about as bad as I have seen UT women play in several years. They made us look like high schoolers!!
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