Although Tennessee's locker room remains off limits, the Lady Vols will be receiving something valuable to start the women's basketball season.
Coach Pat Summitt is giving her players more latitude on offense, beginning with an exhibition game against Carson-Newman College at 7 tonight at Thompson-Boling Arena.
"Right now, I like what we've put in (on offense),'' Summitt said. "... yet I want to let them play."
The concession is noteworthy, considering the Lady Vols went 22-11 last season, were bounced in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history and still are bivouacked in visitors' quarters at the arena. The added responsibility will offer an early read on how much difference a tough offseason has made.
"Going back and looking through a lot of what we did last year, keep in mind with all the freshmen, I think we felt like we had to give them more structure,'' Summitt said. "Now I think we can give them more freedom."
Tennessee will deploy a starting five of Kelley Cain, freshman Taber Spani, Alicia Manning, Angie Bjorklund and Shekinna Stricklen against C-N.
Manning's start rewards her offseason work. Conversely, fellow sophomore Glory Johnson's absence from the group results from being late for the team's photo day earlier this fall.
Summitt said that she will start sophomore Stricklen at point guard tonight and start classmate Briana Bass at the position in the second exhibition, Monday night against Delta State.
Jenny Moshak, the Lady Vols associate athletic director for sports medicine, will determine the availability of forwards Vicki Baugh (knee) and Faith Dupree (back spasms). Summitt is not expecting either Lady Vol to play, however.
While Baugh has been practicing, the junior forward remains in recovery mode from anterior cruciate ligament surgery in late February. Dupree returned to the court Wednesday but had missed the five previous practices.
Carson-Newman, which returns three starters and nine letterwinners from last season's 19-11 team, played the first of its three exhibitions Monday night, losing at Middle Tennessee State, 96-68. The Lady Eagles will play at North Carolina next Tuesday.
The Lady Vols' average margin of victory in the previous five exhibition meetings with C-N has been 60 points but that doesn't afford them any added leeway. For now, they have enough
"We want to just really give them a lot of responsibility for talking and calling their plays,'' Summitt said, "and just making sure that we are very vocal both offensively and defensively."
Notebook: Season tickets sales have reached approximately 10,000 ... Summitt said that her son, Tyler, will not sit on the bench for home games in order to make room for another team manager. ... Tennessee is ranked ninth in the preseason coaches' poll.
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Comments » 25
wayoutwill writes:
What does it mean about the ladie's locker room being off limits?
tnmantravel#531151 writes:
if i were baugh.....i'd not "come back" until sec play started, no matter what the doctors say, remember you want to be able to walk well when your 40 and over dear child. she needs as much down time as possible for her fragile knee....same with cain......stricklen has proved herself worthy, manning doesn't give anything special to the team, mediocure offense... same with defense, not quick and no true fire in her, i'm sure if pat had another talented freshmen such as spani, alicia would not be in the starting line up. and as far as bjorkland, she can only shoot well when wide open (heck who can't with that small ball) however she cannot create her own shot and if the lady vols are playing "man" defense her "man" scores easily and often...also remember she would be guarding one of the opposing teams worst offensive players and still come out smelling with an odor....hope glory can come on strong and earn more PT....(it seems as if she lacks self discipline, late for this, late for that.....) continue to be late dear girl and yes the world will pass on by you.....
now what would be teriffic is if this spani girl can play like taraisi....i remember well, i was in the crowd, when taraisi was a freshman and came to knoxville with the hated huskies....she almost beat the lady vols that night and as a freshman.....GO SPANI .... play with confidence girl....
IT'S NOW OKAY FOR SOME HERE TO GO AHEAD AND FINISH YOUR KOOLAID AND PUT THE PAPER BAGS BACK OVER YOUR HEADS
xvolx writes:
I'll wait to see if Johnson still shoots layups from her waist.
utfan00 writes:
Stricklen at the point. I hope Summit doesn't make a career out of this. She is a good shooter and need to be on the wing at all times. If Spani can play multiple positions like Pay say she can, may she need to let her play point. I would like to see more playing time from Smallbone. Does anyone know how she is progressing on the court during practice? Poor girl never get to start.
richvol writes:
Pat has made her bed by recruiting a bunch of slow footed young ladies. Johnson has good quickness but is lacking in skill and basketball IQ. Stricklin is good enough to be on a championship team but can't carry the team alone.
Hopefully,the girls spent most of their time this offseason in the training room working on agility drills to gain some quickness because the lack of it last year killed any chance of competitive play at the highest levels.
Baugh could be a great player if she could stay on the floor. I would recommend Nikken Magnets,found on the internet,for pain control and healing of these type of injuries. I have had a hip,a rotator cuff and an elbow rebuilt and they actually work.
rockytopron writes:
To all of the previous posters questioning this or that, saying what should be done and who should play, what is your coaching record in the basketball? How many championships have you won? How many games have you won as coach?
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Some of this makes good sense and some doesn't. I get your point about Baugh and Cain making as sure as possible that their legs are sound before getting back to full-time, full-speed action. However, I think that over the years, the LV training staff has proven itself to be one of the best in the business. The decision of when and if and to what extent they think the girls can play, I am content to leave in their hands. Waiting until effectively mid-season to integrate them into the lineup would be like starting over from square one in building cohesion and rotations. Those were some of the biggest problems last year's team had anyway.
I would not presume to put the pressure of performing like Diana Taurasi on Taber Spani. As much as some LV fans love to hate her, Taurasi is one of those "once-in-a-decade" talents, like Catchings, Holdsclaw, Parker, and Maya Moore. I'm pretty sure Pat would be satisfied if Spani turned out this year to be a reliable and dependable starter on a representative LV team; I know I would.
That crack about the women's ball is unjustified. A woman's hand is generally smaller than that of a comparably-sized man. The size difference in men's and women's balls is noticeable but it doesn't make much difference at the rim. The basket is twice the diameter of the men's ball; the women's ball is only about 5% smaller.
rocky_topper writes:
That is the starting 5 I would go with too with Baugh hurt and not at 100%. I hope they've toughened-up and have stopped the flopping onto the court when brushed up against by defenders! Just play LADY VOL basketball!
I did see V. Baugh at one of the vol walks couple weeks back, and she told me she'd be ready to hit the court. She is my favorite player on the team by the way----that girl has heart!
LdyVolFaninKS writes:
I have also criticized the decision to play Strick at point guard. I think she can create so much more from the wing position. That being said, she is also a great leader and that's what you need at point guard, much like a good quarter back or a great catcher. Hopefully Bass will take control of the point position this year much like a Kelly Jolly.
Way to go Manning! Your hard work and dedication in the off season is paying off. Play smart, play hard and keep that starting spot.
Hopefully, they will feed the big girl Kelley the ball a lot. That will open up the inside/outside game, allowing Angie to put up some nice shots! Kelley can catch anything you throw at her, and with that nice touch around the rim, she can either take the shot herself or kick it back out for the 3-ball.
Can't wait to see Spani play. If she's earned a starting spot, she must be something special.
Sure hope to see a lot of Smallbone in these exhibition games. I really think she will prove herself and earn a lot of minutes during the regular season. I always liked her quickness and smart play on the defensive end.
Baugh, take your time. I was in OKC when you blew your knee last year. I felt so heart broken for you. Wait until it's 100%. Until then, lead these girls from the bench!
I also think Brewer is going to surprise us. I saw moments of brilliance in the SEC tournament last year. She has experience under her belt now, so don't count her out!
GO LADY VOLS!!
rocky_topper writes:
I disagree about Manning. She played VERY hard last year when she was on the court, and she was one who actually improved as the season progressed. She was and is very receptive to coaching. I think the bottom line is her worth ethic (which many lacked last year IMO) is what brought her into the opening spot.
rocky_topper writes:
Ron, you first buddy. How many championships have you won?
ladivolfan writes:
Spani is going to rock. Can't wait to see her play.
readyaimfire writes:
Wow. Some people on here just want people to hear ( or see) them talk.
Shekinna Stricklen can do amazing things. She's not just "worthy". She's at another level.
Alicia Manning provided some key plays last year that won games for us. A very important block at the end of the Stanford game. And, the game-tying three when we were down at UT Chattanooga. How many teams have a freshman making those key plays to win a game?
Angie Bjorklund probably shoots better with a hand in her face. If you were paying attention to the Ole Miss game last year you would know that she was completely smoothered by two Ole Miss defenders. She turned and hit the three to win that game for us. She does need to find more consistency. She may take a half to find her rhythm. But, when she usually does she's going to rain down points.
Maybe someone should go outside and enjoy the beautiful fall weather with a nice big glass of sugar free orange kool-aid.
go_vols writes:
Here is the situation. Pat recruited these players. These are her players that she signed off on. She should have known thir strength and weakness before she offered them a scholarship. If she didn't, she should have known and there lies the problem. You can't recruit players for one thing and expect something else. The fact that her current group of players doesn't have the skills and mind set to carry out her philosophy should be a cause for concern. Kicking the ladies out of their locker room is not the answer. I love Pat, but she has to take some heat for her current evaluating and recruiting.
reachkim00 writes:
First of all, I don't give a damn about Lame and his boys. ( Yes, I said LAME) I support the LADY VOLS, thru the good and the bad and the ugly. I'm not going to question or criticize the winningest coach EVER on much of anything, especially since the number of head coaches UT's men's basketball and football teams have gone thru since Pat got her first win,(and 8 National Championships) and only ONE total National Championship for either men's program has happened. By the way, the number of coaches is 12. If I need to name them for you I will be glad to. These ladies will be just fine. And the coaches will be here thru a few more men's replacements as well I'm sure. Sure there have disappointments and some heartbreak along the way, that's part of it. A true fan supports regardless. Either support or go away, take negativity to the men's side, where it breeds negativity. I for one don't want it here on the LADY VOL boards.
GO LADY VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!
rocky_topper writes:
what was the jab at kiffin for? if you don't like men's sports, just say that instead of taking jabs at the men's coaches. this puts you into the same category as the others IMO who hate the lady vols!
DRAGA writes:
Yep Draga agrees with ROCKYTOPRON
its so easy to coach from a seat ,try surviving a life of a coach from a seat watching is pretty easy WALK IN PATS SHOES THEN TELL HER HOW TO COACH
this is wha DRAGA SAYS GO LADY VOLS
reachkim00 writes:
The jab was a response to something that has absolutely nothing to do with Lady Vol basketball. The history of the men's coaches is a sad FACT, and you can put that into any category you wish. GO LADY VOLS!!!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Not sure I have ever heard the term "worth ethic". Does that have anything to with how she values her morals, or is it her standard for how much she should make as a pro player? Surely you meant "WORK ethic"; if it was just a typo, forgive me for messing with you.
go_vols writes:
Just because something is working fine doesn't mean you don't make improvements to it. That's how progress is made. Pat's the greatest women basketball coach of all time. Everyone knows it; however, that's not the issue. The issue is, is she willing to adjust to the new recruiting landscape. Gone are the days when we were the supreme queen of women basketball. Can we honestly say that today? If you can't honestly answer this question, then you must be drinking too much cool aid. For sure, we will be back but times are a changing and if she does not adjust, our team along with her will get left behind.
This is not a men or women issue. As far as being negative,that not the case either. It's all about being concern about the direction of the program. I understand, nothing last forever and if we are to go down, lets go down fighting every time out. The collection of ladies we currently have through no fault of their own, doesn't have the capabilities to compete at the highest level. Pat, herself admits to this fact. They have been put into an impossible situation to succeed, and when they don't, they are kicked out of their locker room. Changes are coming just as sure as tomorrow will never arrive. Question is, "what side will we be on?"
pammyvol1000 writes:
Strickland carried the team last year until they had to put her at point guard. I look for her to be the stongest this year. I sure hope Glory gets it together. She really did not bring it at all last year. Manning will need to step it up. I look for Spani to shine.:)
reachkim00 writes:
Have no desire to control anything about you, as well you have no control to my replies to stupidty. If you were a woman, assuming your male, I would say the exact same thing to you.
My suggestion to you is straight forward as well: drop dead.
rocky_topper writes:
Let me guess, a male-hating lesbian from the mountains? I'll consider your posts from here on out to be illinformed garbage; your posts reflect that! Drop dead? What are you, 14 years old?
Go Vols
rocky_topper writes:
Just read this man! Can both of us be wrong? Nah!
wayoutwill writes:
I can tell you for a true fact that my sweet wife and me have been in the trenches,working ladies b-ball for many years and thugh we are retired now,we were quite good at it,going undefeated with one team thru one winter league,and having a good run thru Natinals that wound up with us placing 2nd in Kansas with basically that same team.I can tell you one true fact.We won with that team because they were great players and we may not have done our best job of Coaching that year,but we went further than we ever did with that team.The truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter how great a coach that Pat is,she can't win if she doesn't have the talent.
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