Tennessee versus Baylor signals the start of a women's basketball season for the Lady Vols and a renewal of hope and optimism.
"We have a clean slate," center Kelley Cain said.
The 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore has arguably the toughest challenge of any Lady Vol in today's State Farm Tipoff Classic at Thompson-Boling Arena (TV: ESPN2, 5 p.m.). She'll be up against Baylor's 6-8 freshman Brittney Griner. No matter, Cain is anticipating the game the way a child awaits Christmas.
"Games like this are why you come to Tennessee,'' she said. "We want to show how hard we worked in the summer and get a head start on the competition. It's going to be fun."
On the other hand, Cain and her teammates presumably didn't come here for a role in Pat Summitt vs. her players. The struggles involving UT's coach and the Lady Vols ran parallel to the actual games as last season unraveled to a 22-11 finish. The players lost access to their locker room as a result before earning Summitt's respect with their offseason commitment.
All was relatively quiet on this front until a spotty exhibition effort against Delta State on Monday night. Summitt's rebuke started in the postgame, was refueled by reviewing the game video and continued into the following day's film session.
"I don't know about the rest of the team but in the back of your head you're kind of like: Oh wow, it was a little hint of last year; how she really gets on you,'' junior guard Angie Bjorklund said. "We don't want that feeling again. We want to have a great season. We want to work hard every game and we don't want to let (up)."
The flashback doesn't necessarily predict a rerun of last season's soul-searching.
The players have a bounce in their step and their spirits seem high. Blithe freshman Kamiko Williams, who has been a target of criticism, still bops around as if an iPod was playing in her head.
An upbeat mood is expected on the eve of a new season. But not Summitt's harsh tone, not this early, not after all this team has been through.
"I've decided you can't cut them any slack, you just can't cut them any slack,'' Summitt said. "And I told them, I've got the energy to do whatever I have to do and if that is staying on you for every possession and everything, we'll do it. Our coaching staff will be right there."
To reaffirm standards and provide competitive clarity, Summitt has laid out specific marching orders for today and the season ahead.
They begin with charging Bjorklund and Shekinna Stricklen with directing traffic on the court. Bjorklund is UT's most experienced player, and Stricklen is the starting point guard.
Summitt implored Stricklen during Friday's practice to turn up her volume. Afterward, Summitt said: "Angie's talking all the time. That's probably the only voice we are hearing constantly."
The prime directive is to run the offense through Cain. She shot 61.8 percent from the floor last season, 66.3 percent in SEC games. Given Griner's presence, the strategy will require some creativity today. When Cain's out, the responsibility shifts primarily to Glory Johnson and Alyssia Brewer.
"We are playing inside-out basketball,'' Summitt said. "And we will find the personnel that will say: I can do this."
The other offensive priority revolves around diligence in setting and using screens, which will benefit sharpshooters Bjorklund, Stricklen and freshman Taber Spani.
On defense, the Lady Vols plan to be aggressive. Johnson, UT's best athlete, will be deployed on the perimeter today and play a lead role.
"We have to dictate early on defense,'' Summitt said. "I want to pick up in the backcourt, not the frontcourt. We will extend our defense even in our man-to-man.''
Rebounding will be emphasized on both ends of the court, whenever a ball is in the air. Summitt wants her team to be passionate about the signature UT trait.
"I mean passionate,'' she said for emphasis.
Before the Summitt storm clouds started to gather, Carson-Newman College coach Dean Walsh noted a different dynamic with this Tennessee team after the Lady Vols thrashed the Lady Eagles, 124-34. He described it by saying: "Pat has clearly gotten the message across to them that it's her team, not theirs."
Summitt doesn't consider the situation to be a tug-of-war competition but rather a case of everyone settling on ways to pull together.
"I see it more as this team needs to take (more) ownership and they haven't yet,'' she said.
Sounds like she's suggesting an entry for a Lady Vols' to-do list.
They could write it on their clean slate.
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Comments » 7
PITBOSS009 writes:
LET GET LADY'S!!!!!
xvolx writes:
blah, blah, blah . I'm waiting until after the game for Long Vol.
CTOWNICON writes:
Like I said, the mother of all battles will take place tomorrow! I am glad Kelly seems to be ready for the battle. Good to see they will be setting more screens this year to free the shooters up. I also hope that on defense they switch on screens and not try to go behind them. I am ready for the battle to begin!
98reax writes:
Summitt doesn't consider the situation to be a tug-of-war competition but rather a case of everyone settling on ways to pull together.]]
I wish Dan would spin it this way and get off the negative aspect of Pat's coaching philosophy. It really leaves a bad taste in my mouth to read each of his articles as Pat against team.
The thing is, Pat is coaching a wounded, young team coming off a very unacceptable season, in Lady Vol standards. She's a disciplinarian and I'm so very thankful for that. She has a passion for the team and for the game, as opposed to "a win at any/all cost" attitude, which sometimes results in criminal activity. Thankfully, we do not have to read those horrifying headlines regarding the Lady Vols.
Pat Summitt keeps a firm grip on her team of Lady Vols. That's a promise she made to the parents of her recruits. I have to think that means a lot to a mom & dad, to know their child is not out on the strip all hours of the night.
Dan Fleser, Pat has not changed her style of coaching or mentoring. You have picked up this negative spin on her and you just can't seem to let it go. Give it a rest, please. It is extremely stale.
tonyvick#213307 writes:
I hope that means Kamiko is listening.
jr2miles writes:
Looking forward to see this team play. Play smart and play with a lot of heart. Go Lady Vols!!!
98reax writes:
Gosh, longVol, I sure did not see that coming. I never meant to go there. I'm simply saying Pat does expect certain standards from her teams that other, even female athletes, consider unacceptable. Some women's teams do not observe a curfew. Some get into serious trouble; most are asked to leave the program. Even a few Lady Vols have tested Pat's disciplinary standards. They were sent packing post haste.
Thankfully, men and women are different, but they all have certain obligations to the University when they are on scholarship. Coaches know that. Those who keep a tight reign on their program may find the most success and the least amount of embarrassing questions to answer.
Perhaps a simple curfew would solve some of the problems college athletes face. It's only 4 years or so of a young person's life which could shape a remarkable character for life. I just think Pat Summitt does a wonderful job in that respect.
my attempt was to show my displeasure for Dan Fleser's constant harping on Pat against her team. I think the idea is malarkey. That's the direction I was going with my post, longVol. I certainly had no intent on bashing young male athletes. I come from the old school athletic programs where we respected each other, men and women had the same rules. As a matter of fact, my first coach was also the boy's coach. The coach's wife cooked our pregame meals sometimes. We all ate together and we even said grace.
I often wish those same rules applied to all athletic teams. The worst of discipline was sitting on the bench with a clipboard charting stats instead of playing the game.
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