The media thinks Tennessee will be a better women's basketball team this SEC season.
A 20-member panel of regional and national members voted the Lady Vols second in a preseason poll released Tuesday. UT received 190 votes, including six first-place votes.
LSU was picked as conference champion with 206 points and 12 first-place votes.
"I think we may be overrated right now,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said. "I figured we would be somewhere around fourth."
The Lady Vols finished tied for fourth last season, their lowest finish since 1997.
Georgia, which finished seventh last season, was picked third with 156 points. Vanderbilt (126) Mississippi State (120) and Florida (105) rounded out the top half of the league.
Summitt conceded that player attrition at such schools as Auburn, Vanderbilt and Florida likely enhanced UT's standing. Plus, the youthful Lady Vols might benefit more than others from a year's worth of experience.
"We're not short on talent,'' said Summitt, with thoughts of Tuesday's practice fresh in her mind. "We may not be as deep off the bench as I would like, but if we can get seven or eight players to really commit...
"Right now, we're still trying to inspire some people. Come game time, they'll be our cheerleaders if they don't pick it up."
Two Lady Vols received individual preseason recognition. Sophomore guard Skekinna Stricklen was picked first-team. Junior Angie Bjorklund was one of five players on the second team. She also received one vote for player of the year.
Summitt has been particularly impressed with Stricklen so far.
"She's at a different level than a year ago,'' Summitt said. "She's playing with tremendous confidence."
LSU wing player Allison Hightower was the overwhelming pick as the top player with 18 votes. Teammate LaSondra Barrett received the other vote.
Recruiting Update: Guard Bria Hartley of North Babylon (N.Y.) High has verbally committed to Connecticut. Tennessee tried to recruit Hartley, but she never made an official visit.
Manning Makeover: Summitt also singled out Alicia Manning for praise and said if UT was playing a game tomorrow, the 6-foot-1 sophomore wing player would start.
Summitt is pleased with the perimeter foursome of Stricklen, Bjorklund, Manning and Briana Bass and wouldn't rule out starting all four.
With forward Vicki Baugh still recovering from knee surgery, Summitt said freshman Taber Spani will play some at power forward.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 17
pammyvol1000 writes:
Can't wait to see the Lady Vols this year. They have grown since last year and the new Freshmen coming in should inspire some as well. I will miss Cait on the sidelines.
tnmantravel#531151 writes:
bjorklund on second team?? i hope this year angiegirl will dribble the ball beautifully behind her back, then a crossdribble between her legs, while......driving the ball to the hole for an assist or scoring two....GO LADY VOLS
dwa7#337691 writes:
darn..............no metion of CAIN!!!!
xvolx writes:
Lady Vols might have a chance if they bench Johnson.
tnluv2play writes:
Johnson's middle name should be changed to "Diva". She's been a real disappointment. Tremendous potential, no drive. The reports on Stricklen and Manning are very encouraging! Go, Lady Vols!
xvolx writes:
after you see Baylor's Griner in the first game, you'll wish you had waited.
CTOWNICON writes:
Stricklen must have tapped into that potential that she has. I hope she has added driving to the basket more in her game. She is big enough to take her defender to the basket. She has a great shot so I am glad to hear positive things about her. I think the lady vols will finish first in the sec this year. I so want Vicki healthy! She is such a talented player.
LdyVolFaninKS writes:
Griner is good, no doubt about it. But watch her videos on youtube...she will not use her left hand. With her height, it might not matter, but I have a feeling Cain will be making her eat that ball if she continues to use her right hand on the left side of the basket! As for Glory, give the girl a chance. She was a freshman last year playing on a big stage. I look for good things from her with her God given talent and speed. Strick and a healthy Baugh, plus Cain. Oh my, it will be an exciting year.
donkeylips4#242378 writes:
Honestly, what is wrong with Glory??? How is she a "diva"? She is a perfectly good basketball player. Looking at her stats from last year, you can see that she has at least 7 double-doubles and had 16 double digit games. Please give some kind of proof that this young lady is a "diva". Its sad to see people who are so quick to cheer on these talented ladies one second, then go on to bash them the next minute. I guess the majority needs a scapegoat or someone to bash just because in an article awhile back stated that she wasnt ready to come and play at practice, according to Pat. There are a lot of statements from Pat over the years that I remember reading on GVX stating similar situations, i.e. Hornbuckle etc. but I'm pretty sure she wasnt a diva... Just let Glory be.. Just give her a chance. She was freshman last year, you cant expect her to be an All-American right out of the gate. For that matter, give all these young ladies a chance.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
If you were referring to the All-SEC selections, I think anyone would recognize that Kelly has tremendous potential but she just hasn't played enough to justify All-Star consideration. If you were referring only to the UT players mentioned in the team progress report, I guess the fact that there was no mention of Cain means that she is not as far along as Vicky is in her rehab. Shouldn't be too surprising since she carries a lot more weight, hence more strain on her knees. No question it would be a HUGE boost to the team if Kelly can get her game on.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
We LV fans ARE interested in seeing if Griner can live up to all the hype, but we are MORE interested in seeing if this year's edition of the Lady Vols can approach the standard to which we have become accustomed. We are only SO interested in other teams and players; we LOVE the Lady Vols! That won't change even Griner trashes TBA like Godzilla in Tokyo!
xvolx writes:
I may just look you up.
BigRMan writes:
Nobody should hate on Griner. Give her her due talent-wise. The Lady Vols should take the game as a barometer of where the team is at season's inception and use it to guage how far they need to go and what areas need the most improvement. Mulkey and Barmore will have the Lady Bears prepared. It will be a stern (not David) (LOL) test for the LVS.
tonyvick#213307 writes:
My thoughts exactly, where's Glory? What's going on with her?
LadyHusky writes:
What's going on? Haven't you figured it out? Pat knows how to recruit individuals, however, in the ever-growing field of competition, she also needs to figure out how to build a team! The chemistry isn't there yet. Take a look at the huskies. They work as a team and not individual superstars.
98reax writes:
Never ceases to amaze me how fond of 'all that's orange' is the husky fan. The audacity to hang out in GVX and give unsolicited advice to Lady Vol fans, spewing trash toward our coaching staff. Can they not receive satisfaction on their beloved boneyard, or whatever message boards devoted to their genoid husketts?
LadyHusky writes:
Can't help it. These articles were published in the Hartford Courant. No, True Blue hates orange. But when the opportunity arises, just cant help it. Much like UT fans do to UConn fans.
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