Tennessee's offensive struggles against Baylor will prompt another starting lineup change.
UT coach Pat Summitt said during her weekly teleconference on Wednesday that Kamiko Williams will be out and Taber Spani likely will be back in for Sunday's women's basketball game against No. 3 Stanford.
"Kamiko Williams wasn't in a good rhythm,'' Summitt said. "We just tried to do too much. We had to have people knocking shots down. We got in a little bit of a panic mode and we were quick-shooting the ball. That worked against us.
" . . . (Williams) has a lesson to learn, and rightfully so. I think Meighan Simmons is the best at the point position. She didn't play that well, either, but that environment and the crowd was a little overwhelming."
No. 6 Tennessee (9-2) will be using its sixth different starting lineup of the season and its fourth in five games. It's no coincidence that the upheaval began after a 69-58 loss to then-No. 13 Georgetown at the Paradise Jam on Nov. 27 and was extended by Tuesday night's 65-54 loss at No. 2 Baylor.
Summitt described Tennessee's guard play against Baylor as "not very solid." The Lady Vols had five assists and committed 17 turnovers. Williams and Simmons, who manned the point guard position, had one Simmons assist between them.
Williams played the majority of the first half at the position, when UT made just eight field goals and shot 22.9 percent from the floor. The 5-foot-11 sophomore seemed upset during a first-half timeout and was talked to away from the team huddle.
The change will give Simmons the bulk of the point-guard responsibilities. At least she sounded like a point guard afterward, despite being victimized by a thunderous second-half block by Baylor forward Brooklyn Pope.
"Whether she blocks my shot again," Simmons said, "then I'll know the next time Kelley (Cain) is going to be open. (Angie) Bjorklund is going to be open. Somebody is going to be open."
The final 25 percent field-goal percentage (18-for-72) against the Lady Bears went into the books as the lowest single-game mark in UT's records, which date back to the 1980-81 season. Before Baylor, Tennessee hadn't shot below 40 percent all season.
The 21 first-half points, meanwhile, were a season low and the lowest since scoring only 18 before halftime in last season's game at Stanford.
A review of Tuesday's game video gave Summitt an even greater appreciation for Baylor's defense and the difficulties presented by Lady Bears 6-foot-8 center Brittney Griner, who had nine blocks. At times, the Lady Vols seemed more preoccupied with just getting off a shot, rather than focusing on actually making the shot.
"I just don't think we shot the ball with a lot of confidence,'' Summitt said. "Griner is the most intimidating player probably in the country right now. As far as being able to take the ball out of the air and being able to swat it away, she is unique to the game."
Notebook: Summitt conducted what she called a "roll call" meeting before Wednesday's practice. . . . Cain, who played 25 minutes Tuesday with a sore hip, was using crutches Wednesday as a precaution. . . . Alyssia Brewer left practice early with irritation in her left Achilles' tendon. . . . Cain, Brewer and Vicki Baugh (knee) all are listed as day to day but are expected to play Sunday.
Dan Fleser covers Tennessee Lady Vols basketball. He may be reached at 865-342-6288. Follow him at http://twitter.com/fleserKNS and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/fleser/
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Comments » 87
PITBOSS009 writes:
GIVE HELL,SUMMITT.
GET THIS SHIP RIGHTED
maxvolfan#217855 writes:
"On Kamiko Williams' role with the team moving forward...
Pat-
"She's not going to be in the (starting lineup). She has a lesson to learn and rightfully so. I think Meighan Simmons is the best at the point position. She didn't play that well either but that environment and the crowd was a little overwhelming. I'm probably going to put (sophomore forward) Taber Spani in - we need more offense."
She must have ticked PS off. I still think shes our best slasher of the dribble drive. Simmons go out there and abuse that backup PG Stanford has out there. They guards are weak but watch out there frontcourt is matched up with ours. Glory be ready for another battle inside that should match up favorably for us, Strick womanup and become that force again and shoot that easy shot at the elbow. Angie leave all the dribbling to the guards and just find your spot to shoot. This is a huge game, bigger than Baylor because I have no doubt they will be there at the dance. Still not convince UCOnn or Stanford will be, so lets see where we fit in . GLV
flatrock writes:
Kamiko must have really said something bad to
get this demotion and, hopefully, she will
learn and improve. Best combo is Kamiko
at PG and Simmons at 2. From my viewpoint, Kamiko
is the best point guard on the Lady Vols- and
it ain't even close. I honestly believe she
is All-SEC talent. Simmons has skills, too,
but I am not sure they are point guard skills
for this squad (slow, slow posts and your best
outside shooter is a standing shooter). She is
better suited for a full-court pressure, helter-skelter team- and Pat ain't ever gonna go down
that path! If Kamiko had as many dumb plays
(forced shots, air balls, one-on-one turnovers)
as Simmons had last night, she wouldn't just lose her
starting position, she would lose her scholarship. Simmons must have Polaroids!
vol2021 writes:
In this article I didn,t hear Pat say a word about the proper way to attack a great shot blocker,which you should learn in grammar school to use a pump fake and go up hard into the defender. You will get a foul call,which could lead to fouling Griner out or you make the basket. If they call an offesive foul which is seldom ,Griner will get tired of getting hit hard,she shouldn,t be able to take alot of pounding. I also see a lot of standing around on offense no screens away from the ball.Angie needs to quit dribbling from side to side and go to the hole hard. Please move your feet on defense and stop letting people dribble right past sraight to the basket. The girls don,t seem to have the speed to compete with the elite womens programs now.Simmons maybe wild but at least you see some athleticism,been waiting on these girls to see the light but it still has come on.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
sounds like a load of bs to me.
fragile egos as it is, team does not know their roles this year. yell like hell, but they gotta know you have their back.
r2d2 writes:
I think that CPS is taking the wrong approach in throwing her players under the bus after the LV lose a game. She needs to take the blame for not have them prepared offensively. Williams and/or Simmons are never going to develop into the best if they are pulled out of the starting lineup every time they do not play well. Griner and her teammates had a lot to do with making the team look bad. CPS needs to develop some offensive schemes to neutralize Griner similar to the defensive schemes she devised to stop her in the second half of the Baylor game. I know a number of readers will say I am implying that CPS is not a great coach. That is not true! She and Geno are at the top of coaching in the women's game. However, she need to accept some responsibility for her team's lack of preparation for the Baylor game. She need to encourage, not discourage, Williams and Simmons (and others) to become better players.
itsgolden writes:
here we go tweaking the line-up again and believe me to no avail. One would think that CPS realizes by now that she has tried this approach the last three years and it hasn't improved this team much. Her decision to make this move doesn't add up to why she says she's doing it. She's obviously aware that Stanford's line-up is slower than Baylor's; if not, you'll see quicker guards running to the basket with Bjorklund and Spani on the floor at the same time. Statistically her decision is another serving of "bs". Against Baylor, Kamiko's stats were (2-10fg, 1-2 threepts, 3rebs, 1 ast, 0 tos, 1 stl, 0 blks, 5 total points in 26 min); by comparison Spani's stats (2-6fg, 1-3 threepts, 6rebs, 0 tos,5 total pts in 22 min). There isn't much that separated the two in this game except that Summitt requires more of Kamiko. I would take Kamiko's on the ball pressure and ability to create her own shot any day over Spani's inability to create. As a set shooter Spani is great but other than not, there's not much there to impress. On the other hand, Stricklen has been off her game lately, especially on the offensive end and she appears tired/lazy. Stricklen's stats vs. Baylor (1-9fg, 0-3 threepts, 11rebs, 6 to, 1 stl, 1blk, 1 pf, 2 total pts in 34 min). Shouldn't Stricklen come out the game? She's the upperclassmen! When you shoot 25% as a TEAM, I don't think you have much on film to suggest that one player should have been better. Out of 72 attempts, this team made 18 baskets, and had only 5 assists. When you're shooting this poorly you can't be credited with many assists.
flatrock writes:
Don't like the rap that Angie dribbles too much.
Fact is she needs the offense to set 1-2 screens
for her so that she can receive the ball with her feet already square to the basket- like Bruce did for Chris Lofton. Or off penetration
by Kamiko or Simmons (who needs to look for
an open teammate now and then!) or a return
feed from the low post. Lady Vols sometimes
look like a slow team trying to play fast;
other times, they look like a fast team trying
to play slow! My favorite combination:
PG- Kamiko (she is a baller!);
2G- Simmons (athletic and fearless);
3G- Angie (gutsy, smart and zone-buster);
4P- Alicia Manning (she is the glue);
5P- Sticklen (she will out-athlete all posts
in SEC).
BENCH: Johnson (sparkplug); Spani (shooter).
The 3 bigs have to get healthy to get into this
rotation.
itsgolden writes:
This team's play seems mostly scripted and Simmons seems to be the only player who plays with confidence and throws the script to the curb.
kazoo writes:
Summitt is getting loopy, I'm afraid. Simmons is NOT a point guard! She's a shooting guard. Does the coach not realize that?!! Simmons clearly likes to shoot (she took about 22 shots against Baylor!, and so I question whether she is going to run the offense well, dish out assists and help Bjorklund and Stricklen get their offensive games together? Maybe against mediocre teams.
Summitt clearly isn't a big fan of Williams, which has to explain why she has decided to make her the fall guy for this absymal team performance--and no doubt the coach will ruin her confidence with this lame decision. Summitt has gotten like Bobby Knight in his later coaching years---a little too fond of recruiting and playing his kind of players, meaning heady players with good attitudes. Unfortunately, they aren't all that good, which is why UT's guard play has been very weak in recent years--too many "good character" types with no athleticism. And so it goes...
PINK_CHAMPAGNE writes:
I did not see anything Kamiko did wrong in this game. She looked for her shot, even though she missed a few, but at least she wasnt scared to take one. I thought Spani played an ok game, as well as Kamiko, but Stricklen did not! If anybody should be getting benched, it is Stricklen. She was the no show, not kamiko! At least Kamiko tried, Stricklen did not. Stricklen does look lazy and tired at times. It amazes me how against lesser competition, she competes, and against quality competition, she disappears. The sad thing about that is, she has skills to compete against any team, but picks and chooses when to display those skills. If anything, Spani should be inserted into the lineup in place of Stricklen. Kamiko should not be pulled for this game. All of the players made mistakes, but Stricklen made six turnovers, more than her two points. How can you reward that? And Stricklen is one of the best players on the team, and it is disappointing to see her fade because of the level of competition that is on the floor.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
I completely, totally disagree here.
Too many people think to be a good baller you have to be as quick as a cat and jump through the roof. Bull. You need to be smart enough to read the D, and confident enough to create a space to get your shot off.
Tenn's lead guard play has been off, quite frankly, because the only PG Pat had recruited was Bass; very 'athletic', but not much else.
We have Avant, but she isn't ready. We have Massengale coming in, but I've got my doubts about her.
We aren't messing up for not being athletic enough, we are messing up because we CANNOT SHOOT THE DAMN BALL!!!~!!!!
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
very respectfully done, hope no one gets offended at an honest opinion.
what I do wonder is if she is trying to make Kamiko more afraid of HER than of the game situation. Maybe she feels Kamiko tightened up way too much for the big game.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
This article did not tell "ALL" of Pat's comments. We don't have a clue what she had to say about the poor play of the others. She did NOT just get Kamiko, she got all of them!
Also, no one knows what she had to say about the coaching staff either. I'm sure she took some accountiblity, she ALWAYS does, but it doesn't always get reported. She will be the FIRST one to tell you that she takes full responsibility!!!
I agree with flatrock, that Kamiko probably said something that she should not have said, therefore, I do not think she is throwing her under the bus.
I'm surprised that she did not bench all the starters, especially Strickland. None of them played the way they are capable of playing period. Like I've said before, its all MENTAL.
Let's see what they will do against Stanford, before we the fans, throw the whole team and coaches under the bus. I have faith, do you? It is a long time before March and we will get there, I promise! GBO!!!
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
The coachspeak I despise is "I take full accountability for Joe Scmo being a clueless idiot".
Uhh, yeah, okay.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Good post dead_ball_foul...but don't waste your time on kazoo. kazoo is anti-Lady Vol and anti- CPS. Has never had a good thing to say about them for over a year now.
But excellent post and I agree!
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
I did not say that she takes accountablilty for them being "clueless idiots". She has no control over the "mind set" once they hit the floor.
She WILL take accountablity for not having the team prepared to take on Baylor, etc...Sorry that I did not make myself clearer.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
oh, goodness no, I was just talking about coaches in general, not anything you or Pat said.
Sincere apologies on that!!
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
thanks...
kazoo is okay. Never really gets mad if you call him/her out. Tends to be negative, but I get that way to so I understand.
Then again, I can even tolerate M_I_C at times....when I know he's correct.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
You guys got me thinking...
maybe, just maybe, we have Spani and Angie playing the wrong game?? Trying to get them to be 'balls to the wall, stop on a dime and pop' players rather than running multiple screens??
Angie is no Meighan. She's more of a Chris Lofton, has a little drive, can pop and drop, but mostly she can drain 3's. Spani I just don't know yet.
HanQ7 writes:
Ok, so Coach is benching Kmeiko! Really?! She obviously pissed Coach Summit off with what she said or did. B/c surely, she was not the only one who played poorly. I would have benched Angie or Stricklen.... B/c they just flat out are not playing with confidence given they are the leaders of this team. I dont know about that.... Kelly should have a double double against Stanford and so should Glory Johnson. I cant wait to see the match up between Glory and Nneka. Leggoooo Lady Vols!!!!
JUSTHOOPIN writes:
Now let's tell it like it is, Pat is not coaching this team and hasn't coached this team in years. She doesn't have that dominent player like Parker to carry her so she doesn't have to coach. She doesn't listen to her assistant coaches at all. It doesn't suprize me that she is once again using Kamiko as a scapegoat for her inability to coach this team against another team that plays with quicknest and also have a prominent shot blocker in the middle. Kamiko had no turnovers once again while playing the most critical position on this team. Now you are going to take her out of the line-up and substitute her for a player (Spani) who is too slow to guard anyone at this level, can't handle the ball that well and definitely can't create a shot for themself without being left wide open.
Once again there goes a great decision from Pat! Angie, Strick and even Johnson did not play or even shoot well for this game and Pat isn't taking them out of the line-up. Stricklen and Angie have been playing bad the entire season so far but there is no change. The best rebounder (Manning) isn't even receiving playing time at all. What's up with that?
Why is it that Kamiko always get treated this way and it clearly shows that this young lady is the best point guard on the Lady VOL's team and probably the entire SEC if Pat would only let her play. It's very strange that each time the Lady VOL's play at their home stadium, Kamiko is either in the dog house for something so she can't start or she get's limited playing time. The only reason she started the pre-season game at home was due to Pat not being able to play Angie, so to save face once again Pat played Kamiko out of necessity. But when the Lady VOL's travel on the road, Kamiko starts as the point guard and receives what is called "Extended minutes" when the team is in a bind!
I see it as Pat is trying to save face when she is at home because those same high school All-American player's parents are at the games and the flood gates will be open to her office for questions afterwards when the stadium is cleared. I feel Kamiko will eventually get tired of this "BS" from Pat an transfer after this season due to all of the unfair treatment she is receiving from Pat!
JUSTHOOPIN writes:
You are right, Kamiko shouldn't be the one who is being punished, but as I stated before Kamiko isn't one of those "High School All-Americans" which by the way is a paper drill especially seeing how we have so many but they are not playing like it, and it is easier for Pat to screw around with her playing time because again Pat thinks Kamiko should be happy just to be on the Lady VOL's basketball team and it doesn't matter that she is out performing the rest of the guards on the team, All-American or not! I bet if Kamiko shot as many times that other players get to, she would be a leading scorer as well.
JUSTHOOPIN writes:
Kamiko can shoot the ball though, and she is the best point guard for this team by far. It's just Kamiko doesn't get the support from Pat like the way Pat gives it to Strick, Angie and Simmons. You can see that Pat is probably telling Kamiko not to shoot the ball and pass it more, but when the team is having problems, Pat probably tells Kamiko to shoot the ball more because of the plays Pat tells Kamiko to call for herself but if you haven't been shooting the ball in the games to gain confidence then when you are pushed into this type of roll, it will look bad for the player. Now do you think snatching her out of the line-up is going to honestly re-enforce her confidence to score for the team? Remember, Kamiko is one of the players on this team who is scoring (putting points on the score board). She is one of the top five scorers on the team.
xvolx writes:
Williams does not do a good job at point. She dribbles too much looking for a shot and never gets the team involved and she loafs back on defense. Simmons is best at point guard because she shoots best off the dribble. I didn't see anyone play well against Baylor, but the game plan offense and defense was old and stale. Williams would be a good small forward if she had the desire to play hustle defense. She doesn't right now. Our bigs are exactly that. Bigs. News media and Summitt need to quit blowing smoke up Johnson's a**. She's not the best athlete ever to play for Lady Vols. She couldn't touch Parker or Holdsclaw for athletic talent. She can run and jump, but that doesn't translate into basketball skills. Spani is a streak shooter. We don't have a go to player yet. Simmons is our best hope. How did Uconn beat Baylor. Moore scored 30 pts. in a 60 pt. game and clutch baskets too. Lady Vols are helter skelter on offense and defense. Bring that zone out against Stanford and you'll see our third loss.
airship writes:
come on pat. stop throwing your players under the bus. this team of high school all AMERICANS need some coaching. we know you can do it , so stop crying and get to work. GO LADY VOLS.
richvol writes:
Williams and Simmons are the two best guards we have. I'm not sure who is the best point but both can create their own shot and seemingly no one else on this team can.
It's very disappointing the way Borklund and Stricken are playing...especially in big games. Neither are showing any upperclass leadership.
This game falls directly on the shoulders of the coaching. They have recruited slow players that cannot compete at the highest level anymore and they do not coach offensive sets. Even slow teams can run sets that get shooters open. Angie doesn't ever come off of screens. After four years. None of them know what the in and out is to get a shooter open either.
Pat doesn't look good...she seems muddled and clueless when we need precision. I have said for years that she needs an offensive coach...badly.
richvol writes:
Oh yeah, has anyone ever shown them how to use a head fake under the basket? Also when you go up against a taller player like Griner you lean into them when rising so that you draw a foul. She contested every shot so foul her out.
tonyvick#213307 writes:
Did you read the article, everyone is saying they were intimidated?
dmason1325#507078 writes:
Yes, Why isn't Manning getting more minutes? and
how do you guard Brittany Griner? I think players are afraid she'll "slug em". GLV!
TennVol01 writes:
I am unsure what all the fuss is about. Baylor is a much better team. It is not an embarrassment to lose to a much better team. Jeeezzzz. Just get ready for Sunday. This is not a championship team and we all know it. Those are rare to come back unless you are a cheating UConn coach.
98reax writes:
Stanford is a better team than Baylor. The Cardinal is all around skilled players, disciplined, well coached. No, they do not have the Griner, but they play good defense and their offense is high-powered, and they are big.
If you notice in the photos of Griners blocks, many of those blocks could well have been fouls, just like the way they called 'em against uconn. Baylor will do fine, but Griner is still a thug.
If the Lady Vols don't get their confidence and swagger, they will find a hard road ahead, and Sunday would be a good day to begin this transformation.
RLL59 writes:
Did anyone notice that Shekinna had 11 rebounds? The only other rebounder (9) was Kelley and we all know she can't play a whole game because of her injuries. So, for those that want to bench Shekinna, please let Coach Summitt know who'll do the rebounding. If you're trying to win against Stanford, you don't bench one of the best players on the team, and the only rebounder that can play 30+ minutes, because of a bad game.
Clearly, Kamiko is treated much more harshly than Meighan for the same kind of mistakes. But, because of the "emperor's new clothes" syndrome that surrounds Coach Summitt, apparently not one assistant coach has the courage to point it out to her. Neither Kamiko nor Meighan has shown the willingness to assume the point guard role of initiating and running the offense. Kamiko at least looks for her teammates; Meighan never gives up the ball, and repeatedly makes poor decisions. They are both excellent players and need to be in the game, but they lack experience. That said, I expect that Meighan will be back at the 2 guard and Kamiko at point before the middle of the first half against Stanford.
What does it mean for a coach to 'take responsibility'? To Coach Summitt, it only means that she didn't get her team to play hard enough to win. There never is an admission that the game plan could have been better, or poor coaching decisions were made during the game, or that expectations weren't realistic. The result is that players become the scapegoats and become further intimidated...and the deterioration continues. No one expects coaches to make the right decisions all the time. Coach Summitt doesn't owe the fans explanations for her coaching decisions, but she shouldn't place all the blame on her players after every loss. What other coach in men's or women's basketball does that??
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
Ok, some items to clear up here;
1-Kamiko ain't worth a damn at PG. She's panicky and makes bad decisions
2-Pat, in my opinion, is concerned about toughening Kamiko mentally, because she flat-a##ed PANICKED against Baylor. Given Kamiko's tools, this isn't good.
3-Anybody who has followed the LV's knows this: Holly is no pushover. DeMoss is not either. To even think they do not influence Pat is just stupid.
Baylor lost by 1 at Uconn at Hartford, a game they should have won going away had Griner not mysteriously choked at the line. They beat us by 11 at home, and we played like cr@p, and Baylor played well. Tells me that we are somewhere near UConn.
Pat is, IMNSHO, trying to toughen up these girls while walking that fine line with their limited confidence. Do you seriously think the Baylor game goes that way at home?? I sure as hell don't. When you lose on the road that way, perfect example of lack of confidence and toughness.
nvavol writes:
Summitt's coaching style calls for an "inside/outside" offense. The problem is that she hasn't had a player that can be an inside offensive threat in years. The last one was Parker but only because she had to do it due to the lack of any "big" that was a threat down low. Cain can't or will not get off the floor and go to the basket (even when she does there is a higher probability that she will miss it than there is that she will make it) and Baugh plays as if she is afraid of getting injured again. They consistently get outplayed by smaller players who aren't afraid to challenge them because they know that they are either going to make the basket or be fouled. Apparently there is no one on the staff that remotely knows how to coach the inside game and Summitt needs to step up and take responsibility for the team and keep her comments regarding poor individual play within the locker room and out of the newspapers. You may not like him but you don't see Geno throwing his players under the bus in public.
tonyvick#213307 writes:
I guess you never noticed Nikki Anosike during the Parker years.
CWhitfield writes:
To the people who think Kamiko is the best point guard in the SEC, what games have you been watching? In my opinion, she always makes bad decisions with ball, she never looks for her teammates, and she makes poor shots. Coach Summitt is hard on her because she has a lot to learn. That's not to say that the rest of the team doesn't deserve blame for a poor showing against Baylor.
PureOrange writes:
The sad fact is that we have players who choose when they are willing to play hard. It is a team sport, but we continue having a problem putting 5 players on the floor at the same time that are all committed to giving their all.
Longtime_Vol writes:
I have watched this team throughout the year and I can only say that their performance has been "uneven". I do believe they are a good team and that they can get better as we move through the year. I do not consider them to be a great team at this point in time and I am not sure that they have what it takes to achieve that stature.
We LV fans are spoiled from the tremendous success through the years. Parity in women's basketball and the rise of other excellent coaches/programs makes it far more difficult to be the very best each and every year. All that being said, we do have a great coach and a fine bunch of players. We can also be proud that the program turns out great people as well as entertaining basketball teams
JUSTHOOPIN writes:
You don't know what you are talking about. Williams is the best point guard that this team has. You are wrong about her dribbling the ball to much looking for her shot and not getting the team involved. She passes the ball all the time, it's only when no other players haven't scored after a few passes does Williams get the green light from Pat to try and score for herself. For the record, it's Williams who is the only guard that can handle the ball and she is the best passer this team has.
As for Simmons, she takes the bulk of the shots on the team and if Williams would shoot as much as Simmons she would lead the team in scoring as well. It has been proven that when Simmons is at the point she has entirely to many TO's, she can't handle ball pressure from any defender that get's in her face, that's the reason Pat took her away from that position like Stricklen.
Pat is trying so hard not to get on Simmons because after all she is putting some points on the boards but look at the number of attempts she takes to get her points production. Her shooting percentage is terrible and that comes at the expense of the team, Angie isn't receiving any touches because Simmons is so quick to take ill-advised shots (poor shot selection) just trying to pad her stats and Stricklen is in the same boat. But again if Pat yells at Simmons she might go into a shell and then where will the Lady VOL's get their scoring from then. It seems like Pat is looking towards the future and doesn't want to scare Simmons off or have her even thinking of transferring in anyway. But last year when Williams was a freshman she was very fast to bench her when she didn't play any defense or even thought of taking any shots without being told.
Williams is entirely to small to be a forward and she is the best on ball defender that this team has. Simmons definitely doesn't play any defense and it has been evident in each game because it's always the player she is defending that has their best game against her due to her lack of defense. I don't know what games you have been watching that Williams hasn't been playing defense, if you haven't noticed Williams have been collecting a few blocks and more rebounds as a guard than a few forwards on this team. But in the long run the truth will come out and time will tell and people will see how wrong Pat is about Williams in the way she treats her in comparison to her so called stars on this TN Lady VOL's team.
JUSTHOOPIN writes:
I don't know what you are smoking, Kamiko played a solid game defensively, rebounding and handling the ball at the point. She gave the ball to the right people and the only thing that she didn't do well was shoot the ball but come on who did. People thinks that Simmons did so well but hell if Kamiko shot the ball 21 times, I bet she would have scored a hell of a lot more ponits as well. Kamiko didn't have any TO's in the game and Simmons had her usual 5 or so, so where is the consistancy that Pat and everyone else is talking about. As for the assistant coaches, they are not going to be the men and women that they are to speak up to Pat because of job security so just like you Kamiko will always be the damn scapegoat for Pat's old style of coaching. It's a damn shame that all of the media and the college coaches thinks that Kamiko is a hell of a point guard except for her own damn coach at UT!
tonyvick#213307 writes:
Pat I have never said anything against the way you coach because I'm sure you have forgotten more basketball than I will ever know. But I don't like the fans seem to be pitted against Williams and Simmons when they both together give us the best chance to win. I have watched a lot of women's basketball over the years and with my watching experience I don't see anything on the surface that should keep Kamiko out. If she didn't do anything conduct wise I beg you to play her. Thanks.
jack_2222#231746 writes:
Gotta bring Bjorkland off the bench as 6th man. Her man to man defense is poor, she doesn't help off the ball, can't dribble, is not a good passer and is slow.
Sometimes she shoots lights out so bring her off the bench to see if she's gonna light it up, but start better defenders to set the tone.
bamavolfanh writes:
perhaps she may have benched williams because she wasnt looking for her shot more. bottom line they came up short against baylor. this is the same exact team that beat them last year. dont count the vols out...they will handle stanford
98reax writes:
There's a lot of folks commenting out of frustration. One is talking out the other end. We came out of Texas with one out of two. That's not as bad as it could have been.
We can't coach this team and we can't change the outcome by blaming coaches or players. They are what they are. I believe the coaching staff is doing everything in their power to bring out the best of this team. If it's not there, it's not there. Hard to accept? Yep.
Let it go and move on to Stanford. See how we can do with our home crowd and a fresher attitude, then move on to SEC.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
What you come off as is jealous as hell. Maybe a Kamiko relative??
Look, dumb-a##, I've been a Kamiko fan. But, tell you what, you are seeing stuff NO ONE ELSE IS SEEING. The girl has GOT to get her head right and GET THE JOB DONE.
That you seriously think these coaches don't speak their mind is amazing. That you seriously think Kamiko is some superstar is just way off.
I've seen several posts that look like they are from family, and jealous as hell of Simmons. I've got on dog in the fight, but I damn well know ball and KAMIKO IS NOT EQUAL OR BETTER THAN SIMMONS.
Kamiko had the perfect chance to solidify being the backcourt mate of Simmons. She screwed it up.
What in the hell do you want us to do, go lay the damn ball in for her??
RLL59 writes:
So, the coaching has been perfect, and the players just aren't capable? Not much room for optimism if that's the case. I prefer to believe that the coaches and the players can improve.... but not unless both realistically assess their performance.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
Mike, you guys did send griner at least a card for throwing the uconn game so a woman's team could get the streak, right??
you did do that, and didn't forget?? an 80% ft shooter 'magically' going 5 of 13??
you should learn to appreciate the gifts, mike. non one will ever convince me she did not throw the game.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
tony, if some of these comments are from kamiko's "support staff" then they point out the problem:
the princess syndrome. you see it all the time in suburban high schools; every girl is some 'princess' to her family, and she just HAS to be the best (singer, dancer, swimmer, mock trial, golfer...) there is and it just isn't FAIR the (Tiffany, Suzy, Diwanda, Charlotte, Akimo...) is ahead of her..
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
Just getting back to the game basics:
-we did not shield out shooters from Griner
-we knew we needed to hit jumpers, did not
Pat is much, much, much better at coaching than I am. You seriously think she didn't see this stuff?? She saw us panic all over the court. She saw us make poor decisions.
I'll give you the simplest:
when a shot-blocker is behind you near the basket, you do NOT bring the ball up for a normal shot; you use a scoop shot, one where she will have to go over your back to get to the ball. In essence, you make your own screen, PLUS putting the ball forward on its release point by a good 2 feet or so.
Simple?? Sure. But, think of glory or vicki getting stuff swatted by bringing the ball up in the vertical plane above their bodies.
Maybe you have to suffer from 'no jump disease' to know these little tricks.
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