The coach with more than 1,000 wins is seemingly at a loss.
Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt has been almost as dismayed at times this season as after a first-round NCAA tournament loss to Ball State last March. And you have to wonder if she has any more buttons to push.
Her most recent attempt at motivation came in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where she accused her team of disrespecting its sport after it sleepwalked through a 74-67 victory over Alabama, which was identified as the SEC's worst team early on and has done little since to alter that initial perception.
Summitt was so perplexed by her team's performance she couldn't bear to address the players during a couple of second-half timeouts.
Having repelled the first lady of women's basketball, the Lady Vols might have been sufficiently embarrassed to raise their level of play significantly against LSU tonight. If not, what's left in Summitt's motivational repertoire?
Before going any further, I probably should mention the Lady Vols are 24-2, about to move up to fourth in the national polls and well on their way to the SEC regular-season championship. But none of that soothes a coach whose standard for success is measured by the national championship banners hanging in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Summitt knows you don't show your record, conference standing and national ranking at the gate to the NCAA tournament, then advance to the next round. And she has seen enough of this group the past two seasons to envision an unacceptable ending.
If the team suffered from a talent shortage, even a coach as competitive as Summitt could reconcile herself to the possibility of being on the outside looking in at the Final Four. This team is more apt to be undone by a short attention span. Or, as Summitt has said repeatedly, "Some teams can't handle success."
If the deficiency could be corrected with a well-trained stare, I would be writing something else today. But the coach with the most famous stare in college basketball can't always raise this team's play with a piercing look.
The stare is just for starters. She has all sorts of motivational ploys, most of which she has run through the last two years.
She has dismissed one player from practice for lack of focus and banned the entire team from its locker room. She also had the team do its own laundry last season, as if to say, "Clean up your act."
Summitt will tell you this team is vastly improved over last season, as its record attests, but there remain those nagging nights like Thursday when the players inexplicably regress to a Ball State level, and the coach is reduced to speechlessness.
"I was too mad to talk," Summitt reiterated after Sunday's practice in explaining why she kept her distance during those timeouts against Alabama.
The decision was spontaneous, as are most of Summitt's decisions in these matters. She doesn't refer to a motivational handbook before dispatching players to the laundry room.
"It's spur of the moment," Summitt said. "It's a feel. I think coaches have to have a feel for their team."
Punishment and motivational tactics might vary, but Summitt figured out her team back in November.
After the Lady Vols' sluggish performance in an exhibition game, Summitt said, "I've decided you can't cut them any slack. And I told (the players) I've got the energy to do whatever I have to do. If that's staying on you for every possession and everything, we'll do it.
" 'Our coaching staff will be right there.' "
Three months later, no one is questioning Summitt's stamina as a taskmaster. Only the response is in doubt.
John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 61
RoadTrip writes:
If the problem is soley the players on the team - then who recruited the players?
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Perhaps, Bro Adams you could give HCPS a few pointers on how to push someone's button.
All in good taste, of course.
tnaseevol writes:
Sometimes, when buttons have been pushed and pushed, they break!
Southland writes:
She has been so dramatic so many times lately that it just doesnt mean anything anymore. She also needs some speed on the team. She has big girls that move like really big girls A smaller faster team like Ball State will scorch them again this year and she can hit all the buttons she wants. The competition has caught up with her and she is now being out recruited and the evil empire of UConn-I hate to say this-is the only elite team now and they are not dropping off anytime soon. Man that hurt to say
abnermc writes:
Can't believe any of you read this guy.
arkyvol writes:
i agree to a point with southland, but only to a point. yes, there's uconn, and then there's everyone else. but, i believe the lady vols are among the best of everyone else. unfortunately, that won't get them within 40 of the huskies.
SoddyVol writes:
If one plays with fire, sooner or later they get burned. LVols will only go as far as their attitude about the team and willingness to exert themselves allows. Forget personal needs and play hard for the team. Just think, a championship ring would look great on that finger.
rjrich#235198 writes:
It is somewhat disconcerting that we have "fans" who feel entitled to post bitter critiques of a team, without a senior starter, that has won 24 of 26 games in which every team they face views the game as their "Super Bowl", led by a coach who has won over 1000 wins and whose teams have achieved in a superlative manner every academic and athletic goal imaginable, and who has essentially defined the sport itself. Maybe you can help us all by elaborating in your next post how it feels to be consulted by poeple like Bill Gates and John Wooden on how you can advise them on bettering themselves as well.
rclarkfork#639958 writes:
Good post. The knowledge of our basketball fans is quite lacking. They prove it over and over. Besides UConn who everyone concedes is a step above, we are as good as anyone in the country and have a good shot at a final four or a spot in the finals. Is this good enough for our fans, and I use that term loosely, it's never good enough. Some cannot fathom that there are now many top notch lady players out there. There used to be 4 or 5 players who were a couple of notches above the others and Pat always had two or three of them. Lady's basketball has become a huge thing for young girls now and many are practicing year round where 10 years ago there were very few that dedicated. The game is becoming very competitive at the college level and there are many teams out there with the players that can beat you on a given night. Our fans either don't want to accept this or are too blind to see it. Pat still recruits one of the top teams in the country consistently and the record this season with only two losses is a huge testament to her coaching ability. Ten years ago, we out talented just about every single team we played at every position, now every team has a couple of stellar players and anyone who has followed mens basketball for the past ten years knows that on a given night a team with a couple of good players who are shooting lights out can beat any team in the country. The lady's game is getting that same parity and some are just too stubborn or just not willing to accept it. It's not the 1990's any more. Some need to accept that and stop criticizing the tremendous year these young ladies have had. And as the last poster said, all of this without a senior as a major contributor. The job that Pat and this entire coaching staff has done turning this team around after last season is fantastic and the work these girls have put in to make it happen, is very commendable. Instead our fans seem to think that a record of 24-2 merits criticism after every single game. Kind of sad really.
utclassof1992 writes:
Three things stand out to me about the crossroads Pat Summitt is at right now. 1. Considering that within the past 4 years, she has lost Sidney Spencer, Candace Parker, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt, and has gone on to reload and go 24-2 in just 2 years, I think she is doing pretty darn good. Div. 1 universities are now pumping money and resources into the women's game, and parity has formed over the past 10 years. 2. We have seen this before in the earlier part of the decade, with Michelle Munoz and the Gatewood kid. Some players are not going to respond to her well, and when that happens, she seems to find players that do hear what she is saying. 3. I think Pat is hitting that point in the generation changes where kids are not as apt to respond to her. Happened to Phillip Fulmer, Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden, etc. No shame in that. Pat will be alright, but we do need to realize that the end of Pat's career is closer than the beginning, and when it is all said and done, she is women's basketball.
SummittsCourt writes:
you are an idiot
SummittsCourt writes:
John Adams, you are a bigger idiot for writing this KRAP!
SummittsCourt writes:
For all the fair weather fans posting unknowledgable bs on here, wait until Monday night and see if Pat's button pushing is working or not. They played poorly against bama and she has pushed the motivation button to get them ready for a tough LSU team.
PINK_CHAMPAGNE writes:
Granted the team is big and slower than most! But that can be countered with the defense you play. Pat has realized that and that is why she plays a zone defense more this season. She has been forcing teams to beat them from the outside and so far it is working. Depending on the team, such as one with good pentrating guards and and quick guards, you deploy that zone defense to stop them. If you are matched evenly with speed then the man is ok. I applaud Pat for switching defenses this year and applying them according to the opponent. We have big slow girls, but that does not mean they cannot win. They can win with the right strategy. Play more halfcourt and do not try to run with a team! That is our teams strength! We cant look at the quickness of another team and just decide that tennessee cannot beat them. Match defense to offense and see what happens.
I have said before that these are some talented ladies! When they play their game and do not let the opponent take them out of it, they can win. If they all work together, players and coaching staff, this union can work. I have been angry with the team in victories and losses. I feel they are better than what they put on the floor sometimes. Even in victories, they are capable of more than they have given. Alabama game for instance, they did enough to get by. No defensive effort at all! I to, like Pat, was angry about that. They have to get out of that mindset. Quit letting teams hang around. Quit being comfortable with a lead. Keep your feet on the gas and destroy these teams!
richvol writes:
Everyone has made some good points...even the conflicting ones but there is no question that we have been outrecruited by UCONN the past several years. They have gone after,and gotten,the dominant,athletic and best players in the country and their record against us head to head and overall reflects it. That said,we are still good but not competitive with them. I believe most of the frustration stems from that fact alone and I believe it can be fixed with the right focus on recruiting. If it's missing Mickie DeMoss,who brought in most of our key recruits in past years or some other reason we need to put tremendous focus on beating UCONN to get these girls and do a better job upfront in evaluating the athletes we sign because we have had some additions over the last few years that just can't cut it here and that should not happen at the centerpiece of women's basketball.
YankeeVol writes:
I have a lot of contact with kids the age of the LV's. My guess is, if they are anything like the 18-22 year olds that I know, that if Pat turned into the "Good Momma" the team would be 0-24. If discipline, fired-up motivation, and expectations don't get results, hollow praise and sticky-sweet nurturance isn't going to work either. If she takes that tactic, they'll be more losses, forget the NCAA's, and we'll be watching the players text and play video games on the bench while they wait for their "turn".
dwa7#337691 writes:
predict:
L Vols 75
LS WHO 66
Valoisvol writes:
You are so right. We need a center that is active in the paint and quick. My vote is Glory Johnson
boogimn3 writes:
You are spot-on, richvol...
Coach Summitt herself said it after the Alabama game. "Ive got to recruit."
I've said on previous posts, If you want to kill a Great White, you've got to find some Killer Whales. Ignoring or belittling UConn won't help. And the so called "parity" issue hasn't stopped Gino from recruiting the best and usurping the LVs as the biggest dog on the block.
A zone defense is a bandaid attempt to minimize the fatal disadvantage of a big, slow team, and will not hold up against the better teams facing the LVs in the tournament. Neither will veteran players turning the ball over with lazy dribbling or players taking time off during play.
This team is lacking in the kind of killer instinct needed to sustain a serious tournament run, and Coach Summitt is reacting to that impending disaster through her admonishments and roster changes. I believe that only aggressive recruiting over the next two years will put the LVs back where we all want them to be...with UConn planted solidly in the rear view mirror.
ladivolfan writes:
I've finally been pushed over the edge with all of the negativity from all sources, including CPS. I love Pat, but enough is enough. When you tell a kid they're bad, guess what, they're going to be bad.
xvolx writes:
If you can't push their buttons, turn their knobs.
boogimn3 writes:
I have held myself back and tolerated your various drivel-laden posts, but now is the time to deal a blow for reason.
A fanatic has been defined as someone who has lost sight of their goals but has redoubled their efforts.
Your ceaseless, childish defenses of Coach Summitt are nothing more than infantile nonsense.
Most of us on here are great fans of the LVs and have only the greatest respect for Coach Summitt, and I for one am bored with your worthless comments, which generally indicate nothing more than blind emotionalism, barren of any constructive thought...
That's all of my time and energy you get...
volaholic45 writes:
Not enough speed on the team.
Not enough shooters.
Too much laziness and sloppiness for this point in the season.
The first two factors are the glass ceiling for these girls. The third is what is flummoxing and inexcusable.
hcjournals#206623 writes:
They are 24-2. They are not 18-8. When you have a team that needs constant motivation, it isn't always pretty. To question coach Summit is stupid. This is the most talented team in the country. Be patient. And step off......
BeRealistic writes:
Good post. Go Pat & LV!!!
richvol writes:
I heard Pat's comment about recruiting as well. Look what happened with and without Candace Parker. Pat needs to understand that in today's climate of women's basketball she is going to have to pull out all the stops in getting the right players...and they better be able to run and jump. The days of her old corn fed chicks were great but it's speed that wins now. Someone said earlier that Alabama looked alot quicker than us and they were right...that's why they gave us such a hard time the other night.
Pat has to be very tough on these gals to get enough effort out of them to be good enough to win...there is no other way. She tried the soft approach and they slacked off. If you don't think that Geno is hard on his girls then you better think again as he uses a great deal of profanity laced language.
The_Truth_and_nothing_but_the_Truth writes:
Hi Boogi:
Your right, recruiting is the foundation. You have to have the raw talent to mold it. Maybe Pat Summit is not batting a 1000 but nobody does. She has a stellar record and as I have mentioned before there is a "Ying and Yang" to everything.
Emphasis has to be on working with what you have and keeping an eye to the future. UCONN was lucky in the last several years to land three #1's. Elena Della Donne, Tina Charles and Maya Moore. With Tina and Maya, somehow he is maximizing their potential squeezing every once of talent out of them. (Elena never wanted to leave home, she found that out. She's doing great, we applaud her. She follows Huskies basketball as she still loves the team).
You have to be recruiting 24/7. I've heard a lot about the people coming into the Tennessee Program and those that are injured, for sure you'll have a potent force.
At the same time, Geno is loading up and well on his way to landing one of his best recruiting classes.
Recruiting never stops.
GreerVol22 writes:
Just an observation but there are no "Candice Parker's" on this team. Good players, yes..great players, no. There is also a noticable attitude of entitlement with a few of these players and it effects their drive to succeed. As I said before in another article, one of the most perplexing and uncoachable player attributes is ambition. (Ex. See Scotty Hopson, when he wants it, you cannot stop him...problem is I have only seen that effort 3 times this season.)
dbgray writes:
I am perplexed. I am admittedly a diehard UCONN fan for over 25 yrs. I am a close follower of women's basketball, however and relished the Tennessee rivalry. There is no question that Coach Summit is the standard bearer for coaching women's basketball. Now just like at UCONN, expectations are incredibly high. But listen to the simple facts. After winning back to back national championships, the Lady Vols had a reload year and didn't do quite as well. This year, they are a lock for #1 seed, and leading the SEC. Where is the criticism of the coach and team coming from? I understand Summit's comments: they are meant for the team as a motivational tool. I understand the media: they are looking for any story that will arouse attention. But fans saying its time for PS to retire?? Are many of the LV fans so jaded and spoiled that they have to be perfect or they don't wanna play? Its the nature of boards and fun to criticize strategies and such, but this board has some strange fan posting. I hope the team proves the negative posters completely wrong. I apologize to those who don't like any fans other than those exclusively for Tennessee posting here.
98reax writes:
[[richvol writes:
Everyone has made some good points...even the conflicting ones but there is no question that we have been outrecruited by UCONN the past several years. They have gone after,and gotten,the dominant,athletic and best players in the country and their record against us head to head and overall reflects it. ]]
I wonder how they do that? Duh!
I betcha if we had an ESPN in Knoxville, and if we could allow the mommas to set up vending rights at the malls and the women's basketball hall of fame, oh yes...
If Pat promised them some sweet digs down by the marina with a private floating party palace, we'd be turning recruits away. Perhaps thats ONE OF THE BUTTONS Pat wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole.
bobbizee#247300 writes:
as of today we will be #4 in the nation, not bad for a team without any senior leadership, I have been a LadyVols fan since 1976 and have been to several Final Fours, I live in Georgia which makes it even more difficult to see games. WHAT A BUNCH OF BELLYACKERS & A LOT OF UCONN FOLKS ON THIS SITE by the way this soph team was recruited by Nikki Caldwell before she left
STNVol09 writes:
And you actually scored high enough on a SAT to make it to college? UCONN has Maya Moore. We had Candance Parker. Those only come around once every few years. UConn will come back to earth when Moore is gone unless Gino can out-recruit Pat for the next superstar. In the meantime, The Lady Vols are what they are... big , slower and do not like to play defense every possesion , every night. This too shall pass.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Thanks for some needed perspective. As Robert Burns wrote, "Would to God, the gift he give us, to see ourselves as others see us." I think most fans around the country see what you see: the youngest highly-ranked team in the country, vastly improved over last year, with enough of nearly everything it takes to make a deep run in the tourney, despite having three HS AA's out for the season with injuries, and with two quick AA guards coming in for next year.
No question our fans get spoiled, to the point of expecting perfection every year. It's the easiest thing in the world to sit back and point fingers at those who are putting it all on the line. Most of us have absolutely no conception of how hard it is to succeed at this level.
That said, I think some have put their fingers on it when they describe the sense of entitlement many young players have these days. This is even worse for players who have excelled and been lauded for their entire lives. It is just hard for them to accept deep down that there is anyone who knows more than they do because no one has really tried to tell them that before. It takes a lot to overcome more than a decade of that kind of conditioning when they come to a top-level program that demands more of them than they ever imagined they had in them. It remains to be seen if enough of them will buy into the necessary attitudes in time to reach their potential for this season, but it is far too early to conclude that they won't.
RLL59 writes:
Apparently, you've noticed that it's OK to write condescendingly of the players, and use your experience as credentials....as long as you don't criticize the coach. I haven't read one post that thought Coach Summitt should use 'hollow praise and sticky sweeet nurturance', or anything like it. While several very successful coaches, such as Woody Hayes, Bobby Knight, John Chaney, and Pat Summitt, have used public humiliation and intimidation of their players on a routine basis, most do not. They obviously feel that positive re-enforcement and private discipline as primary interpersonal coaching tactics don't result in coddled players, or diminished records.
This team is made up of mostly All Americans, and plays most games against teams that don't have a single player that the Lady Vols would have recruited. They wouldn't be anywhere near 0-24 even if you or I coached them.
buzz29 writes:
While the game has certainly not passed by Pat, as football did with Phil, the players coming up through the ranks have certainly changed. In the current age of "players' coaches", many younger athletes simply don't respond to the "old school" approaches.
BigRMan writes:
If Oklahoma lost to UCON by 16 pts., I say we can and would lose by less this year. Next year when Tina Charles departs, we may have a shot at them!
The_Truth_and_nothing_but_the_Truth writes:
We are still waiting for the time and dates for Geno-gate. None have been forthcoming, easy to blame other people when your team is not doing as well as "you" planned.
Tennessee is a great team, great players. Most people pray to have two losses at this time of year.
tonyvick#213307 writes:
Way to tell'em rj...
Fall_Creek_Vols writes:
Now that's funny right there.
I don't care who you are.
informedintennessee writes:
My thoughts exactly! I think Pat is great, but obviously, her attempts to motivate are not working. Some kids are motivated by fear and bullying. Some kids are self-motivated. Some kids are motivated by the desire to win. But, if you're the coach and your team is not motivated by any of these things, it is your job to find out what motivates them and get the best out of them. That is called coaching--stop whining and get busy Pat!
98reax writes:
I just don't agree that we need to compare our current standing/status/discipline to ANY team/coach. We have, by far, hands down, the best program, the best coaching staff in the country. That statistic has not changed. It's the fan base that has changed. There's less respect for the game, players and coaches than support and appreciation, and this GVX forum is infiltrated by posters who barge in to postulate how the game has "passed her (Pat) by." Are we to suppose that one season removed from back-to-back championships lends credence to: VolnotHAMILTONfan writes: "Thems the facts girls" post?
I just don't get it. Why would a person hang out here simply to write nescient remarks regarding the Lady Vols' program? What is it about people that make them quick to post unfavorable things?
The_Truth_and_nothing, you obviously have geno & the husk in YOUR rearview because that's all you have to offer in your remarks, how great they are. Guess what, Truth, some of us are inclined to think OUR program is MORE than our current standing, which 60 or more teams would kill to have. #4/5 in the country is not a bad place to be, considering our "coach is too old, too emotional, antiquated in every phase of the game. Our players are defiant. Our fans are stupid. The entire Lady Vols Program is 'has been" caliber." Why don't we just give the championship to Connecticut and take the rest of the season/Post season off, take a field trip to the Body Farm and eat worms, arkyvol?
YankeeVol writes:
Read carefully, my friend. My post could be interpreted be a negative assessment of the "18-22 year olds that I know", rather than a deification of the coach. I think Summitt is a fascinating figure, sociologically and psychologically, but I would never want to play for her. I understand that my opinions are not my credentials... my real credentials are quite impressive, though.
With humility,
YankeeVol
ProwlinAndGrowlinSmokeyDog writes:
No need to apologize, sir or ma'am. We welcome fans from other teams on this board as long as they are as classy as you were in your post. That is much appreciated. Some fans of other teams come on here and trash anything Lady Vols and have NOTHING good to say about them. I appreciate your expertise because it is fair, rational, and reasonable.
For the record, I am not one of those fans you are referring to because 24-2 is pretty darn good after what happened last year. Every game will not be a blowout, a lot of games that you don't expect to be close end up being close, and some games you win when not expected to. I just watch them and cheer for them as I do all Tennessee teams. Every fan is entitled to his/her opinion and sometimes their negative comments are mistaken for not being a true fan, which is not true. We are all fans and are on the same side and each fan has a different way of dealing with it.
YankeeVol writes:
Ditto, all the way.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
I just don't understand what else some of you want and expect. Refer to previous articles. Some of you posted....why is Pat so laid back....why has Pat turned soft? Now, you are complaining about her outburst during the Bama game. Which way do you want her to be? Make up your mind!
She had every right and reason to go off on the team the way they played at Bama if you actually watched the game, you would know that. All she wants is 40 minutes of intensity and for them not to pick and chose when they decide to give it their all. Is that too much for some of you? It makes perfect sense to me.
I know everyone is entitled to their opinion as much as I am and I appreciate that. Again, this is a very young team and have only lost 2 games!!I can't imagine what some of you would be saying if we had lost 8 games or more. Most every other team in the nation would die to have a record of 24-2!
BTW, whoever posted that when Pat tells a player they are bad....is wrong. She does not tell players they are bad. She tells them they are not doing their job that they are capable of doing. She is right about that!
Some of you have posted that this team lacks speed and you are right....however, they are much quicker now than they were at the beginning of the season. Cain and Brewer are pounds and pounds lighter now and are moving much better.
I would imagine that after they win the NC the next two seasons, some of you will still be finding things to criticize the players, Pat or both. Thats fine. I am getting used to it finally!
LV......TCB.......KOKO.......GBO!!!!!!!!!!!!
TommyJack writes:
EXACTLY. Never let it be said that we don't have our share of doofus fans.
dwolfcreek#397971 writes:
A fanatic has been defined as someone who has lost sight of their goals but has redoubled their efforts.
I think you have something with that post , very good .
LCfastball writes:
John " The Worm " Adams strikes again..... Can't believe Pat's not put a foot in his AZZ yet... Show the Woman some respect LOSER.....
RLL59 writes:
I respect your opinion, impressive credentials or not. But I think that setting up an absurd straw man, such as that the alternative to Coach Summitt's methods is to be a milquetoast, and then exaggerating the negative results of such an alternative, denigrates those that don't share your opinion. But it works on talk radio, so maybe it'll work here too.
Also, I mentioned that you were using your personal 'experiences', not 'opinions', as credentials. Had you done that and criticized the coach, you would have been inundated with posters calling you an idiot and asking how many games you've won.
Thanks for the civil dialogue.
YankeeVol writes:
If it's womens' basketball, shouldn't be a "straw woman"? A "straw gal"? A "straw _______"
Just kidding... a slow day at work, here. Thank God these screen names are anonymous. All I'd need is for my employer to walk in on me and say, "What are you doing and who the hell is Pat Summitt?"
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