NEW YORK — Ariel Massengale's value to Tennessee basketball increased Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. And she didn't have to play a New York minute.
She just had to sit on the bench with her arm in a sling, protecting an injured hand and reminding a prominent contingent of UT fans at the Garden they don't have a true point guard without the precocious freshman.
The No. 7 Lady Vols made up for the shortcoming with their versatility and a point guard by committee.
That was the most noteworthy distinction between Tennessee and 20th-ranked DePaul in an 84-61 UT victory in the second game of the Maggie Dixon Classic.
The Lady Vols made do with former point guards Meighan Simmons and Shekinna Stricklen. The performance was hardly polished but it far surpassed what the Blue Demons could manage without freshman point guard Chanise Jenkins, who hasn't played since the second game of the season because of an ankle injury.
"She was one of the reasons I was so looking forward to this season — and to this game," DePaul coach Doug Bruno said. "Chanise Jenkins and Ariel Massengale have been playing against each other
since they were 10 years old."
It didn't take long to figure out a steady hand at the point of attack was missing on both sides. The teams had combined for six turnovers before the game was three minutes old.
But the Lady Vols had more options.
Simmons, last season's starting point guard, struggled significantly at the outset. So associate head coach Holly Warlick turned back the clock even further, moving 2009-10 starter Stricklen to the point.
"I was concerned about Meighan handling the pressure DePaul was putting on the point guard," Warlick said. "We knew without Massengale, we would have to run the point guard by committee.
"That's basically what we did. At times, we had Taber (Spani) bringing the ball up."
No other Lady Vol is more versatile than Stricklen, who can play any one of four positions. That doesn't mean she's at her best in all those positions.
And that's another reason why UT won't be at its best until Massengale returns, supposedly in a few weeks.
"In the first half, I was thinking too much," Stricklen said. "I know that I'm not a true point guard. But I was thinking I may have to play like one."
She admitted that the extra thought impacted her shooting.
Through the first six games, UT's leading scorer made 45.2 percent of her field-goal tries and was 16-for-34 on 3-pointers. Against DePaul, she was 3-for-11 from the field and missed her only two 3-point attempts.
She wasn't the only Lady Vol missing from outside. But again, UT's versatility came to the forefront. It scored 50 points in the paint and ramped up its defense on the perimeter, where DePaul was 7-for-28 from 3-point range.
UT had 13 steals and provided a nightmarish afternoon for DePaul's leading scorer, Anna Martin, who made four of 14 shots and had seven turnovers. Brittany Hrynko, who also shared the playmaking responsibilities, was 2-for-13 with six turnovers.
No wonder, Bruno said. "We miss Chanise greatly."
Warlick doesn't minimize the loss of Massengale, either.
"Shekinna Stricklen and Meighan Simmons are very good guards," she said. "But they don't have the quality as a (point guard) Massengale does.
"It doesn't matter if she's a freshman or a senior. That's not taught what Massengale has.
"It's a God-given talent."
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/johnadamskns.
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Comments » 13
SummittsCourt writes:
Strickland at point guard will do until Ariel gets back.
Go Lady Vols!
richvol writes:
Please don't put Simmons at point again...and please keep Manning in the games.
DroopyDrawers writes:
Put Simmons anywhere but the point. She is a soph now and until she learns to play undercontrol we have problmes. And yes keep Manning playing. If she is someone's doghouse, they to get in there and let her out. Tuesday will a brawl and we need Manning. Spani is trying hard but her knee is still giving her fits. No one can beat Johnson. Is Baugh OK?
eyeonu writes:
Thanks for the advice and assistance. Please leave the coaching to the coach. Your support is needed as a fan. Not as a coach.
DroopyDrawers writes:
If Holly could coach.
dawood32025#214896 writes:
I agree with you on both counts.
wigmeister writes:
Manning has rarely let us down. She, Johnson, and Spani are the type of players that give everything they have each game. I cannot figure out why she has not played. She deserves to be out there!
geraldodell#1377039 writes:
This team wont make it very far without eliminating the vast number of turnovers and poor free throw shooting. Simmons cna't play the point--it's as simple of that. Too much free lancing on her part and out of control.
martinvol34 writes:
She can't go left. I realized that for the first time on Sunday. She cannot go left. So she dribbles into traps on the right side of the floor. Turnover central. She had 9.
madrigal writes:
Gee, I'm glad you're such a much better coach! When are you applying for Holly's job?
johnlg00#206211 writes:
I thought the ladies played a scrappy if sloppy game but it was still a nice win. Of course, they were also lucky that at least four of DePaul's better players sat out with injuries. They will have to play MUCH better to beat a Rutgers team that must be seething from all the close and occasionally controversial losses they have suffered at the hands of the LVs in recent years. And BY ALL MEANS, let Manning get as many minutes as she can handle; we all saw what she means to this team, even when she is not scoring the way she was Sunday.
AllforTenn writes:
Do your drawers droop because you are so full of s_?
pomp_and_circumstance writes:
I don't question Holly knows what she is talking about. And of course John Adams can repeat what Holly says with grotesque authority. But I see Massengale as I see the rest of the team. Her born with "true point guard" skills are still on a learning curve and she has much, much more to learn. Why Simmons can't be at least half as good as a back up is not explained by Ariel's superiority. Simmons was very promising last year. Often out of control, but not permanently so. This year she is a lost little lamb. Manning is a work horse, but the modest shooting touch she always had has taken a severe dip. Maybe the bench is more debilitating than we can know. Except it works for Harrison an Burrdick, schooling them steadily for the big time. For that matter, Nov/Dec has always been a school for Pat and staff. Studying their players, mixing combinations, giving them reps, and hopefully confidence. Eight NC's came out that.
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