Lady Vols Basketball
Pat Summitt made her case in a forceful manner. The Tennessee coach pulled forward Shekinna Stricklen aside at practice Saturday
and told her, 'You should be an All-American.'
Stricklen's reply Sunday afternoon against Ole Miss was equally emphatic. The 6-foot-2 junior endorsed her coach's notion by scoring 14 points by halftime, two more than she had scored in any of her last four games. She finished with 18 and a team-high 13 rebounds, setting the tone for an 86-46 SEC women's basketball victory before a crowd of 14,363 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Meighan Simmons also scored 18 points. Taber Spani had 14 and Glory Johnson 10. The Lady Vols shot 50 percent from the floor (35 for 70), marking the fifth straight game that they had reached or exceeded that percentage.
No. 5 Tennessee (15-2, 3-0 SEC) reasserted itself on the boards, dominating the conference's third-best rebounding team by a whopping 53-31 margin. On defense, UT limited Ole Miss (8-6, 1-1) to 26.6 percent shooting from the floor. While Rebels freshman Valencia McFarland scored 16 points, Kayla Melson, the Rebels' leading scorer, took 23 shots and still finished four points below her season average with 11.
'I thought Tennessee just dominated us for the most part,'' Ole Miss coach Renee Ladner said.
And it all started with Stricklen, who recorded her fourth double-double of the season and finished one rebound shy of her career high.
'I didn't know how she might respond,'' Summitt said. 'I just said, ‘You've got to lead by example. You've got to hold your teammates accountable. You've got to be a big-time player. If you're going to play at the next level, right now I couldn't recommend you.' I think she kind of heard what I said.'
Stricklen's teammates picked up on her vibe. Simmons still was running on Stricklen power during the postgame interviews.
'When Strick gets into a flow, she just looks so smooth,'' Simmons said. 'She looks smooth, but she's also getting hyped, and it gets me hyped and I'm like ‘Let's go.'
'That's just how it all starts. I think one person plays to their potential and gets everyone in sync, and it kind of brings everyone together.'
Stricklen indicated that being moved from point guard to forward had caused her to mistakenly downshift on her aggression
'I thought I had a new role since I had started to play inside,'' she said. 'But the coaches told me no things don't change. You still just create and just play hard and look for stuff ...
'Basically they told me I'm on the inside but I can still step out and be a guard.'
Stricklen started out like a forward, setting up her first basket with an offensive rebound. But she also worked in plenty of guard-like moments before halftime, swishing three 3-pointers and dishing out two assists.
'She's really hard to guard,'' Johnson said, 'especially when she puts the ball down on penetration and when she drives to the basket.'
Simmons was Stricklen-like in the second half, converting 7 of 8 field-goal attempts and scoring 16 of her points. She recovered nicely from picking up two early fouls while trying to shadow McFarland,
'(Simmons) knows what defense is now, that it isn't something that you put up in the backyard,' Summitt said. 'I had to explain that to her.'
Based on the final outcome, the Lady Vols' performance rated as par for the season's course. Their average victory margin for the last five games is 39.6 points. No matter, Summitt gave Sunday's play higher marks.
'I think this is one of our best efforts from beginning to end,'' she said.
Ole Miss had rallied from double-figure deficits to win three times this season. The Rebels recouped an 18-point deficit last Sunday against Vanderbilt. There was no semblance of a comeback against Tennessee.
'I was sad that we didn't bring the same fight,'' Ladner said. 'But maybe we were fighting and Tennessee was just too much for us.'
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 41
DebKY writes:
Great Win! Coach Summitt, would you be willing to coach the men's team too?
GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!
FORTKNOXVOL writes:
I wish our men could play with the intensity our women play with. We have the talent, where's the fire?
phippo writes:
always a dummy to make stupid remarks on every article. damn it's gettin old
hcjournals#206623 writes:
8 is great.
But 9 is fine.
Bring it...
AHoffman writes:
The post was not dumb. It was just emphasizing again that the men's program has a major problem.
PINK_CHAMPAGNE writes:
Good win for the lady vols! Once Kelly and Glory establish themselves in the paint, it becomes smooth sailing for the lady vols. Keep up the good work! Gotta go! Looking at Georgia and kentucky at the moment! So far Georgia is winning!
usnavyvolfaninva_still_getting_paid writes:
You need a memory upgrade....our ladies beat the team that beat yours, genius!!!!
orangecountyvols writes:
Support USNavy,
Very good comments sir. I looked, but couldn't find any word of Baylor in the article headlines. Seems the troll is trying :
1. to be a troll here for some reason,
unable to even stay on topic
2. is trying to put the drubbing by Stanford out of
his memory. Stanford? Didn't we play them
recently?
volfan73120#211815 writes:
Mike, do you ever say anything nice?
cheetara writes:
Tennessee wins a game and everything in Connecticut gets scared. The Big East may have seven teams ranked,but at least two of them have no business in the polls. St. Johns and Syracuse! Notre Dame should have beaten Uconn but the officials went to work as usual for Uconn. Not only that, Muffet coached the last few minutes horribly. She left the game with a loss and two timeouts. Not only that, even I knew Maya was a decoy for the final play. Even if she did think Moore was going to get the ball, she still should have stayed in her man defense instead of being so focused on Moore,which let Faris escape for the game winner. Uconn got lucky. Clearly Notre Dame was the better team on the floor, the whole game. Muffet also let Uconn back in the game when she changed her defense from man to zone. Uconn could not handle Notre Dames man to man defense. Muffet also should have attacked Uconn's post, which were already in foul trouble,and could not guard Peter's. Uconn's post players were to big and slow to keep up with Peter's. Oh and by the way, a SEC team already beat Notre Dame. Remember Kentucky!
murrayvol writes:
And UK seems to be the only SEC team capable of giving the LVs a game. That's not always a good thing.
SEC women's bball used to be top shelf virtually top to bottom. Excepting UT & UK it's not anymore.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
ISU didn't play Baylor that badly...they (ISU) had a girl go 2-12, which hurt.
What people are NOT doing with Griner is face-guarding her enough.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Kudoes, Pat, keep it up.
Our psyche needs it.
Bad.
GBO
reg_mza#219136 writes:
No offense to the guys but when will the media show more respect and love to the basketball team that actually wins ball games consistently? I'm glad to see the ladies with more killer instinct this year and happy for their success. I wish the guys would watch some film of the ladies to see what working as a team is like.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
what hurts Griner?? Game in and game out, she's never really facing great competition. Practice is probably similar, depending on the male practice players. Hard to get better when no one is challenging you.
Red_68 writes:
Keep on going lady vols, now its time to hit the road against florida, it should be a much better outcome because last year we only beat them by 2on a reverse layup by bjorklund in the final seconds.. expecting a blowout this time around.
SummittsCourt writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
BBhoops writes:
I was reading the highlights on yahoo sports. Somebody is trying to stir up a big stink about CPS having prayer with the players before the game. Please read all comments.
ladyvolsfan789 writes:
I think that one player Florida had who always went nuts against Tennessee and had like 30 points each time we played them graduated too. I want to say it was Sha Brooks? The Lady Vols should be able to come out of that game with a win.
arkyvol writes:
i don't know if shekinna stricklen will make all american. i do know that she will go down as the most under appreciated great player in lady vol history. of all the comments posted, not one complimenting her on her efforts or even noting them. let me say it: great game, shekinna!
johnlg00 writes:
The term is "rough-SHOD", as in stomping all over another team with--as UGA's late announcer Larry Munson famously said in a Georgia victory over the Vols--"hob-nail boots". You like that term, and it fits on the occasions you have used it, but the word you used was wrong. My apologies if it was just a typo; I also understand if you merely heard it wrong in your youth.
johnlg00 writes:
Well said! As great as she is, or certainly can be, she probably doesn't get as much appreciation as she deserves. Part of it might be because, like Glory Johnson, she is so athletic that we expect her to be great every time out, and being forced to play out of position as a PG for much of her career caused people to focus on what she wasn't doing more than they did on the many things she does well. As she becomes more comfortable playing off the ball, her stature should rise along with the team's. She needs to be a true team leader all the time, even if she isn't the primary ball-handler these days.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
She's not as consistent as she needs to be.
To be fair, she has had to play some crappy roles with the LV's, simply because Pat mucked up in her PG recruiting efforts.
You have to hope that the remainder of this year and all of next will let Strick play the 2-4 spots more, let her just play ball.
Vol72 writes:
I will agree with you that the SEC is a little down this year. LSU is not the typical LSU. Georgia is rebuilding and so is Vandy. However, Kentucky will get it together, needs more offense, their defense is great. Arkansas is a suprise team and did beat then #12 Oklahoma. Auburn is rebuilding with mostly freshman/sophomores. Miss. State has 11 newcomers. I will say the SEC is down from previous years, but look at the Big East they have 16 teams. Notre Dame is good, but not great. Kentucky beat them earlier this season. Besides UCONN, G'Town, St. John, ND, and DePaul. I don't see any other Big East teams being a threat in the NCAA tournament. It is so sad how you worry about Tennessee so bad, but UCONN doesn't even cross our minds.
ps11824 writes:
dead_vol_foul writes:
Pat mucked up in her PG recruiting efforts.]]]]
Come on, dead_vol, was it really in Pat's control that Caitlin fell into hard times? Do you know for a certainty that Pat did not do everything in her power to get the best recruits to fill the bill at that time? If she did, dadburnit, why did she recruit the 'walking wounded' who have warmed the benches for the better part of 3 years? She should have seen the future! We got no reason to have less than the best at every position because Pat IS superhuman...right?
Let's be real, Pat has been at this long enough to know what she's doing which is the best she can do. I have no doubt about that. I do, however think momentarily at times, that "if I was coach, I would..." then I realize how insane that thought is.
If I'm not mistaken Pat went hard after several top prospects that recruiting period which included some top-notch pgs. We don't always get what we want. If we did, mikey would not be an arrogant pest, and I would be planting bulbs instead of shoveling snow : )
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
98, we've kind of bantered on this previously...
Pat runs a top-notch program...but like every coach, she sorta gets a 'blind-spot' at times.
PG is such a key position...yet, we had to have Little Bit come in as a Juco, and then we suddenly had one PG (with a bum knee) and some freshmen who were sort of.... I do not know. Even now, we are shoe-horning Simmons in because Avant is not working out. And, I REALLY have my doubts on Massengale...I've seen her, nothing special.
I wish I had the answer. Maybe it's to recruit a PG every year, or to sign a juco every 2 years...I just know that we struggle mightily.
Who would ever think a team with Holly Warlick would straggle with that?? A young Holly would still kick butt (the Notre Dame girls reminds me of Holly in a way).
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
mike, yeah, I made that note on another thread.
even went as far to say to have two championships: the top 16 teams in one, the rest in another.
the girl's game suffers, too, because so many of the top players get hurt. they play the hardest, and their female bodies break under the stress.
Still, I love the game.
martinvol34 writes:
And a man!
Volinflan writes:
"that Caitlin fell into hard times?" dead_vol_foul - would Cait have been a senior this year? She would have been a Hornbuckle type point guard. Not usually spectacular but always dependable and in charge of the game.
The lady vols would have won a few more games the last couple of years with Cait Mac running the point.
Did we decide how many "red shirts" Vicki B has? She looked terrific in her freshman season (2008) and got injured in the last few minutes of the championship game. Then she recovered and was leading the team in points and rebounds when she got hurt again. But that was early Feb 2009 so she probably did not get a redshirt season. Last season would then have been the only official redshirt season.
Do we see a redshirt season for Brewer and Baugh this season? Sure would clarify the situation next season when Bass, Manning, Strickland, Johnson and Cain graduate.
I mean Coach Summit and her staff are great recruiters but trying to sign seven top notch players in one season would be a very daunting task.
CoachFulmerFan writes:
Wow, I hate to admit it but our buddy boy mikey made some good posts here. Except, the part that ND is great. They are ok but not great at all.
Someone said Avant wasn't working out. I think she played decently in the minutes she had against Ole Miss. Her injuries have really set her back though. However, I like Simmons better in the pg slot. She gets it down court FAST and gets the offense rolling. Kamiko, on the other hand, takes quite a bit of time to set up the offense. I think Kamiko is better as a backup to Simmons at the PG position.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
Iowa Sate and Stanford have strong fan bases...and you would be surprised by some DII's like Emporia State.
Gotta swallow here...yes, UConn plays better team ball than we do.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
Kamiko is best as a 2 or 3, I think. Just get her the ball and let her create.
The hope is Avant steps up, and Massengale helps. It never, ever, ever hurts to have multiple guards with ball skills.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
Vick is a junior now, I believe.
And, I think you are right, Cait would have been a redshirt sr. I was NOT a hornbuckle fan, at least not on offense. same way with semeka randall. both kids played great D, though. Cait?? Man, I just never thought she had 'it', but that could have been from pressing to much to be good in the few minutes she got.
Regardless, it tears my heart out to see kids not get to play; you are only a young-un once with this opportunity.
johnlg00 writes:
IIRC, Cait first hurt her knee while she was still in high school and thus was never completely healthy at UT. Everybody said she was the real deal before she got hurt, with talent and competitive fire to spare. She will always be one of the great "what might have been" questions in LV lore.
ps11824 writes:
What are the sports writers tied up with now? Seems like we could have a fresh article to mull over, seeing as how thousands of us in the south are SNOWED IN with nothing to do but search for intelligent signs of life here on gvx.
cheetara writes:
Those big east teams are falling by the wayside. First, St Johns falls out of the polls. Number 25 Syracuse, who should not have been ranked anyway, loses to unranked Rutgers. West Virginia which is ranked to high at number 6, loses to unranked Marquette. You brag about the Big East having 7 ranked teams. After these humiliating defeats, that will surely change.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
we are pretty much our own writers at times.
ps11824 writes:
True that, dead_vol, we can squeeze the last drop out of one of their skimpy articles, and take off on another direction, pretty much blogging our way to a self sustaining forum. If we just had the day to day facts, we could keep this thing going quite well, could we not?
Once upon a time we had some posters who would attend practiice often, then pass along what they had observed. Those ones have left us I think. If they are still among us, they have different names and seemingly different passions. I don't see the interesting little tidbits I used to read here. Do they still hold open practice? Maybe not.
Back in the day, the practices I visited at TBA were very entertaining. Coaches were engaged and most definitely animated, to say the least.
One of the little nuances I remember of Lady Vol teams of yore, was coach's way of holding an individual accountable for her play. If Pat complemented you, you would respond, "2 points." A non-complimentary diatribe would warrant a response, "rebound." I'm not seeing that verbalized anymore. I suppose Pat has come up with a new and improved teaching method now.
ps11824 writes:
Six articles are posted on GVX on the men's Florida game. Here on the ladies' forum we've chewed on this old stale Dan Fleser article and posted all the relevant responses we could muster. Why is this always the case?
I'm well aware of the men's game being what the majority wants to read about...bla bla bla. That being said, This is Tennessee where the women win and the men have lost their desire to play. The fans of the Lady Vols should DEMAND respect from the writers. The fans of the Vols should demand respect from the players. There's plenty of room for equal coverage and it's high time the writers get their 2011 atitudes right.
You better show the Lady Vols some respect OR WE ARE MOVING TO THE BONEYARD : ( You hear me, Adams? Fleser? By the way, the ladies play Florida too!
SoddyVol writes:
Does anyone know if Tamika Catchings still keeps in touch with Pat? Just read where Catchings is the only female among the ten finalists for The Jefferson Award “Dream Team for Public Service”.
dead_vol_foul (Inactive) writes:
Practice is so much better than the games, I think.
I used to love to watch my daughter's AAU practices. I'd go watch her HS practices if I could, but that would embarrass her.
Games, you get all into winning and losing. Practice, you just watch the kids play.
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