Tennessee junior guard Kamiko Williams practiced on Tuesday after missing Sunday's game against Florida per UT's concussion protocol.
After the workout, associate head coach Holly Warlick reiterated UT's intentions of sticking with the all-senior starting lineup of Glory Johnson, Shekinna Stricklen, Vicki Baugh, Alicia Manning and Briana Bass for its SEC tournament opener at 3:30 p.m. Friday in Nashville against the Vanderbilt-Mississippi State first-round winner.
Tennessee baseball media day with…
Oregon sends Lady Vols home from…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 27
voloffaith writes:
I missed the potential concussion on miss Williams. Seniors who have no Final Four on resume have a unique opportunity to forge their way in if all buy in and play defense to the hilt. Add to that smart ball security and shot selection wit lil bit strong rebounding thrown in....ta da!
underthehill writes:
Holly..this looks far better some of your other starting lineups. Hope it works.
Razor784 writes:
Manning woke up on Senior Day, I hope it wasn't a one time thing, she's awesome when she's on her game
wigmeister writes:
All the players, including those not starting, must give 110% the whole game, every game from this point on! If they don't we can kiss everything good-bye! If they do, we have the possibility to go pretty far. No time for mediocrity any more. Every team will be under the same pressure. Either they deliver or they don't.
RLL59 writes:
Since the coaches, incredulously, hadn't developed a consistent starting lineup by the end of the regular season, it's difficult to argue against any decision in that arena...at least this one has the reasoning of all seniors and that they didn't fall on their face in the one game they all started. Expect Briana and Vickie to play a total of about 15 minutes or less each, despite the start. The starting lineup won't determine the outcome.
I watched UConn-ND last night. There's no question that TN has better talent than UConn, but UConn spends the entire game setting picks to open up players for the open shot. They played 6 or 7 players until the last 2 minutes of the game. ND has comparable or better talent than TN, but is light years ahead of TN at running an effective half court offense. Both teams dribble the ball into the paint to disrupt the defense. Both teams display the team development one would expect at the end of the regular season. Doesn't sound very familiar to those of us that follow the Lady Vols, does it?
RashaadSalabeb writes:
So let the tournament begin!
Go Lady Vols! Focus on each game and give it everything you've got! Me and a million other Big Orange fans are behind you 100%.
butch31 writes:
I know right...LOL! This is a classy move by Coach Summit. I would hold the seniors accountable from here on out. Either your the worst recruited class or one the best. Lets play ball
SummittsCourt writes:
Well why not!
cgbtn writes:
Coach Summitt became a legend with man-to-man (player-to-player?) defense. Now we are giving up a career best per game playing zone. A dwarf could shoot 3s over Bass. If it's Vandy, we might give up our second career best of the year to them.
clvolfan writes:
Manning has been the forgotten Lady Vol this year.She's my favorite next to Johnson on this team.No one,I mean no one,can say that she doesn't give her all every time out.When she is off it is because she has been allowed to be forgotten on the bench too long.
DroopyDrawers writes:
Manning and Johnson give 110%, only if the rest of the team would. Slow down Simmons, you could be the difference, 3 ball shots and that little jumpter off the glass. No lay ups unless they are snowbirds.
vettefool writes:
I agree Bass is somewhat a liability on defense due to her lack of heigth, but she tries real hard and is probably as good or better on defense as Massingale, who gets beat off the dribble all the time. Vicki Baugh, bless her heart, must come off bench to relieve Johnson, who gets into foul trouble on occasion and needs a blow.
Roger41 writes:
I agree that Manning has been the forgotten one.
frblalack writes:
Great lineup! Alicia & Glory bring it EVERY game; let's hope we get the same effort from the rest! Shekinna hasn't played to her potential this year; there's no better time to step it up than right now! I say let these seniors prove their mettle; we are the BEST basketball program in the history of women's basketball! Now ladies, let's prove the critics wrong! We can still be CHAMPIONS this year!
All Vols - All the Time - Love my Lady Vols!!!
1volk-nowi-tall writes:
Manning certainly gives great effort. However, there are players she just can't match up with due to a lack of quickness. There are players she matches up with very well. Am a little weary of starting these five and getting behind. Now prove me wrong Lady Vols...
kaida71 writes:
I think with Bass in the lineup we had less turnovers, Bass's height I really didn't see too many people shoot over her because she got up in their chest. Now VIki on the other hand plays like a Ballerina out there instead of a Bull, She needs to get mean and shed that Granny of the team label.
maxvolfan#217855 writes:
Well Vandy's point guard is a halfpint also so Bass should be ok . I like that matchup. Ariel gets called for fouls too much many of them are bad calls . With Bass I've seen a lot if players try to bull her so hopefully the refs see those fouls and we get calls
johnlg00 writes:
I didn't get to see the Vandy game, but as I recall from the articles and comments, they got layup after driving layup against the LVs. They also made some 3-pointers, but no team can defend all the time against everything. If they keep down the points in the paint, the LVs should win, and the zone gives them the best chance of doing that, IMHO. This team has shown repeatedly over the last several years that most of them don't have the foot-speed and/or lateral quickness to really lock down in a man-to-man.
BTW, "man-to-man" is merely a term of art in games. Chess pieces are also called "men", even the Queen!
johnlg00 writes:
I agree that Brianna isn't the defensive liability some seem to think she is. It is hard to overlook the "pest factor" of a player whose hands are always at the level of a player's dribble rather than having to reach and slap at the ball all the time. She is also quick enough to keep people from driving around her as easily as they do Ariel right now.
WelovePat writes:
back in 2002 a person named Jim Loy wrote...Many people tell us to give 110%. Technically, that is impossible. How can you give 110%, when 100% is all there is? So, let's give 100%. That's impossible too, isn't it? You can't give everyting you've got, without dying. So, if you really really try, how much are you giving, 90%? 95%? 85%? Well, it is hard to tell. In fact, it is often impossible to compare one person's trying with another's. What we mean is, "Try really really hard." We might as well call that 100%, give it 100%. But hey, maybe you can actually try even harder. Try harder than you thought possible. So, let's give 110%!
Then there is the phenomenon of "trying too hard." That actually can happen. This is when results drop off because of the desperate need to succeed. We have to relax and be confident. We don't need to be tense. That is why I am opposed to outsiders putting great pressure on athletes: win for Dad, win for the home town, win for your country. If that will help me perform, then I will put that pressure on myself, don't do it for me.
I myself am wishing the girls well....and hope they live up to their own expectations:)
r2d2 writes:
I agree with your comments. Your comments on the LVs offensive schemes or lack thereof is reflective of CPS's strong emphasis on defensive with not the same emphasis on offensive. Your comment (implied) on frequent lineups changes during a game or from game to game is reflecive of CPS's method of motivating players by making them compete for playing time. Holly Warlick is following CPS's coaching style although not with the same results.
SewaneeVolFan writes:
I'm happy for Brianna Bass, and at this stage, you know it's because of what she can offer. I have to think it's because she brings things Ariel doesn't right now. I look at that as an additional positive, not a negative with Massingale, who has been very impressive to me.
In Brianna's case, though, it's always neat to see someone who sticks with the program get rewarded for her loyalty and hard work, and not just have it be a Senior Day start, but something that REALLY means something to the team and her teammates.
As everyone has said on here, it's been a scary season, and the record doesn't raise hopes of this class getting to the Final Four. Seeing some of the other top teams play, such as Baylor, Stanford, and UConn has definitely been discouraging.
But anything can happen in a tournament, both good and bad, so I'm hoping the experience the upperclass has and the lessons of a hard season will kick in and the LV's will shock the world. I'm sure the seniors are happy to have whatever is to come be in their own hands so they can end their UT careers the best they can. Go LVs!
SewaneeVolFan writes:
Good post, WLP.
crossvoll writes:
Love the senior starting lineup, they bring experience and maturity and seem to play really well together. Love Brianna's quickness and energy, plus she hardly ever turns the ball over, just a great all-round team player who has always been as enthusiastic from the bench as any player out there. Really glad to see them stay with this starting lineup. Go Lady Vols, you can do it!
Mrlogic writes:
I hope your right about Bass; but I think anything you might gain on defense I think your going to lose on the offensive end. Your taking a player out of the game that finished second in the league in assists. That is a lot of points. I guess we are going to have to wait and see what happens. As I said, I hope your right.
r2d2 writes:
As i commented previously, CPS was not big on developing offensive schemes for her players. She relied on an offensive superstar to carry the offensive for her.
RLL59 writes:
Agreed. But what that has meant for UConn is a team which, on offense, consistently plays better than the 'sum of its individual parts' while the opposite is true for the Lady Vols. It's possible to stress defense, and develop an offense at the same time. It's difficult to think of Lady Vols who actually improved offensively over their college career.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.