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Knowing our penchant for playing low and mid majors in non-conference play, it may be safe to say that we'll be seeing Yemi again.
in response to VFL70: Don't know much about her game; her stats don't suggest she is a game changer, but she might be the glue this team could use.
in response to VFL70:
Don't know much about her game; her stats don't suggest she is a game changer, but she might be the glue this team could use.
Yeah and neither was the then Kelly Jolly but look how that turned out.
Great pick up. From the read of her HoopGurlz profile she seems to have great handles and a natural feel for the PG position to +1 for the Vols.
No, the NFL doesn't wait for folks to grow up unless they are impactful on the field. Bray won't get a lot of opportunities to be impactful on the field and they damn sure aren't going to wait on him to grow up. And he's not going to sprout into adulthood in 6 months time so I'm going to lean on him being Mr Irrelevant or Mr Canada one.
Congrats Dallas, you earned it!
Congrats CP, make the Vol Nation proud up in Minnesota!
Not much of an upgrade here in big men so not sure what to expect now. IF Stokes leaves then we're screwed in the frontcourt and we best figure out a way to go Villanova on the SEC. Villanova has done very well with going with a 4 guard, 1 forward/center alignment. The forward/center was never the most talented post player but could rebound and defend and hustle. The guards were the stars and we may have to resort to that if Maymon is our only returning true post player.
This recruit almost seems like a knee jerk reaction in case Stokes leaves. If Stokes leaves, there is just Yemi and Maymon IF Maymon is completely 100% ready to go. Not a lot of post presence otherwise so I can understand the center recruit, and I understand that it's hard to find top quality center/power forward talent this late in the recruiting game. However, I just don't really see what this guy is going to do for our team outside of giving rest to whichever post players we do retain.
Congrats Kamiko! Sorry you weren't chosen Taber as you were as respectable a player as any in the 2nd or 3rd round.
Liked what I saw in the McDonalds AA game. I can see where the staff will really need to get her up to speed on the footwork, positioning, and what it takes to fight at the upper echelon women's game level in order for her to be successful.
I think Russell had it easy compared to what is to come and she didn't always have to scrap for constant position, didn't have to be more measured in her approach, and didn't have to shift accordingly as things just fell to her as she towered over girls far smaller than her.
I think she'll be a better shooting, softer touch version of Nicki Anosike when she gets well grounded in what is expected of her.
Another Duhhh article. Were we suppose to believe that this loss, so close to coming back and so close to the Final Four, was supposed to be a time to celebrate or posterize or even retweet? I swear some times.
We do need better guard play going into next year otherwise we will be a predictable frontcourt team where schools play a 2-3, 1-3-1, or even a little Box-1 zone to keep our bigs confused. We need a slasher that can deliver from mid-range and we need a PG that can gauge a man or zone defense and know what to do with the ball once she approaches the goal, whether it be by pass or by shot.
I love the program but ughhh I hate having to wait 6 months to see the next iteration of Lady Vols.
Wow..this article comes out of the popular journals known as Duhh. We know her nerves are all over the place and it affects her game. I guess they really have nothing of interest, post-loss, to report about.
I'm not going to mince words here. I'm going to miss Kamiko and Taber. I enjoyed watching them blossom into some really impressive players by their senior years. Frustrating at times with their game play, I'm still will miss them and sad they couldn't achieve more.
That being said, I hold no more punches for Meighan. This is the third tourney she has pretty much gotten overexcited, can't settle down, can't slow down, and then chokes accordingly.
Freshman year was understandable, she's a freshman. Sophomore year was better than her freshman year but the same pattern of choking because she's going to fast and can't settle down, then gets down on herself and gets into her own head, then just keeps jacking shot after shot. Junior year, she didn't show up for the Sweet 16 and didn't show up for the Elite 8 until the last 12 minutes.
If we are going to go any farther next year, we NEED clutch guard play and I just don't see it next year's group. Ariel still makes bad decisions, Meighan still makes bad decisions, Andraya is surgically repaired and we won't know what we're going to get. Jasmine Phillips may get lost on the bench. Incoming freshman Jordyn and Jannah are going to be freshman so mistakes will occur in such a high paced college environment. Jannah is surgically repaired so she may have to redshirt as keeping up with the pace may be tough.
In essence, guard play could make or break us next year. We'll be a beast in the front court, scary really, but the back court though experienced scares me unless they learn how to ball handle better and make better decisions with the basketball especially in the half court.
in response to emteebee: I don't understand how Griner can be called the greatest player of all time when she only won one championship. Isn't that the bottom line? The game yesterday reminded me of Pat's team when Holdsclaw was going for her 4th ring. She didn't have it that night, Griner didn't have it last night.
in response to emteebee:
I don't understand how Griner can be called the greatest player of all time when she only won one championship. Isn't that the bottom line? The game yesterday reminded me of Pat's team when Holdsclaw was going for her 4th ring. She didn't have it that night, Griner didn't have it last night.
Agreed. I thought the same thing. Holdsclaw had an off game, UT lost. Maya Moore had a great game, but still lost in her senior year. Now add Griner to the list of highly touted All American college players that don't go out with a story book ending like Candace (technically Candace had a year of eligibility left and decided to go to the next level instead).
I loved last night's game and loved the defensive intensity and the amount of ball pressure they were putting on the guards for 40 minutes. I haven't seen that since TN locked down Stanford with the same ball pressure in the championship game in 2007.
Now, my glee is tempered a bit. Oklahoma is a $6 seed for a reason. Even playing in their back yard, it's not like they are infallible and had a lot of weaknesses going into the game that could be exploited.
The real test will be Louisville with its size, scrappy play, and their penchant for the 3 ball. If we can play like we did against OK and get Louisville just as flustered, we're going to the Final Four. If they bomb away like they did or even just hit about 8-10, then we've got a lot of problems unless we can out shoot them).
In regards to Meighan, one thing I can say about her is that she has had off shooting nights and terrible ones at that but she has always bounced back the next game and played well. I do not recall a stretch of bad games where she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn so I expect her to come back strong in this game.
I expect the Elite 8 game to be a slugfest and not defensive, low scoring gem but not a run-n-shoot contest either. Best guess is that it will be in the mid 70s for the winner and high to mid 60s for the loser.
Great to see the video of the ladies in the locker room celebrating the moment and good to see Izzy with the Dougie moves even with the ice pack on her knee. She's in good health and I'm glad for that.
Kelly has come to realize that it is hard to recruit in the Maryland, NC, SC areas because the other women's ACC schools are well entrenched there so her leftover 2-3 star players just aren't cutting it.
Doesn't shock me we're back to the NIT. Got to win those games and we coughed the ball up either by turnover or by missed free throw and that just is not champion basketball nor an NCAA basketball team. The highest RPI for an at-large team that made it in was California at 53. I think TN was teetering at 59 so I knew we weren't about halfway into the selection show. Blah, hopefully we can get an #1 seed and stay at home until the NIT Final Four.
UT is saying all the things you typically hear of a bubble team that isn't very confident but must put up a front.
If we get into the Dance, great! If we do not and we go to the NIT, hopefully we're a #1 seed and do not have to travel until Madison Square Garden. We are hard to beat at home this year more so than last year so if we do end up in the NIT then hopefully we have a smooth path to the NIT Final Four. Silver linings folks, got to take some silver linings out of this up and down season somehow.
in response to richvol: This is so true...Massingale being designated the starting point by Pat while still in High School was not a good decision. Massingale is too overconfident and sloppy with her passes AND is a terrible defender. It's like playing four on five. Honestly I don't see what Holly sees in her as Kamiko should have been the starter all season. Turnovers,turnovers,turnovers...
in response to richvol:
This is so true...Massingale being designated the starting point by Pat while still in High School was not a good decision. Massingale is too overconfident and sloppy with her passes AND is a terrible defender. It's like playing four on five. Honestly I don't see what Holly sees in her as Kamiko should have been the starter all season. Turnovers,turnovers,turnovers...
On the fortunate side, Reynolds and Carter both get to handle the ball next year so we don't have to depend on Massengale if she gets into one of those ruts. As surprising a spot up three point shooter she is, just so many intangibles she needs to get better at and quickly.
Great fight all the way from beginning to end. It isn't easy to play in Vandy's backyard but we scrapped and got it done. Way to go ladies!
UGH...why is it that every single year we're a UT team going back to basics? Pearl teams had to do this, Martin teams have to do this, aren't they learning and retaining a bleeping thing? Another issue besides the aforementioned limited skill set, we also suffer from limited basketball IQ.
Great job ladies. That's how you represent in your own backyard. Don't let anyone come in and try to dictate anything to you, take it to them! Is happy watching at least some basketball at UT.
"I'm fine with it,'' Martin said Friday night. "We can play this style. If you want to go up and down with it, that's fine.''
This intrigues me. I am wondering if after this game and their effort he doesn't let them get downhill more in the half court offense and greenlight more attacking of the basket instead of the slower methodical approach which is taking away their mental mojo. I hope so, I think we have the athletes to do it.
This is what I find intriguing. I'm hoping this game helps him see that his athletes can indeed open it up and get up/down the court instead of being a half court methodical offense. I'm not saying that's a bad thing but opening it up can help where being patient just wears thin and takes their mental edge away.
Well that sucks. Get well soon CB.
Maybe some younger players will grow up and step up.
Good for him and perhaps this is the start, for him, of developing into an offensive coordinator himself. A lot of OC started as QB coaches.
way to go! Congrats!
Now talk about a big physical specimen at UT. Under-utilized for the faster receivers, I was pleasantly surprised and happy he was able to have some success in the NFL. I'm glad he could go back and finish up, much like Jonathan Brown did last year.
Well you wanted him gone, here are the repercussions. Oh well, it is what it is, get used to it.
Gus Malzahn would be perfect for an offensive head coach. His offensive system at Auburn and his play calling was what made Auburn really get over the top during those "Cam was human" times on field that year.
However, he's an oddball and not going to be one that would fit with the more traditional and conservative boosters, alumni, and fans of Tennessee. Think Billy Gillespie and Kentucky as an example of oil and water and that's how Malzahn would be at TN. Not in the sadistic, over work your players, kind of way but just in presentation and attitude in some situations.
"Vols must find coach." That's the biggest 'No Duh' comment made thus far. Everyone reading this article or even not reading it knows that. Tell us something we don't know.
I really like Jay Graham as RB coach, I'll be sad to see him leave after this whole coaching staff gets fired. I'll just put it like that.
I have seen marked improvement in the running backs all year, for both Lane and Neal.
in response to Ironcity: The other team had the same issues. Additionally the other team 9ok St.) is younger. Bad game all around. Team has a lot of work in front of it.
in response to Ironcity:
The other team had the same issues. Additionally the other team 9ok St.) is younger. Bad game all around. Team has a lot of work in front of it.
True, but those are issues for that team to address. We won't know the true UT Vols team until after Maymon returns, roles fill in, and offensive continuity start to mesh. But yes, lots of work, as expected, and just a bad game all around.
I consider this a toss out game as far as dwelling too much on it. Even in the NCAA tourney there is more time between games, this felt more like a badly scheduled SEC tourney game.
I still toss it out as an aberration due to the circumstances. Now if we lose to Austin Peay (or this year's equivalent, Western Carolina or Presbyterian) again this year, then I'll worry.
Honestly, did not watch the game but kept up with stats on ESPN Gametracker.
This game reads like:A. A young TN team that is not used to getting up and getting ready to play on less than 24 hours notice.B. It is not easy to get up to play another highly competitive game in less than 24 hours.C. It is early on and not everything is supposed to jell immediately, even with the returning experience.D. Maymon in the offense makes them far more dynamic as they can't just double team Stokes in the low block and then pressure shooters to shoot erratically.
Give it time, it's early, and we should be hitting on all cylinders once Maymon returns healthy and is in playing shape. Remember last year was a bit like this before we got Stokes then we really took off once he was inserted into the lineup.
Congrats ladies! You blitzed them on their home court the way you were blitzed on the road at UTC. This time you didn't hold your head down, you didn't buckle, you may have rocked a bit, but you came back swinging and believed in each other. I watched on ESPN3 and could definitely tell they knew they "could do this" after a while which is sooo important for a young bunch.
My hat goes off to Graves, she's a beast like Glory was her freshman year. I hope she continues to improve and get better and hopefully the freshman wall won't be too hard on her.
If we can just handle the ball and get it to half court, we can do a lot of things positive. I think the handling of the ball will be the biggest question all year. That and who will take the big shot.
Ok so I've always been a proponent of not jumping off the deep end too soon and to be patient. But today I've seen enough after 2 and 3/4 seasons. I can't see him staying but I don't expect a press conference any time soon. I expect this to play out as him finishing up the year, win or loss, against Vandy and Kentucky. Then I expect the ejection press conference. I think they'll want to keep the rest of the players focused on a possible bowl game. But I do expect a research firm to be hired now to research the best possible candidates so they have their choices come December.
I think if they fire now, they'll make this team even more fractured and cause even more loss of focus. I could see them winning the next two games but losing the bowl game with all that is surrounding UT with a coaching search so we'll see if they do this right or screw it up. Same goes for the choice of replacement.
in response to pcshowtime: Throw the players under the bus just like dooley. I guess they just forgot between last year and this year how to play. Justin wilcox adapted his scheme to fit the players and talent he had so did monte kiffen. Sal trys to adapt players to his scheme. that is the problem. Bottom line you do not go from 27th ranked D to 99th ranked D with the same players and it not be a coaching problem.
in response to pcshowtime:
Throw the players under the bus just like dooley. I guess they just forgot between last year and this year how to play. Justin wilcox adapted his scheme to fit the players and talent he had so did monte kiffen. Sal trys to adapt players to his scheme. that is the problem.
Bottom line you do not go from 27th ranked D to 99th ranked D with the same players and it not be a coaching problem.
And this is the first game where they looked fine and were lined up, and just did not execute. The DBs looked horrible. Safeties looked horrible. And I saw the linebackers getting owned by competition they should have either gotten better position on or should have been quicker to the play. I also don't think our linebackers are the greatest in pass coverage so they leave a lot of gaping holes in the middle of the 2 deep. That's just me though.
My feeling, Dooley will win out. Dooley WON'T get fired. Sunseri WON'T get fired. And they'll get a whole spring practice to get better.
Oh you've never played in a 3-4 defense then. I can speak for the secondary when I say that playing a standard cover 3 of the 4-3, with one deep safety which really feels more like man coverage is completely different than a 2 deep cover 2 zone ran primarily in a 3-4 defense. Also, you have to disguise coverages, make it look like you're doing something else, and hold to the last moment before unveiling your true coverage IF you want the cover 2 to work. Otherwise the QB will audible to a glaring weakness in the coverage time and again. We learned this with the Tampa 2 of Kiffin Sr. Spread offenses are the worst for a Cover 2 defense for a bunch of newbies to it. Experience like AL has makes it a lot easier to cope. If you're new to the D, then yes, how you went about techniques in one defense has to be partially forgotten for the other defense.
in response to pcshowtime: Besides Bama 4 of the top 5 defenses in college football run the 4-3 base. It is much better for the college level.
Besides Bama 4 of the top 5 defenses in college football run the 4-3 base. It is much better for the college level.
That's entirely possible. I have to go back to the 3-4 defense of those powerful Colorado teams of the 80s-90s and some of those Nebraska defenses of the 80s-90s to remember good 3-4 defenses but they had that structure in place for years, not just part of a season.
in response to pcshowtime: 9 of 11 starters back from last years D that ranked 27th in total defense. Players have nothing to do with it.
9 of 11 starters back from last years D that ranked 27th in total defense. Players have nothing to do with it.
Players have everything to do with it. We don't blame the coaches because players jump offsides, we don't blame coaches when players don't wrap up, make pansy arm tackles that get broken through, and we don't blame coaches when players when drop passes, fumble, or throw interceptions.
Point being, the players have everything to do with the execution. The coaches get them ready for the game, the coaches get them into the right spots, and the coaches teach them the basics and advanced. However the players have to execute and in this game, unlike say GA or MSST, they were lined up for the most part, just didn't execute after the snap.
The only defense I have for some of these players is that some are going through their 3rd defensive coordinator and 2nd defense in as many years, respectively. No player is going to be an expert at any position if they are constantly going through major defense changes no matter how much athletic ability they have. Adding another defensive coordinator and defense to the mix isn't going to help immediately either. Maybe in 2-3 years but that's what we're trying to avoid anyways.
in response to Supersayin1: At some point it stops being coaching and falls on the players !! It's the Players, they are soft, weak,slow,and not very smart or agressive! This defense lacks the killer instinct and speed that an SEC Defense needs!
in response to Supersayin1:
At some point it stops being coaching and falls on the players !! It's the Players, they are soft, weak,slow,and not very smart or agressive!
This defense lacks the killer instinct and speed that an SEC Defense needs!
Agreed. These players are playing defense by definition alone. In other words, your man is that person, that person is in front of you, guard that person. If pass, turn and defend. If run, get in the way and make a tackle.
But as we all know, there is more to playing actual college football defense than mere definitions. My feeling is that these players don't have a high football IQ. They know how to do the basics but if asked to do more, think deeper, read the small details and be ready for anything that could happen, and adjust depending on what is presented, they don't have it. They are athletic, they are big, they have speed, but that doesn't mean playing defense and I saw DBs that couldn't pin to the hip of their defender. I saw 4 quarters of a misjudgment of opponent speed and not adapting. I saw linebackers that run around with some times little technique after the snap, and I saw defensive lineman that aren't designed for running the QB.
Troy ran a spread offense that negates these big lineman in the middle and makes them run more laterally which they don't do well. Linebackers are overrated and the DBs seem lost. Safeties don't play heads up enough and well this is the result.
My feeling is that these players are 4-3 players and will never be 3-4 players so either we give the current regime to get in the right players or dump the 4-3.
However, we've learned over the past 10 years that the predictable 4-3 without the athletes can't stop anyone either so what to do, what to do.
We don't have a hotbed of athletes like LSU, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi (assuming those athletes are smart enough to get into college) so it won't be easy to get the consistent athletes to do what we expect.
in response to johnlg00: Good points, all. With what the LVs already have on board and in the pipeline, they will be fine. I hate to sound like one of those who always say about a player who turned us down, "Well, we didn't want or need her anyway" and such, but this might actually BE one of those cases which turns out better for everyone.
in response to johnlg00:
Good points, all. With what the LVs already have on board and in the pipeline, they will be fine. I hate to sound like one of those who always say about a player who turned us down, "Well, we didn't want or need her anyway" and such, but this might actually BE one of those cases which turns out better for everyone.
Heh, more like, oh well, at least she'll be going against UConn. Gino's problem now that he is in the ACC and will have to play her twice a year. That being said, G-Tech is typically pretty talented but never to the level of the number 2 recruit in the nation so it will be interesting to see what kind of damage they do with the supporting cast around her in the ACC.
I do not believe she had any intention of going to UT as well and was waiting to see what the #1 was going to do before making her final decision, for whatever reason.
I strongly feel that a lot of top recruits will start to see where the fit in now and whether they want to team up with someone of prominence, stay close to home, or try to be "the" player on a team without one.
Funny. Here I was thinking that UT would stick behind and have the back of the highly rated recruit with the broken stick (ACL tear this year) and our loyalty would pay off down the road. Go figure she dropped us instead of us bailing on her. Honestly we need more sharp shooters from outside to go with our penetrators so I'm glad she decommitted and she can go find a place where she go be her best as she sees it.
My feeling is that she would have been redshirted to help heal from the ACL repair and she probably didn't like that option. Just a gut feeling. Yeah I know she has all of this year to heal and most of next before coming into camp but as you well know, basketball doesn't do any favors on the joints with those hard wood floors so I suspect the UT staff knew she would be a project they could know rush back onto the floor without tendinitis being a chronic issue.
Irmo is just outside of Columbia, SC. My prediction is that she'll go to South Carolina and all of this is a bunch of blah blah blah. UGA in Athens which is about 3 hours from Irmo while Knoxville is about 4 (depending on how fast one drives).
So let's hear it. Dooley should be fired. We're horrible. Can't stop no one. No discipline. We special teams. We punt kittens. We're going downhill fast, lalalalala.
No I'm not happy with the loss. I'm not happy we got gouged for a ton of yards on defense. I'm not happy with the drops. I'm not happy our FG kicker decided to check out.
But I'm pleased we didn't quit and battled tooth and nail in a hostile environment in what looks like hot and humid conditions (on the field).
We'll win some games with this regime, I'm convinced. I'm not convinced we'll beat a ranked team or win "the big game."
Sad part is that he is inducted into the Ring of Honor for the Baltimore Ravens and with all of the concussions and/or head blows he took as a player, he may not even remember being inducted in a few years.
At least this helps with front court depth but as a tall, lanky freshman in the SEC, I don't expect her to do much but have issues adjusting to the speed of the game and being foul prone. Hopefully she can help spell Harrison and Bash ever so often.
I like her as a recruiter of post players. I like her assistant coach resume. Her head coach resume was horrible. She did poorly at Illinois and she got the most out of the players from the previous coach and hence the WNIT bids, but no NCAA bids and the rest weren't all that great to talk about as she did well against the creampuffs but wilted against Big 10 competition. I'm glad to have her aboard as her reputation for recruiting post players is very high and that is a very very good thing for us. Plus she's a former player and relates to her players and she also sees certain talent in some that maybe others don't so we can have an advantage there.
If he's willing to sit out a year, we'll take him.
Good for Mickie! I can't see her coming back a third time unless it's a head coaching job and then that would require Holly as no longer a head coach nor Pat. I'm not sure how this affects us in recruiting because she was a heckuva recruiter and there are some floating recruits currently out there probably deciding whether UT is the place now that their rapport with their recruiter is now gone. Pat, Deane, and Holly will have to work over time for a bit on this.
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