Holly says we have One Starter

#1

Volfan2012

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2012
Messages
31,675
Likes
54,018
#1
That is Izzy Harrison and all the other positions are open to competition.
I expect that Massengale will claim the point guard job and Carter looks good for the two position.

Players to watch are Middleton think she will be in the rotation she has a very good floor game can shoot the ball.

Graves should claim the four but she may have competition from Burdick and Nared as Holly said we may play four guards this season a lot of minutes.

My guess is that we'll see:

PG- Massengale, Middleton, Reynolds
SG-Carter, Dunbar, Tucker when she is able to play.
C-Harrison
PF-Graves, Jones
WF-Burdick, Nared

Expect two of these players to have limited minutes when we hit SEC play. That will be determined in post SEC play. Pray that Harrison stays healthy she goes down with an injury we become a really small team.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#2
#2
I like her attitude and it really seems like she good kid, but if Burdick starts and plays a lot of minutes, then in my opinion, we are not going to a Final Four.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#3
#3
I like her attitude and it really seems like she good kid, but if Burdick starts and plays a lot of minutes, then in my opinion, we are not going to a Final Four.

She does really well in those 3 on 3 tournaments but it doesn't seem to translate as well to the full game. She misses too many shots.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#4
#4
a test using last year's stats put in order from best to least

Reynolds, Simmons, Burdick, Massingale and Jones. Percentage of all shots made

Percentage of 3-point shots made

the answers: http://www.utsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2013-2014/teamcume.html


are you satisfied that Burdick's three-point rate is the same as Simmons?

are you satisfied that Burdick hit a higher percentage of her shots than Massingale?

Burdick shot 31% for the first 9 games and 42% for the last 26 (if and she didn't had averaged that over the whole year she would have been #2 in percentage other than the three posts). I am not arguing or trying to be a smart ax - I just hope she starts quick this year her form for her shot is flawless, lets hope her senior year is her best
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people
#5
#5
a test using last year's stats put in order from best to least

Reynolds, Simmons, Burdick, Massingale and Jones. Percentage of all shots made

Percentage of 3-point shots made

the answers: http://www.utsports.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2013-2014/teamcume.html


are you satisfied that Burdick's three-point rate is the same as Simmons?

are you satisfied that Burdick hit a higher percentage of her shots than Massingale?

Burdick shot 31% for the first 9 games and 42% for the last 26 (if and she didn't had averaged that over the whole year she would have been #2 in percentage other than the three posts). I am not arguing or trying to be a smart ax - I just hope she starts quick this year her form for her shot is flawless, lets hope her senior year is her best

Burdick plays scared. That's why she's a liability. She's the consummate front runner. If Tennessee is rolling, she's brimming with confidence. When the going gets tough, she panics and second guesses herself whenever she has the ball.

She's got talent, but if she comes in and plays the same way that she played last season, she needs to be playing a backup role. Nared and Dunbar will be with Tennessee for 3 years after next, so Holly is better off developing those 2 than hitching her wagon to a player like Burdick.
 
#6
#6
That is Izzy Harrison and all the other positions are open to competition.
I expect that Massengale will claim the point guard job and Carter looks good for the two position.

Players to watch are Middleton think she will be in the rotation she has a very good floor game can shoot the ball.

Graves should claim the four but she may have competition from Burdick and Nared as Holly said we may play four guards this season a lot of minutes.

My guess is that we'll see:

PG- Massengale, Middleton, Reynolds
SG-Carter, Dunbar, Tucker when she is able to play.
C-Harrison
PF-Graves, Jones
WF-Burdick, Nared

Expect two of these players to have limited minutes when we hit SEC play. That will be determined in post SEC play. Pray that Harrison stays healthy she goes down with an injury we become a really small team.

My predicted starters (with starters towards end of season in parenthesis)

PG: Massengale (Massengale) - If she's healthy, she's the best choice. Best passer and knows when to set up her teammates or call her own number. Middleton first off the bench.

SG: Carter (Tucker) - Carter will probably start, though I won't like it if she hasn't learned to look for her own shot. If she plays with the same strategy as last year, she should lose her starting spot to Tucker, assuming she's healthy. At SG, they need to have a pure shooter...and that's not Carter. Reynolds will backup both guard spots.

SF: Burdick (Nared) - Burdick will start by default. As the season goes on, her minutes should decrease and Nared's should increase until Jaime is playing the bulk of starter minutes. Burdick may surprise and play at a higher level than last year, but as she's an incoming senior, I'm not counting on it. Dunbar will be in a learning role and probably not a lot of minutes.

PF: Graves (Graves) - By default. No real options here. Bashaara and Izzy are the two players that absolutely cannot get in foul trouble. Jasmine Jones will backup, along with Burdick at times.

C: Harrison (Harrison) - The most crucial player for Tennessee. As Izzy goes, so goes Tennessee. Absolutely cannot get in foul trouble. No legit backup with size. Moore as backup.

I'd like to see Holly play Bashaara at C and Harrison at PF on offense. Izzy has a reliable face up game and a quick first step. This IMO would help Bashaara because she would be setting up in the paint instead of catching the ball 15 feet from the basket. On defense, they could switch roles. Maryland did this when they had Harper/Langhorne, so hopefully Holly does something to help Bashaara get her groove back.
 
#7
#7
Burdick is not athletic/quick enough to guard the three position, plus offensively she has a weak handle, poor vision/decision making skills, and doesn't know how or doesn't have the ability to set others up. With the lack of post depth, she should back-up the four position and that would allow Graves to play some five if Izzy gets into foul trouble.

Same thing goes for Jones, but she can guard at the wing position. She just has never shown the basketball IQ on the offensive side from the wing position.
 
#8
#8
Burdick is not athletic/quick enough to guard the three position, plus offensively she has a weak handle, poor vision/decision making skills, and doesn't know how or doesn't have the ability to set others up. With the lack of post depth, she should back-up the four position and that would allow Graves to play some five if Izzy gets into foul trouble.

Same thing goes for Jones, but she can guard at the wing position. She just has never shown the basketball IQ on the offensive side from the wing position.

I think Burdick has very good handle, court vision and ability to set other up. Her athleticism is decent and should allow her to be a better defender than she is, and a more assertive offensive player. However, her basketball IQ and decision making is so poor that she throws away all of her natural talent. So many times, she tries to go for the cute fancy pass instead of keeping things simple. She needs to stop trying to play for the highlight reel and just get the job done.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#9
#9
We have problems at the forward position. Burdick is a tough one to figure. She has some size and skills but doesn't really seem to fit well at any position. She can spot-up shoot from 12-18 feet and we need to get the ball to her in spots where she can knock it down. She will struggle to cover a good athletic wing for an opponent, which could be a problem if we play man defense. We definitely need one of the newcomers--Tucker or Nared--to give us something at small forward. I think Tucker will be a wing and not a shooting guard as she is 6' tall, I believe.

Graves is a power rebounder, decent defender, but very limited offensive game and not a good passer. When she or Jones gets the ball, the offense starts to sputter.

The coaches have got to really figure out how to get the most out of these three--Burdick, Jones and Graves. They are quite obviously the key to the season.They're all veterans, they all have size and athleticism, but all three have been very inconsistent and make too many mistakes. Coaches need to figure out what their most productive roles are and get maximum contributions from each.
 
#10
#10
I think Burdick has very good handle, court vision and ability to set other up. Her athleticism is decent and should allow her to be a better defender than she is, and a more assertive offensive player. However, her basketball IQ and decision making is so poor that she throws away all of her natural talent. So many times, she tries to go for the cute fancy pass instead of keeping things simple. She needs to stop trying to play for the highlight reel and just get the job done.

We will just agree to disagree on your first sentence.
 
#11
#11
Burdick has a good handle. I must have been watching different games. She was a turnover machine
 
#12
#12
Especially, when she tries to no look pass the ball. I will take a Jas walking turnover as oppose to Burdick unnecessary passes that go out of bounds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#13
#13
Burdick has a good handle. I must have been watching different games. She was a turnover machine

She has the skills to grab a rebound and initiate the break. Her ballhandling skills are better than Shekinna Stricklen's were,...

Especially, when she tries to no look pass the ball. I will take a Jas walking turnover as oppose to Burdick unnecessary passes that go out of bounds.

...but not her decision making skills. She has the skills to make the no look pass, but lacks the basketball IQ not to telegraph it and either pass to the opposing team or notice that her target is not in position to receive the ball. Again, too much "Look at me! LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!" and not enough playing smart.
 
#14
#14
Whether or not Burdick starts is irrelevant. Graves will have to play extensive minutes at center this season, which means Burdick will have to play a lot more at the high post. Along with Harrison those three will be rotating the vast majority of minutes at the 4/5 positions in a depleted front line....
 
#15
#15
I don't think the pieces we have assembled will mesh all that well. It is likely we see what we have seen for a while. We win the easier games but strikeout against the elite teams when they can exploit our lack of post players. Heck, Maryland did it last year and we had better depth then.

You can't win it all playing a lot of four guard offense. Off the top of my head I can't remember a team that ever won a championship playing in that configuration to any degree. Yeah, I think the team with the best guards usually wins... but playing more guards is not a substitute for that.
 
#16
#16
Burdick does not have good handles....She usually dribbles twice to the right and gets covered by a defender and passes the ball...It almost appears she is trying to get covered at times....Two bounce to the right and she picks up her dribble. She is a solid built girl that may be best at the 4 spot..

I'm fairly sure Holly will at least look at her there in game conditions. The post needs players and CB has not excelled at the 3 spot in 3 years. She has had her moments, but faded too many times...Past is prologue syndrome with her. She may be a terror at the 4 spot instead. From the 4 spot she could bang inside and still drift out for the sweet 12-15 footer when needed.

Dunbar and Nared will give this team an outside shooting positive presence they have not had in years at the 3 spot. Freshmen they may be, but players they are. They will still be able to crash inside and dart out to the 3 point line(especially Dunbar) for the sweet 3 pointer. Also, Middleton will make her name known to the fans very soon playing the 1 or 2.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#17
#17
My predicted starters (with starters towards end of season in parenthesis)

PG: Massengale (Massengale) - If she's healthy, she's the best choice. Best passer and knows when to set up her teammates or call her own number. Middleton first off the bench.

SG: Carter (Tucker) - Carter will probably start, though I won't like it if she hasn't learned to look for her own shot. If she plays with the same strategy as last year, she should lose her starting spot to Tucker, assuming she's healthy. At SG, they need to have a pure shooter...and that's not Carter. Reynolds will backup both guard spots.

SF: Burdick (Nared) - Burdick will start by default. As the season goes on, her minutes should decrease and Nared's should increase until Jaime is playing the bulk of starter minutes. Burdick may surprise and play at a higher level than last year, but as she's an incoming senior, I'm not counting on it. Dunbar will be in a learning role and probably not a lot of minutes.

PF: Graves (Graves) - By default. No real options here. Bashaara and Izzy are the two players that absolutely cannot get in foul trouble. Jasmine Jones will backup, along with Burdick at times.

C: Harrison (Harrison) - The most crucial player for Tennessee. As Izzy goes, so goes Tennessee. Absolutely cannot get in foul trouble. No legit backup with size. Moore as backup.

I'd like to see Holly play Bashaara at C and Harrison at PF on offense. Izzy has a reliable face up game and a quick first step. This IMO would help Bashaara because she would be setting up in the paint instead of catching the ball 15 feet from the basket. On defense, they could switch roles. Maryland did this when they had Harper/Langhorne, so hopefully Holly does something to help Bashaara get her groove back.

What happened to Reynolds? Back-up. Geez.
 
#18
#18
My predicted starters (with starters towards end of season in parenthesis)

PG: Massengale (Massengale) - If she's healthy, she's the best choice. Best passer and knows when to set up her teammates or call her own number. Middleton first off the bench.

SG: Carter (Tucker) - Carter will probably start, though I won't like it if she hasn't learned to look for her own shot. If she plays with the same strategy as last year, she should lose her starting spot to Tucker, assuming she's healthy. At SG, they need to have a pure shooter...and that's not Carter. Reynolds will backup both guard spots.

SF: Burdick (Nared) - Burdick will start by default. As the season goes on, her minutes should decrease and Nared's should increase until Jaime is playing the bulk of starter minutes. Burdick may surprise and play at a higher level than last year, but as she's an incoming senior, I'm not counting on it. Dunbar will be in a learning role and probably not a lot of minutes.

PF: Graves (Graves) - By default. No real options here. Bashaara and Izzy are the two players that absolutely cannot get in foul trouble. Jasmine Jones will backup, along with Burdick at times.

C: Harrison (Harrison) - The most crucial player for Tennessee. As Izzy goes, so goes Tennessee. Absolutely cannot get in foul trouble. No legit backup with size. Moore as backup.

I'd like to see Holly play Bashaara at C and Harrison at PF on offense. Izzy has a reliable face up game and a quick first step. This IMO would help Bashaara because she would be setting up in the paint instead of catching the ball 15 feet from the basket. On defense, they could switch roles. Maryland did this when they had Harper/Langhorne, so hopefully Holly does something to help Bashaara get her groove back.

I will disagree with playing Graves at center we have been down that road before and it did not go well. Grave looks good vs teams we should beat but is a now show vs the top teams. Plus you need to remember she`s not a shot blocker at 6-2. Holly would better playing Moore at the 5.
 
#20
#20
And you are correct Reynolds is a player and will be key to the this team run for a NC.

Still early to tell for Reynolds. She plays with good energy, she's athletic and she has shooting range. She needs to be more efficient making her shots. If she's improved that aspect of her game, I agree she will be huge off the bench.

I will disagree with playing Graves at center we have been down that road before and it did not go well. Grave looks good vs teams we should beat but is a now show vs the top teams. Plus you need to remember she`s not a shot blocker at 6-2. Holly would better playing Moore at the 5.

Play Graves at center on offense only. That way, she's already in position around the basket and in better position to score. I agree that she can't defend at the C position, so on defense, Harrison would cover the opposing team's center.
 
#21
#21
Still early to tell for Reynolds. She plays with good energy, she's athletic and she has shooting range. She needs to be more efficient making her shots. If she's improved that aspect of her game, I agree she will be huge off the bench.



Play Graves at center on offense only. That way, she's already in position around the basket and in better position to score. I agree that she can't defend at the C position, so on defense, Harrison would cover the opposing team's center.

don`t get me wrong like i said before Graves can get away playing the 5 against the bad teams but not these teams

1 Connecticut
2 Notre Dame
3
4 Louisville
5 Baylor
6 Stanford
7 West Virginia
8 South Carolina
9 Duke
10 Kentucky
 
#22
#22
I will disagree with playing Graves at center we have been down that road before and it did not go well. Grave looks good vs teams we should beat but is a now show vs the top teams. Plus you need to remember she`s not a shot blocker at 6-2. Holly would better playing Moore at the 5.

You can disagree all you want but there isn't a choice. Moore is a spot role player, not good enough to play extensive minutes. There will be games Izzy is in foul trouble. Graves is the only other option. It isn't ideal, but she is capable. With Russell's redshirt, this is just the hand they've been dealt....
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#23
#23
don`t get me wrong like i said before Graves can get away playing the 5 against the bad teams but not these teams

1 Connecticut
2 Notre Dame
3
4 Louisville
5 Baylor
6 Stanford
7 West Virginia
8 South Carolina
9 Duke
10 Kentucky

If she can't play the 5 on offense against those teams, then she can't play the 4 against those teams either. IMO, she's better off trying to score 5 feet from the basket against Taya Reimer than trying to take Brianna Turner off the dribble 15 feet out.

Where she will hurt Tennessee is if Izzy gets in foul trouble and she has to defend the low post against girls that are 3 inches taller, with a much longer wingspan, and greater hops.

Like the next poster says, like it or not, she's the backup center. On offense, that works; on defense, she'll struggle.
 
#24
#24
I find it interesting that on the videos from SEC Media Days that Graves talks more about them trying her out at the 3 and more face-up than having her practicing some at the 5. Thoughts?
 
#25
#25
I find it interesting that on the videos from SEC Media Days that Graves talks more about them trying her out at the 3 and more face-up than having her practicing some at the 5. Thoughts?

I really don't see any advantage to playing her there with all the actual three's we have that are quicker and have a better outside shot than she does. It makes you wonder what Holly has in mind for the inside Harrison and four perimeter players seems to be what she is thinking. If that is so then we would run the motion offense with four perimeter players and only one post. In this offense you can certainly spread the court for players to drive to the basket. Still it seems more ideal that the four perimeter players would be Massengale, Nared, Carter, and either Middleton, Tucker or Dunbar.
Still seems to me that Graves would be the backup post to Harrison in this offense. Guess we'll see what is up real soon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person

VN Store



Back
Top