Harrison's Return A Welcome Lift

[VN News]

Isabelle Harrison may not have started, may not have been the leading scorer or the leading rebounder, but just being back was enough to make all the difference for Tennessee.

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[Volfan2012]

Glad to see her back. Six turnovers last night but I'm sure she is a little rusty from not playing.

 

[armchair]

Good to get Harrison back--but mark it: As soon as we play our next game against a decent/good opponent, our problems will be apparent again--especially on offense. Trying to force the ball inside too much--this is why Harrison is turnover prone. Really, there is no excuse for a senior center to have 6 turnovers in 13 minutes against lowly St. Francis.

Let's watch Jones, too. In one sense she is showing more confidence--but what is she doing on offense? She gets the ball 20 feet from the basket and wants to go 1v1 against a defender and score. That kind of playing style did not work very well against Texas and it's not going to work against any good opponent--whose individual and team defense will be pretty good. She'll end up forcing shots or losing the ball--watch for it. Beating defenders off the dribble is nice if you are really good at it, but we have almost no one who is good enough consistently to do that. Jones isn't. Free-lancing, too much dribbling--they can hurt you against good teams. What do ND and Ct. do? Their players MOVE WITHOUT THE BALL, work off screens, then get the ball via pass and shoot. They do not free-lance, typically, from 20 feet. Harrison and Graves try to beat people off the dribble IN THE PAINT. Sometimes they get away with it and score--but it's breaking a cardinal rule in basketball, because it's crowded in the paint area and easy to lose the ball.

 

[Chris89128]

Glad to see her back. Six turnovers last night but I'm sure she is a little rusty from not playing.

Izzy has always been turnover prone. To me it's the big flaw in her game

 

[OLW1948]

I believe that Carter is the only Lady Vol who can consistently drive to the basket. Jones should not be handling the ball unless she is 5-6 feet from the basket and can shoot without having to dribble the ball.

 

[Amb3096]

I believe that Carter is the only Lady Vol who can consistently drive to the basket. Jones should not be handling the ball unless she is 5-6 feet from the basket and can shoot without having to dribble the ball.

Nared, too.

 

[Pat4life]

How do you expect them to get better at dribbling, without dribbling?

If Jones, is attempting to work her game cos against quality teams, they're gonna shutdown you offensively so we need players who can drive and/or drive and dish, especially guards and wing players. 1-4 players all must know how to get to the basket, if want they want to be effective, good.

Jasmine needs to work on getting to the basket, with her leaping ability and ability to shoot over people it will be nice, and make her harder to defend. She's a project, keeping on trying, Jasmine, Carter, Nared, Middleton,Reynolds, etc that's the only way you get better. We gonna need players who can go one on one against certain teams, good teams.

The players don't have to be perfect every game, cos they still need to get better, our players need to be more versatile but to not let a player get better is crazy.

I'm quite sure Holly has set a turnover limit for each player or groups: guards, wings, posts and overall team. Confidence, aggressiveness and patience all the intangible things that makes an offense clicks.

That's why our offense is limited, our players are so easy to defend, teams take our players spots, our moves, our first option away and then we are left with tough shots, forced shots or turnovers.

For instance, Graves is only effective close to the basket etc, keep a body on her would be my strategy to limit her rebounds, her only offensive touches really, easy to defend.

How do you expect her to get better? If she don't attempt to try a new move or expand her range (they are still young, one more year some players two or three) but I do agree with more screens especially with our size, we can run opposing guards ragged if we were a physical team on both ends of the floor.

Running opposing guards into hard screens, its like body shots take they toll late in game and we have the bodies to do it. We need to become a more physical and patient team.

Harrison is usually patient, when she is, she's dynamic, 3 turnovers is her limit. She's rusty.

 

[madtownvol]

How do you expect them to get better at dribbling, without dribbling?

That kind of development is what the "off season" is for. Players who have weaknesses, such as ball handling or hitting mid range jumpers, need to make their big improvements in the off season. Practices and scrimmages are the place to further work on those aspects during the season and build on the pre-season gains. Taking some risk in blow games, fine. But, odds are if you walk into the season, without a good handle or a poor mid range jumper, you are not going to become proficient enough to use those skills effectively against top competition in the season. We are looking at players who have been in the sports for a lot of years. If a sophomore is still struggling a basic skill, it takes a lot of hope to believe that she will be fine by seasons end. Better for such limited players to figure what she can do well and stay within that zone during the season. It is different case if a player with certain skills comes back from an injury and is rusty (i.e. Izzy). They just need time to get back into the groove with muscle memory. But if the skills ain't there when the season starts, odds are they won't be there when the season ends.

 

[Chris89128]

I've seen plenty of games where Harrison had more than 3 TO's, Just saying

 

[Pat4life]

But as our go to player that would be my limit for her, I dont know what Holly chose. She and the other post players would owe me gassers and/or free throws, as punishment for going over.

Oh well, she'll get better, Harrison dont have to perfection now, she's still young. Her game don't/won't stop expanding or has to be perfection just because she's a senior, as long as she is attacking, she'll be fine and I think she will clean it up, it might not be this year but it will happen cos she such an efficient player.

 

[Pat4life]

That kind of development is what the "off season" is for. Players who have weaknesses, such as ball handling or hitting mid range jumpers, need to make their big improvements in the off season. Practices and scrimmages are the place to further work on those aspects during the season and build on the pre-season gains. Taking some risk in blow games, fine. But, odds are if you walk into the season, without a good handle or a poor mid range jumper, you are not going to become proficient enough to use those skills effectively against top competition in the season. We are looking at players who have been in the sports for a lot of years. If a sophomore is still struggling a basic skill, it takes a lot of hope to believe that she will be fine by seasons end. Better for such limited players to figure what she can do well and stay within that zone during the season. It is different case if a player with certain skills comes back from an injury and is rusty (i.e. Izzy). They just need time to get back into the groove with muscle memory. But if the skills ain't there when the season starts, odds are they won't be there when the season ends.

Each game is an opportunity to get better, especially non conference games. Off season you are correct, but it don't make you better player right away, pressure is different, competition is different in games. Players can get better during the season.

Let em try, that's only way you to get better,of course stick with your bread and butter but try that new move cos if you play good defense (steal or force turnover its a wash) and rebound, to can get another shot or another possession to try it again.

Dribbling is daily and for some players it takes longer to master.I didn't become a good dribbler until after college, once the game slowed down but my coach allowed me to try cos I had the intent, the athleticism but I lack the skill, but once I got it, I was tougher to defend, the whole court opened up.

Nothing feels better as a player, as a team than taking a shot you want, oppose to the shot your opponent's defense gives you.

 

[Pat4life]

And players don't know how a team will defend 'em til the game.

So yeah they can dribble against scout team, or their teammates, that's why I throw multiple defenders at my guards and wings, so they constantly have to change their attack strategy, and this has to be calculated within seconds, one reason why the ball is lost, turnover cos they are thinking, rather trusting their skill set and just play.

Some players learning curves are steep.

 

[Franklin Pierce]

Harrison is a good player, but not a great player.
Against good teams she has sometimes struggled. She sometimes finds it difficult staying out of foul trouble as well.

Against Texas, she would have been a huge asset.

 

[Pat4life]

I think Harrison is the best center in the country, when playing at a high level. I thought that last year too. Top 3 in WNBA draft if healthy.

 

[Darth_Vol]

Harrison is a good player, but not a great player.
Against good teams she has sometimes struggled. She sometimes finds it difficult staying out of foul trouble as well.

This. She isn't dominant on a consistent enough basis to be an All-American. I get she has been out for a couple of weeks, but the opposition was horrible last night. She is off to a dismal start shooting, and single handedly accounted for over a third of the team turnovers.

 

[Orange_Mamba]

It's obvious what kind of defense teams will play and that's zone defense. It's three things that happen when teams play zone
1) We're stagnant on offense, can't beat the zone with no ball movement nor moving without the ball.
2) The post will be doubled or tripled team and still try to put a shot up. Instead of passing it to the wing for a shot.
3) We have the players to bust the zone, but they get mop up time.

 

[Pat4life]

This. She isn't dominant on a consistent enough basis to be an All-American. I get she has been out for a couple of weeks, but the opposition was horrible last night. She is off to a dismal start shooting, and single handedly accounted for over a third of the team turnovers.

We're talking about the same player that had close to 20 doubles/doubles a year go. If she plays like the did last year, she's an All American. First game back really, dismal start. What did you expect, a double/double?

I know she has spoiled us. Wow, she is the model for consistency, last year, she hit her stride last year heading into the SEC and rode til the NCAAs.

 

[Slydell]

We're talking about the same player that had close to 20 doubles/doubles a year go. If she plays like the did last year, she's an All American. First game back really, dismal start. What did you expect, a double/double?

I know she has spoiled us. Wow, she is the model for consistency, last year, she hit her stride last year heading into the SEC and rode til the NCAAs.

Just curious, where did you play?:hi:

 

[Darth_Vol]

We're talking about the same player that had close to 20 doubles/doubles a year go. If she plays like the did last year, she's an All American. First game back really, dismal start. What did you expect, a double/double?

I know she has spoiled us. Wow, she is the model for consistency, last year, she hit her stride last year heading into the SEC and rode til the NCAAs.

I'm talking about the player who had 7 points and 5 turnovers in the final game against Maryland, the type of performance that happens too often for her to be "great" IMO. She is very good, and the double-doubles are impressive. But she disappears for too many stretches, and gives the opposition too many extra possessions with her careless turnovers.

And no, I wasn't expecting a great game in her return but I didn't expect her to play that poorly either. It can't be overstated how bad St. Francis is. She also stunk it up in the opener against overmatched Penn before her injury. She'd better show a lot of improvement soon if she's going to be an All-American....

 

[Pat4life]

Wow, you're that guy.


Had a break-out junior season that earned her All-SEC First Team accolades as well as third team All-America recognition from Full Court and honorable mention status from Associated Press and the WBCA.

Set a Tennessee junior record with 18 double-doubles, passing the previous record holder, Chamique Holdsclaw, who had 16 in 1997-98.Only Candace Parker had more double-doubles in a season with 21 as a sophomore in 2006-07.From Dec. 14, 2014 to Jan. 9, 2014, posted seven-straight games with double-doubles, setting a Lady Vol program record for consecutive double-doubles. [Troy (13 pts., 12 rebs.), Tennessee State (12 pts., 11 rebs.), Stanford (10 pts., 13 rebs.), Lipscomb (26 pts., 15 rebs.), LSU (26 pts., 10 rebs.), Georgia (18 pts., 10 rebs.) and Ole Miss (16 pts., 10 rebs.)].

Scored in double figures in 31 of 35 contests, including 20 games in a row from Nov. 29-Feb. 20.Racked up 20 contests with 10 or more rebounds.Shot 57.7% from the field in 2013-14 and averaged 9.3 rpg. and 13.6 ppg. to rank first, second and 18th, respectively, in the SEC in those categories.

Finished her junior campaign 10th on UT's all-time career blocks chart with 105 in three seasons.Earned SEC Tournament MVP honors after leading UT to its 17th postseason league title, averaging 19.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in the tourney.Shot 59.1 percent (26-44) from the field in three SEC Tourney games.

Notched her 17th double-double of the year vs. Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament semifinals with a team-best 20 points and 13 boards.Led the team in scoring (21 pts.) and rebounding (12 rebs.) in UT's SEC quarterfinal win over LSU.Matched her career high in points with 26 against LSU, on Jan. 2, 2014. In the final seven minutes against the Tigers, she had 14 points, four rebounds and one steal, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 6-of-8 in free throws.

Racked up a career-best 26 points in 18 minutes of action against Lipscomb on Dec. 29 while snagging a personal-best and team-leading four steals.

Grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and scored 10 points in the win over Georgia Tech on Nov. 17.

She's a lady vol.

 

[Darth_Vol]

Thanks for the copy-paste of her bio, but I'm well aware of her resume. It confirms what I already knew... she is a very good player with an impressive career. But it hasn't been good enough to put her on a (real) All-America team. It also has no bearing on this season where so far, injury or not, she is playing well below last season.

 

[Volfan2012]

Holly said before the season started that she was far better than anyone else on the team. So far she hasn't played well for whatever reason hopefully huge game coming at Rutgers will need it to win.

 

[Pat4life]

Three games almost 40 minutes total. Yes, her season is going to be horrible, she is a horrible player. We should revoked her scholarship.

 

[teacherdean]

Izzy has always been turnover prone. To me it's the big flaw in her game

While Izzy makes a mistake or two, right now she is the centerpiece of the Lady Vols. We really need a freshman or two to shine through. However, Holly seems to have an issue starting freshman. Next year Diamond D. will be the game changer. She is tough and have some serious jumping skills. We still need toughness with other players like Miss Russell. I also believe that Holly must show more tough love on the court during games. This year is yet to be determined, however, with the present team, the elite 8 may be the extent of our run.

 

[Darth_Vol]

While Izzy makes a mistake or two, right now she is the centerpiece of the Lady Vols.

Which is unfortunate, because she is really more suited to be a secondary option on a championship team IMO. She might be the player on the current roster who would benefit most from playing with a perimeter talent like Deshields, something she has never had in her career. But, it wasn't meant to be....