LV freshmen who made an impact from day 1

#1
J

JohnStL

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#1
Those long time fans no PHS's truism about freshmen no longer can be freshmen after January and especially before March.

Meighan was the star on the win over Louisville as one memory. Ariel was given the PG as a freshman. We can all wish for magic out of the bottle for one of the four being a Catching or Holdsclaw.

who was a freshman memory maker for you?
 
#5
#5
There are the obvious ones: Chamique Holdsclaw played beyond her years. Catchings and Randall were breathtaking.

I remember when Peggy Evans and Nikki Caldwell debuted, each scored 20 points in that first game of the season.

But these stand out the most to me:

In 1988-89 freshman Dena Head was forced to take over point guard duties when veteran Tonya Edwards suffered a season-ending knee injury. Pat told the team that they would have to embrace her because she would be their ticket to the Final Four. Head was unflappable as Tennessee won its 2nd NC in three years. That season, Pat had described Head as the best prepared freshman she had ever had.

Two years prior, Tonya Edwards capped a terrific freshman campaign as MVP of the Final Four as we won our first NC.

One year prior to that, Bridgette Gordon and Sheila Frost were freshman and top scorers on the team. That year in the Mideast Regional Semifinal at Iowa City, Iowa, Tennessee and Georgia waged war in one of the most compelling victories that I never got to see--had to listen on the radio. (Back then coverage was sparse and there wasn't the notoriety nor exposure that started evolving in the 90's.) Georgia starred Teresa Edwards, Katrina McClain, and Lisa O'Connor along with a strong cast of other performers. Despite Tennessee's youth, it was one of the most courageous efforts that I can remember and one of the biggest postseason upsets in program history. Gordon and Frost were ubiquitous in that game, and Tennessee went on to surprisingly reach the Final Four before bowing out to Cheryl Miller-led USC in the National Semifinal. I think that incredible run helped propel Tennessee to its first NC the following year.
 
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#9
#9
There have been many over the years as one can see. I believe the athleticism of those athletes prevailed at the time as the Lady Vols got their fare share of elite prospects. What is an even better testament to their talent was Pat's decision to play a grueling schedule before SEC play year in and year out. The record of those players against that level of competition may never be seen again. It seems to me that many teams now schedule according to the roster. I don't think Pat ever did that. She served up the team against the best programs and left it up to the team to overcome the challenges and dominate and with few exceptions, they did just that.

As far as the incoming class goes, I believe they are very talented and will blossom quickly but the level of competition across the board is much better now than it was in the 80's and 90's so the domination right out of the gate may not be as demonstrative as it used to be. These lady's will develop into dominators but it might not be in the first three or six games. They will need time to adapt to the level of talent they are playing against and to jell as a unit. Time will tell but I am very optimistic that things are on the right track.
 
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#10
#10
JohnStL said:
Those long time fans no PHS's truism about freshmen no longer can be freshmen after January and especially before March.

Meighan was the star on the win over Louisville as one memory. Ariel was given the PG as a freshman. We can all wish for magic out of the bottle for one of the four being a Catching or Holdsclaw.

who was a freshman memory maker for you?
Click to expand...

This mindset separates great coaches from all coaches. Gosh she was brilliant. :bow2:
 
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#15
#15
it's pretty cool to have so many players of the past mentioned...thanks Pat...:salute:

GO LADY VOLS!
 
#20
#20
many good memories in this thread - and Putback acknowledged one of the great upsets of a Georgia team with two future Olympic stars. Andy's two best teams were defeated that year and in the Finals nearly a decade later.

lots of coaches in all sports have "said words" the LVs had a Coach who "expected and developed players who "became upper-class performers" early.
 
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#21
#21
Best seasons by freshmen that I saw at Tennessee:
Holdsclaw-led team to a title

Catchings-was probably the 2nd best player in the country that year after Chamique

Randall-absolutely electric her freshman year. Not sure why she fizzled out to finish her career, but as a freshman she had a massive impact

Lawson-one of the better freshman guards we've had come through. Very poised and talented, was a major part of why Tennessee was able to get to a title game post Chamique/Jolly

Parker-was one of the best players in the country as a redshirt frosh

Stricken-she was really good as a freshman for Tennessee. Had some great games. I thought she was poised to be the next star of the program.

Simmons-up and down but I was very impressed with her as a freshman. Her development never really took a step forward but she was a joy to watch and was dangerous when she was on

Graves-hard working physical post, another head scratcher as to why she never developed into an All American. Entering the post season, you could argue she looked more impressive than Stewart, Jefferson, Tuck or Loyd who were all freshmen too.

Unsung heroes:
Teresa Geter-she was the difference maker in the 98 regional against NC. Outstanding shot blocker, I really wish she stayed 4 years. Having her post presence could've made a major difference in 2000 and 2001

Niya Butts and Kyra Elzy--massively important in the 97 title game. Butts was electric off the bench and pushed Tennessee to a big lead while Elzy absolutely stifled Ticha Penicheiro.

Alexis Hornbuckle-never really "broke out" as a star but she was extremely important during the 2005 season.

Vicki Baugh-her effort in the 2008 title game made all the difference that night as well as her speech after tearing her ACL. Was a great moment in Tennessee history.
 
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#22
#22
PineyBluff Vol said:
Freshman starters only do well if they are part of a supporting group of players.
Click to expand...

I've noticed that freshmen do well when they can play freely on a team that allows a lot of one-on-one basketball. Programs like Ohio State and Louisville allow their players to do their own thing so there is no learning curve for the freshmen.

It's more difficult for freshmen at schools that run complicated offensive sets and systems. It takes one or two years for players at schools like Notre Dame and Stanford to unlearn all of their bad habits and learn how to play within a new system.

Defensively, it is rare to see any freshman perform well. They were always the star in high school and were told NOT to get into foul trouble because they were required to be on the floor the entire game.
 
#24
#24
Maybe the question should be, why do many LV freshmen have an excellent first year and never reach their full potential? a la Angie B. or Basharra.
Great beginning but not so good ending.
Strickland was good until she was moved to the guard position for se.
I thought the same decline would happen to Jamie when asked to move to the four.
Basharra played the five way too much also.
Yes,Sir! impact on day one and no-pact
on day two.
 
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#25
#25
Hoya Saxa said:
I've noticed that freshmen do well when they can play freely on a team that allows a lot of one-on-one basketball. Programs like Ohio State and Louisville allow their players to do their own thing so there is no learning curve for the freshmen.

It's more difficult for freshmen at schools that run complicated offensive sets and systems. It takes one or two years for players at schools like Notre Dame and Stanford to unlearn all of their bad habits and learn how to play within a new system.

Defensively, it is rare to see any freshman perform well. They were always the star in high school and were told NOT to get into foul trouble because they were required to be on the floor the entire game.
Click to expand...


I hope the right eyes read that.

Flow isn't found in paths, its found in continuity of individual strengths.
 
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