The "Second Half Blues" Postgame Report

[zjcvols]

1. This team was never going to make the tournament. There isn't a lot of talent. But blowing a 14 point halftime lead and losing by double digits to a sad TCU team that hasn't won in three weeks is beyond inexcusable. Barnes and the coaching staff need to reevaluate some things.

2. I don't mind the zone (although UT stayed in it way too long) but you have to give Kyle Alexander an idea what to do. He was completely lost when TCU played in the high post. He should be defending 18 foot baseline jumpers.

3. And to continue point #2, why are there always two guards converging on the high post guy? You are playing 4 on 3 at that point.

4. On offense, it's ugly if three pointers aren't falling. Kevin Punter is the only guy that has plays called for him other than the occasional Moore post up. I know Hubbs has been absymal lately, but would it kill anyone to call a play for him every once in a while?

5. Admiral Schofield is going to be a solid player but he needs to develop something else offense. Teams are starting to realize he's just a three point shooter at this point and driving him away from the spot and now contesting.

6. Play Shembari Phillips more please. I know he's going to make mistakes, but his energy and hustle is something this team needs.

7. Bernard King Player of the Game: Kyle Alexander. 11 boards and 6 blocks. He showed he has SEC potential. I really liked him the last two weeks. He looks to be the starting center next year.

8. I think something that would help the offense is get Armani more involved in the offense off ball. I like when he comes off a screen, catches, and turns the corner to the lane. It really opens things up. Also, we need to get him involved in the PNR/PNP game as the guy setting the screen.

9. I appreciate Rick Barnes changing Kevin Punter's shot and helping lead him the season he's having, but would it have killed him to help Devon Baulkman's ball handling too?

10. I'm a firm believer that if you can get the lead, you can keep the lead. This team isn't that young. Four seniors are in the rotation. They should be able to finish ball games. The lack of movement on offense is concerning. Too much watching Punter. And Barnes needs to evaluate himself. He's not a joystick coach. That's fine. But he has to learn to make adjustments. When Trent Johnson out coaches you in the second half, maybe it's time to change some **** up.

 

[Lefteye]

Good breakdown. I agree with just about everything. The one I most agree with is #6. If everybody cut as hard as him away from the ball, we wouldn't struggle like we do, to score pts, when teams take away KP.

 

[Gary10ec1]

Truth. I was in Gainesville today watching the Gators destroy WV. Went for some post game drinks and cringed when I checked the scores. Knew that we would do our usual second half fold job. I get it that we are low on talent with no real post presence, but damn. Missed like ten in a row? That is not just coaching, you got to WANT it. Will continue to support our Vols but this season is a tough one. Will get an occasional W but that is it.

 

[chieftn15]

Baulkman is simply a turnover waiting to happen.

 

[BruinVol]

Best game so far for Alexander


Good to see.

 

[therealitytheory]

Shoot a decent pct. in the 2nd half and we win comfortably. Shoot poorly in the 2nd half but limit turnovers and we still have a chance.

Shoot dreadfully after intermission, stumble around and constantly turn the ball over...and
there is today's final outcome.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Would like to see:

Punter 35/Phillips 5
Mostella 25/ Phillips 15
Hubbs 20/Baulkman 10/Moore 10
Moore 20/ Schofield 20
Alexander 30/Schofield 10


Totals:

Punter 35
Moore 30
Alexander 30
Schofield 30
Mostella 25
Phillips 20
Hubbs 20
Baulkman 10

 

[therealitytheory]

Best game so far for Alexander


Good to see.

Always good to see the young guys step up. The trick is them not taking 2 steps back.

 

[YankeeVol]

Barnes sucks.

 

[pdogg]

Would like to see:

Punter 35/Phillips 5
Mostella 25/ Phillips 15
Hubbs 20/Baulkman 10/Moore 10
Moore 20/ Schofield 20
Alexander 30/Schofield 10


Totals:

Punter 35
Moore 30
Alexander 30
Schofield 30
Mostella 25
Phillips 20
Hubbs 20
Baulkman 10

I'm agreeing,Tennessee is going no where this year and losing, playing Reece and Baulkman a lot of minutes. Play the young guys and see what you have with them. Play Kasongo also. He was offered by LSU, Ole Miss, Seton Hall, Miss State and originally signed with Oregon. You really can't get him ready to play 10 mins a game?!

 

[vols 30]

I'm agreeing,Tennessee is going no where this year and losing, playing Reece and Baulkman a lot of minutes. Play the young guys and see what you have with them. Play Kasongo also. He was offered by LSU, Ole Miss, Seton Hall, Miss State and originally signed with Oregon. You really can't get him ready to play 10 mins a game?!

Agree. No reason not to give Alexander, Kasongo, the Admiral, and Shembari plenty of minutes. The season is shot anyway, let them get as much experience as possible

 

[Special Ed]

It's becoming clearer and clearer with each loss to a pitiful team why Texas fans wanted Rick Barnes gone. If I'm not mistaken, this was his first loss ever to TCU whom he used to play on a regular basis at Texas. This loss wouldn't look so bad on his resume' if this year's TCU team wasn't so horrible. The worm has turned.

 

[OrangeBalls]

1. This team was never going to make the tournament. There isn't a lot of talent. But blowing a 14 point halftime lead and losing by double digits to a sad TCU team that hasn't won in three weeks is beyond inexcusable. Barnes and the coaching staff need to reevaluate some things.

2. I don't mind the zone (although UT stayed in it way too long) but you have to give Kyle Alexander an idea what to do. He was completely lost when TCU played in the high post. He should be defending 18 foot baseline jumpers.

3. And to continue point #2, why are there always two guards converging on the high post guy? You are playing 4 on 3 at that point.

4. On offense, it's ugly if three pointers aren't falling. Kevin Punter is the only guy that has plays called for him other than the occasional Moore post up. I know Hubbs has been absymal lately, but would it kill anyone to call a play for him every once in a while?

5. Admiral Schofield is going to be a solid player but he needs to develop something else offense. Teams are starting to realize he's just a three point shooter at this point and driving him away from the spot and now contesting.

6. Play Shembari Phillips more please. I know he's going to make mistakes, but his energy and hustle is something this team needs.

7. Bernard King Player of the Game: Kyle Alexander. 11 boards and 6 blocks. He showed he has SEC potential. I really liked him the last two weeks. He looks to be the starting center next year.

8. I think something that would help the offense is get Armani more involved in the offense off ball. I like when he comes off a screen, catches, and turns the corner to the lane. It really opens things up. Also, we need to get him involved in the PNR/PNP game as the guy setting the screen.

9. I appreciate Rick Barnes changing Kevin Punter's shot and helping lead him the season he's having, but would it have killed him to help Devon Baulkman's ball handling too?

10. I'm a firm believer that if you can get the lead, you can keep the lead. This team isn't that young. Four seniors are in the rotation. They should be able to finish ball games. The lack of movement on offense is concerning. Too much watching Punter. And Barnes needs to evaluate himself. He's not a joystick coach. That's fine. But he has to learn to make adjustments. When Trent Johnson out coaches you in the second half, maybe it's time to change some **** up.

Welp, you and I pretty much had the same reservations about Barnes when he was hired. The Bama game and today's game shows anyone that knows anything about basketball what kind of in-game coaching Barnes is capable of. He simply does not put his players in position to win the game when it is on the line. Look at his track record. He has won most of his games off talent alone. When he is faced with similar talent or better, he rarely can outcoach the opposition. So, he better start hitting the recruiting trail if he's going to be here longer than 3-4 years.

 

[cncchris33]

I go out of the country for 8 days, come back to find a win at home, and two road losses due to blown 2nd half leads. Water is also still wet.

Barnes doesn't have a wealth of talent, but he has better than sub-.500 talent. His staff has failed to generate much consistent offense outside of Punter. Moore has miserably regressed in just about all phases. We lack any killer instinct and remind me of early Buzz Peterson teams with how we cannot close out opponents.

 

[BruinVol]

Barnes doesn't have a wealth of talent, but he has better than sub-.500 talent. His staff has failed to generate much consistent offense outside of Punter. Moore has miserably regressed in just about all phases. We lack any killer instinct and remind me of early Buzz Peterson teams with how we cannot close out opponents.

Best paragraph written here in a long time.

Fair and balanced truth

 

[cncchris33]

Welp, you and I pretty much had the same reservations about Barnes when he was hired. The Bama game and today's game shows anyone that knows anything about basketball what kind of in-game coaching Barnes is capable of. He simply does not put his players in position to win the game when it is on the line. Look at his track record. He has won most of his games off talent alone. When he is faced with similar talent or better, he rarely can outcoach the opposition. So, he better start hitting the recruiting trail if he's going to be here longer than 3-4 years.

Agree. I was on record as saying it was a "safe, stable" hire, but a fairly underwhelming one in terms of career trajectory and splash.

Hart was afraid to take much risk with this hire because he was burned by Tyndall. Barnes has name recognition to the average fan, but close college basketball followers knew he wasn't known as a brilliant basketball mind. He wins with superior talent and has never had to win with average or equal talent.

 

[germanicus]

I go out of the country for 8 days, come back to find a win at home, and two road losses due to blown 2nd half leads. Water is also still wet.

Barnes doesn't have a wealth of talent, but he has better than sub-.500 talent. His staff has failed to generate much consistent offense outside of Punter. Moore has miserably regressed in just about all phases. We lack any killer instinct and remind me of early Buzz Peterson teams with how we cannot close out opponents.

Agree with this except about Armani. I don't think he's regressed. He's just being asked to handle to ball too much. Kid never was a stable ball handler or decision maker with the ball in his hands. The fact that he's being asked to do that this year makes it appear he's regressed. He's just as good as he ever was a defense and rebounding. Like most of the kids on this roster, he would be a reserve on a high level D1 team.

 

[BruinVol]

Agree with this except about Armani. I don't think he's regressed. He's just being asked to handle to ball too much. Kid never was a stable ball handler or decision maker with the ball in his hands. The fact that he's being asked to do that this year makes it appear he's regressed. He's just as good as he ever was a defense and rebounding. Like most of the kids on this roster, he would be a reserve on a high level D1 team.

Good points

He's better on defense for sure.

 

[cncchris33]

Agree with this except about Armani. I don't think he's regressed. He's just being asked to handle to ball too much. Kid never was a stable ball handler or decision maker with the ball in his hands. The fact that he's being asked to do that this year makes it appear he's regressed. He's just as good as he ever was a defense and rebounding. Like most of the kids on this roster, he would be a reserve on a high level D1 team.

Agree on his defense and rebounding. Also, true he was never a great decision-maker, but he has gone backwards in that department where you expect a senior to advance. He is also extremely inefficient offensively and makes decisions that hurt his team when he touches the ball and decides to play outside his abilities. I would have just expected a disciplinarian like Barnes to rein in some of that silliness as well as another year of experience to have taught him to play to his strengths.

 

[BruinVol]

Chris and germ i am interested in both your takes on this

I have posted that moore is the victim of playing a style that gives him too much freedom. I think that's the biggest reason for his issues

 

[Ace]

I love AM's effort and heart, but ideally he is a 15-20 minute a game 6th or 7th man. Most teams would use him for defense and rebounding and would consider any scoring as bonus. Unfortunately, with our roster we need 10 plus points from him to stay competitive and that is not his game. He knows this and he often tries to do too much.

 

[cncchris33]

Chris and germ i am interested in both your takes on this

I have posted that moore is the victim of playing a style that gives him too much freedom. I think that's the biggest reason for his issues

I think so. You hope that a player naturally matures in his progression, but as a decision-maker, AM has just not made that progression. Offensively, he has a low basketball IQ, and has actually regressed in that area from last season IMO. Perhaps that is due to having few other options forcing him to play thru those mistakes for 30+ minutes and just hoping he learns from them. As an experienced senior, that tiger isn't likely to change his stripes.

The freedom he is afforded is detrimental to his development, but again, he isn't going to change at this point. Zo played him out of position, but probably was better for him in terms of harnessing his bad decisions. Tyndall and Barnes put him in a better position on the floor to be successful, but give him too much freedom offensively without much punishment for poor decisions because of a lack of options.

All JMO.

 

[germanicus]

I think so. You hope that a player naturally matures in his progression, but as a decision-maker, AM has just not made that progression. Offensively, he has a low basketball IQ, and has actually regressed in that area from last season IMO. Perhaps that is due to having few other options forcing him to play thru those mistakes for 30+ minutes and just hoping he learns from them. As an experienced senior, that tiger isn't likely to change his stripes.

The freedom he is afforded is detrimental to his development, but again, he isn't going to change at this point. Zo played him out of position, but probably was better for him in terms of harnessing his bad decisions. Tyndall and Barnes put him in a better position on the floor to be successful, but give him too much freedom offensively without much punishment for poor decisions because of a lack of options.

All JMO.

Concur.

Scary thing, is Rob Lewis said the other day that the coaches are looking for Grant Williams to come in and give them many of the same things they are getting from Armani. This staff needs to be looking for major upgrades to the guys on the current roster, not just replacements.

 

[BruinVol]

Thanks guys

 

[JabbyCuz]

1. This team was never going to make the tournament. There isn't a lot of talent. But blowing a 14 point halftime lead and losing by double digits to a sad TCU team that hasn't won in three weeks is beyond inexcusable. Barnes and the coaching staff need to reevaluate some things.

2. I don't mind the zone (although UT stayed in it way too long) but you have to give Kyle Alexander an idea what to do. He was completely lost when TCU played in the high post. He should be defending 18 foot baseline jumpers.

3. And to continue point #2, why are there always two guards converging on the high post guy? You are playing 4 on 3 at that point.

4. On offense, it's ugly if three pointers aren't falling. Kevin Punter is the only guy that has plays called for him other than the occasional Moore post up. I know Hubbs has been absymal lately, but would it kill anyone to call a play for him every once in a while?

5. Admiral Schofield is going to be a solid player but he needs to develop something else offense. Teams are starting to realize he's just a three point shooter at this point and driving him away from the spot and now contesting.

6. Play Shembari Phillips more please. I know he's going to make mistakes, but his energy and hustle is something this team needs.

7. Bernard King Player of the Game: Kyle Alexander. 11 boards and 6 blocks. He showed he has SEC potential. I really liked him the last two weeks. He looks to be the starting center next year.

8. I think something that would help the offense is get Armani more involved in the offense off ball. I like when he comes off a screen, catches, and turns the corner to the lane. It really opens things up. Also, we need to get him involved in the PNR/PNP game as the guy setting the screen.

9. I appreciate Rick Barnes changing Kevin Punter's shot and helping lead him the season he's having, but would it have killed him to help Devon Baulkman's ball handling too?
10. I'm a firm believer that if you can get the lead, you can keep the lead. This team isn't that young. Four seniors are in the rotation. They should be able to finish ball games. The lack of movement on offense is concerning. Too much watching Punter. And Barnes needs to evaluate himself. He's not a joystick coach. That's fine. But he has to learn to make adjustments. When Trent Johnson out coaches you in the second half, maybe it's time to change some **** up.

VALID POINT! The entire post is valid. However, this is the problem with RB. He worked on the shooters and left the bigs on the sideline. He really cares less about the inside game. He is ALL for the perimeter. That is fine but the bigs need developing to help when the shooters go cold. But hey, who am I to judge the coach, I never coached a day in my life. RB is a well seasoned coach with NBA players under his belt (that was talented and needed NO development)! OOps, who said that?lol::birgits_giggle: