The Spirit of Davy Crockett Postgame Report

[zjcvols]

1. I thought that Robert Hubbs played a hell of a game. At some point though we got to find a way to run some plays for him. He's too offensively gifted to not run the offense through him and his ability to slash.

2. The biggest takeaway from this game is that this could have gotten ugly really quickly and Barnes was able to rally the troops, calm his guys down, and eventually have them take the lead against a top 20 program. That was a big step today.

3. Tennessee went through some lulls offensively today and you got to wonder how much a healthy Jordan Bone would have helped and if it would have changed the game. Without Bone, Tennessee doesn't have the ball handling attacker to really spread teams out.

4. Detrick Mostella giveth and he taketh away. Great first half but a horrible second half and you have to wonder if when Bone comes back if Mostella eventually gets pushed out of the lineup.

5. It's hard to criticize the defense for a couple of reasons. One, the only way UT was going to stay in this was force turnovers and that is what they did. However the price of that was chasing around the ball all game and it cost them late. I think it was the right coaching decision and kudos to Barnes for mixing some defenses to give different looks.

6. However when Tennessee does play small ball lineups, more switching needs to occur. It's the only way to survive especially with Phillips/Turner/Bowden/Hubbs playing together. Those four are interchangeable on defense so you have to take advantage of that.

7. So.......why was Lew Evans recruited for this team again?

8. Loved Shembari's confidence today. He got lost in the shuffle because off all the incoming guards but we forgot how well he played filling in for Kevin Punter last year. He doesn't play like him but I see a Josh Richardson potential progression for him.

9. Only ten turnovers without your starting point guard. Huge success.

10. Nice performance. I honestly was surprised to look on my twitter feed and see UT had a lead in the second half. Not a great offensive performance or defensive performance but great job on the boards and limiting turnovers plus timely fastbreak opportunities. The rotation is a little frustrating but very expected with so many young and new faces. I doubt Tennessee wins tomorrow but many better outside shooting and it will give you a shot.

 

[OrngeJuiceJones]

1. I thought that Robert Hubbs played a hell of a game. At some point though we got to find a way to run some plays for him. He's too offensively gifted to not run the offense through him and his ability to slash.

2. The biggest takeaway from this game is that this could have gotten ugly really quickly and Barnes was able to rally the troops, calm his guys down, and eventually have them take the lead against a top 20 program. That was a big step today.

3. Tennessee went through some lulls offensively today and you got to wonder how much a healthy Jordan Bone would have helped and if it would have changed the game. Without Bone, Tennessee doesn't have the ball handling attacker to really spread teams out.

4. Detrick Mostella giveth and he taketh away. Great first half but a horrible second half and you have to wonder if when Bone comes back if Mostella eventually gets pushed out of the lineup.

5. It's hard to criticize the defense for a couple of reasons. One, the only way UT was going to stay in this was force turnovers and that is what they did. However the price of that was chasing around the ball all game and it cost them late. I think it was the right coaching decision and kudos to Barnes for mixing some defenses to give different looks.

6. However when Tennessee does play small ball lineups, more switching needs to occur. It's the only way to survive especially with Phillips/Turner/Bowden/Hubbs playing together. Those four are interchangeable on defense so you have to take advantage of that.

7. So.......why was Lew Evans recruited for this team again?

8. Loved Shembari's confidence today. He got lost in the shuffle because off all the incoming guards but we forgot how well he played filling in for Kevin Punter last year. He doesn't play like him but I see a Josh Richardson potential progression for him.

9. Only ten turnovers without your starting point guard. Huge success.

10. Nice performance. I honestly was surprised to look on my twitter feed and see UT had a lead in the second half. Not a great offensive performance or defensive performance but great job on the boards and limiting turnovers plus timely fastbreak opportunities. The rotation is a little frustrating but very expected with so many young and new faces. I doubt Tennessee wins tomorrow but many better outside shooting and it will give you a shot.

#4.. I really thought in key, 2nd half possessions, he took awful shots and forced drives. AND it seemed as if each time it ended in easy points on the other end. I usually never point losses at a single player, but I will today. All momentum was lost IMO due to these situations.

 

[Stoked]

#8...Phillips reminds me so much of Josh Richardson on defense. He is an amazing on ball defender. He needs everyone of Mostella's 3 point shots. Phillips shot close to 38% last year from 3 and is 5-7 this year. He takes smart shots and is very consistent. Mostella is a dreadful 1-6 right now and was only a 30% shooter last year, and a 27% the year before. He's a streaky shooter at best. Slashing is his game and he needs to stick to that.

 

[edyeary]

Wouldn't bother me if Mostella didn't shoot another three the rest of the season.

 

[Special Ed]

7. As I recall, there wasn't much available at the time, so Rick decided to settle for whatever he could get. Rick's a settler.

 

[Lefteye]

Wish I could agree with #1, op. A lot of the defensive breakdowns yesterday were on him. Imo That shouldn't be the case for a senior on a freshman laden team. Not trying to pile on a guy that stuck it out here through 3 different coaches. Just don't see the light clicking on defensively and that outside shot is still horrendous.

 

[Vol_til_I_die]

For what this team lacks in size and muscle, I still think they are going to be fun to watch this year.

 

[Chris4Vols22]

I was a little underwhelmed with Kwe's defense. Not that he was terrible, but he got shook a few times. I was expecting a little more refinement, but these guys are young.

Got pretty irritated when Fulk checked in, played good perimeter D, then picked up a ghost foul. On the replay, he didn't even touch the ball handler. If Fulk can get some experience, confidence, and a little weight over the next couple months, he may become a defensive asset to help Alexander out.

Speaking of which, it's been fun watching Kyle progress. He's gaining confidence and making more deliberate moves. I hope he keeps playing hard.

Overall, kind of a surprising game. We hung with a good team after getting beat down in the first few minutes. That kind of play will get you wins against better teams. Gotta give Barnes a few extra kudos for the in-game adjustments

We will have another chance to roll the dice against a superior opponent, can't wait to see how we do. Definitely not expecting a win, but if we play like we did yesterday, we may keep it a game the whole way through. Really hoping Barnes wasn't teasing us with being able to get the players back under control and instilling a solid game plan. Go Vols!

 

[cncchris33]

It may just be a general lack of size, but we have to do a better job defending around the basket. Wisconsin scored a lot of points in the paint that prevented us from building a lead once we took it. We had no answer for them inside 5 feet. The obvious answer is to not let them get the ball inside that deep, and thought we did a great job at times of keeping it on the perimeter. However, Wisconsin found a way to expose whatever we were doing and then at the end, they started hitting from outside, which only opened up the paint even more.

 

[cncchris33]

Also, Bill Walton is the absolute worst.

 

[iKrager]

Also, Bill Walton is the absolute worst.

Dude. Bill Walton's commentary is WAY better than the bottomfeeder SEC commentators! Sad but so true.

Walton had a few too many margaritas though before yesterday's game.. lol.

 

[zjcvols]

Here's my thing about Walton. It's actually entertaining if you go into it looking at it not looking for basketball commentary. And Walton isn't going to give you bull**** that he's a basketball god (like Inside the NBA does where they act as gods). It's like watching basketball with your uncle.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Dude. Bill Walton's commentary is WAY better than the bottomfeeder SEC commentators! Sad but so true.

Walton had a few too many margaritas though before yesterday's game.. lol.

Probably Maui Wowie

 

[Lefteye]

It may just be a general lack of size, but we have to do a better job defending around the basket. Wisconsin scored a lot of points in the paint that prevented us from building a lead once we took it. We had no answer for them inside 5 feet. The obvious answer is to not let them get the ball inside that deep, and thought we did a great job at times of keeping it on the perimeter. However, Wisconsin found a way to expose whatever we were doing and then at the end, they started hitting from outside, which only opened up the paint even more.

Yeah they especially struggle when KA goes to the bench. I like where Grant Williams is though. The word I'd use to describe him is smooth.(not usually a word I'd use to describe a big either) But he at least doesn't give up ground dow there and seems to be in the right spots most times, so he's apparently got a good iq. If he just had 2-3 more inches on that vertical he'd be a he!! of a defender and rebounder.

I'm looking forward to watching his game progress.

 

[cncchris33]

I will say it's funny (and a touch awkward)to listen to the contentious back and forth between Walton and the other commentator.

 

[cncchris33]

Dude. Bill Walton's commentary is WAY better than the bottomfeeder SEC commentators! Sad but so true.

Walton had a few too many margaritas though before yesterday's game.. lol.

An indictment of SEC commentators more than a credit to Walton.

I'm convinced ol' Bill is perpetually high on the devil's lettuce.

 

[cncchris33]

Yeah they especially struggle when KA goes to the bench. I like where Grant Williams is though. The word I'd use to describe him is smooth.(not usually a word I'd use to describe a big either) But he at least doesn't give up ground dow there and seems to be in the right spots most times, so he's apparently got a good iq. If he just had 2-3 more inches on that vertical he'd be a he!! of a defender and rebounder.

I'm looking forward to watching his game progress.

Agree on Williams. He has a bright future. Wish he was a couple inches taller.

 

[longrobe]

I spent the game, watching. Decided not to jump on the Forum until after the game. Read through all 452 replies. Here are some comments:

Refs will always be bad. No one ever leaves a game saying, "Man, the refs were so good today." There will always be games you get less calls, more calls. Its basketball and there is nothing we can do about it.

Our team is YOUNG. We can't change that. Forget about the freshman for a second. Everyone keeps saying, "I thought Barnes was a good recruiter. We got brought in nobody this year." Look at who we are returning as a team. Do you really think Barnes is going to bring in Top 50 recruits to play with Alexander, Hubbs, Mostella, and Schofield. The recruiting process takes time. He brought in seven players, who will take at least a year to be ready (and for Jalen Johnson, a redshirt year).

Grant Williams is a bit undersized but battles.
Kwe Parker isn't sure yet what is position is. At Wesleyan Christian for the last four years he played the two/three because they had four other D1 guys on the team (Brandon Childress - Wake Forest/PG, Jalen Johnson - UT, Harry Giles - Duke, and a kid who is going to Houston Baptist and another to Lipscomb.) It will take him to figure out his position in college.
John Fulkerson - played only 15 minutes in the first two games coming into the game today. To leave with 12 and 10 and 5 blocks battling against a much bigger Boucher, is impressive. The kid just works and hustles. At Christ School, NC, he wasn't the leading scorer. He was their back bone hustle guy who had 113 blocks and lead the team in steals, rebounding. He will just continue to get better. He stepped up big tonight.
Jordan Bowden - Had an off shooting night. He hits two more threes and all of you are saying that Jordan should be starting.
Jordan Bone - unfortunate that he was hurt tonight could have used him.

It will be trial by fire with the freshman this year, but they will just continue to improve. We can't expect 18 year olds to come in and average 15 points and lead their team to five games over .500 when Barnes wasn't expecting any of them to do that in the first place.

Watch the game for what it is.
-Down ten, "we suck, we are so bad."
-We come back and all of a sudden its "maybe I was wrong, perhaps we might be good this year."
-Lose the game and its, "I knew it. We are terrible."

We need to start the game better and definitely need to start the second half better. We can't continually put ourselves in a hole this big. We won't always be able to climb out of it.


Lastly, before we call for Barnes firing, let's realize it takes a while to get a team to where you want them to be. This is year 2. Billy Donovan was 13-17 and 14-15 in his first two years at Florida. He made the tourney in year 3, and for the next nine years. Give it time. Trust the process.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

I spent the game, watching. Decided not to jump on the Forum until after the game. Read through all 452 replies. Here are some comments:

Refs will always be bad. No one ever leaves a game saying, "Man, the refs were so good today." There will always be games you get less calls, more calls. Its basketball and there is nothing we can do about it.

Our team is YOUNG. We can't change that. Forget about the freshman for a second. Everyone keeps saying, "I thought Barnes was a good recruiter. We got brought in nobody this year." Look at who we are returning as a team. Do you really think Barnes is going to bring in Top 50 recruits to play with Alexander, Hubbs, Mostella, and Schofield. The recruiting process takes time. He brought in seven players, who will take at least a year to be ready (and for Jalen Johnson, a redshirt year).

Grant Williams is a bit undersized but battles.
Kwe Parker isn't sure yet what is position is. At Wesleyan Christian for the last four years he played the two/three because they had four other D1 guys on the team (Brandon Childress - Wake Forest/PG, Jalen Johnson - UT, Harry Giles - Duke, and a kid who is going to Houston Baptist and another to Lipscomb.) It will take him to figure out his position in college.
John Fulkerson - played only 15 minutes in the first two games coming into the game today. To leave with 12 and 10 and 5 blocks battling against a much bigger Boucher, is impressive. The kid just works and hustles. At Christ School, NC, he wasn't the leading scorer. He was their back bone hustle guy who had 113 blocks and lead the team in steals, rebounding. He will just continue to get better. He stepped up big tonight.
Jordan Bowden - Had an off shooting night. He hits two more threes and all of you are saying that Jordan should be starting.
Jordan Bone - unfortunate that he was hurt tonight could have used him.

It will be trial by fire with the freshman this year, but they will just continue to improve. We can't expect 18 year olds to come in and average 15 points and lead their team to five games over .500 when Barnes wasn't expecting any of them to do that in the first place.

Watch the game for what it is.
-Down ten, "we suck, we are so bad."
-We come back and all of a sudden its "maybe I was wrong, perhaps we might be good this year."
-Lose the game and its, "I knew it. We are terrible."

We need to start the game better and definitely need to start the second half better. We can't continually put ourselves in a hole this big. We won't always be able to climb out of it.


Lastly, before we call for Barnes firing, let's realize it takes a while to get a team to where you want them to be. This is year 2. Billy Donovan was 13-17 and 14-15 in his first two years at Florida. He made the tourney in year 3, and for the next nine years. Give it time. Trust the process.

So you waited to post and put it in here and start a thread with the same post. Alrighty then.

 

[longrobe]

So you waited to post and put it in here and start a thread with the same post. Alrighty then.

Enjoyed reading your response on the game. Very insightful.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Enjoyed reading your response on the game. Very insightful.

Yours was so nice it was posted twice!

 

[longrobe]

Yours was so nice it was posted twice!

Gracias. I just wrote a lot, so wanted to get as many comments as possible. Thats all.

I wish I had commented on how much I dislike listening to Bill Walton. Nice guy, but it must be unbearable to work with him. Guam...have you been there? Vietnam.... have you been there? Kingsport, TN.... have you been there?

Give it a break, we get it, you know things.