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Are we really 22 days away from basketball season? Damn. What a crazy 2014 year for the basketball team. We went from firing the coach, to wanting to keep the coach, to have the coach leaving, to hiring a new one, with a brand new roster.
It's been a crazy year. A lot of opinions on a lot of things. But it's time for basketball. Let's get to it.
1. Tyndall will have to be creative to win games
The talent is not as bad as people think. There is legitimate talent. But it's young, not physically ready, and inexperienced. There are a lot of wings, but no point guard and one true center. So the Vols will have to use length and quickness to their advantage.
What will the Vols do? Press and switch defenses. Use a lot of different sets on offense. On defense, Tennessee will press and zone, but won't use just one variant. Tyndall has been known to switch up schemes and he will. He has to. Basketball is probably the most on the fly coaching adjustments out of all the sports. That will be a big thing to watch. How Tyndall switches it up to keep teams off balance.
2. Who is the point guard, who should be the point guard, does it matter? We are screwed.
Antonio Barton and Darius Thompson didn't light it up at the point guard spot last year. It's going to be much worse this year. Why? There isn't one. Braxton Bonds is the only true point guard on the roster. He has some talent (LSU and MTSU offers are definitely nothing to sneeze at) we won't know if he's eligible.
Kevin Punter, Ian Chiles, and Josh Richardson will get the run at PG and none of them have ever played the position. Both Punter and Chiles are scoring two guards. Richardson is a wing. Punter is a scorer while Chiles is more of a defender. Punter looks to get the first crack and it makes sense. He's 6'4 and explosive. But it could be a long season with no true playmaker at the position.
Something that could happen. If Hubbs/Richardson/Baulkman hold down the fort at the wings, it wouldn't shock me if Detrick Mostella gets some time there if Punter/Chiles doesn't work. He's incredibly talented. At that point, you might as well give him a shot if it's not working out.
3. What does the post rotation look like?
There is probably one guarantee. Armani Moore (WHO IS NOW FREE. YOU ARE WELCOME AMERICA) will be the starting four and play a Dane Bradshaw role, if Dane Bradshaw had athletic ability. Moore will rebound, block shots, be a menace, get me playing "Mo Money" by J. Cole a lot, and it will be joyous. Watch out SEC, Biggie said it best.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUhRKVIjJtw[/youtube] NSFW
So who will be the starting center? It looks like Carmichael will get that chance, with Dom Woodson vying for time now that he has been clearn. Tariq Owens will definitely get playing time with his defense and it wouldn't shock me if Jabari McGhee gets 15 minutes a night. I expect Armani Moore to get 30 minutes with Derek Reese getting 10 minutes backing him up with his ability to hit the 3, and then a three man group at center with Carmichael (rebounding), Woodson (scoring), and Owens (defense) mixing it up based on matchups. If Jabari McGhee can redshirt, that would be great because he could use it and it shows that UT's posts are doing a good job.
4. What can we expect from Robert Hubbs?
Hubbs is a talent. Last year went awful for him. He got caught in the rotation, he hurt his shoulder, and he just never got comfortable. He's fresh, a coach that will use him from day one, and somebody that will be relied on.
If the season started, would he start? I'm not sure. But he will be a factor. He needs to improve his defensive intensity and look for his shot on offense. If he can do that, expect big time production from him. He's the most talented player on the team. Getting the most out of him will help towards a winning season.
5. Who will be the most improved Vol this year?
Please. You think there was any other answer?
This will most likely be a long season but the most fun thing to watch other than Josh Richardson being THE MAN will be Armani Moore. Something like 13/6 with blocks galore and defensive intensity not seen since America defended Bunker Hill during the Revolutionary War is possible. There will lots of dunks, blocks, steals, big time plays, and Burt Burtlekamp yelling "MONEY!" when Armani takes over. It shall be a joyous occasion.
6. Zack, let's go crazy and make you coach. Devise your offensive identity.
"Well I must say it's a honor to be the coach at the University of Tennessee. Free barbeques for everyone!"
Anyways, here is what my plan would be. RUN. Run everyone to death. Don't look back. Hire Usain Bolt. Make it the Boston Marathon every game. There are times when you run. There are times when you don't. This year, you run everyone out of the gym. It's your only hope. You have one semi-proven creative scorer in Josh Richardson. You have no point guard. You don't have anyone that has shot 35% from three in a D-1 basketball season. You have to create easy buckets.
Tyndall likes to run but he isn't 1990's Rick Pitino. Tyndall likes to push, pull it back, and find mismatches in the half court. He loves efficiency. But sometimes you have to say "**** it" and switch it up. You have good athletes. It would be a lot easier with a playmaking point guard but there isn't any so you have to create easy buckets.
In the half court? A lot of cuts, screens, and handoffs to create basket attacks and dribble drives. You must destroy the paint and own it to create chaos around the rim and find two solid shooters to help spread the floor.
7. Five true freshman this year. Who will be the best out of the bunch?
Detrick Mostella is explosive. He's getting a little lost in the shuffle because of how many wings UT has but the guy can ball. He's cleared to play and been practicing and could do what Jordan McRae did his sophomore. Provide a spark off the bench. I'm not sure how much defense he will provide. But he will definitely be dangerous in the open court and create his own shot. Hopefully he will provide solid ball handling in the pick and roll game and give the offense a little something extra.
Overall, I think he will be the best and will start next year at the shooting guard spot. I love his potential. He can shoot, not afraid of contact, and seems like a guy you want late in the game to make big plays.
I do love Tariq Owens and UT will have a legitimate shot blocker for the first time since God knows when. He could be a Jarvis Varnado type by his senior season. Also don't discount Braxton Bonds. He's good.
8. How does UT stack up to the SEC?
The SEC is bad at basketball. This is a positive. More wins for Tennessee hopefully. However, Tennessee isn't good this year. Looking at the schedule, Tennessee has to go on the road at LSU, at Florida, at Ole Miss, and at Missouri. Those four are most likely losses. Kentucky is a home game but I don't like our chances. Really, Tennessee going .500 in the SEC would be really good. Kentucky and Florida are legit. LSU will be better. Mississippi State and Georgia could be interesting. Vandy will be better. But after the first two...it's a complete crap shoot.
9. What should I look for this season?
Improvement. Good defensive effort. The young guys and how they do on the road.
It's going to be a long season. The chances of making the tournament are really low. That means the young guys will play and the team should be better in March than November. Consistent improvement and good defense will be perfectly fine this year.
10. Will we know if Tyndall is the guy this year?
No. We won't. Never judge a coach during year one. There are too many variables.
However, we will have an idea if he's the guy. If we see a winning season, solid improvement, and a team that plays defense (with better recruiting) then UT should be fine. If you see a team that plays undisciplined, inefficient basketball (which I don't expect), underwhelming recruiting (not looking good so far but way too early), and a team that doesn't compete in the SEC, it could be bad early. Give Tyndall time, support the team, and enjoy basketball this year. Tennessee has had great success the last ten years in basketball. A down year is okay if improvement is in sight. We'll see how it goes.
Go Vols!!! :hi:
It's been a crazy year. A lot of opinions on a lot of things. But it's time for basketball. Let's get to it.
1. Tyndall will have to be creative to win games
The talent is not as bad as people think. There is legitimate talent. But it's young, not physically ready, and inexperienced. There are a lot of wings, but no point guard and one true center. So the Vols will have to use length and quickness to their advantage.
What will the Vols do? Press and switch defenses. Use a lot of different sets on offense. On defense, Tennessee will press and zone, but won't use just one variant. Tyndall has been known to switch up schemes and he will. He has to. Basketball is probably the most on the fly coaching adjustments out of all the sports. That will be a big thing to watch. How Tyndall switches it up to keep teams off balance.
2. Who is the point guard, who should be the point guard, does it matter? We are screwed.
Antonio Barton and Darius Thompson didn't light it up at the point guard spot last year. It's going to be much worse this year. Why? There isn't one. Braxton Bonds is the only true point guard on the roster. He has some talent (LSU and MTSU offers are definitely nothing to sneeze at) we won't know if he's eligible.
Kevin Punter, Ian Chiles, and Josh Richardson will get the run at PG and none of them have ever played the position. Both Punter and Chiles are scoring two guards. Richardson is a wing. Punter is a scorer while Chiles is more of a defender. Punter looks to get the first crack and it makes sense. He's 6'4 and explosive. But it could be a long season with no true playmaker at the position.
Something that could happen. If Hubbs/Richardson/Baulkman hold down the fort at the wings, it wouldn't shock me if Detrick Mostella gets some time there if Punter/Chiles doesn't work. He's incredibly talented. At that point, you might as well give him a shot if it's not working out.
3. What does the post rotation look like?
There is probably one guarantee. Armani Moore (WHO IS NOW FREE. YOU ARE WELCOME AMERICA) will be the starting four and play a Dane Bradshaw role, if Dane Bradshaw had athletic ability. Moore will rebound, block shots, be a menace, get me playing "Mo Money" by J. Cole a lot, and it will be joyous. Watch out SEC, Biggie said it best.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUhRKVIjJtw[/youtube] NSFW
So who will be the starting center? It looks like Carmichael will get that chance, with Dom Woodson vying for time now that he has been clearn. Tariq Owens will definitely get playing time with his defense and it wouldn't shock me if Jabari McGhee gets 15 minutes a night. I expect Armani Moore to get 30 minutes with Derek Reese getting 10 minutes backing him up with his ability to hit the 3, and then a three man group at center with Carmichael (rebounding), Woodson (scoring), and Owens (defense) mixing it up based on matchups. If Jabari McGhee can redshirt, that would be great because he could use it and it shows that UT's posts are doing a good job.
4. What can we expect from Robert Hubbs?
Hubbs is a talent. Last year went awful for him. He got caught in the rotation, he hurt his shoulder, and he just never got comfortable. He's fresh, a coach that will use him from day one, and somebody that will be relied on.
If the season started, would he start? I'm not sure. But he will be a factor. He needs to improve his defensive intensity and look for his shot on offense. If he can do that, expect big time production from him. He's the most talented player on the team. Getting the most out of him will help towards a winning season.
5. Who will be the most improved Vol this year?
Please. You think there was any other answer?
This will most likely be a long season but the most fun thing to watch other than Josh Richardson being THE MAN will be Armani Moore. Something like 13/6 with blocks galore and defensive intensity not seen since America defended Bunker Hill during the Revolutionary War is possible. There will lots of dunks, blocks, steals, big time plays, and Burt Burtlekamp yelling "MONEY!" when Armani takes over. It shall be a joyous occasion.
6. Zack, let's go crazy and make you coach. Devise your offensive identity.
"Well I must say it's a honor to be the coach at the University of Tennessee. Free barbeques for everyone!"
Anyways, here is what my plan would be. RUN. Run everyone to death. Don't look back. Hire Usain Bolt. Make it the Boston Marathon every game. There are times when you run. There are times when you don't. This year, you run everyone out of the gym. It's your only hope. You have one semi-proven creative scorer in Josh Richardson. You have no point guard. You don't have anyone that has shot 35% from three in a D-1 basketball season. You have to create easy buckets.
Tyndall likes to run but he isn't 1990's Rick Pitino. Tyndall likes to push, pull it back, and find mismatches in the half court. He loves efficiency. But sometimes you have to say "**** it" and switch it up. You have good athletes. It would be a lot easier with a playmaking point guard but there isn't any so you have to create easy buckets.
In the half court? A lot of cuts, screens, and handoffs to create basket attacks and dribble drives. You must destroy the paint and own it to create chaos around the rim and find two solid shooters to help spread the floor.
7. Five true freshman this year. Who will be the best out of the bunch?
Detrick Mostella is explosive. He's getting a little lost in the shuffle because of how many wings UT has but the guy can ball. He's cleared to play and been practicing and could do what Jordan McRae did his sophomore. Provide a spark off the bench. I'm not sure how much defense he will provide. But he will definitely be dangerous in the open court and create his own shot. Hopefully he will provide solid ball handling in the pick and roll game and give the offense a little something extra.
Overall, I think he will be the best and will start next year at the shooting guard spot. I love his potential. He can shoot, not afraid of contact, and seems like a guy you want late in the game to make big plays.
I do love Tariq Owens and UT will have a legitimate shot blocker for the first time since God knows when. He could be a Jarvis Varnado type by his senior season. Also don't discount Braxton Bonds. He's good.
8. How does UT stack up to the SEC?
The SEC is bad at basketball. This is a positive. More wins for Tennessee hopefully. However, Tennessee isn't good this year. Looking at the schedule, Tennessee has to go on the road at LSU, at Florida, at Ole Miss, and at Missouri. Those four are most likely losses. Kentucky is a home game but I don't like our chances. Really, Tennessee going .500 in the SEC would be really good. Kentucky and Florida are legit. LSU will be better. Mississippi State and Georgia could be interesting. Vandy will be better. But after the first two...it's a complete crap shoot.
9. What should I look for this season?
Improvement. Good defensive effort. The young guys and how they do on the road.
It's going to be a long season. The chances of making the tournament are really low. That means the young guys will play and the team should be better in March than November. Consistent improvement and good defense will be perfectly fine this year.
10. Will we know if Tyndall is the guy this year?
No. We won't. Never judge a coach during year one. There are too many variables.
However, we will have an idea if he's the guy. If we see a winning season, solid improvement, and a team that plays defense (with better recruiting) then UT should be fine. If you see a team that plays undisciplined, inefficient basketball (which I don't expect), underwhelming recruiting (not looking good so far but way too early), and a team that doesn't compete in the SEC, it could be bad early. Give Tyndall time, support the team, and enjoy basketball this year. Tennessee has had great success the last ten years in basketball. A down year is okay if improvement is in sight. We'll see how it goes.
Go Vols!!! :hi:
