Game Thread Lady Vols at Penn State

#328
#328
Amb3096 said:
Reynolds has lived off the legend of when she saved Tennessee's bacon in the SEC tournament vs. Kentucky her freshman year. That has been her career highlight, and she has never replicated it.

It's like whenever Holly looks at her, she must be remembering how Jordan completely changed the momentum in that game, and keeps hoping maybe after 80-some mediocre games since then that she might repeat that performance.
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For all the crap I give Jordan, she did give us a magical moment and maybe the most important thing of all: hope. But I agree Middleton should be pg. She ALWAYS looks for Russell. It just always feels like she just needs more reps to get a feel for the game.
 
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#329
#329
No point in even trying to analyze this game or the season ahead for that matter with HW as HC. It's the same mess. Apparently it is all she knows.

They lost big to Penn State. Penn State. This has been normal for awhile now. If all you ask of her is to make the Sweet 16 and you will be happy/OK with it (which is highly unlikely), well, go follow another program that accepts that as a good season. Lady Vols are competing for titles every season. Just go along with Cheek/Hart's change of name to Vols and accept mediocrity.
 
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#331
#331
Vols4us said:
No point in even trying to analyze this game or the season ahead for that matter with HW as HC. It's the same mess. Apparently it is all she knows.

They lost big to Penn State. Penn State. This has been normal for awhile now. If all you ask of her is to make the Sweet 16 and you will be happy/OK with it (which is highly unlikely), well, go follow another program that accepts that as a good season. Lady Vols are competing for titles every season. Just go along with Cheek/Hart's change of name to Vols and accept mediocrity.
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SHDD (Same Holly, Different Day)
 
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#332
#332
What defense did we play tonight, for the most part--man or zone?

And another question: why so few minutes for Middleton? Because of her defense? We need Middleton on the floor, and that may mean playing more zone defense, as I don't think we are going to be a great man defense team with or without Middleton on the court. But we do need her on the offensive end....
 
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#333
#333
armchair said:
What defense did we play tonight, for the most part--man or zone?

And another question: why so few minutes for Middleton? Because of her defense? We need Middleton on the floor, and that may mean playing more zone defense, as I don't think we are going to be a great man defense team with or without Middleton on the court. But we do need her on the offensive end....
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Middleton plays like she is in mud
 
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#334
#334
armchair said:
What defense did we play tonight, for the most part--man or zone?

And another question: why so few minutes for Middleton? Because of her defense? We need Middleton on the floor, and that may mean playing more zone defense, as I don't think we are going to be a great man defense team with or without Middleton on the court. But we do need her on the offensive end....
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We have to play zone defense as we do not have any one capable of guarding anyone man to man!!!!!
We go after the other team aggressively in a man to man defense and they just BLOW by us! Every team we play there best offensive player makes our whole team look stupid trying to guard them???🤔
 
#336
#336
A positive from this game--- Post game, Holly seems pissed. She usually just seems disappointed & dumbfounded. Today she seemed pissed! I like that! & she actually called it as it was. Uninspired!
 
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#337
#337
VOL720 said:
I usually get all upset when the Lady Vols lost. My expectations went down when Cooper was ruled out for the season. I expect the Sweet 16 is realistic. Reynolds is a liability as a point guard and we don't have consistent guard play. Our defense has taken a back seat. My realistic expectation is the Sweet 16.
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Sweet 16?!!! Mark my words this team won't make the tourney for the 1st time this year!!
 
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#340
#340
Vol0715 said:
A positive from this game--- Post game, Holly seems pissed. She usually just seems disappointed & dumbfounded. Today she seemed pissed! I like that! & she actually called it as it was. Uninspired!
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I am not a Warlick fan, never have been; I think exactly as you do--she typically seems befuddled after losses, which only reinforces my deep skepticism about her.

But something about her post-game presser was different tonight, and I'm not quite sure what it was, but she seemed more cogent and candid about the problem--an uninspired team. And Warlick must take responsibility for it, and did. But I came away thinking, you know: we've got player leadership problems on this team--and they start with Reynolds, a senior, and DeShields--who is supposed to be our star player AND leader, and yet had another crappy, uninspired performance much like she had many times last year. She and Reynolds need to LEAD the team on the court--and I don't think they do it. Reynolds is our point guard (for better or worse), DeShields is the player we lean on: if they are playing badly and not busting their tails and being vocal and getting after it, we're sunk. They were both terrible tonight--and there is no damn excuse for your senior point guard and your top player to be terrible in the first big game of the season. No excuse. So while I put a lot on Warlick, and maybe ultimately Warlick is uninspiring for whatever reasons, ultimately players gotta play and win for themselves and their teammates. Great players hate losing. Do Reynolds and DeShields hate to lose? Doesn't seem like it.
 
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#342
#342
There is no leader on the team. Mercedes has been the only consistent performer. Cedes lead this team.

"In the first half, we were moving the ball around the zone," said Nared, who played 40 minutes. "Nobody was cutting. Nobody was driving. It caused everyone to play us out and all we were doing was shooting threes. We had no movement. When you don't have any movement, it's easy to guard in a 2-3 zone."

It didn't help that DeShields went out for awhile in the first half with an ankle injury before picking up a second foul. She shot 2 for 7 from the floor in 10 first-half minutes and finished 4 for 15 with eight points. She had five assists but also committed four turnovers.

"She just wasn't on her game," Warlick said. "I thought she had moved past that. She's a great player and a great competitor. She didn't have it today. She didn't have it. When your best player doesn't have it, it's going to be a struggle."
 
#345
#345
armchair said:
I am not a Warlick fan, never have been; I think exactly as you do--she typically seems befuddled after losses, which only reinforces my deep skepticism about her.

But something about her post-game presser was different tonight, and I'm not quite sure what it was, but she seemed more cogent and candid about the problem--an uninspired team. And Warlick must take responsibility for it, and did. But I came away thinking, you know: we've got player leadership problems on this team--and they start with Reynolds, a senior, and DeShields--who is supposed to be our star player AND leader, and yet had another crappy, uninspired performance much like she had many times last year. She and Reynolds need to LEAD the team on the court--and I don't think they do it. Reynolds is our point guard (for better or worse), DeShields is the player we lean on: if they are playing badly and not busting their tails and being vocal and getting after it, we're sunk. They were both terrible tonight--and there is no damn excuse for your senior point guard and your top player to be terrible in the first big game of the season. No excuse. So while I put a lot on Warlick, and maybe ultimately Warlick is uninspiring for whatever reasons, ultimately players gotta play and win for themselves and their teammates. Great players hate losing. Do Reynolds and DeShields hate to lose? Doesn't seem like it.
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At the end of the day coach Holly Warlick took full responsibility for the loss. We'll be hearing her say that again this season. I'm thinking at least 6 more times before the SEC tournament and I'm being generous.

I feel bad for the players.
 
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#347
#347
Reynolds seemed to step up last year before she got hurt in the tournament. Need her back yelling and leading.
 
#348
#348
I probably should post on this thread as a visitor, but ...
Last year TN struggled against every team that decided to commit to playing zone against them, and they lost a lot of those games to less talented teams. In watching them play offense against a zone it appeared that not one player or coach had a clue about fundamental principles of attacking zone defenses. So as an outsider it was pretty surprising to see this problem appear early in the year, and reappear, and reappear, and never see any sign that someone was making changes in practice. And we are now 12 months later, a new year, and the exact same issue shows up again. There are a dozen really good books and as many good video tapes on coaching principles of offense against a zone - I can't believe that the HC and all three assistants have never stumbled across any of these, and after last year i can't believe they didn't actively seek them out - but based on this single game that appears to be the case. Again the players and the coaches didn't appear to have a clue.

You can blame players for not hitting shots or failing to box out, but these are 18-21 year olds that need coaching and guidance - you can't beat a zone defense one on one - that is what it is designed to protect against - you have to beat a zone as a team and that takes coaching.

Another thought to those who want to think that TN uniquely gets players that were 'overrated' coming out of HS. This has been a lament of some TN fans every year since that last monster class at the end of Pat's tenure. At some point you can't keep pointing at the recruits, you have to start looking at the coaching they are getting - sure the rating system for HS players is flawed, but it is flawed in the same way for all recruits for all schools. And it is mostly flawed in underestimating some under the radar players that blossom in college. The real difference in results over a decent sample size comes down to the teaching and coaching and leadership they get in college.
 
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#349
#349
gladiator06 said:
We're all excited about the #1 recruiting class....HELLO!!! one could argue the #1 recruiting class is on the floor now:

'13 Mercedes Russell - #1, 5 star recruit
'13 Diamond Deshields - #3, 5 star recruit
'13 Jordan Reynolds - #42, 4 star recruit
'14 Jamie Nared - #6, 5 star recruit
'14 Alexa Middleton - #28, 5 star recruit
'14 Kourtney Dunbar - #78, 4 star recruit
'15 Jamesha Jackson - #49, 5 star recruit
'15 Te'a Cooper - #8, 5 star recruit, albeit sidelined

you get the picture. we're playing with as many 5 star recruits as anyone right now, but someone has to know how to get the best out of these young women and help them to take their game to the next level.

sorry, i'm not feeling really excited about having the #1 recruiting class.
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The key here is the absence of a truly great point guard. Reynolds is lacking in so many fundamental skills and Middleton is better suited to shooting guard due to her slow foot speed. We miss Cooper. She and Hayes should give us top-notch play next year if Holly lets them shine.

Here's the good news: If Holly can't get it done by the end of next year (when she'll finally have a deep, talent-laden roster), the new head coach will have a quality lineup from which to build success.

This current team has no fire, determination or guts. And for some confounding reason, the head coach consistently seems baffled beyond belief.
 
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#350
#350
armchair said:
When are diehard LADY Vol fans going to get what I've been saying for years--we have a terrible coaching staff.
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Armchair, we're listening but with a lame duck administration, NO ONE in the UTAD gives a flying flip about the Lady Vols as long as attendance is still in the Top Ten every year. If we start losing more $$ than usual in the women's basketball program, due to fan-base complacency, coaching change will occur.

We need these great recruits for the next head coach. Our new AD, most likely David Blackburn, will care about women's athletics. He'll give Holly next year then gently push her toward retirement if the results are once again sub-standard. Holly was Hart's choice all the way. David will have no such loyalties.

A brighter day is coming. I agree: Holly isn't getting it done. She's soft and clueless.
 
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