GAME THREAD: @ Ole Miss, Tuesday, 2/17, 7pm EST, ESPNU

[Volfan2012]

I feel CKC is probably feeling a level of pressure right now. Whether she will figure all this out and survive at this level is yet to be seen.

It is obvious that she needed more experience before stepping into a job like this. It is not like this team is the worst team out there - but expectations are incredibly high and patience is not a virtue that most LV fans have.

The key is for folks to feel progress is happening - if she can coach her team to beat A&M and upset one of the other three teams, that will help - but lose all four and do not register a marquee win in the SEC tourney and she will have a lot to overcome.

In the Ole Miss game, they played in the 4th quarter like I would have expected but that was too late. They had already dug the hole too deep.

There should be some progress over year one as we only won 8 SEC games last year. We have 8 now should win another one or two. How we do in SEC Tourney and NCAA will decide if we at least match last season. We'll go into year three next season with hopefully Cooper and Latham back and all the freshmen hopefully will stay. We have a big forward that should be very good even as a freshman and another player that has an all around game coming in. If she can max out the portal something that was a failure this season we should see a lot of progress in year three. If not then I think we will be on the road to another restart cause no coach at Tennessee can survive this Pat pushed the expectations way up there.

 

[glv98]

Thats the biggest bunch of BS as I've ever heard. You either have heartifyou dont. You can't coach heart or effort. It's either in you or it's not.

You better believe Pat Summit coached effort if she thought it was lacking.

Also, she made sure she was recruiting effort.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

Thats the biggest bunch of BS as I've ever heard. You either have heartifyou dont. You can't coach heart or effort. It's either in you or it's not.

Hm, that’s interesting. Maybe heart can’t be Coached, but I believe ‘never give up, never stop fighting, never quit’ can be Coached.

 

[37620VOL]

You better believe Pat Summit coached effort if she thought it was lacking.

Also, she made sure she was recruiting effort.

How would our fans react if CKC took away their locker room or made them wash their own laundry?

 

[montbb47]

Retro, they not listening but I 100% agree with you and this the problem with most our fanbase that is steadily trying to push the next coach out to find the quick fix coach like what Mulkey did with LSU...

KIM CALDWELL IS SUPPOSE TO ANSWER THIS BELL BUT IN YOUNG FORM.

Caldwell has NEVER had losing season until she came to Tennessee. She has had immediate and quick success at Glenville State and the one year Marshall. She has NEVER experienced failure before as a head which is why she's been bratty this season and can't control her behavior to losing.

This coach had high expectations taking the job and they were executed day 1 last season. 24-10 for a first year in a power 4 that's impressive! Got a number 2 high school recruiting class. The unfortunate part she never replaced the 5th year and senior leadership that gave her the immediate success nor got the much needed shooting to cover up for players like Zee who's game has been greatly exposed.

It's a sophomore slump and for me if she handled it better I dunno our toxic fans would feel better but it would give credence to this season.

Thank you for highlighting Kim was nowhere and won in nowhere, came to Tennessee and lost.

 

[glv98]

How would our fans react if CKC took away their locker room or made them wash their own laundry?

I think they would love the gesture as long as CKC makes her own adjustments and takes her share of the responsibility. It was never true that fans were outraged just by her putting her players on blast as quitters. It was also because she took no responsibility and scoffed at the notion she should provide any solutions She wisely walked that back.

 

[Volfan2012]

Again there is a realistic middle ground between expecting Kim to be Pat and not setting a record for most double digit losses in a season, not having the third worst loss in a season, not having our worst loss in a season, etc. I don’t expect her to be Pat, but we are talking about records not even set during the other two fired coaches’ tenures. Expecting fans to not have some negative commentary on these games is bewildering.

I think what were looking for is not another Pat which is the top of the mountain. Were looking for more than what the two coaches after Pat Hollie and Kellie provided. it is a slippery slope where she has to do more than they did even if she gets no where near what Pat did.

 

[glv98]

I think what were looking for is not another Pat which is the top of the mountain. Were looking for more than what the two coaches after Pat Hollie and Kellie provided. it is a slippery slope where she has to do more than they did even if she gets no where what Pat did.

Exactly right. You have one job: be better than the last one.

You can close one eye and say Kim was better than Kellie last year but you’d mostly be riding the UConn win. But this year, absent a tourney run, is not better and theres been significant new damage from repeated non competitive losses and obvious team chemistry problems.

She’ll have the opportunity to take what she learns this yr and make a big push ahead next yr. I think that’s all anyone is asking at this point.

 

[glv98]

Yo’s smile here may be slightly smug, and Shes earned it. Kim totally ceded the high ground to Yo.

Bet Kim is back in public communication rehab today and a second walk back in a weeks time is incoming.

 

[vols90]

I wonder if she will do the normal midweek presser today…

 

[madtownvol]

Then fine, stick to that. I was responding to another’s post.

FYI, you directly quoted my post in your comment and that is why i responded to you. Perhaps you meant to quote someone else but I can't read you mind.

 

[vols90]

Wow. May have already been posted, but Kim’s reaction is a whole post on the ESPN page she did not do herself any favors

 

[Volfan2012]

I watched this one instead of this years game. They hugged in this one.

 

[KTrain]

Again there is a realistic middle ground between expecting Kim to be Pat and not setting a record for most double digit losses in a season, not having the third worst loss in a season, not having our worst loss in a season, etc. I don’t expect her to be Pat, but we are talking about records not even set during the other two fired coaches’ tenures. Expecting fans to not have some negative commentary on these games is bewildering.

No, you are right Kelly or Holly never had worst loss ever. It was Pat Summit 31 point loss to Texas in 1985, back when there were maybe 5 or 6 real good teams Nationally and the rest were basically mediocre to bad, just going through the motions.

 

[madtownvol]

Caldwell has NEVER had losing season until she came to Tennessee. She has had immediate and quick success at Glenville State and the one year Marshall. She has NEVER experienced failure before as a head which is why she's been bratty this season and can't control her behavior to losing.

It's a sophomore slump and for me if she handled it better I dunno our toxic fans would feel better but it would give credence to this season.

The wheels are getting little rickety but they have not come off. Right now, the LVs are 16-8 and 8-4 in conference. That is not a losing season. Very worst case scenario, where go they 16-12 and 8-8 in conference is still not a losing season.

But, they are on pace for a disappointing one

 

[Volfan2012]

Wow. May have already been posted, but Kim’s reaction is a whole post on the ESPN page she did not do herself any favors

Yes a lot will be made of it for sure. Barker did the same thing at UCLA this year and McMahon did it when we beat her at Ohio St last year. They don't come down on players as much as coaches and you have to wonder if there is a reason for it. She seemed very polite to the Assistants of Ole Miss just swooped by Yo without a word. Maybe Yo been tampering again.

 

[madtownvol]

Wow. May have already been posted, but Kim’s reaction is a whole post on the ESPN page she did not do herself any favors

Mainly just ESPN clickbait. They are filling space until the NBA gets back going from the All-Star break.
The issue is losing not whether CKC is a model of PR acumen in the aftermath of a loss. Heck, CKC be a bad sport. I am here for it. It goes with the "mad chipmunk" vibe but fix the dang problem and start being a "bad winner."

 

[volfan102455]

There should be some progress over year one as we only won 8 SEC games last year. We have 8 now should win another one or two. How we do in SEC Tourney and NCAA will decide if we at least match last season. We'll go into year three next season with hopefully Cooper and Latham back and all the freshmen hopefully will stay. We have a big forward that should be very good even as a freshman and another player that has an all around game coming in. If she can max out the portal something that was a failure this season we should see a lot of progress in year three. If not then I think we will be on the road to another restart cause no coach at Tennessee can survive this Pat pushed the expectations way up there.

Progress is not just winning the same or more SEC games than last year - it is also showing progress towards being able to play with the top teams. This team has failed at that. In anything, they have regressed - they had a marquee win last year against UCONN. They need one this year to stay even.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

FYI, you directly quoted my post in your comment and that is why i responded to you. Perhaps you meant to quote someone else but I can't read you mind.

No, this is my first post on the subject, obviously responding to Dark Phoenix. Your first post came after this.

Very classy by Coach Yo.
Click to expand...

Ok, I have said (imo) Kim is rude, but in this case, I totally understand CKC’s not wanting to spend any time with a big smiling (which is also, imo, fake, and possibly smug) opposing Coach, after that game.

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Reactions:vols90, JohnnyPayne and LadyVolsDiehard

 

[Volfan2012]

Progress is not just winning the same or more SEC games than last year - it is also showing progress towards being able to play with the top teams. This team has failed at that. In anything, they have regressed - they had a marquee win last year against UCONN. They need one this year to stay even.

It was a strange schedule where we played all the top teams on the road. The only top team home game was Texas which was a one possession game. So if we played them all at home do I think we would win a couple or more yes I do. The road in the SEC has been totally unkind to everybody even SC lost one and only beat A&M at their place by a very few points.
That is part of the failure and the other part is this roster they put together to lead 5 freshmen was totally not the right way to go.

 

[LadyVolsDiehard]

The wheels are getting little rickety but they have not come off. Right now, the LVs are 16-8 and 8-4 in conference. That is not a losing season. Very worst case scenario, where go they 16-12 and 8-8 in conference is still not a losing season.

But, they are on pace for a disappointing one

16-12 would be disappointing. Young team or not, that's Holly Warlick levels of bad.

 

[Volfan2012]

16-12 would be disappointing. Young team or not, that's Holly Warlick levels of bad.

I honestly think we will beat A&M they haven't been very good on the road. They are very solid at home on the road they have been bad. LSU and Oklahoma look like loses I can't see us going on the road and winning either game. The last game at home versus Vandy may also be a loss, but I think they are in for a huge fight at our place much like the Texas game.

 

[KTrain]

Well, there’s nothing new I could add to what everyone else has said, so I’ll just co-sign that we should have played a zone defense. I do believe we could have a fierce zone if we tried.

Also super proud of Hurst. I’m guessing her family and friends up in Cleveland, Tennessee, are beaming today over her performance, even though they’re wishing it could have been in a win.

Poor Coop puts up 30 and still loses.

Just … poor Spearman. I did not have this type of season on my Zee bingo card. Time is running out for her and I’m worried she’s already lost.

I think not having Mia is hurting us badly, so I hope we are fortunate to get her back to finish out the season.

As for Ole Miss, I wasn’t one bit surprised that Cotie was dominating us ‘cause that’s what she does to everyone. She’s uses her strong body fearlessly and has great focus and touch. What a player! Unless we install a stout zone before we play Vandy, I’m sure Blakes will eat us alive like McMahon did.

And lastly, the bloom is off the rose for Kim. After such a positive run-up to this season in which many predicted we would reach at least the Elite 8, and with some luck the Final Four, the way things have gone has been painful. Yes, losing Ruby and recently missing Mia are both major factors, but I think we all feel like there are enough good players on our team that should have been enough to win games like the one we lost last night. It’s kinda heartbreaking to watch. Like others, I kinda feel like Kim now has put herself in the unenviable position of taking the Lady Vols DEEP into next season’s post-season tournaments or DW will have to pull the plug.

All that said, this season isn’t over. It’s on life support, but it ain’t over.

THIS^ when we play teams that shoot few 3s and/or low %3s OM, Texas and a few others, IMO I would practice a zone and find my best 5 to run it and throw them in on the first 5 sub spring it on them and let them play zone until they shoot you out of it. May be 3 possessions or OM could go on a 5+ minute scoreless streak. Cotie was beating off the dribble and help was late and reach fouling giving her FTs and some and1s. OM is definitely a team that could go for a long scoreless streak if you clog the paint like UK did .
I will add the full court and chaos works on some teams like Miz and I would not do a zone on a team like them or Vanderbilt they'd make you pay from 3.
I'm not saying use Zone every game just have it in your arsenal for a few teams OM was good candidate IMO.

 

[Shortydoowop10]

It’s a regular season game. Hardly called that a lick back. Beat us in the tournament to end our season. Now that’s a lick back. She do play very well this game though, but I just don’t feel like it’s even

Pretty sure in her eyes it’s a lick back she beat us and dropped dropped damn near 40 and made her 2,000 point on us

 

[madtownvol]

On some level, you can rationalize this loss. Coming off an emotionally draining loss to TX, playing without their PG and having an unusually tight turnaround for a road game (and so all normal preparation is thrown off).

The harder part to accept is that the LVs had a pretty good offensive night. 81 pts with 41% 3-pt shooting, 43% for 2-pts and a decent 11-15 FT should be good enough to win but their defense.....

While the LVs have shown that they can play solid half court defense, more often than not, if they don't turn the opponent over in their full court press, they are giving up buckets. Given that this outcome keeps happening again and again, one has to wonder if the defensive frailty is a feature and not a bug of "the system."