After win Pearl says Prince will start at point guard

#52
#52
Fine Vol said:
BPV how do you see the Butler game goin?
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With us, there's no telling.

That said, I think we might see quite a bit of JP, JJ, and Ramar on the floor with the D spread out. Lofton can hold his own against Butler from a D standpoint.

We'll see a renewed interst in the defensive glass and that will key our break. we'll run at every chance and press longer rather than dropping back after the inbounds pass. Our ad over these guys is depth and athleticism. Let's run and force tempo again wirh the press.

We've gotten a little afraid of the easy transition basket, but they're OK when playing teams like Butler. Bruce said he was going to do that today, but backed away from that early.

Finally, I think Butler will be surprised by the difference in today's Vols and what they'll see Sunday.
 
#53
#53
There is no question that something is going on behind the scene here. No way Bruce just comes out and rags on his players like that. I think the most serious concern is what this does to morale for the entire team. I believe that is why the team came out like they didn't care today.
 
#54
#54
volley said:
There is no question that something is going on behind the scene here. No way Bruce just comes out and rags on his players like that. I think the most serious concern is what this does to morale for the entire team. I believe that is why the team came out like they didn't care today.
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This is an attempt at a remedy for an on-the-court situation. If you have a "morale" problem at this point then you need to be called out and benched.

Whatever happened off-the-court did not help matters, but it is not the reason for the change.
 
#55
#55
BigPapaVol said:
With us, there's no telling.

That said, I think we might see quite a bit of JP, JJ, and Ramar on the floor with the D spread out. Lofton can hold his own against Butler from a D standpoint.

We'll see a renewed interst in the defensive glass and that will key our break. we'll run at every chance and press longer rather than dropping back after the inbounds pass. Our ad over these guys is depth and athleticism. Let's run and force tempo again wirh the press.

We've gotten a little afraid of the easy transition basket, but they're OK when playing teams like Butler. Bruce said he was going to do that today, but backed away from that early.

Finally, I think Butler will be surprised by the difference in today's Vols and what they'll see Sunday.
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good stuff. Its tough to beat a American team that was shooting the three ball that well. We fell short on rebounding a lot today too.We need to get alot more boards playing Butler.
 
#56
#56
I think the obvious message here is this: Jordan Howell will not see the floor for the rest of our stay in the Dance, unless both Ramar and J.P. get into serious foul trouble. Howell is simply not playing at a level to merit ANY playing time, sad to say. I know he's "steady" and doesn't turn it over all that much, but he's both an offensive AND defensive liability. I expect J.P. and Ramar to see roughly equal minutes at PG.
 
#57
#57
Everyone throughout the whole season complained about JP and his play. If you all complained about that, and now want to see him at PG, your nuts. I think Prince is a helluva player, he just gets out of control at times, which CANNOT be a trait of a PG. I do agree with the fact that JP should be tried at PG, but nows not the time... save that stuff for the offseason and exhibition games, not the NCAA tournament with another Sweet 16 on the line. If benching Ramar for the first half today didn't send a message to Ramar, then nothing will. Keep the same lineup IMO.
 
#58
#58
He's just trying to mix it up, maybe get Ramar's attention... I wonder if he's considered Howell a lost cause at this point.
 
#59
#59
this is the best call that Coach Pearl has had in his time at UT....watching ramar all season i wonder why it took this long ?
 
#60
#60
this is essentially a defensive decision. TN's half court offense is such that a "true" PG doesn't really fit anyway. However, on defense we've now got a much taller, athletic player. I think it's a good move. Ramar will back up Prince and Jordan will essentially not be playing anymore.
 
#62
#62
Mullet said:
this is essentially a defensive decision. TN's half court offense is such that a "true" PG doesn't really fit anyway. However, on defense we've now got a much taller, athletic player. I think it's a good move. Ramar will back up Prince and Jordan will essentially not be playing anymore.
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Provided that Prince does play decent D. That's not his natural strength, even though you would think so given his height and athleticism.
 
#64
#64
It either looks genious or really dumb. Very ballsy move by Pearl. I really can't see how Prince can be worse.
 
#67
#67
Well. . . .it looks like a bit of a desperation move, but it does get our athletes on the floor. I've said for a good while now that our PG play (or lack thereof) is what will get us beat. Who knows, it just may be crazy enough to work.
 
#68
#68
the "Point Guard" play is really not an issue offensively. I don't understand where some folks are making that connection between our PG play and offensive production. We run a hybrid-flex offense. The true "run our offense" PG is not part of what we do. We just need someone that will play good D, rebound, and not turn the ball over. Offensively Prince is just as 1 dimensional as Ramar.
 
#69
#69
I don't have a real problem with this. Let's look at the stats on the season:

Howell
MINS: 18.3
PTS: 4.5
AST: 2.2
TO: 1.0
REB: 1.5
STL: 0.5
FG%: 33.1
FT%: 66.7

Prince
MINS: 17.9
PTS: 8.3
AST: 1.7
TO: 1.3
REB: 3.2
STL: 0.9
FG%: 49.4
FT%: 53.8

Looking at Howell's stats, you also need to keep in mind his horrid play the last 10 games or so -- his stats are heavily weighted towards the early part of the season.

With the things you gain on defense and the ability to penetrate, I think I like this move. I might think differently if Howell was knocking down 3's, but since he's not ... his contribution is basically nothing on the court. He's not even THAT great handling the ball, himself. When he gets pressure, he's more than happy to dish it off just past the half court line and just stand out of the way while the rest of the team runs the offense. And he consistently gets beat by other PGs on defense.

At best, I love the move. At worst, it can't hurt.
 
#70
#70
This is a fantastic move.

Jordan Howell-Can't Shoot, Can't Penetrate, doesn't play any defense, and doesn't get a lot of steals or assists. Exactly what reason would he play point for a number 2 seed? To get the ball past half-court? Wayne Chism can do that.

Ramar is almost exactly like Prince, in that he loves to commit offensive fouls and not pass the ball, but Prince is taller, and size matters.

This move cannot hurt. It won't help much, if at all, but we weren't going anywhere with the other two.
 
#71
#71
AmoebaVol said:
I don't have a real problem with this. Let's look at the stats on the season:

Howell
MINS: 18.3
PTS: 4.5
AST: 2.2
TO: 1.0
REB: 1.5
STL: 0.5
FG%: 33.1
FT%: 66.7

Prince
MINS: 17.9
PTS: 8.3
AST: 1.7
TO: 1.3
REB: 3.2
STL: 0.9
FG%: 49.4
FT%: 53.8
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Interesting stuff. I think it's important to note that since the game at Georgia (2 games before Memphis) that JP has shot 79% from the Free Throw line.

If JP remembers he's option #5 after Lofton, Tyler, JaJuan, and Chism, then I could see him doing ok at PG.
 
#72
#72
Wouldn't starting Prince also enhance our ability to rebound with his height over Ramar's height?
 
#73
#73
Owlbino said:
This is a fantastic move.

Jordan Howell-Can't Shoot, Can't Penetrate, doesn't play any defense, and doesn't get a lot of steals or assists. Exactly what reason would he play point for a number 2 seed? To get the ball past half-court? Wayne Chism can do that.

Ramar is almost exactly like Prince, in that he loves to commit offensive fouls and not pass the ball, but Prince is taller, and size matters.

This move cannot hurt. It won't help much, if at all, but we weren't going anywhere with the other two.
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I wouldn't go that far.
 
#75
#75
I don't like this move at all. Everyime Prince gets the ball, I hold my breath. He doesn't seem to be a good dribbler and palms or carries the ball quite often. He doesn't know how to dish the ball off on a fast break and jumps up in the air alot without knowing who he is going to pass it to. I thought that this was a rumor all season and never thought we would see this guy at the point guard position. I think that it is a terrible time to try something like this and really didn't believe it at first. I'd let Ramar and Jordan keep playing point and tell Jordan not to shoot. It seems like he would have tried this weeks ago if he was going to do it in the tournament. Am I the only one that thinks Prince is a sloppy ball handler? He seems out of control to me and they could call a carry on him almost every time he touches it. I hope to God this works or we may be done after tomorrow. I hate to question Pearl on this one but I just don't see Prince being a point guard. Maybe our guys will start boxing out in order to get rebounds so it will help in case Prince doesn't play well. Yesterday, at the game, I was sitting in my seat puzzled at why our guys refuse to put a body on someone when the ball is shot. Those 5 ft 7 players on American made us look silly by getting all of those rebounds. If we play a good rebounding team,and play like we played yesterday, we will get run out of the gym. Something has to give or we are in trouble.
 
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