As the season fast approaches, just remember...

#1
L

lvocd

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#1
... that Kellie hates losing as much as Pat did.

This photo is one of the most poignant photos of Pat and a beloved player that I ever saw because I know Pat knew she had a kindred spirit in Kellie. She knew how much it hurt Kellie to lose.

I’m sure Pat also loved Kellie’s toughness, her coach-ability, her overall positive attitude and her love for Tennessee.

And I’ll bet Kellie remembers this loss, and the comfort her beloved coach provided, like it was yesterday.


FC115082-7F3E-4069-8A62-6A0DB4F71B4E.jpeg
 
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#3
#3
And, similarly to Summit, Kellie is very introspective. When things don’t go well (as there will be harsh growing pains), the first place Harper visits will be the mirror. She will hold herself accountable first so that she can levy similar expectations of her players.
 
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#6
#6
PG1 said:
She needs a couple years to get her type players in and rotate these Holly players out!
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Those Holly players have real potential if they are coached up the right way. I think they will fit into her system. The thing I liked from the clips of her old team (KJH) they get to the open spots on the floor. The other cool thing was that her players KNEW their roles and played their parts really well.
 
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#9
#9
lvocd said:
... that Kellie hates losing as much as Pat did.

This photo is one of the most poignant photos of Pat and a beloved player that I ever saw because I know Pat knew she had a kindred spirit in Kellie. She knew how much it hurt Kellie to lose.

I’m sure Pat also loved Kellie’s toughness, her coach-ability, her overall positive attitude and her love for Tennessee.

And I’ll bet Kellie remembers this loss, and the comfort her beloved coach provided, like it was yesterday.


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Pictures like this are in the be in the "tell all show all" about games or for that matter all things in life of all of us. Three I remember from that drawer that I seem to dust of more these days were the the Iwo Jima flag raising, the "sailor kiss" at the end of world war two, JFK, Jr. salute, there are others. But for some reason this one fits well into the "remember drawer" of my mind.
 
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#10
#10
PG1 said:
She needs a couple years to get her type players in and rotate these Holly players out!
Click to expand...
I am of the opinion that a great coach can utilize the players they inherit and be successful, no system is infallible so therefore no group of "their players" will guarantee success. A great coach can adjust and accommodate the talent level and skill sets of the players they have and help place them in positions to be successful.
 
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#12
#12
VolunteerCeltic said:
I am of the opinion that a great coach can utilize the players they inherit and be successful, no system is infallible so therefore no group of "their players" will guarantee success. A great coach can adjust and accommodate the talent level and skill sets of the players they have and help place them in positions to be successful.
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If she only teaches them to play hard/smart defense, that will get us top 25 and #3 in the SEC.
 
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#14
#14
37620VOL said:
If she only teaches them to play hard/smart defense, that will get us top 25 and #3 in the SEC.
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Perhaps not by the end of this season, but definitely NEXT. :)

And I'm with you on teaching them to play hard/smart defense. And in defense of the Holly years, there were moments when her teams DID play hard defense, and it nearly always paid big dividends.

Holly's big problem was that she didn't appear to understand how important offense was, and when her players found themselves bogged down by opposing defenses every time they went on offense, they lost faith in their coach's ability to help them win games. And that's when they'd stop playing hard on defense.

Playing tough defense is very, VERY tiring, both physically and mentally. That's why so few teams can do it. It takes a special kind of grit and determination to push through the pain that maintaining optimum defensive stance takes.

What made Pat's best teams as strong as they were is that they possessed that kind of grit and determination. They saw a high level of grit and determination and willingness to outwork everyone else in their coach every day, and so they could trust that she knew what she was talking about. They bought in, and they won championships.

I believe Kellie has a heckuva lot of grit and determination, and I believe that her players will see that every day. We just have to hope that they, like Pat's championship teams, will buy into what Kellie is selling and be willing to do the stamina-building hard work that it'll take to win championships.
 
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#16
#16
VolunteerCeltic said:
I am of the opinion that a great coach can utilize the players they inherit and be successful, no system is infallible so therefore no group of "their players" will guarantee success. A great coach can adjust and accommodate the talent level and skill sets of the players they have and help place them in positions to be successful.
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That CAN be true, but what she did not inherit is any REAL senior leadership to put on the court... we have one four year player who has always been a role player and a second year grad transfer who has never played a minute as a Lady Vol.... that is not a typical squad to start with... in fact 6 of the 12 squad members have never logged a minute as a Lady Vol.....transitioning a squad that has worked together from one system to another has to be easier than than introducing half a squad and 6 newbies and throwing them in the fire.... would have to anticipate a longer learning curve under these circumstances.... anyone throwing out early analysis, pro or con should do so at their own risk.... we should be able to guage some talent levels of all the new faces as the season progresses, fans and staff will be able to identify recruiting priorities for next class, as limited as it will have to be with only two players scheduled to leave. Attrition may add a spot or two...

I hope the skill sets fit reasonably into our new coaches initial schemes... time will tell... just glad we got a classy lady to step into the slot....
 
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#17
#17
PG1 said:
She needs a couple years to get her type players in and rotate these Holly players out!
Click to expand...
KJH has at least twice the talent as she had at Mo. State. I really believe that she is going to surprise a lot of people. I cannot think of the young lady’s name, but she had only player at Mo. State, who had the talent to be a good sub on the Lady Vols team. She took a bunch of 2 stars, or less, and made them competitive. She nearly beat Missouri and in the NCAAs beat far better talent. The players at Mo.State gave their best, and beyond for KJH. I believe we will see the same by the team she has now.
 
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#18
#18
teacherdean said:
KJH has at least twice the talent as she had at Mo. State. I really believe that she is going to surprise a lot of people. I cannot think of the young lady’s name, but she had only player at Mo. State, who had the talent to be a good sub on the Lady Vols team. She took a bunch of 2 stars, or less, and made them competitive. She nearly beat Missouri and in the NCAAs beat far better talent. The players at Mo.State gave their best, and beyond for KJH. I believe we will see the same by the team she has now.
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I agree these players have talent and athleticism it’s yet to be seen that they actually can play the game at a winning level!
 
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#19
#19
PG1 said:
She needs a couple years to get her type players in and rotate these Holly players out!
Click to expand...

giphy.gif
 
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#20
#20
PG1 said:
She needs a couple years to get her type players in and rotate these Holly players out!
Click to expand...

Plenty of talent on this team, nothing wrong with the type of players on this roster. If Kellie can’t improve and win with the current roster, I doubt she’ll be able to convince anyone better to come to Tennessee.
 
#21
#21
I think it’s worth mentioning that we do have three Lady Vols who have been on a team that got some impressive victories against quality opponents. They at least know what being a winner feels like, and that’s important.

They were only freshmen, but Rennia, Kasi and Kamera have been a part of a Lady Vol team that, in one season, beat Texas, Stanford, Kentucky, South Carolina (twice!), Texas A&M — and lead Notre Dame for three full quarters before an epic fourth-quarter meltdown.

And no, I’m not trying to say that those three players played big roles — or even played at all — in those victories, but they HAVE, at some point, been regarded as winners within a winning program. They understand what that means.
 
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#22
#22
GUNTERSVOL said:
That CAN be true, but what she did not inherit is any REAL senior leadership to put on the court... we have one four year player who has always been a role player and a second year grad transfer who has never played a minute as a Lady Vol.... that is not a typical squad to start with... in fact 6 of the 12 squad members have never logged a minute as a Lady Vol.....transitioning a squad that has worked together from one system to another has to be easier than than introducing half a squad and 6 newbies and throwing them in the fire.... would have to anticipate a longer learning curve under these circumstances.... anyone throwing out early analysis, pro or con should do so at their own risk.... we should be able to guage some talent levels of all the new faces as the season progresses, fans and staff will be able to identify recruiting priorities for next class, as limited as it will have to be with only two players scheduled to leave. Attrition may add a spot or two...

I hope the skill sets fit reasonably into our new coaches initial schemes... time will tell... just glad we got a classy lady to step into the slot....
Click to expand...
The best example I can give is Bruce Pearls first year, he took a group of 2 and 3 star no names and turned that team into a #2 seed in the NCAA tourney. He completely changed the system he typically ran (motion offense) to play a more up tempo style of play because UT only had one big in Major Wingate. I think Kelly will surprise some teams this year, should be fun to watch!
 
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#23
#23
I think if the Lady Vols get into the NCAA Tournament this season, it will have been a solid season and any wins in the Big Dance is icing on the cake.
 
#25
#25
VolunteerCeltic said:
Lady Vols will make NCAA tournament and could get to Sweet 16
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That’s my hope! She coached her Missouri State team into the Sweet 16 last year, so it’s possible. Of course, she wasn’t in her first year with an entirely new group of players who had to learn an entirely new system and culture, either.

I really wish she had more court time with them before this thing gets started, but I know she’s doing her best with what she has. There’s just sooooo much that has to be learned in so little time. Go staff!
 
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