In addition to the obvious shortcomings involving coaching players once they arrive in Knoxville, I completely agree that recruiting is also a cause of the current problems in the program. Yes, the ratings are stellar, and, according to them, Holly brings in one great class after another. But the players that arrive also seem to have succeeded in high school mostly by overwhelming their opponents physically. And, because they seem never to have developed, or had to develop, decent fundamentals or an acceptable basketball IQ, when that's no longer the case (or mostly the case), they have no answer. And neither does Holly, who seems to assume that what was true in high school will also be true in the SEC.
I think the program would benefit immensely if Holly would instead focus on recruiting a player or two or three who isn't necessarily a physical powerhouse, but can shoot and has achieved success on the basis of her basketball smarts. I'd also add that, if Holly believes that she can't coach effort, then surely she should give a lot more weight, when recruiting, to assessing just how much effort the players she is watching are expending on the floor, if they take plays off, etc., etc. For example, I can't imagine that Rennie looked much different on the court in high school than she does now.