Holly is not the problem.

[Batman33]

The uniforms are nice.

Not particularly...

 

[Amb3096]

This is one in particular that has baffled me. Carter was an amazing player coming out of high school, and she looked like a real spark of energy when she came in as a freshman. She was a top guard prospect. I want her to shoot more, not less. But for whatever reason, it's just shifted dramatically since her freshman year. :ermm:

Faulty memories. She was never a good college player. She had a few memorable games here and there (she was outstanding in Tennessee's last win vs. So. Carolina), but she was never "amazing". It's debatable that she was ever "good".

She got exposed once Simmons graduated and she was actually required to do something other than throw the ball to Meighan. She was awful last year, and has been even worse this year.

This, I don't put on Holly. I remember Holly saying last year that she's been begging Andraya to shoot more, but she just won't. She's just not a good player...never was and probably never will be.

 

[bobkitten]

Wish you could watch some tape of her in 8-11th grade. (Sr year she got hurt and I think her team lost) I think she played on varsity as an 8th grader, but I could be wrong. She was pretty incredible. She still goes all-out on defense but I cannot figure out what happened to her rebounding (other than she isn't tall) and shooting.

I would bet she can out jump Mercedes, although M is nearly a foot taller.

 

[Amb3096]

Wish you could watch some tape of her in 8-11th grade. (Sr year she got hurt and I think her team lost) I think she played on varsity as an 8th grader, but I could be wrong. She was pretty incredible. She still goes all-out on defense but I cannot figure out what happened to her rebounding (other than she isn't tall) and shooting.

I would bet she can out jump Mercedes, although M is nearly a foot taller.

The problem with Andraya is that she should be so much better than she is. She is an incredible athlete. She has speed, strength, leaping ability, and nice looking form on her jump shot. But she has no fight. Even on defense, she jumps a lot and waves her arms a lot, but when a player like Mikayla Epps wants to go around or through her, they will. She's an average defensive player and a below average-to-poor offensive player.

I feel like she's wasted her potential. Holly did her no favors by rewarding her shoddy play with extended playing time, but she was less of a problem than the fact that Andraya just plays scared. She is physically tough, but is mentally fragile.

 

[armchair]

The problem with Andraya is that she should be so much better than she is. She is an incredible athlete. She has speed, strength, leaping ability, and nice looking form on her jump shot. But she has no fight. Even on defense, she jumps a lot and waves her arms a lot, but when a player like Mikayla Epps wants to go around or through her, they will. She's an average defensive player and a below average-to-poor offensive player.

I feel like she's wasted her potential. Holly did her no favors by rewarding her shoddy play with extended playing time, but she was less of a problem than the fact that Andraya just plays scared. She is physically tough, but is mentally fragile.

She is our best perimeter defender--and if you don't have guards who can defend you have problems, and we've had guards in recent years who can't/won't defend. That is why Carter plays mostly. I think she's an OK PG on a team with various offensive issues. She is not aggressive enough, that is for sure. A good PG must run the team and create whereas Carter seems to want to play only a supporting role. We need more than that.

But there are lots of other issues. Warlick likes getting the ball to our two bigs--but the fact is neither one if them is very good offensively. They are not even close to being "scorers"--and they are slow moving the ball or making decisions, often, when they get it. Graves makes a few plays, has improved her offensive game a bit, for sure, but hers is an effort game. As for Russell, she's just been a disappointment. She's still got some upside, but I think everybody was expecting a lot more. It is what it is. We are a team, like every team, that should be running a well-drilled disciplined, ball-moving offense. But we don't--the coaches can't coach it. We stand around, move the ball too slowly--and then with the shot clock winding down must rely on somebody to make a play, but we have few players that can.

 

[Volsaaura]

Players play, coaches coach. Leadership is bringing the best out of people. At the end of the day good coaches put their athletes in a position to win. Bad coaches stays with the status quo. Our problem is bad coaching. PERIOD.

 

[xanamanax]

From the games I've watched this year, the only reason the shot clock gets low is too many players afraid to take open shots or drive when they have an opening. They hesitate and then a defender is on them.

I was watching UConn play Temple the other day and during the stretch I saw, their offense didn't look that much different than ours. Players on the perimeter passing and dribbling around. The difference was their shooters didn't hesitate to shoot when they had open shots and their players who could drive to the basket drove when they had position.

I don't know what Holly can do about players playing scared. But she's getting the big bucks and needs to figure out something.

 

[LVJeff]

...Andraya has been scared into not shooting. She was a scoring machine on her 3X state champ high school team...

Did she score by taking outside shots or did she score by stealing the ball and making layups and maybe jumping over everybody and grabbing a rebound and making a putback?

If she scored by taking outside shots then, yeah, that Andraya is gone. But if she scored by the steal and rebound route, then nothing's changed other than her competition is a lot better.

 

[bobkitten]

Did she score by taking outside shots or did she score by stealing the ball and making layups and maybe jumping over everybody and grabbing a rebound and making a putback?

If she scored by taking outside shots then, yeah, that Andraya is gone. But if she scored by the steal and rebound route, then nothing's changed other than her competition is a lot better.

Both. But yes, more often off defense or from rebounding against bigger players. Good point.

 

[gule]

the only constant in the degradation of skills of our team is ,,,, DRUM ROLL,,,,

Coach Holly Warlick

 

[armchair]

From the games I've watched this year, the only reason the shot clock gets low is too many players afraid to take open shots or drive when they have an opening. They hesitate and then a defender is on them.

I was watching UConn play Temple the other day and during the stretch I saw, their offense didn't look that much different than ours. Players on the perimeter passing and dribbling around. The difference was their shooters didn't hesitate to shoot when they had open shots and their players who could drive to the basket drove when they had position.

I don't know what Holly can do about players playing scared. But she's getting the big bucks and needs to figure out something.

is because Warlick, who is, ahem, not exactly the smartest coach in Vol history (and that is putting it diplomatically), is obsessed with "quick shooting" the basketball. It's just more coaching stupidity. You run an offense in order for somebody to get a "good look"--a good/open shot. If that shot comes 10 seconds into the possession, you damn well better take it and be confident when you take it. Any player on this team should be able to take and make, say, an open 15-footer. If you don't take an open shot early in the possession, you've screwed up because there certainly is no guarantee that you're going to get an equally good shot or better before the clock runs out--and with this freakin' offense there is, in fact, a very good chance that we won't and we'll end up taking a bad shot.

We are too slow moving the basketball--this has only been a problem for a decade; I'm sure we'll get it fixed any year now. Too much standing around, too much dribbling on the perimeter, too little movement from everybody, which is why when we try to get the ball inside we make bad passes or passes get deflected or pick--we haven't moved any defenders out of position. We have possessions in every game when we DO move the ball crisply, but a minute or two later we are back to standing around, dribbling around outside with no purpose. We should have four players moving without the ball, setting screens, etc. We seem to usually have three guards around the three-point line looking aimless, dribbling around, and then Russell/Gravies will come out and set screen for the ball handler--and that's basically our offense about 70 percent of the time. And that's why we struggle to score 50 points.

As for Carter, we scrutinize he scoring partly because nobody else can score consistently except DD, and she usually has to take a LOT of shots to do it (her shooting percentage is not good).

If I'm Warlick, I start playing small and uptempo, I play more helter-skelter and lean on our athletes. We are a pathetic half-court offensive team and--have I said this?--have been for what seems a hundred years. I would significantly reduce Russell's minutes unless we really need her size on defense. I give more minutes to Moore (who can the court and score), Jackson, Middleton; I press the opponent, I shoot threes, I run at every opportunity. Will it work? I don't know. At the least, it will be a lot more entertaining than watching the train wreck that is our offense.

 

[teacherdean]

Wish you could watch some tape of her in 8-11th grade. (Sr year she got hurt and I think her team lost) I think she played on varsity as an 8th grader, but I could be wrong. She was pretty incredible. She still goes all-out on defense but I cannot figure out what happened to her rebounding (other than she isn't tall) and shooting.

I would bet she can out jump Mercedes, although M is nearly a foot taller.

Sometimes I think a midget can out jump Russell, most of the time she looks like she is nailed to the floor. Carter out jumping Russell is not a major feat. Most of the time Russell looks like a Giraffe hunting for tree leaves. She is the receiptent of piss poor coach, or lack there of. At her height and size she should be one of the country's best post players in women's college basketball, or at least in the top five.

 

[UCMiami]

When you watch a good offensive team playing well, there is constant motion of all five players, there are lots of off ball screens and cuts, and a player doesn't just pass the ball and then stand still - they cut through the lane or shift to an open space in the defense. TN and honestly a lot of other SEC teams play very stagnant offense with often only the ball handler and one other player doing anything while the other three players stand and watch.

And I think good coaches and especially good assistant coaches develop players - kids out of HS can usually do only one or two things well because they never had to do anything else - they were more talented and more athletic than most of their competition. A good coaching staff works with the players constantly to expand their capabilities - add a pull up jumper to a driving guard's game, add a foul line jumper for a post player, teach them how to make good crisp passes that lead a player into a good scoring situation and not into trouble, make lay-ups through contact, on defense steer players into help defenders and toward the sidelines, etc. Russell, Graves, and TN guards do not seem to develop over time which is definitely on the coaching staff. One or two players not developing is maybe those particular players, a whole team of players is the coaches.

And adjusting whatever systems being played based on the strengths of the players you have is also critical - you have shot blockers in the back line, then your guards can gamble more, you have a strong post player, then work it into them, etc. I don't see anyone really playing to a 'strength' - rather a lot of individuals trying to make individual plays.

 

[SAMCROVIPER]

Sometimes I think a midget can out jump Russell, most of the time she looks like she is nailed to the floor. Carter out jumping Russell is not a major feat. Most of the time Russell looks like a Giraffe hunting for tree leaves. She is the receiptent of piss poor coach, or lack there of. At her height and size she should be one of the country's best post players in women's college basketball, or at least in the top five.

Russell seems to direct players around the court more so than playing basketball. All she does is signal her teammates with her index finger. It's annoying as heck! "You were the #1 player in 2013, your teammates should screen for YOU!"

 

[LVJeff]

...If I'm Warlick, I start playing small and uptempo, I play more helter-skelter and lean on our athletes. We are a pathetic half-court offensive team and--have I said this?--have been for what seems a hundred years. I would significantly reduce Russell's minutes unless we really need her size on defense. I give more minutes to Moore (who can the court and score), Jackson, Middleton; I press the opponent, I shoot threes, I run at every opportunity. Will it work? I don't know. At the least, it will be a lot more entertaining than watching the train wreck that is our offense.

Warlick did start using more 4-guard/wing lineups with Russell or with Moore. The problem is rebounding suffers. The only really good rebounder the team has is Graves, if she's not on the floor, Russell has to rebound alone and she isn't a great rebounder. Nared has a nose for the ball and Warlick challenged Reynolds to rebound and she responded. But the smaller lineups lead to rebounding problems.

 

[Volfan2012]

Do we not know how to screen off one side of the basket and let Diamond or another player drive to the basket versus one defensive player. SC and Wilson did it to us 10 times or more and same with most other teams we play. Set two screens in the paint right or left and let a guard that can score take it to the basket.
We do nothing our offense is dribble around the perimeter looking inside then either telegraphing a pass or taking a low percentage perimeter shot.

 

[MDVolFan14]

Do we not know how to screen off one side of the basket and let Diamond or another player drive to the basket versus one defensive player. SC and Wilson did it to us 10 times or more and same with most other teams we play. Set two screens in the paint right or left and let a guard that can score take it to the basket.
We do nothing our offense is dribble around the perimeter looking inside then either telegraphing a pass or taking a low percentage perimeter shot.

Great Pernt!! At UNC, they ran a baseline curl for DD that either got her a short baseline J, three, or allowed her to penetrate. When she ran the baseline they would double-screen on the defender following DD baseline and the paint to stop the switch leaving DD wide open a lot of times.

Carter talked in the presser after the SC game that they struggle against zones. It's been 30 years since I played HS ball and we ran a 1-3-1 offense when teams went zone. We had pretty good wing shooters and awesome center who ran the baseline great and would get dunks on ball movement down low because of holes in the zone created by the wings and the guy and FT line.

Simple basketball. They can't move faster than you can swing the ball. Oh, another thing we were taught 30 years ago against the zone was that when you played wing and passed to the top, take a step in closer to the basket. Because on a quick ball swing the guard on your side couldn't get out to you quick enough and the forward on the block had to decide if he would come out to defend or stay put. So you could shoot the 10-12 foot J, or penetrate/shoot or penetrate/dish.

 

[PRG]

Great Pernt!! At UNC, they ran a baseline curl for DD that either got her a short baseline J, three, or allowed her to penetrate. When she ran the baseline they would double-screen on the defender following DD baseline and the paint to stop the switch leaving DD wide open a lot of times.

Carter talked in the presser after the SC game that they struggle against zones. It's been 30 years since I played HS ball and we ran a 1-3-1 offense when teams went zone. We had pretty good wing shooters and awesome center who ran the baseline great and would get dunks on ball movement down low because of holes in the zone created by the wings and the guy and FT line.



Simple basketball. They can't move faster than you can swing the ball. Oh, another thing we were taught 30 years ago against the zone was that when you played wing and passed to the top, take a step in closer to the basket. Because on a quick ball swing the guard on your side couldn't get out to you quick enough and the forward on the block had to decide if he would come out to defend or stay put. So you could shoot the 10-12 foot J, or penetrate/shoot or penetrate/dish.

The Mens team picks/screens against a zone defense! EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD THAT PLAYS BASKETBALL...SCREENS A ZONE DEFENSE! Our girls DO NOT SCREEN ZONES??? BUT THEY DO AGAINST A MAN TO MAN?? GO FIGURE ? They have faced a 2-3 zone most every game! All you have to do is screen any one of the top two defensive players and the offensive ball players moves into the middle of zone! Jordan, Andrea, Tea, DD. they can all make 10 to 12 ft shots! We just pass and dribble outside the zone and see who has the ball last? throw up a shot or turnover and head back on defense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MDVolFan14]

The Mens team picks/screens against a zone defense! EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD THAT PLAYS BASKETBALL...SCREENS A ZONE DEFENSE! Our girls DO NOT SCREEN ZONES??? BUT THEY DO AGAINST A MAN TO MAN?? GO FIGURE ? They have faced a 2-3 zone most every game! All you have to do is screen any one of the top two defensive players and the offensive ball players moves into the middle of zone! Jordan, Andrea, Tea, DD. they can all make 10 to 12 ft shots! We just pass and dribble outside the zone and see who has the ball last? throw up a shot or turnover and head back on defense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great pernt about passing around the outside of the zone hoping something would happen.

Basketball is not hard and to your point and mine, they have to be coached to do these things. Whether it's setting screens, running a 1-3-1 against the zone or being better at ball movement, they need a change.

 

[LVJeff]

Warlick did start using more 4-guard/wing lineups with Russell or with Moore. The problem is rebounding suffers. The only really good rebounder the team has is Graves, if she's not on the floor, Russell has to rebound alone and she isn't a great rebounder. Nared has a nose for the ball and Warlick challenged Reynolds to rebound and she responded. But the smaller lineups lead to rebounding problems.

And frankly, nobody can shoot worth a damn regardless of what offense is run. The timing is horrible also.

Shooting is part coaching and part player, timing is all coaching.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Everything you listed is directly related to coaching, yes she is the problem.

Originally Posted by 1standgoal View Post
Turnovers, missed shots, selfishness, and bad attitudes seem to be the underlying problems. This team is not very good, no matter who is the head coach.

++++++++++++

Go back and look at a past game. See how many mechanical turnovers versus mental turnovers,,, you'll see.

 

[Twinsbornoncampus]

To me it makes no sense for Graves to be wide open at 12-15 ft with three defenders under the basket and she tried to find a crease.....Ms Graves if you drop a couple of 11 ft jumpers they will come out then you can go around. I like Ms Carter but she is a long way from being a point Guard. she lacks the ball handling skills to get the ball into the post without being tied up. She reminds me of a puppet,she plays with the same cadence when she comes down the floor rather we are down by 20 with 5 mins or up by 30 with 10 seconds left. she is not a bad player but she is not playing in a position where she can be productive. Ms Russell has not shown the heart needed to play the post. but it would be better if s graves did not bring two more to help defend because they are both playing the low post. Graves needs to be high and stay high until they come out to guard you. You have the skill and ability to score 15 points per game from 12 - 15 ft. I have seen you shoot you have a great shot one day you will have to use it to continue playing, unless you get some hops... Go Lady Vols. Most of us are frustrated because we know that as a team and individually you are not playing to your potential and skill. Holly Play MEME she is the best player on the team after Diamond

 

[randyvol]

i used to think holly was 90% 0f the problem but after watching this team for the last several days i honestly don't think pat s or even geno could get quality play out of them!they seem to come up short for every long rebound or loose ball, can't hit the broad side of a barn when shooting and fold like a tent when the going gets tough. the saddest part of this is next year and the one after that looks worse

 

[LasVegasBill23]

Oh I think Pat or Geno could do better.... This roster is talented...... 7 HS All Americans... and no I do not subscribe to the belief they ALL were overrated..... Pat or Geno would demand that they play as a team..... sit down those who had attitude.... and of course P or G would implement an offense..... not just run and gun it.... as Holly says "quick shoot"... the bad shooting percentage comes from chucking it up without a plan offensively.....

 

[JACK8254]

Turnovers, missed shots, selfishness, and bad attitudes seem to be the underlying problems. This team is not very good, no matter who is the head coach.

why not bench the ones who play like that? Got to be a few team players on the roster. Reward them with playing time.