Jillian Hollingshead commits to Tennessee

#51
#51
Tennessee, South Carolina, and Stanford are the most talented teams on paper. I have to see UConn before I put them in that conversation with elite teams in 2022-2023. They loss two of their better starters from last season.
Tennessee started last season 18-1. They return their core of talent from last season which includes four upcoming sophomores and both ALL-SEC / ALL-American rising seniors plus added key pieces with an “ELITE” recruiting class.
When Tennessee played nearly every game against a highly ranked team last season they did so without Rae Burrell or Jordan Horston… both never played together at 100% then factor in the loss of team leader Keyen Green plus Marta Suarez who returns another former starter it’s common sense to acknowledge that this team on paper is Top 5. I don’t care how they looked last season when not fully healthy.. this season if they stay healthy there’s a chance they win a Nat’l Championship.
 
#53
#53
This is so true...a strong bench is so important, because injuries can often derail a team...the LV bench is loaded with players that can step into the next spot...🧡🏀🧡
Yes, considering how Green's injury impacted us this year, than Horston's injury as well. Now with any injuries we have well capable backups ready to step in. Only adjustments would probably be more minutes they would have to play.
 
#54
#54
Tennessee, South Carolina, and Stanford are the most talented teams on paper. I have to see UConn before I put them in that conversation with elite teams in 2022-2023. They loss two of their better starters from last season.
Tennessee started last season 18-1. They return their core of talent from last season which includes four upcoming sophomores and both ALL-SEC / ALL-American rising seniors plus added key pieces with an “ELITE” recruiting class.
When Tennessee played nearly every game against a highly ranked team last season they did so without Rae Burrell or Jordan Horston… both never played together at 100% then factor in the loss of team leader Keyen Green plus Marta Suarez who returns another former starter it’s common sense to acknowledge that this team on paper is Top 5. I don’t care how they looked last season when not fully healthy.. this season if they stay healthy there’s a chance they win a Nat’l Championship.


Absolutely no doubt about it....n to be quite honest those 4 team maybe your number 1 seeds in the tournament
 
#55
#55
The MOST important thing is, going forward, that all the players who were on the Tennessee roster in years one, two and three of the Harper Era is that they try their dead-level best to continue to TRUST THE PROCESS, which was Kellie's message from Day 1.

Some of them may, in recent weeks, have been hearing chatter from outside the Lady Vol family that they are being "recruited over" or "could get more playing time at so-and-so"...

My hope is that our special group of young women will ignore all that chatter and embrace what very well COULD become one of THE most magical groups of young women EVER to play together.

Will it mean that, for a time, some seriously great players will need to play secondary roles? Yes. It may mean that.

But oh my freaking GAWD! Even if, say, you are Jessie Rennie, who is a senior who knows and understands very well that she is likely last off the bench ... Even SHE will for-EVER be respected and remembered by far more people than just me as being one of the players who helped Tennessee get back to elite status.

WE CAN NEVER, EVER forget the importance of the young women who comprised the rosters of the last couple of years. No, they didn't hoist any trophies. No, they didn't make any "best recruiting class" lists. No, they didn't make an Elite 8 or Final 4.

But they DID manage to make young women all over fall in love with Tennessee Lady Vol basketball again. OMG. They may all have to be in their 30s and 40s to truly understand the importance of their presence if they all stick together now, but I am SO happy to even THINK of how each of their lives will be enriched by the associations they are making now.

BOTTOM LINE: Do NOT listen to those voices telling you to transfer to some other program who would have you playing 30 mpg. Stay with a program that, even though you may only get 10 mpg within a championship run, will most DEFINITELY be respected and honored when the WNBA comes calling.
 
#56
#56
I thought we were better than UCONN this year, and we still lost by 19, and that was without Ducharme and Bueckers. On paper we have a hell of a team though. I hope and feel like it’ll translate to the floor.
I was just thinking that the ultimate coaching for Coach Kellie is now getting this awesome team to produce on the court. I truly believe she has built a culture where everyone has bought into and that plays a major role in success.
 
#57
#57
WE CAN NEVER, EVER forget the importance of the young women who comprised the rosters of the last couple of years. No, they didn't hoist any trophies. No, they didn't make any "best recruiting class" lists. No, they didn't make an Elite 8 or Final 4.

But they DID manage to make young women all over fall in love with Tennessee Lady Vol basketball again. OMG. They may all have to be in their 30s and 40s to truly understand the importance of their presence if they all stick together now, but I am SO happy to even THINK of how each of their lives will be enriched by the associations they are making now.

This is really important; all the players who stayed through the coaching change and bought in to the system Coach Harper wants to build deserve the highest honors. Without Rennia and Rae staying, for example, we wouldn't have been able to build the culture we're seeing now.

I don't worry about folks leaving, though. And it's funny, because I happened to see one of the Boneyard's esteemed posters say (back during Kellie's first season) that a player like Jordan Horston would "definitely" transfer from Tennessee, and it haunted me for a while. Seeing how committed Horston is to this program, and seeing where a couple of the folks who transferred out or decided to pass on playing for us ended up...I don't worry these days. Of course I'd hate to lose anyone, but I feel a sense of "what is meant to be, will be" now. I want the players that want to be here.
 
#59
#59
I thought we were better than UCONN this year, and we still lost by 19, and that was without Ducharme and Bueckers. On paper we have a hell of a team though. I hope and feel like it’ll translate to the floor.
Because UCONN uses a motion offense we didn't have overall team speed to beat them even though we were undermanned against SC and we lost by 14 we played them tougher cause they use less motion in their offense but these transfers give us speed,quickness and power to match anyone's team we truly have a national championship team on paper like you say let's see how it translate to the floor
 
#60
#60
Tennessee, South Carolina, and Stanford are the most talented teams on paper. I have to see UConn before I put them in that conversation with elite teams in 2022-2023. They loss two of their better starters from last season.
Tennessee started last season 18-1. They return their core of talent from last season which includes four upcoming sophomores and both ALL-SEC / ALL-American rising seniors plus added key pieces with an “ELITE” recruiting class.
When Tennessee played nearly every game against a highly ranked team last season they did so without Rae Burrell or Jordan Horston… both never played together at 100% then factor in the loss of team leader Keyen Green plus Marta Suarez who returns another former starter it’s common sense to acknowledge that this team on paper is Top 5. I don’t care how they looked last season when not fully healthy.. this season if they stay healthy there’s a chance they win a Nat’l Championship.
I don't want to start anything with you but I must reply when you said an ELITE recruiting class.go back and read some of your posts when you said ELITE doesn't matter when i and others said we needed ELITE players.now you're thinking national championship and why is that well I will tell you why because we got some ELITE players but it's all good we are on the same team
 
#61
#61
The ESPN article on transfers - included 15 who had not committed and she was not one of the 15 but she is definitely a preference over anyone on that group.

A negative comment, however, none of our esteemed boarders with their knowledge of recruiting have been on top of prospects - now four transfers and only one have you provided any advanced information. Lets do a little better please.
 
#62
#62
Because UCONN uses a motion offense we didn't have overall team speed to beat them even though we were undermanned against SC and we lost by 14 we played them tougher cause they use less motion in their offense but these transfers give us speed,quickness and power to match anyone's team we truly have a national championship team on paper like you say let's see how it translate to the floor

Uconn has team full of stars while lady vols lost 3 stars compare that
 
#63
#63
The ESPN article on transfers - included 15 who had not committed and she was not one of the 15 but she is definitely a preference over anyone on that group.

A negative comment, however, none of our esteemed boarders with their knowledge of recruiting have been on top of prospects - now four transfers and only one have you provided any advanced information. Lets do a little better please.


Coach K and co. play poker with their cards close to their chest.
I'm glad to see this.
Less cracks = a strong dam
 
#65
#65
Figured this deserves its own celebration post!

Georgia transfer post Jillian Hollingshead commits to Lady Vols

So, let the starting 5 speculation recommence! This makes me what position Franklin will play if Hollingshead is the backup post.
Don’t worry about Franklin she will get her time on the floor. Having Hollingshead, Franklin and Key gives us so many options to control the boards consistently. We have the bigs to run in and out keeping the center position fresh and putting pressure on the other teams posts. With what we already have, we are solidly in the conversation for next year’s final four and Championship. KJH has done an outstanding job recruiting the portal she is putting together a squad few could have imagined. Congratulations coach KJH for a job well done!!!
 
#69
#69
That's a huge pickup! That's exactly the player Tennessee needed to complete their roster not just for next year, but for years beyond that. They will be really, really good next season.
I have said this before about Knoxville. I went to UNC and ran track, but because TN's track program was so strong, we had track meets several times a year in Knoxville. UNC is an attractive campus, but we always admired the people, the mountains, and the campus at UT. I think KJH understands the attraction here and can sell it. By the way, I dreaded running at USC (a hot asphalt track, not rubberized). Columbia has gotten much better than in my day, but I would rather sell athletes on UT. When I ran in the 1980s, I got the feeling that they still hadn't quite fixed up the parts of Columbia that Sherman destroyed!
 
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#70
#70
June 19, 2020: Nike Team Elite Hubbard director Chad Hubbard has seen all of the great centers in AAU basketball the past couple of years. And there is no doubt in his mind that his own center, class of 2021 Jillian Hollingshead, is the best in AAU girls basketball. "In my opinion, Jillian is the best five in the country right now," said Hubbard. "She is 6-5 with guard skills. She has perimeter skills. She can handle the ball, shoot it."

Hubbard plays his kids based on their strengths. Due to that, he plays Hollingshead multiple positions during a game. "I play my kids to their strengths. I don't play Jillian with her back to the basket much," said Hubbard. "I might move her all around the floor during any game, playing her anywhere from the point guard position to the five position. Some games I have her play point guard and she brings it down the court and calls the sets. I do that because it causes a mis-match. Not many fives can guard a player on the perimeter."

And the results that he has seen from Jillian, who plays her high school ball for Holy Innocents in Georgia, prove Hubbard to be correct. "After going to another AAU team her 9th grade year she came back to our team last year after winning the high school state championship and she did well on the EYBL (circuit)," said Hubbard. "She was the second leading scorer. From the end of July until the end of the EYBL games, she averaged something like 25 points per game. She can post up, get offensive rebounds and make put backs and can shoot the three. She can do it all offensively."

CoachSpeak: Hubbard, Hollingshead top center in the nation

Jan 16, 2022: “She’s LaKeisha Frett. If you want a more-modern version of it, she has the potential to be a Candace Parker,” [Coach Joni] Taylor said before Hollingshead logged her first minute at Georgia. “She’s not there. She’s got that skill set.”
Hollingshead flashing potential early in her career at Georgia
 
#71
#71
Don’t worry about Franklin she will get her time on the floor. Having Hollingshead, Franklin and Key gives us so many options to control the boards consistently. We have the bigs to run in and out keeping the center position fresh and putting pressure on the other teams posts. With what we already have, we are solidly in the conversation for next year’s final four and Championship. KJH has done an outstanding job recruiting the portal she is putting together a squad few could have imagined. Congratulations coach KJH for a job well done!!!
Don't sleep on Karoline Striplin. This is a kid that will compete and because of her competitiveness, we may see a tremendous amount of growth in her game in year two. She was getting playing time down the stretch this past season and you know she is in the gym working daily to improve her game. KJH has a good problem here.
 
#73
#73
Don't sleep on Karoline Striplin. This is a kid that will compete and because of her competitiveness, we may see a tremendous amount of growth in her game in year two. She was getting playing time down the stretch this past season and you know she is in the gym working daily to improve her game. KJH has a good problem here.

I hope Karo takes these additions at her position(s) as a challenge to get better. She may not see that much PT this coming season, but the following year she'll be needed. This will give her a year to develop more fully without feeling the pressure that she has to contribute immediately this coming season.
 
#74
#74
I hope Karo takes these additions at her position(s) as a challenge to get better. She may not see that much PT this coming season, but the following year she'll be needed. This will give her a year to develop more fully without feeling the pressure that she has to contribute immediately this coming season.
We've already seen video of her in the Gym working and she is a "Coaches" kid. She averaged about 26 points a game out of high school and I just have a feeling we are going to see a big leap from her this year. I wouldn't be mad about it.
 
#75
#75
I hope Karo takes these additions at her position(s) as a challenge to get better. She may not see that much PT this coming season, but the following year she'll be needed. This will give her a year to develop more fully without feeling the pressure that she has to contribute immediately this coming season.
To be honest im high on her and i dnt think she take a backseat to ANYBODY people forget the mins got in the louisville game she gets in the weight room she gonna make it very tough to keep her off the court....i love how skilled she is
 

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