Lady Vols DNA: What Traits Are Non-Negotiable?

#1
SummittSoul

SummittSoul

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#1
With all the transfers, portal moves, and new players that will inevitably be coming in, I’ve been thinking a lot about what really defines a Lady Vols player.

Is it effort? Athleticism? Mental toughness? Loyalty to the program? The ability to rise in big moments? Or is it a combination of things? Any past Lady Vol archetypes come to mind?

I feel like this is the heart of the program — the traits that persist even when the roster changes, when coaches rotate, and when things get messy.

What do you all think? If you were selecting players that best embody the Lady Vols identity and standard, what qualities would be non-negotiable?
 
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#3
#3
SummittSoul said:
With all the transfers, portal moves, and new players that will inevitably be coming in, I’ve been thinking a lot about what really defines a Lady Vols player.

Is it effort? Athleticism? Mental toughness? Loyalty to the program? The ability to rise in big moments? Or is it a combination of things? Any past Lady Vol archetypes come to mind?

I feel like this is the heart of the program — the traits that persist even when the roster changes, when coaches rotate, and when things get messy.

What do you all think? If you were selecting players that best embody the Lady Vols identity and standard, what qualities would be non-negotiable?
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Your question would have been relatively straightforward before the portal, House v NCAA and NIL. With those changes, “student/athletes” have become entertainers for hire. While they may come to value their team and school affiliations, their primary loyalty is to their paychecks and career prospects.

Nothing I've said implies 'good' or 'bad'. It’s just a different set of realities. Time will tell how, or if, an identity as a member of any particular school’s team still exists.

Before anyone jumps down my throat, some characteristics still show up frequently.
- loyalty to teammates
- bonds with good coaches
- gratitude for educational opportunities
et al.

But…these are apt to show up at so many schools that they can’t really be distinguishing traits. The same is true for the things mentioned in the post above.
 
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#6
#6
1reVOLver said:
Your question would have been relatively straightforward before the portal, House v NCAA and NIL. With those changes, “student/athletes” have become entertainers for hire. While they may come to value their team and school affiliations, their primary loyalty is to their paychecks and career prospects.

Nothing I've said implies 'good' or 'bad'. It’s just a different set of realities. Time will tell how, or if, an identity as a member of any particular school’s team still exists.

Before anyone jumps down my throat, some characteristics still show up frequently.
- loyalty to teammates
- bonds with good coaches
- gratitude for educational opportunities
et al.

But…these are apt to show up at so many schools that they can’t really be distinguishing traits. The same is true for the things mentioned in the post above.
Click to expand...
Yep, and realties sometimes are hard to distinguish because players today are much more media savvy and will lie up till they leave. Then copy and paste a statement someone else wrote how fortunate it was to be a part of the program. There's so much fake in the new world were everybody starts posting selfies and videos as teenager its hard to know what's genuine because their very professional at promoting themselves. They and their peers been doing it in every aspect of their life on Facebook/Instagram etc.. since they got a phone. 36 to 40% of players went into the transfer portal last year, so that number probably climb this year. Wash, rinse repeat. Its like Prawl said after one of the games as sitting beside Kim to a reporters question. We love the system and we are going to keep giving our all for Tennessee. Anything they say, just take it as a grain of salt, its a new world.
 
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#7
#7
i dont know what really defines them. But here is what i hope they are looking for. High basketball IQ. But if they have a high IQ then they arent playing for this coaches system. Hoping they can shoot the dang ball. And sadly the young ladies are getting to the point its like an Elvis situation for me. Yeah i remember him but its been a minute. Most of these young girls dont even know what the legacy means anymore. What Pat built finally is completely removed from what it was. No matter how many banners are up there all they see is last years results. I hope the money bag is big because i wouldnt come here for peanuts and a clown system.
 
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#9
#9
KTrain said:
Yep, and realties sometimes are hard to distinguish because players today are much more media savvy and will lie up till they leave. Then copy and paste a statement someone else wrote how fortunate it was to be a part of the program.
Click to expand...
Unlike the coaches? And in our case, the bloviating, frequently dissembling AD?

I’d say players learned from their elders, not their peers.
 
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#10
#10
I agree, the answer is much more generic now than it used to be.

For me, #1is be a good teammate, both on and off the floor. Be unselfish, humble and kind.

Represent your current school in a good healthy way at all times. Be aware people are looking at you as a representative of the program. Never embarrass us.

Be honest at all times, with the coaching staff, with your teammates and with yourself and the circle that surrounds you.

Be respectful of the coaching staff, even when you disagree with them. And you can expect them to also be respectful to you, even when they’re being hard on you.

Be mature, or at least dont be immature.
 
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#11
#11
Pat was adamant that all her players obtain a college degree. It was not just about wins on the court but ensuring the ladies came out of the program with skills that would allow them to do whatever they wanted to do. She demanded excellence within the context of their ability. She demanded their respect and she respected them, had their back, pushed them when they needed pushing.

That tone set the identity of LV players. They did not accept failure without giving everything they had to avoid it. They learned from mistakes, corrected those to get better.

But it takes a coach who promotes that atmosphere for all this to happen. You have to know your players, adjust your interactions with them based on what works for that particular player. You can just treat them as a "widget" on your team. CKC is not from Pat's legacy and she is not the type of coach so the version of the LVs we are seeing are not that type of LV.

I personally think that the ladies from Kellie's team who were still on the team the first year, because of Kellie, has some of that in them - that is why they played harder and did everything to succeed is a system that probably wasn't meant for them.

CKC says she needs players that will "run through a wall for her". She needs to be more like Pat to obtain that with the level of players she needs to have to win in D1 at Tennessee. She can't continue to treat them as "widgets" thinking she can replace one for another every 3 minutes or so. They are individuals from different backgrounds with different personalities and different goals in life.

The LVs of the past were not just successful on the basketball floor but most of them have been successful when they put basketball on the shelf.
 
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#15
#15
SummittSoul said:
With all the transfers, portal moves, and new players that will inevitably be coming in, I’ve been thinking a lot about what really defines a Lady Vols player.

Is it effort? Athleticism? Mental toughness? Loyalty to the program? The ability to rise in big moments? Or is it a combination of things? Any past Lady Vol archetypes come to mind?

I feel like this is the heart of the program — the traits that persist even when the roster changes, when coaches rotate, and when things get messy.

What do you all think? If you were selecting players that best embody the Lady Vols identity and standard, what qualities would be non-negotiable?
Click to expand...
That is like asking what is the DNA of organization that lasts even if all the management and employees leave.

The people are the organization. You can write down guidelines and rules but they are meaningless without them being enacted by those who constitute the organization in its original state.

The statute of Pat Summitt had some significance when Kellie was there and was all about carrying on the values and ideals. When you break from the Summitt tree (and there were plausible, good reasons for doing so), a coach has to establish their own culture. It could be very similar to the Summitt culture but it has to be authentic to the new leadership.

Anyone can see that there is a cultural void in the program. CKC purging and starting over on the one hand is not a bad idea. If the current culture is broken, you need a re-set. So we will see how this new version of the Caldwell era goes.
 
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#16
#16
You need to mentally tough, and can deal with tough coaching, if the coach happens to yell at you, you need to respect your coaches by listening to them and not just brushing them off or pouting like a little kid, if your in a leadership position, u need to know how to lead your team and gain the respect of your teammates. That’s my short list.
 
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#17
#17
DarkPhoenix said:
You need to mentally tough, and can deal with tough coaching, if the coach happens to yell at you, you need to respect your coaches by listening to them and not just brushing them off or pouting like a little kid, if your in a leadership position, u need to know how to lead your team and gain the respect of your teammates. That’s my short list.
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Well you just nailed the problem on the head. Let's keep it local, Barnes players come for his tough coaching because 1) he has a track record of success and 2) they see that his tough coaching makes them better players. On that last point, I would assume is coaching is clear, direct, consistent and makes sense to them.

Conversely, what if players get a sense that a coach really does not what she/he is doing and the coaching directions are inconsistent and radically conflict with what they have been taught from other competent coaches? Might that start to lower respect levels. Remember respect is earned.
 
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#18
#18
With all the transfers, portal moves, and new players that will inevitably be coming in, I’ve been thinking a lot about what really defines a Lady Vols player.

Big difference between what currently defines a Lady VOLS player and what “should” define a Lady Vols player.
Dawn Staley recently said the main topic with recruits is NIL. And I have heard others say the same thing.
If I was to honestly answer this question concerning the present, I define a Lady Vol Player as an employee that wants good pay, good boss, good coworkers in that order with little loyalty to the institution. If they have the first 3 and with time (2-4 years) they may develop an appreciation for the institution. Some home grown recruits may value the institution more.
 
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#19
#19
$Highest bidder.$$Rent a player.$ Lady Vols of yore are a fading memory. Attributes stated by original poster are wonderful but I'm afraid most modern players are not tuned in to that mindset.
 
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#20
#20
Come on already!!! Getting all worked up over young people playing a game is a bit nutty-gazooty. I am as big a Pat fan as anyone, but lord-a-mercy.
 
#22
#22
madtownvol said:
Well you just nailed the problem on the head. Let's keep it local, Barnes players come for his tough coaching because 1) he has a track record of success and 2) they see that his tough coaching makes them better players. On that last point, I would assume is coaching is clear, direct, consistent and makes sense to them.

Conversely, what if players get a sense that a coach really does not what she/he is doing and the coaching directions are inconsistent and radically conflict with what they have been taught from other competent coaches? Might that start to lower respect levels. Remember respect is earned.
Click to expand...
Well that kind of nails it the fan base and friends are the enablers, when a player complains about hard coaching and a fan that hates that coach is going to enable that player to rebel, either personally or on X . Yeah I know what you mean I hate every thing about this coaches approach. It happens on every level and Barnes has saw it. There are still poster that want him gone after 3 elite 8s and the softball forum was all about everything when they were 26 & 0 and now they hit a rough stretch and the pitchforks are starting to emerge about firing hitting coach. Its just the nature of most fans, most love to complain and call it critique, back when they played that ran uphill drills all day where early for practice & stayed late and hardly ever missed a shot or never missed assignment on defense and would run through a wall for their coach. They guarantee they can coach better than any coach out there if they just had the chance, by Gawd. If we could just audition some of these poster to coach, all problems solved, but where would we vent our anger and get rid of our daily mundane problems.
 
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