Later Than Mid-season report card

#1
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westtnvol

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#1
Coaching- D+- Bruce has not done much of a job this year, he has bad more talent than Temple, Auburn, and Ole Miss and all beat Tennessee, none of them should be within 10 points of the Vols. He has failed to make adjustments throughout the year. Defense still a problem, giving up way way to many dunks and lay-ups. Has not settled on a consistant starting 5 all year. Hopefully this will be his worst year at Tennessee, things can only get better from here.

A+ Players.....
Tyler Smith, has had some down games, but for the most part is putting up good numbers every game.
Thompson Boling Areana- The place has been full for every game, the crowds have been great I think. Hopefully we can fill it up for the NIT games.

A- Players......
Wayne Chism- He has had some really really really dumb plays this year but also at times has put the team on his shoulders and carried them. Free throw shooting has really improved. CAN be a great rebounder although that has faded fast in the past couple of games.

B+..............
Josh Tabb- Not the greatest player in the world but has played pretty well this year considering his talent level.

B-............
JP Prince... On the border of being a C+ player. Can not shoot to save his life but does do a good job of finishing around the basket.
Emanuel Neagdu- I think he is going to be a really good player. Glad to see him take minutes away from Brian Willams.
C+
Bobby Maze, I think everyone we have played this year has had somebody that could blow by Bobby Maze, you would think he would learn to back off a little bit. I think he is one of the main reasons for the defensive struggles this year. When he gets beat by his guy everytime down the court and we are having to help leavning guys wide open for dunks and layups.

D.......
Cam Tatum, Brian Williams- Both have had some good games but not really been a big time factor this year like they were expected to be.

F.....
Scotty Hopson.... easily the most overated player in the country coming out of high school, while he was rated above Tyreke Evans and some other big names he has failed to do anything this year. He was supposed to be a one and done but I believe it is in his best interest to stick around for another 3 years, maybe by the time his senior year rolls around he wont be airballing free throws. He and Jon Crompton need to be sending Scout a christmas card every year thanking them for all the stars they had coming out of high school because they did not deserve but about 3 apeice, if that.
 
#2
#2
Sorry but Cameron Tatum deserves a far worse grade than Scotty. He is one of the only two players that has played more atrocious defense all year long. He is out of position allowing easy opportunities on defense as much as JP Prince due to boneheaded players (tripping over a shoelace, going for an impossible steal, flying out of bounds, etc.). He has been a horrible finisher so far in transition and can't hit FTs if he is bailed out by a foul.... if not for the 2nd half of the Georgetown game and the 1st half of the 2nd Gonzaga game he would have contributed as much as Woolridge... and that's with him averaging 20+ minutes per game. And a miss is a miss - I'd much rather take Scotty Hopson who shoots some air balls but still shoots decent from the FT line and good from the field than Cameron Tatum who doesn't shoot air balls but shoots horribly from the FT line (as a SG) and very average from the field with a lot of bricks off the iron.

We're talking about how they played - not how much they were unrealistically hyped coming out of high school by an ignorant and uniformed FEW (ones who thought he was a better player than Evans or thought he was 1 and done) - so this report card is void until reassessment.

And Tyler Smith is not an A+ and Josh Tabb is not a B+ but I do understand rating him higher due to the circumstances he was put in... but still not that high.
 
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#3
#3
having any A level players is also a borderline void situation. Chism had a couple bright spots, but his disappearing act, along with Tyler's, has been death to this team.

The rebounding of late from those two gents has been absolutely atrocious and beat us at Auburn and Ole Miss.
 
#4
#4
We've been outhustled lately for sure. Both auburn and ole miss got about every trash shot available. Wayne does have lapses on defense and that has killed us.

Tyler just looks like he can't jump at all this year for whatever reason. Maybe he's hurt, but he doesn't have the same elevation he had last year.

There are no A+ players on this team or we'd have a better record.
 
#5
#5
westtnvol said:
Coaching- D+- Bruce has not done much of a job this year, he has bad more talent than Temple, Auburn, and Ole Miss and all beat Tennessee, none of them should be within 10 points of the Vols. He has failed to make adjustments throughout the year. Defense still a problem, giving up way way to many dunks and lay-ups. Has not settled on a consistant starting 5 all year. Hopefully this will be his worst year at Tennessee, things can only get better from here.

A+ Players.....
Tyler Smith, has had some down games, but for the most part is putting up good numbers every game.
Thompson Boling Areana- The place has been full for every game, the crowds have been great I think. Hopefully we can fill it up for the NIT games.

A- Players......
Wayne Chism- He has had some really really really dumb plays this year but also at times has put the team on his shoulders and carried them. Free throw shooting has really improved. CAN be a great rebounder although that has faded fast in the past couple of games.

B+..............
Josh Tabb- Not the greatest player in the world but has played pretty well this year considering his talent level.

B-............
JP Prince... On the border of being a C+ player. Can not shoot to save his life but does do a good job of finishing around the basket.
Emanuel Neagdu- I think he is going to be a really good player. Glad to see him take minutes away from Brian Willams.
C+
Bobby Maze, I think everyone we have played this year has had somebody that could blow by Bobby Maze, you would think he would learn to back off a little bit. I think he is one of the main reasons for the defensive struggles this year. When he gets beat by his guy everytime down the court and we are having to help leavning guys wide open for dunks and layups.

D.......
Cam Tatum, Brian Williams- Both have had some good games but not really been a big time factor this year like they were expected to be.

F.....
Scotty Hopson.... easily the most overated player in the country coming out of high school, while he was rated above Tyreke Evans and some other big names he has failed to do anything this year. He was supposed to be a one and done but I believe it is in his best interest to stick around for another 3 years, maybe by the time his senior year rolls around he wont be airballing free throws. He and Jon Crompton need to be sending Scout a christmas card every year thanking them for all the stars they had coming out of high school because they did not deserve but about 3 apeice, if that.
Click to expand...

We'll be in NCAA. You make a great post minus the NIT statement. Unless Vols lose all of remaining games, there in the NCAA
 
#7
#7
Bassmanbruno said:
Sorry but Cameron Tatum deserves a far worse grade than Scotty. He is one of the only two players that has played more atrocious defense all year long. He is out of position allowing easy opportunities on defense as much as JP Prince due to boneheaded players (tripping over a shoelace, going for an impossible steal, flying out of bounds, etc.). He has been a horrible finisher so far in transition and can't hit FTs if he is bailed out by a foul.... if not for the 2nd half of the Georgetown game and the 1st half of the 2nd Gonzaga game he would have contributed as much as Woolridge... and that's with him averaging 20+ minutes per game. And a miss is a miss - I'd much rather take Scotty Hopson who shoots some air balls but still shoots decent from the FT line and good from the field than Cameron Tatum who doesn't shoot air balls but shoots horribly from the FT line (as a SG) and very average from the field with a lot of bricks off the iron.

We're talking about how they played - not how much they were unrealistically hyped coming out of high school by an ignorant and uniformed FEW (ones who thought he was a better player than Evans or thought he was 1 and done) - so this report card is void until reassessment.

And Tyler Smith is not an A+ and Josh Tabb is not a B+ but I do understand rating him higher due to the circumstances he was put in... but still not that high.
Click to expand...

I agree with everything you said here, but I'll also agree to lower Chism's grade a little.
 
#8
#8
If we just beat MSU and Bama at home, we'll make the field. That said, I'm not excited about a game against Mississippi State being a do-or-die scenario.
 
#9
#9
westtnvol said:
Coaching- D+- Bruce has not done much of a job this year, he has bad more talent than Temple, Auburn, and Ole Miss and all beat Tennessee, none of them should be within 10 points of the Vols. He has failed to make adjustments throughout the year. Defense still a problem, giving up way way to many dunks and lay-ups. Has not settled on a consistant starting 5 all year. Hopefully this will be his worst year at Tennessee, things can only get better from here.

A+ Players.....
Tyler Smith, has had some down games, but for the most part is putting up good numbers every game.
Thompson Boling Areana- The place has been full for every game, the crowds have been great I think. Hopefully we can fill it up for the NIT games.

A- Players......
Wayne Chism- He has had some really really really dumb plays this year but also at times has put the team on his shoulders and carried them. Free throw shooting has really improved. CAN be a great rebounder although that has faded fast in the past couple of games.

B+..............
Josh Tabb- Not the greatest player in the world but has played pretty well this year considering his talent level.

B-............
JP Prince... On the border of being a C+ player. Can not shoot to save his life but does do a good job of finishing around the basket.
Emanuel Neagdu- I think he is going to be a really good player. Glad to see him take minutes away from Brian Willams.
C+
Bobby Maze, I think everyone we have played this year has had somebody that could blow by Bobby Maze, you would think he would learn to back off a little bit. I think he is one of the main reasons for the defensive struggles this year. When he gets beat by his guy everytime down the court and we are having to help leavning guys wide open for dunks and layups.

D.......
Cam Tatum, Brian Williams- Both have had some good games but not really been a big time factor this year like they were expected to be.

F.....
Scotty Hopson.... easily the most overated player in the country coming out of high school, while he was rated above Tyreke Evans and some other big names he has failed to do anything this year. He was supposed to be a one and done but I believe it is in his best interest to stick around for another 3 years, maybe by the time his senior year rolls around he wont be airballing free throws. He and Jon Crompton need to be sending Scout a christmas card every year thanking them for all the stars they had coming out of high school because they did not deserve but about 3 apeice, if that.
Click to expand...


Great Observation Jimmy Hyams.
 
#10
#10
BigPapaVol said:
having any A level players is also a borderline void situation. Chism had a couple bright spots, but his disappearing act, along with Tyler's, has been death to this team.

The rebounding of late from those two gents has been absolutely atrocious and beat us at Auburn and Ole Miss.
Click to expand...

Completely agree. Tyler's minutes have gradually crept up into the 35 range - I wonder if fatigue is a factor late in games when we need him to crash the boards aggressively...
 
#14
#14
JP Prince doesn't deserve a B for his play this season. JP Prince barely deserves an F for this season.
 
#16
#16
I think that it is a pretty good evaluation. I think D+ for coaching is a little low. You are correct that we have more talent than Auburn, Temple, and Ole Miss, but all three of those teams have very experienced backcourts to our very inexperienced backcourts. And in each case, we lost due to our inability to guard the perimeter. I do not think the coaching has been that bad. My only question that I would have Bruce is his recruitment of some players that do not seem to fit his system.
 
#17
#17
emainvol said:
JP Prince doesn't deserve a B for his play this season. JP Prince barely deserves an F for this season.
Click to expand...

Ya know, he leads the vols in steals per game, 2pt shooting %, has a higher A-to-T ratio than tyler, and almost as high as bobby, and is 2nd in blocks.

Yes, he makes some dumb decisions, but to call him an F is to call almost 95% of the rest of the team an R
 
#18
#18
Everyone else would have a higher 2pt shooting % too if they loafed around and got easy layups from half court passes when the defense did all the work on the other end.
 
#19
#19
westtnvol said:
Coaching- D+- Bruce has not done much of a job this year, he has bad more talent than Temple, Auburn, and Ole Miss and all beat Tennessee, none of them should be within 10 points of the Vols. He has failed to make adjustments throughout the year. Defense still a problem, giving up way way to many dunks and lay-ups. Has not settled on a consistant starting 5 all year. Hopefully this will be his worst year at Tennessee, things can only get better from here.

A+ Players.....
Tyler Smith, has had some down games, but for the most part is putting up good numbers every game.
Thompson Boling Areana- The place has been full for every game, the crowds have been great I think. Hopefully we can fill it up for the NIT games.

A- Players......
Wayne Chism- He has had some really really really dumb plays this year but also at times has put the team on his shoulders and carried them. Free throw shooting has really improved. CAN be a great rebounder although that has faded fast in the past couple of games.

B+..............
Josh Tabb- Not the greatest player in the world but has played pretty well this year considering his talent level.

B-............
JP Prince... On the border of being a C+ player. Can not shoot to save his life but does do a good job of finishing around the basket.
Emanuel Neagdu- I think he is going to be a really good player. Glad to see him take minutes away from Brian Willams.
C+
Bobby Maze, I think everyone we have played this year has had somebody that could blow by Bobby Maze, you would think he would learn to back off a little bit. I think he is one of the main reasons for the defensive struggles this year. When he gets beat by his guy everytime down the court and we are having to help leavning guys wide open for dunks and layups.

D.......
Cam Tatum, Brian Williams- Both have had some good games but not really been a big time factor this year like they were expected to be.

F.....
Scotty Hopson.... easily the most overated player in the country coming out of high school, while he was rated above Tyreke Evans and some other big names he has failed to do anything this year. He was supposed to be a one and done but I believe it is in his best interest to stick around for another 3 years, maybe by the time his senior year rolls around he wont be airballing free throws. He and Jon Crompton need to be sending Scout a christmas card every year thanking them for all the stars they had coming out of high school because they did not deserve but about 3 apeice, if that.
Click to expand...

Let's see...the guy getting 2 points a game is on the honor role, two freshmen scoring 17 between them are failing, our second leading rebounder is a D despite coming off the bench, the coach hasn't changed anything but he keeps changing things, and things can only get better, obviously, because this is the worst it has ever been.

Without pointing any fingers, I'm going to suggest that one of us hasn't a clue what the hell he has been watching.
 
#20
#20
cotton said:
Let's see...the guy getting 2 points a game is on the honor role, two freshmen scoring 17 between them are failing, our second leading rebounder is a D despite coming off the bench, the coach hasn't changed anything but he keeps changing things, and things can only get better, obviously, because this is the worst it has ever been.

Without pointing any fingers, I'm going to suggest that one of us hasn't a clue what the hell he has been watching.
Click to expand...

This coming from the guy that said that Hopson could shoot, shows how much you have been watching. Lets see your grades if you have seen it so much, I bet Scotty Hopson gets an A, your probably the only person that would say that.
 
#21
#21
cotton said:
Let's see...the guy getting 2 points a game is on the honor role, two freshmen scoring 17 between them are failing, our second leading rebounder is a D despite coming off the bench, the coach hasn't changed anything but he keeps changing things, and things can only get better, obviously, because this is the worst it has ever been.

Without pointing any fingers, I'm going to suggest that one of us hasn't a clue what the hell he has been watching.
Click to expand...

And it sounds like you think Bruce is doing a great job this year. Have you watched a game? I bet you think Phil Fulmer should still have a job.
 
#22
#22
And it sounds like you think Bruce is doing a great job this year. Have you watched a game? I bet you think Phil Fulmer should still have a job.
Click to expand...

No, I think he is suggesting that it takes someone with limited basketball knowledge to suggest that with the unprecedented first three years under Pearl that he suddenly forgot how to coach and is doing such a terrible job. The problem with this team is that physically, our guards aren't ready to defend the way Bruce likes them too. Scotty, Cameron, and Bobby are all are not physically strong enough to be consistent, adequate defenders at this level.
 
#23
#23
kiffinator13 said:
No, I think he is suggesting that it takes someone with limited basketball knowledge to suggest that with the unprecedented first three years under Pearl that he suddenly forgot how to coach and is doing such a terrible job. The problem with this team is that physically, our guards aren't ready to defend the way Bruce likes them too. Scotty, Cameron, and Bobby are all are not physically strong enough to be consistent, adequate defenders at this level.
Click to expand...

What he did last year with a top 5 team in the country is unprecedented? I am going to take Hatvol's side of the arguement on this one. It would not have taken a genius to do what he did last year. He has done a great job of selling the program.
 
#24
#24
Bassmanbruno said:
Everyone else would have a higher 2pt shooting % too if they loafed around and got easy layups from half court passes when the defense did all the work on the other end.
Click to expand...

How many of his points do you think have come during such situations? Hazard an honest guess. Seriously, how many of his 10 pts a game are the result of him loafing and just waiting at one end of the court?

He has 0.2 apg less than tyler in 6 less minutes, so let's put that 'loafing' in perspective.

Also many of his open-court layups are the result of the fact that he LEADS the team in steals.
 
#25
#25
westtnvol said:
This coming from the guy that said that Hopson could shoot, shows how much you have been watching. Lets see your grades if you have seen it so much, I bet Scotty Hopson gets an A, your probably the only person that would say that.
Click to expand...

I'll leave the grades to you and the Tennessean. Scotty has been a productive Freshman despite having some glaring weaknesses in his game. I'd put Tatum in the same category, with less upside potential. As for shooting, the guy is hitting 37.6% from 3. That's pretty good, and I'd argue it makes him our best deep threat. While bombing threes should not be the centerpiece of his game (as it sometimes is,) I'll stick by my statement that the guy can shoot it.

westtnvol said:
And it sounds like you think Bruce is doing a great job this year. Have you watched a game? I bet you think Phil Fulmer should still have a job.
Click to expand...

No, I think Bruce has run into obstacles--specifically related to youth and inexperience on the perimeter--that he has been unable to overcome. They also made those lofty preseason expectations unjustifiably high.
 
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