Non-Lady Vol Basketball News 2023-24
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I haven’t said this publicly because I don’t want to come off as sounding negative toward a team I dearly love and admire for all the hard work they are obviously putting in. But my honest assessment is that despite the influx of some quickness this year in Walker and Salary (and a tad more quickness in the post via Green), the Lady Vols, overall, still appear to be a quarter- to a half-step slower than just about every other team I’ve watched play this year.
Yes, Burrell is cat-quick, but still sometimes a bit out-of-control on her drives to the basket. (She has been lucky so far to not be called for charges, but she does not need to count on getting those calls going forward.) Salary is classically quick, for sure. And Walker is quick-ISH, but the knee brace tells me that she is hampered a tiny bit). After those three, there are no other players on the roster who pass my eye test as possessing the type of quickness that gives opposing coaches nightmares.
Horston is gloriously close to delivering, but those occasional bursts of super-high energy only masquerade as quickness — I know that sounds crazy! lol. If I were pressed to guess the ratio of her muscle fibers, fast-twitch to slow-twitch, I'd guess about 70/30. Seems low, but I'm guessing above average, but not "speedy." If anyone cares to reaaaallly watch closely, you’ll notice that she’s more of a “glider” than a speedster in her movements. It’s like the difference between a lion and a cheetah. Horston is a lion; Salary is a cheetah. (At this point, the experienced lion gets the nod, but the cheetah is watching and learning and waiting to pounce ... ) The thing about Jordan Horston, though, is that the lion is loved and respected not for its speed, but for its heart. THERE IS NO OTHER PLAYER ON THE LADY VOLS ROSTER WITH MORE HEART THAN JORDAN HORSTON. Of this I am confident. Hallelujah!
Rennia, to my eye, is a classic glider/lion. She’s not quick -- I'm TOTALLY speculating that she might test out as having a 65/35 ratio of fast/slow-twitch musculature -- but because of her superb basketball instincts and excellent body control, she’s able to finagle her way into scoring position and, thank goodness, can do damage once she finds space. But I sure as heck wouldn’t put her in charge of guarding an opponent’s quickest wing. And in case anyone thinks I’m deeply insulting Rennia by calling her a “glider,” do you know who else was, in my opinion, a classic glider? Chamique Holdsclaw. Now, I do think Mique was a little quicker than Rennia, but not by a tremendous amount. Holdsclaw had otherworldly natural basketball instincts and enough body control to make even the quickest, best defenses look silly. Davis has made the most of what she has to work with, but if she’d had her body control AND Salary’s quickness ... GOOD GAWD ... she’d be literally unstoppable.
So, all this to say that, despite our lack of OVERALL quickness, I still believe this to be the best overall team we’ve had in a long time. I also believe that this fine group of determined young women will dp their best to overcome whatever genetic shortcomings they each have by facing opponents with super-sized servings of heart and competitiveness. I think this group can do some real damage in the SEC with a high amount of mental toughness and trust.
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Volfan2012
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Chloe Moore-McNeil - Women's Basketball - Indiana University Athletics
I see that Tess Darby's teammate Chloe Moore played 16 minutes in Indiana's first game had three rebounds 2 assists and a steal. 0 for 4 from the field but did make a free throw. I think she will be a very good player for them in the games and years to come.
I see that Tess Darby's teammate Chloe Moore played 16 minutes in Indiana's first game had three rebounds 2 assists and a steal. 0 for 4 from the field but did make a free throw. I think she will be a very good player for them in the games and years to come.
Volfan2012
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Biggest problem I've had with our coaching staff is their desire to give everyone minutes whether they deserve them or not. I think it really hurts the chance to win some games during the season. If I would like to see one thing happen actually two things they would be tighten up the rotation to about 8 or 9 players and a better definition of roles and playing positions.
Bballnut1952
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LadyVols_WBK
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It’s great to get 7 AAs but if they aren’t coached up or expected to meet a certain level of expectation that’s a wash! We have seen Rae grow under her so that’s positive.
Westbrook was doubtful to stay after the whole fiasco and while Kellie might have been able to convince her she looked destined to go.
Green we know she was dismissed by the school. So she inherited her for what two games ?
Massengill is the one that i think was the best shot to stay but her high school and aau teammates decided to team up so can’t blame her
Collins wasn’t gonna stay after Holly left. You saw her posts and her public comments defending her...
Bballnut1952
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Depends people around here think if you’re not in the top 10 you can’t make a difference lol
so are we sticking with that because she was near #50 ... LOL
my point is you can’t look at Vics roster and Hollys and think they are created equal when it comes to inheritance. The things Nikki is probably not have to spend time on Kellie is.
Volfan2012
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JustaChicken
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JustaChicken
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7 ALL AMERICANS!
Let’s take a look at this .....
Evian was #2 in her class and we all know her story!
Green was #10 and kicked out of school ! (Not kellies fault ).
Massengill #25 ( Wanted to go play with friends) Yes Kelly should have stopped this ?
Davis #11 and still here ! Doing good
Horston #2 and still here (3 or 4 more years)
Then you have two more AA’s ? Really?
MiMi # 49 ( A McDonald’s All American) ?
KK #57. ( A McDonald’s All American) ?
These games do not select the top 20 or 30 ranked players! They cannot play games with all guards or all wings ! Therefore, depending on the class .... they have to pick positions even if they are in the 40’s and 50’s ! Just Saying
Anyone who thinks that KK was an AA . I don’t see it ? JMO
And MiMi an all American! She is in her third year and probably won’t ever start a game at Maryland? So far she is averaging less than 20 minutes a game ..... good reserve though
So ..... comparing apples to ORANGES.
Puckett # 28
Strickland #39
Pisscott # 30 and better ?
These are not AA ‘s ...... or not yet ?
And Rae ranked #49 ...., And how do you think that’s going!?!? Not an AA but look what we got ..... “SHE IS THE STEAL OF HER CLASS “ ! And as always JMO
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Bballnut1952
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NeedOrange
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FrozenLVFan
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7 ALL AMERICANS!
Let’s take a look at this .....
MiMi # 49 ( A McDonald’s All American) ?
And MiMi an all American! She is in her third year and probably won’t ever start a game at Maryland? So far she is averaging less than 20 minutes a game ..... good reserve though
As a RS-Soph, Mimi is averaging 19 mins, 8 pts, 5 RB's per game over her first three games playing for Maryland. Barring injuries, she'll start plenty of games before she's done, and she's apt to be the one player that we'll regret allowing to slip away.
She inherited 5. I wouldn’t count Evina and Collins as they were both clearly gone before she was hired. The team she inherited had some talented players. I’m not just talking about the players though I’m talking about the PROGRAM she inherited. It was a dumpster fire and worse than most of us imagined. The culture we had for so many years was already toast by the time Holly was fired. KJH is basically starting from the bottom up at one of the most decorated programs in history. It’s sad.
I also feel the caliber of recruits Holly brought in were generally vastly overrated. Particularly for her coaching abilities. Most who went on to transfer never looked like they were projected to play out of HS. Would much rather inherit a team Vic Schaefer recruited/coached than a Holly team.
LadyVols_WBK
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Terrells Bay88
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I already regret her leaving. But she was gone before anyone was hired! Basically stating that she cared for Holly etc. etc . But an All American ? She came in with ( Massingill , Green , Collins and Rae ) ...
Everyone played in the McDonalds AA game but not Rae ..... MiMi was rated #49 and Rae in the fifties . They are both in their third years of playing college ball . Granted MiMi did not play in games last year but this is still her THIRD year of playing college basketball. I agree she may start for Maryland some day ? But not this year ! JMO.
I guess the bottom line is who would you pick to play on your team ? Collins ( your all American) or Rae Burrell ! I like both of these young ladies but my choice is a no brainer.
Massengill really left to play with her friends
Without knowing any details. I watched her play with Treasure Hunt at Hamilton Heights for three years . I was hoping Treasure would come to UT but KY. Was her choice . There was another player from the Chattanooga area that went to Ky. that’s a pretty good player ! Maybe she is not friends with any of these ladies but they are all from the same neighborhood....... How’s that for a reason to transfer ?
Without knowing any details. I watched her play with Treasure Hunt at Hamilton Heights for three years . I was hoping Treasure would come to UT but KY. Was her choice . There was another player from the Chattanooga area that went to Ky. that’s a pretty good player ! Maybe she is not friends with any of these ladies but they are all from the same neighborhood....... How’s that for a reason to transfer ?
They all went to Hamilton Heights and played for treasures mom on the AAU circuit together. Not saying that’s the reason but i’m sure it didn’t hurt either
I already regret her leaving. But she was gone before anyone was hired! Basically stating that she cared for Holly etc. etc . But an All American ? She came in with ( Massingill , Green , Collins and Rae ) ...
Everyone played in the McDonalds AA game but not Rae ..... MiMi was rated #49 and Rae in the fifties . They are both in their third years of playing college ball . Granted MiMi did not play in games last year but this is still her THIRD year of playing college basketball. I agree she may start for Maryland some day ? But not this year ! JMO.
I guess the bottom line is who would you pick to play on your team ? Collins ( your all American) or Rae Burrell ! I like both of these young ladies but my choice is a no brainer.
This is Mimi's second year playing. She redshirted last year.
My answer as to who I would pick depends if I needed a guard or a post. If you were to ask Maryland, they wouldn't trade Mimi for Rae given that they lack size and already have Angel Reese.
Can't disagree with you that Holly dragged the team down to dumpster-fire status. But there's no denying she left a cupboard with some very talented players that made her first two years a whole lot easier compared to someone who's starting off at a program with very little material to work with.
Those players that were "overrated" would have done better if they played for a decent coach. I'm sure we'll see that with Evina, and Alexa/Te'a both thrived at their new schools. That's why I pity players like Jaime Nared and Bashaara Graves; both had opportunities to be college All-Americans but they essentially threw away their professional futures to help Holly keep her job for another year or two.
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