Not to be a hater....

[Blood Runs Orange]

But I think tonight's game showed that Woolridge in fact does not deserve playing time on this team.

Chism, Hall, & Williams are our best frontcourt rotation at this point. I even think Pearl is probably a better 4th option than Woolridge when one of those guys needs some rest. Pearl may not be a very skilled player, but he seems to play harder than Woolridge and doesn't make as many mistakes.

Woolridge is 6'8", yet is extremely soft on defense and rebounding. The only thing he seems to do is jack up 3's early in a possession that are way off the mark. I think he is 1 for his last 19 behind the arc.

Unless he starts getting aggressive and actually using his size to an advantage, and stops just waiting behind the 3-point line, I cant see how he merits any playing time.

 

[Heebs]

I'll hate on Woolridge all day. The guy sucks and he'd never be as talked about if his dad wasn't famous.

 

[LawVol13]

I'll hate on Woolridge all day. The guy sucks and he'd never be as talked about if his dad wasn't famous.

Exactly. The kid needs to just go home and open up a scholarship.

 

[Heebs]

Of course that's as a basketball player. Seems like a good dude though. His tweets during the riots were funny.

 

[alumvol08]

Exactly. The kid needs to just go home and open up a scholarship.

Swipersuck. My new favorite nickname. I bet Swiper would think that was so "league"

 

[LawVol13]

Swipersuck. My new favorite nickname. I bet Swiper would think that was so "league"

Hopefully Unimane doesn't see the nickname. He's itching to get in here and make sure we're not straying from the proper moral standard.

 

[TNLawVol]

I do hope during the off-season maybe he can put some size on and become a larger version of Pearl; however, I'm not going to hold my breathe...

On a brighter note, how refreshing was BW effort and play tonight. I feel like, or at least am hopefully that, he and Goins both have realized the 2nd chance they've been given and play their tails off every minute. BW and Hall simply playing hard will do a lot as the post-seaon nears.

 

[alumvol08]

Hopefully Unimane doesn't see the nickname. He's itching to get in here and make sure we're not straying from the proper moral standard.

Hopefully Unibrow is just an open minded rap fan. I don't see any other purpose of Swiperboi.

 

[PoochPunt3rdDown]

Maybe his benching tonight will light a fire under his tail. That might be possible for a player that has played with his back against the wall before, but Swipe's lived a charmed life, I'm sure. As a reformed spoiled brat, if a sea change occurs, it will in the offseason. I hope he proves me wrong...

 

[TooLegit2Quit]

I loved that lineup where we had Williams at the 5 and Chism at the 4, followed by Prince, Hopson and Maze. Chism playing at the four will be good for us. I thought Brian played a good game, definitely hustled. Scotty was disappointing as usual though.

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

Swiper will be fine next year. I say let bruce keep working with him. Clean cut kid who has struggled to find the ocean but I say dont be so quick to give up on someone. I know he banked the first one home against kansas but potential is there for him to be a contibutor offensively like he did that game. I agree with letting Brian play till he merits losing time but nxte year everyone should get a clean slate.

 

[LawVol13]

I loved that lineup where we had Williams at the 5 and Chism at the 3, followed by Prince, Hopson and Maze. Chism playing at the four will be good for us. I thought Brian played a good game, definitely hustled. Scotty was disappointing as usual though.

You mean the 4, right?

 

[Blood Runs Orange]

Swiper will be fine next year. I say let bruce keep working with him. Clean cut kid who has struggled to find the ocean but I say dont be so quick to give up on someone. I know he banked the first one home against kansas but potential is there for him to be a contibutor offensively like he did that game. I agree with letting Brian play till he merits losing time but nxte year everyone should get a clean slate.

I'm not so sure. He is one of the least aggressive 6'8" basketball players I have ever seen.

 

[TooLegit2Quit]

You mean the 4, right?

Yup, honest mistake. My bad.

 

[LawVol13]

Yup, honest mistake. My bad.

No problem. I thought that's what you meant.

 

[TNLawVol]

I'm not so sure. He is one of the least aggressive 6'8" basketball players I have ever seen.

True, but 6'8 with good bloodlines is a great place to start

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

I'm not so sure. He is one of the least aggressive 6'8" basketball players I have ever seen.

Well i trust bruces ability to help players from year to year. Every player seems a year later to have developed something except Tyler Smith and obviously something else kept getting in his way.

 

[LawVol13]

I'm not so sure. He is one of the least aggressive 6'8" basketball players I have ever seen.

I agree. Nothing I have seen from him suggests to me that he is ever going to be an SEC caliber player. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[LawVol13]

Well i trust bruces ability to help players from year to year. Every player seems a year later to have developed something except Tyler Smith and obviously something else kept getting in his way.

Woolridge hasn't developed at all from last year to this year.

 

[AGVOL]

If Woolridge wants to help this team in the future (next year and the year after that), he needs to add some weight, get tougher, and learn how to play with his back to the basket and let the other guys do all the shooting. He also needs to realize that we have a superstar freshman coming next year that will take his spot and a lot of his playing time away. If that can't motivate him to improve his game over the offseason, he needs to stick to music and forget basketball.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Woolridge hasn't developed at all from last year to this year.

This.

There hasn't been much to give anyone any indication that he will improve next year.

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

Woolridge hasn't developed at all from last year to this year.

I think his rebounding has improved. I didnt say he was going to be all conference but i see him being serviceable.

 

[LawVol13]

I think his rebounding has improved. I didnt say he was going to be all conference but i see him being serviceable.

That's a stretch, man. But I hope you're right and he learns to play at a decent level.

 

[Urinal Mint]

Swiperboy is a great kid and a great athlete. Unfortunately his basketball game has been very weak so far. He's got to develop himself into a role because scorer is not going to be it unless his jump shot develops all of a sudden.

 

[Unimane]

Hopefully Unimane doesn't see the nickname. He's itching to get in here and make sure we're not straying from the proper moral standard.

Actually, I totally approve of "Swipersuck", it's so clever. Plus, it's so awesome to belittle some kid. I'll bet it took hours to put that one together, so I have to give credit for the immense amount of effort put forth.

It's just the sort of juvenile remark like the other night's "I filled your mom's hole" that would get a three page mocking response from the usual suspects. Of course, if it's directed towards a UT player, then it's cool. On the other hand, if it's directed towards hat, or one of his fanzine members, then it's just a dumbass "Pearlslurper".

Otherwise, Woolridge has definitely regressed. I've said he's still a year away, but, at this point, it's clear that he's lost all confidence. He completely crapped his pants on the first possession of the UK game and you can see he's scared. Hopefully, he can calm down and regain some focus because he's capable of being a solid player for us the next two years.