The Kim Caldwell System

[madtownvol]

From the article:

They [UTAD] have to retain Caldwell, despite an uninspiring basketball product and public comments that haven’t exactly earned her much goodwill from the alumnae. She’ll likely stay because she was the best coach who wanted to take this job, and it’s better to keep building than restart the clock.

I think that is probably an accurate forecast. As I said before, a worst case scenario (losing out all remaining games) could lead Danny White to consider the nuclear option but the aftermath of that would be equally disastrous. Pipe dreams that Dawn Staley would leave the top flight program she basically built from scratch for the "honor" of coaching at Tennessee is beyond a pipe dream. Same for Kim Mulkey who has gone home to LSU and is queen of the roost there.

A CKC replacement would likely be another up and coming coach from a mid tier program or a promising assistant (all of whom would come in with ?s around their hire and would be starting from ground zero).

So everyone has to hope that this season is a growth pain year for CKC and that she makes a lot of adjustments for next year such as - upgrade some assistant staff positions, significantly adapt her system (completely bury the crazy subbing, etc)., keep her freshman class more or less intact, do a better job filling gaps in the portal (like having an actual post player so we don't get destroyed in the paint). And build the team around the Big "O".

 

[Amb3096]

From the article:



I think that is probably an accurate forecast. As I said before, a worst case scenario (losing out all remaining games) could lead Danny White to consider the nuclear option but the aftermath of that would be equally disastrous. Pipe dreams that Dawn Staley would leave the top flight program she basically built from scratch for the "honor" of coaching at Tennessee is beyond a pipe dream. Same for Kim Mulkey who has gone home to LSU and is queen of the roost there.

A CKC replacement would likely be another up and coming coach from a mid tier program or a promising assistant (all of whom would come in with ?s around their hire and would be starting from ground zero).

So everyone has to hope that this season is a growth pain year for CKC and that she makes a lot of adjustments for next year such as - upgrade some assistant staff positions, significantly adapt her system (completely bury the crazy subbing, etc)., keep her freshman class more or less intact, do a better job filling gaps in the portal (like having an actual post player so we don't get destroyed in the paint). And build the team around the Big "O".

I agree that it's too early to give up on Kim. She needs to get tough and make sure the players she recruits clearly understand her expectations, and to hold them accountable for not doing so.

The platoon substitutions can't be used as a "get out of jail free" card for inappropriate player conduct.

 

[volfan102455]

I agree that it's too early to give up on Kim. She needs to get tough and make sure the players she recruits clearly understand her expectations, and to hold them accountable for not doing so.

The platoon substitutions can't be used as a "get out of jail free" card for inappropriate player conduct.

The platoon substitutions need to stop. A player can absolutely say that it destroys their rhythm and flow on the court and within the game, because it does.

This team also lacks on the court leaders - you are not going to have those when you full scale substitute.

I believe whether it is time to give up on CKC depends upon CKC. If she is not willing to adapt "the system" then it is time to part ways. If she is willing to adapt the system to what works and doesn't work for the players on the floor - then maybe give her one more year to show that she really is a coach that over the long haul will adapt and do what it takes to win.

 

[Amb3096]

The platoon substitutions need to stop. A player can absolutely say that it destroys their rhythm and flow on the court and within the game, because it does.

This team also lacks on the court leaders - you are not going to have those when you full scale substitute.

I believe whether it is time to give up on CKC depends upon CKC. If she is not willing to adapt "the system" then it is time to part ways. If she is willing to adapt the system to what works and doesn't work for the players on the floor - then maybe give her one more year to show that she really is a coach that over the long haul will adapt and do what it takes to win.

I forgot who the coach was who said this, but they made a comment something along the lines of "you're just putting in 5 players who are worse than the ones you started with". For the platoon system to work, you can't have five best players starting and then put in five less talented players and expect them to maintain momentum.

I don't have an issue with the concept as much as the execution, which includes knowing who to keep on the court. Based on some of the recent box scores, she must be adjusting since the minutes distributions seems to show that certain players, like Cooper, are playing significantly more minutes than other players.

 

[Amb3096]

There's few and far between like Beers . I seen a young lady like her in highschool just as big if not bigger run the floor like that the whole game. My granddaughter thou not as big can run a camel in the ground. She would never get tired and ask out of a game. Your not going get major college basketball teams exhausted there's just too many stoppages.

Beers is strong as hell, but there's no way she would beat Zee Spearman in a sprint end to end. Spearman was doing a light jog. One of the Pauldo twins tried in vain to hustle ahead and stop her, but everyone else showed zero hustle on that play.

 

[madtownvol]

I forgot who the coach was who said this, but they made a comment something along the lines of "you're just putting in 5 players who are worse than the ones you started with". For the platoon system to work, you can't have five best players starting and then put in five less talented players and expect them to maintain momentum.

I don't have an issue with the concept as much as the execution, which includes knowing who to keep on the court. Based on some of the recent box scores, she must be adjusting since the minutes distributions seems to show that certain players, like Cooper, are playing significantly more minutes than other players.

The truly maddening thing about this situation is that CKC has some for games, like KY, and stretches of other games largely abandoned the system and the team has looked really good but she keeps going back to the random mass subbing and ghost chasing full court press.

Its like she does not think, oh, "hey we are playing much better in this more conventional scheme, so let's stick with this" but instead goes, "gee, we are looking pretty good in this conventional scheme; just think how much better we can be if go back to the system!!"

 

[Amb3096]

The truly maddening thing about this situation is that CKC has some for games, like KY, and stretches of other games largely abandoned the system and the team has looked really good but she keeps going back to the random mass subbing and ghost chasing full court press.

Its like she does not think, oh, "hey we are playing much better in this more conventional scheme, so let's stick with this" but instead goes, "gee, we are looking pretty good in this conventional scheme; just think how much better we can be if go back to the system!!"

Agreed. She should also know which teams have competent ball handlers and go easy on the press against them. Trying that against SC was pitiful. Latson and Johnson were just eating that up. Even though they had some turnovers, they weren't the kind that allowed Tennesese to get out and run, and they weren't frequent enough to overcome all of the uncontested layups and open jumpers SC was getting from breaking the press early.

I fear she will try to press Galvan and Blakes, and I can confidently say that will NOT end well.

 

[Decker Moss]

“If this is what you want me to come here and do, then I’m going to come here and do it. If you want me to come here and do something else, I’m not the person for the job.”

There’s your answer

 

[volfan102455]

The truly maddening thing about this situation is that CKC has some for games, like KY, and stretches of other games largely abandoned the system and the team has looked really good but she keeps going back to the random mass subbing and ghost chasing full court press.

Its like she does not think, oh, "hey we are playing much better in this more conventional scheme, so let's stick with this" but instead goes, "gee, we are looking pretty good in this conventional scheme; just think how much better we can be if go back to the system!!"

I think she is too tied to her system.

 

[Decker Moss]

Spencer and Spear were the leaders last year and very good ones. I would have loved to have had four years of Spencer. This year we really have no one.

 

[volfan102455]

There’s your answer

And if this is truly what she still believes, she needs to move on and back to the lower divisions.

Career coaches that win a lot of games and become legends change with the times and adjust based on the players. They watch what others are doing and learn from that.

 

[volfan102455]

I went back and read what she said - I think she dislikes that folks refer to her system as a gimmick. Problem is she may be so set on proving folks wrong that it costs her the opportunity to be successful at one of the universities that put women's basketball on the map.

Sadly, in some of the games she has shown that by adjusting aspects of the style of play, the team can be competitive.

It is really up to her at this point to realize the system is not going to be successful as is at this level of play.

 

[mudcat1973]

I didn't mean to imply that we have a $5M NIL budget. It was just for purposes of the example.

Revenue sharing women's basketball 900,000 x 4 = 3,600,000 chip in NIL I would say tennessee has a minimum floor of five million dollars over four years.

Now have any inside information on NIL funding for women's basketball or did I pay one online sites who claims have the numbers.

I said at Tennessee has 5m over 4y so say your in the ballpark of Tennessee minimum floor spending

 

[VOLcanicFan]

Scorching new article

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Did not enjoy reading this hit piece at all, however it definitely provided food for thought. One thing that caught me by surprise was reading “Even Kara Lawson, the Duke coach and a champion with the Volunteers who cites Summitt as her foremost coaching inspiration, reportedly turned down the job before Caldwell was hired.” Is this true? I am a big Kara fan, but had previously heard that Kara was not asked to apply. Anyone know the truth?