The Secret Question

#27
#27
For those that have followed this season, what happened to Puckett. Sophomore slump?

Total headcase. She should be a valuable rotation player, if not starter, by this point but she can't get out of her own head...
 
#28
#28
For those that have followed this season, what happened to Puckett. Sophomore slump?

Total headcase. She should be a valuable rotation player, if not starter, by this point but she can't get out of her own head...

I have seen sophomore slumps and I have seen head cases....neither is correct
They call us "Coach" for more than just orchestrating a game
You "coach" everything and Sara was the most under-coached player I have seen in a while
Look at her mechanics in her freshman year, her poise, her attitude,,her fire
every shot looked like it was going in and she was strong on defense.

Today, eve I cringed when she hit the floor...it angers me to see how far she fell this year

Pat Summitt, at the 1996 SEC Women's tournament was walking down the hallway talking to a small group. I was in that group...Someone asked her, "do you coach effort?"
She got a stern look on her face and replied..."I coach everything!..But I don't coach passion,,,if I have to teach you to love my sport, I don't want you"

Last year I saw joy and confidence in Sara. I couldn't wait to see that beautiful arcing shot and that strong body this year...Now I almost want her to pull an Emily Saunders and find that joy again, even if it means her going elsewhere.

"The right words"
Its more than just a phrase, its a calling.
 
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#29
#29
I do think she will tranfer
I have seen sophomore slumps and I have seen head cases....neither is correct
They call us "Coach" for more than just orchestrating a game
You "coach" everything and Sara was the most under-coached player I have seen in a while
Look at her mechanics in her freshman year, her poise, her attitude,,her fire
every shot looked like it was going in and she was strong on defense.

Today, eve I cringed when she hit the floor...it angers me to see how far she fell this year

Pat Summitt, at the 1996 SEC Women's tournament was walking down the hallway talking to a small group. I was in that group...Someone asked her, "do you coach effort?"
She got a stern look on her face and replied..."I coach everything!..But I don't coach passion,,,if I have to teach you to love my sport, I don't want you"

Last year I saw joy and confidence in Sara. I couldn't wait to see that beautiful arcing shot and that strong body this year...Now I almost want her to pull an Emily Saunders and find that joy again, even if it means her going elsewhere.

"The right words"
Its more than just a phrase, its a calling.
...
 
#30
#30
She is no longer enjoying her time here. It's like she is on the outside looking in. Don't know if she has any friends on the team at all. I hope for the best for her,and I hope it's here!
 
#32
#32
She is no longer enjoying her time here. It's like she is on the outside looking in. Don't know if she has any friends on the team at all. I hope for the best for her,and I hope it's here!
Sara's definitely not enjoying her season. But the rest is pretty big speculation. When I see pics of travel, events, etc she seems very engaged and smiling. It is surprising, giving how down she seems in games and espec when she comes out. Again, I give credit to Jas Franklin, End of Bench Whisperer who always reaches out to Sara. Coaches are pretty attentive too.

Alot may depend on the portal. If we don't do well there, Sara can count on intense coaching attention this offseason and a ton of mins next year. I'd also like Sara (and Tess) to hit the strenght and conditioning hard this summer.
 
#33
#33
Sara's definitely not enjoying her season. But the rest is pretty big speculation. When I see pics of travel, events, etc she seems very engaged and smiling. It is surprising, giving how down she seems in games and espec when she comes out. Again, I give credit to Jas Franklin, End of Bench Whisperer who always reaches out to Sara. Coaches are pretty attentive too.

Alot may depend on the portal. If we don't do well there, Sara can count on intense coaching attention this offseason and a ton of mins next year. I'd also like Sara (and Tess) to hit the strenght and conditioning hard this summer.

rewatch the game and look at her demeaner on the bench...she looks as if she is hurt or bothered
body english includes facial expressions
 
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#34
#34
rewatch the game and look at her demeaner on the bench...she looks as if she is hurt or bothered
body english includes facial expressions
I just said her bench demeanor is totally broken when she comes out after not playing well. It's heartbreaking. They do reach out to her though.

And before and after games, and in every pic I've ever seen off court, she looks fine and dandy. Leading me to believe her disappointment is with her season, not her team. That doesn't shed much light about her future choices, but it's incorrect to paint her as a friendless, isolated pool of misery.
 
#35
#35
I just said her bench demeanor is totally broken when she comes out after not playing well. It's heartbreaking. They do reach out to her though.

And before and after games, and in every pic I've ever seen off court, she looks fine and dandy. Leading me to believe her disappointment is with her season, not her team. That doesn't shed much light about her future choices, but it's incorrect to paint her as a friendless, isolated pool of misery.

SHe has a very close friend in fact as she played AAU/exposure with Karo and I know they had a good relationship on that team
 
#37
#37
Another secret question. Did Mulky take a dive in second half to keep from playing SC.
,
Do you mean literally took a dive? BC she did that several times, rolled all over the floor. Did a 10 off the high board on that last call!

So, Kim arranged to throw the game by having Angel to do the thing she's done every play of her life and seldom gets called for? And it worked! Must have bribed the ref! Wonder if Angel knows?

Kim is smarter than she acts. She knows a loss to us is way worse than another loss to SC, especially with an epic collapse. Would have to be desperate to avoid the Dawn Staley/Allyah Boston Worship Hour on Sunday to choose losing to us.
 
#38
#38
rewatch the game and look at her demeaner on the bench...she looks as if she is hurt or bothered
body english includes facial expressions

My take - I think we all thought Sara would probably be in line to start this season or get increased minutes (i.e., first off bench). I'm sure she thought so too based on her play. The offseason hits and here comes RJ and Jillian which were great pickups. Season starts make-up of the team changes and her role changes and now she's in a totally different position. As a player you want to play, you strive to start, you want to win you ,you want to be a team player. This can be tough on a player. She has only 4 years to make an impact at this level. I think if her role on the floor was more of a go to player we'd see different player. It might also be tough for her to see her friend unexpectedly take on a larger role . I'm sure she's happy for her but might be tough. I don't agree with posters who thinks she just isn't good. Players thrive in some roles and not so much in other roles. It would be ridiculous to think this doesn't affect a player. She is very talented and I hope she stays because next year will be her year.
 
#39
#39
She is no longer enjoying her time here. It's like she is on the outside looking in. Don't know if she has any friends on the team at all. I hope for the best for her,and I hope it's here!

She and Kea seem to be pretty tight. Maybe not outside of basketball but I always see Kea lifting her up and they seem to have a good rapport on the floor.


Kaiya is her best friend on the team.

Sarah is just in her own head at this point. I ache for her when she’s out there. You can just see her overthinking every step. I was hard on her in the Kentucky game thread the other day and I feel bad about it.

Her play was really setting us back though. She gets so discouraged when she makes an individual error it takes her out of the game completely. She can’t be on the floor when that’s going on. Ruins our chemistry.

She has a beautiful shot and is a very skilled basketball player imo. She needs to trim up a bit and really focus on her nutrition and conditioning in the off-season. If her body can do more her mind can do more. She’s a bit heavy footed and that’s tough in the SEC. Has a great build and really strong upper body but needs to do lots of calisthenics and work on her feet.

Doing some drills with the soccer team would absolutely benefit her. Sounds silly, but having that lower body dexterity is really important in basketball too.
 
#45
#45
Oh man, if only we'd known!
The answers go back to the original question as the X factor to the game. We know the numbers of the past which made it an X factor candidate. But it was just the same. Could have said, coaches putting Tess in position to score 10+ with someone in her…not sitting on the outside to pop a shot.
 
#46
#46
I just said her bench demeanor is totally broken when she comes out after not playing well. It's heartbreaking. They do reach out to her though.

And before and after games, and in every pic I've ever seen off court, she looks fine and dandy. Leading me to believe her disappointment is with her season, not her team. That doesn't shed much light about her future choices, but it's incorrect to paint her as a friendless, isolated pool of misery.

Her confidence looks very shaken and she is clearly over thinking things, which means she is too slow in making decisions.

On the plus, I like the series where she missed a jumper, the LVs got the OR and Sara demanded the ball in the post and then hit a jump hook off the glass.

So, she can but I think she is also afraid of making mistakes knowing that the hook is coming quick. Just a lot going on with her and it is gonna take the off season to sort this out.
 
#47
#47
Jordan and Rickea was asked by the interviewer to " give me a x- factor... something tangible?"
They didn't answer , so I'm asking Volnation the same question give me a x- factor ... something tangible for today's game against SC .
My X factor is to play the same five Kellie ended the game with as starters or entire quarters.

In my ongoing and ultimately futile endeavor, to rid the world of useless sports cliches, the "X factor" really deserves to die.

No coach keeps a great player completely under wraps to then unleash the "secret weapon" in the tournament. [NOTE: If Justine comes in and averages 20pts a game, leading the LVs to the NC, I will gladly eat this crow--fried, on a brioche bun with pickled red onions, fresh tomatoes and a garlic aioli.]

Sports commentators use the" X factor" to make it seem like they have some special insight into a situation where a non-star, role player has a bigger than expected impact on the game. Calling it an X-factor makes it sound more "strategic" than saying player X had a good of run games down the stretch. "Yes, I knew Jane Doe was going to be an X-factor for this team...." As they say, hindsight is always 20-20.

So, if Tess hits 5 three 3s in a game, she is the X-factor; If Hollingshead goes for double-double, she is the X-factor; if either Striplin or Walker score in double digits, they are the X factor. Basically, any offensive production not coming from our big 2 is the LV's "X-factor."

I will say it again, the big systematic determinant of the LVs tournament success will be....drum roll....shooting, particularly 3 point shooting. In games where the Lady Vols hit 8 to 10 3s (On 40% or above shooting), they are really hard to beat.

Last season, this team could lock teams down defensively in ways that could cover for crappy shooting nights. This team can't.

Shot making is where they live or die. If Jordan W. or Jaz Powell were good 3 pt. shooters, this team would look different.

You can lock down Tess when she is the only outsider shooting threat on the floor, you can double Rickea, you can force Jordan into tough shots but the PG is always wide open outside the 3pt line. But when your PGs are shooting under 20%, opponents can live them open with little concern.

If the LVs only had another good three point shooter they could pair with Tess.......
 
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#49
#49
In my ongoing and ultimately futile endeavor, to rid the world of useless sports cliches, the "X factor" really deserves to die.

No coach keeps a great player completely under wraps to then unleash the "secret weapon" in the tournament. [NOTE: If Justine comes in and averages 20pts a game, leading the LVs to the NC, I will gladly eat this crow--fried, on a brioche bun with pickled red onions, fresh tomatoes and a garlic aioli.]

Sports commentators use the" X factor" to make it seem like they have some special insight into a situation where a non-star, role player has a bigger than expected impact on the game. Calling it an X-factor makes it sound more "strategic" than saying player X had a good of run games down the stretch. "Yes, I knew Jane Doe was going to an X-factor for this team...." As they say, hindsight is always 20-20.

So, if Tess hits 5 three 3s in a game, she is the X-factor; If Hollingshead goes for double-double, she is the X-factor; if either Striplin or Walker score in double digits, they are the X factor. Basically, any offensive production not coming from our big 2 is the LV's "X-factor."

I will say it again, the big systematic determinant of the LVs tournament success will be....drum roll....shooting, particularly 3 point shooting. In games where the Lady Vols hit 8 to 10 3s (On 40% or above shooting), they are really hard to beat.

Last season, this team could lock teams down defensively in ways that could cover for crappy shooting nights. This team can't.

Shot making is where they live or die. If Jordan W. or Jaz Powell were good 3 pt. shooters, this team would look different.

You can lock down Tess when she is the only outsider shooting threat on the floor, you can double Rickea, you can force Jordan into tough shots but the PG is always wide open outside the 3pt line. But when your PGs are shooting under 20%, opponents can live them open with little concern.

If the LVs only had another good three point shooter they could pair with Tess.......
I believe there are more than 1 X factor. First, we do not have a point guard who is capable of defending or scoring against their point guard. Second, we were out classed at the 5 position. Third, we fall short of talent at the 3 position , assuming Jackson is playing the 4 position. The fact is South Carolina has recruited top 1-3 classes for 4 years in a row and have all star talent and depth at every position. They are undefeated this year and I doubt they lose a game this year. I am impressed we played as well as we did in our two last games We played a great game in beating LSU and our team beat another team which had more talent. We were in the game until our guard play was overwhelmed by their guards and we got little help, offensively or defensively, from our 3 position. Walker has played good in some recent games, and had a good game against LSU, but did not against USC. USC is what Tennessee was during the Summit years. We are making progress but still have to recruit more competitive players at all positions if we are going to beat USC in the future.
‘Let’s look on the brighter side. We have won 20 games this year and finished as the # 2 team in the SEC. We beat a very good team in LSU we have improved as a team and will , hopefully, fill a couple of holes through the portal. We are beginning to get interest from some of the top high school players in the Nation and we will continue to get better.
 
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#50
#50
I just said her bench demeanor is totally broken when she comes out after not playing well. It's heartbreaking. They do reach out to her though.

And before and after games, and in every pic I've ever seen off court, she looks fine and dandy. Leading me to believe her disappointment is with her season, not her team. That doesn't shed much light about her future choices, but it's incorrect to paint her as a friendless, isolated pool of misery.
Sara is a tough one to figure out how to best use her. She's too slow to play SG and doesn't have the handle to play the wing. Maybe she'd be a good stretch 4, but the lack of footspeed and athleticism is probably a hindrance as well. She's a tweener, but not clear what her best position should be.
 

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