Westbrook Gone

[VolBall09]

Annie killed it at Tennessee and didn’t transfer due to Holly. Cooper’s number were slightly better at USC but it appears she would have improved at the same rate at Tennessee and she’s transferring again so that’s not really a success story.

Cooper's numbers were very misleading this season though. She padded her stats in the non-conference games, but she was basically a non-factor in most of the SEC season. She shot 15% from 3 in SEC play and 38% from the field 33 turnovers to 15 assists. Pretty poor for a supposed elite guard.

 

[NoBackBoard]

She grew up and find out just how awful and hateful adults can be be, instead.

Is this referring to fans on VolNation? The coaching staff? Was Evina the target of derogatory racial remarks during her time in Knoxville? Who exactly are these adults and what type of hate did Evina experience?

You comment is deeply concerning.

 

[djtee]

Tennessee issued this short Kellie Harper statement this morning on guard Evina Westbrook: “Evina and I met to discuss her future, and she shared with me that she has decided to transfer. We wish her well.”

 

[OldNSlow]

Ohhhhhhh.
I was really, reeeaaaalllly hoping she’d stay. But after all that has happened, I understand why she’d feel like a fresh start somewhere else is the way to go. And unlike what many will probably think, I’m sure that coming to this decision was difficult for her, because I still remember the stories about the pure joy and excitement that she had about be oming a Lady Vol. She grew up and find out just how awful and hateful adults can be be, instead.

Hope Evina Westbrook goes on the become the award-winning player she’s capable of being, wherever that is.

Regardless of what anyone thought here, she was gone the instant she put her name in the portal. And you are exactly right about what you are saying. This is well known fact outside of Knoxville by other coaches. This is what troubles me about our fan base. We see everything through orange goggles. And thats why we are where we are now.

 

[Smallvol#1]

Regardless of what anyone thought here, she was gone the instant she put her name in the portal. And you are exactly right about what you are saying. This is well known fact outside of Knoxville by other coaches. This is what troubles me about our fan base. We see everything through orange goggles. And thats why we are where we are now.

No. Orange colored glasses are fine for fans. I believe it is the (current/past) Administration with which you should have a complaint, and I did say current Administration - but intentionally do not include current AD or interim Chancellor Wayne Davis on my list:
Cheek, JoeD, Hamilton, hart, Currie, BOT...add to the list.

Sorry, @Va Vol Fan, sometimes I get ugly, but big guys getting big money and in big power positions....should be high quality and high expectations and expect to be called out when they fail egregiously. I’ll try to be nicer, @T_Vol376.

 

[OldNSlow]

No. Orange colored glasses are fine for fans. I believe it is the (current/past) Administration with which you should have a complaint, and I did say current Administration - but intentionally do not include current AD or interim Chancellor Wayne Davis on my list:
Cheek, JoeD, Hamilton, hart, Currie, BOT...add to the list.

Sorry, @Va Vol Fan, sometimes I get ugly, but big guys getting big money and in big power positions....should be high quality and high expectations and expect to be called out when they fail egregiously. I’ll try to be nicer, @T_Vol376.

I can agree. I just have been targeted by other fans because they think we have never done the very same things we accuse others of.

 

[Amb3096]

Who are these “others” you speak of besides Alexa? Who all transferred to different colleges under Holly’s tenure and flourished?

Not a different college, but Diamond elected not to stay for her final year and played overseas, and was the #3 WNBA draft pick and had a terrific rookie year.

As bad as a coach as Holly is, I'm surprised she didn't have more players transfer. Lot of talented kids who threw away their basketball careers by electing to stick by her side. Such a pity.

 

[madtownvol]

Regardless of what anyone thought here, she was gone the instant she put her name in the portal. And you are exactly right about what you are saying. This is well known fact outside of Knoxville by other coaches. This is what troubles me about our fan base. We see everything through orange goggles. And thats why we are where we are now.

Yeah, if LV fans had just been more negative, we would be national champions cause that is how the world really works......

 

[OldNSlow]

Here is something that is easy to see and for those that can read between the lines with a lot of these coaches. Ill give you two scenarios.

1. Sabrina, knowing she was the number 1 pick, elected to stay in Oregon.
2. Jackie Young left as quick as she could.

Look at this just face value. This is very telling.

 

[OldNSlow]

Yeah, if LV fans had just been more negative, we would be national champions cause that is how the world really works......

I never said that. You are putting words in my mouth.

 

[Franklin Pierce]

Today is a great day for the Lady Vols basketball program.

 

[LA Vol]

She probably knew she was gone when she gave that interview, if not before.

Schools can't control what people say on social media. Players' parents shouldn't be engaging with anonymous posters on the Internet about their daughter, and they certainly shouldn't give credence to hateful posts by people who have no affiliation to UT or the LVs. The program was out of control and had been veering that way for a while.

 

[djtee]

Not a different college, but Diamond elected not to stay for her final year and played overseas, and was the #3 WNBA draft pick and had a terrific rookie year.

As bad as a coach as Holly is, I'm surprised she didn't have more players transfer. Lot of talented kids who threw away their basketball careers by electing to stick by her side. Such a pity.

Holly was a bad coach and to me the AD made it worst. As for transfers this is the new norm players want to play and if they are not gonna play they will move on so KJH will have her hands full. At MO State you can can recruit about any mid or low level player make it happen in the power conference a different story. Also keep an eye on the Zaay Green situation she could be on the move reports cumming out of texas.

 

[volman128]

Here is something that is easy to see and for those that can read between the lines with a lot of these coaches. Ill give you two scenarios.

1. Sabrina, knowing she was the number 1 pick, elected to stay in Oregon.
2. Jackie Young left as quick as she could.

Look at this just face value. This is very telling.

Jewell Lloyd also left a year early.

Maybe Muffet really is that big of a hard ass. lol

 

[sccshortstop]

Holly was a bad coach and to me the AD made it worst. As for transfers this is the new norm players want to play and if they are not gonna play they will move on so KJH will have her hands full. At MO State you can can recruit about any mid or low level player make it happen in the power conference a different story. Also keep an eye on the Zaay Green situation she could be on the move reports cumming out of texas.

If Zaay wants to go she needs to hit the door as well. Got to get all the HS stars out that want out NOW!

 

[LVsinceJV]

Here is something that is easy to see and for those that can read between the lines with a lot of these coaches. Ill give you two scenarios.

1. Sabrina, knowing she was the number 1 pick, elected to stay in Oregon.
2. Jackie Young left as quick as she could.

Look at this just face value. This is very telling.

Sabrina has a chance at a ring and a number one pick next year and Jackie likely wouldn't have either. While I don't like to see kids walk away from a degree, this move makes sense if your goal is to become a professional basketball player.

 

[sccshortstop]

Jewell Lloyd also left a year early.

Maybe Muffet really is that big of a hard ass. lol

So Young was not happy either?

 

[lvocd]

Is this referring to fans on VolNation? The coaching staff? Was Evina the target of derogatory racial remarks during her time in Knoxville? Who exactly are these adults and what type of hate did Evina experience?

You comment is deeply concerning.

NOOOOO, I know of no derogatory racial remarks. I am specifically talking about the beating she's unfairly taken on message boards after it was clear that Helen Keller could have seen that the players were crestfallen and unhappy with the fact that they weren't being provided with the coaching and strong leadership they needed to succeed. Even before the season began I even mentioned that we will all know what the real problem has been these past few seasons if the players begin showing the signs that I feared they would. NONE OF THIS IS THE PLAYERS' FAULT. Adults let Westbrook down, and it is the ugliness and mean-spirited aggression toward her by adult fans that finally sent her packing. I guarantee you that it is the hateful fans that have made her and her mother feel emotionally unsafe enough to be willing an anxious to go through all this upheaval to escape it.

 

[djtee]

If Zaay wants to go she needs to hit the door as well. Got to get all the HS stars out that want out NOW!

i`m not sure what her issue is i was just told she might be on the move.

 

[lvocd]

P.S. In my perfect world Evina goes on to become NPOY, and in the story about it she gives a quote with something like, "This is for the a-hole Tennessee fans!" lol

 

[madtownvol]

I never said that. You are putting words in my mouth.

Correct, my hyperbolic paraphrase is literally not what you said. Let's parse your statement:

This is what troubles me about our fan base. We see everything through orange goggles. And thats why we are where we are now.

So, you are troubled by "our" fan base (Is it okay to assume you means the LV fan base?).

Why are you troubled?-- because "we see everything through orange goggles" (Side note: since you are being a literalist- it is not factually correct to assume that the fan base is a collective hive who sees EVERYTHING through orange colored glasses. You may not have noticed all the criticisms that have been directed toward the former coach and players over the course of this disappointing season).

But back to the parsing, why is problematic see the world through orange goggles?

because, "that is why we are where we are now". So your statement clearly implies that where we are now is not a good place.

And that statement further implies that somehow fans seeing the world through orange goggles (i.e. hey we can be a good team next year!) has directly contributed to this state of affairs.

The obvious implication is that the opposite state, fans seeing the world the pessimistic glasses, would have had some kind of ameliorative effect on the state of the program.

So, to restate my admittedly snide post, that ain't how the world works.

 

[Nute Gunray]

The Evina Westbrook transfer is a hard pill to swallow for most LV fans. However, it was bound to happen the minute Holly was fired. Evina came to UT for a number of reasons such as wanting to be a Lady Vol from childhood. However, the number one reason she came was Holly promising her the PG position. She realized this promise was in jeopardy now that Holly is gone, hence, her transfer. CKJH could not and should not promise her this position.

 

[madtownvol]

If Zaay wants to go she needs to hit the door as well. Got to get all the HS stars out that want out NOW!

Ya know, the LVs will actually need players for next season. Perhaps rather than cheering on LVs' key players to transfer, you could hope that, with a new coach at the helm, their attitudes and orientations might change for the better.

Or are you in the camp, that the LVs problems were do to those rotten no good players and that Holly got a raw deal?

 

[VolBall09]

Here is something that is easy to see and for those that can read between the lines with a lot of these coaches. Ill give you two scenarios.

1. Sabrina, knowing she was the number 1 pick, elected to stay in Oregon.
2. Jackie Young left as quick as she could.

Look at this just face value. This is very telling.

Their situations were completely different.

Sabrina had her entire team coming back aside from Cazorla, plus the addition of Nyara Sabally who might be even better than Satou. They have a very good shot at winning the national championship next season which is why she's coming back.

Young was the only Junior starter, all 4 of the other major players were graduating and moving on. Young would have been the only major contributor returning in what is bound to be a rebuilding year for ND. Why not go out (almost) on top? Plus once Ionescu decided to stay that paved the way for Young to be the #1 pick in the draft. I doubt it had anything to do with her having problems with the program.

 

[djtee]

NOOOOO, I know of no derogatory racial remarks. I am specifically talking about the beating she's unfairly taken on message boards after it was clear that Helen Keller could have seen that the players were crestfallen and unhappy with the fact that they weren't being provided with the coaching and strong leadership they needed to succeed. Even before the season began I even mentioned that we will all know what the real problem has been these past few seasons if the players begin showing the signs that I feared they would. NONE OF THIS IS THE PLAYERS' FAULT. Adults let Westbrook down, and it is the ugliness and mean-spirited aggression toward her by adult fans that finally sent her packing. I guarantee you that it is the hateful fans that have made her and her mother feel emotionally unsafe enough to be willing an anxious to go through all this upheaval to escape it.

I`m gonna leave this issue alone because everyone knows how i feel about this from the players to the coaches.