What do Y'll think about these stars?

#3
#3
Here's another question, what does it feel like to win a recruiting battle? Regardless where Reese ends up, we won the off-season portal wars. Credit to our assistant coaches for having that immediate positive affect on our recruitment position, and for our head coach and players for creating the kind of environment where players can thrive.
 
#4
#4
I can't wait.
I believe it equals an advantage we didn’t have at the end of the year. We have a legitimate chance of winning an SEC title and an NCAA championship. We now have a legitimate chance of reviving the days past by when we were considered one of the top five teams in the country. We have all the elements to excite Vol Nation and have sellout home games.
 
#6
#6
the question Teacher Dean is whether the publicity staff can create the excitement to increase demand for season tickets etc. That poster is a good beginning sell.

btw Teacher Dean is the MO game in Columbia this year?
I was JUST thinking this. I’m interested to see how attendance trends next year. I don’t know if we can take the number 1 spot from South Carolina because their tickets are dirt cheap, but I’d love to see us have some huge numbers.
 
#9
#9
So where does a starting lineup with these four plus Pissott finish in the SEC? At least top half, right?

Wonder if they will have a pickup game of the returning players vs the newcomers, kinda like Kellie and Chamique back in the day when Catchings and Randall's class arrived. Powell, Jackson, Pissott, Franklin, Hollingshead vs Walker, Darby, Horston, Puckett, Key... who takes it?
 
#10
#10
So where does a starting lineup with these four plus Pissott finish in the SEC? At least top half, right?

Wonder if they will have a pickup game of the returning players vs the newcomers, kinda like Kellie and Chamique back in the day when Catchings and Randall's class arrived. Powell, Jackson, Pissott, Franklin, Hollingshead vs Walker, Darby, Horston, Puckett, Key... who takes it?
Oh Happy Dilemma!
 
#15
#15
I believe it equals an advantage we didn’t have at the end of the year. We have a legitimate chance of winning an SEC title and an NCAA championship. We now have a legitimate chance of reviving the days past by when we were considered one of the top five teams in the country. We have all the elements to excite Vol Nation and have sellout home games.

I know for a fact that COVID-19 remains a reason many longtime attendees of Lady Vols games have not come back yet.
 
#22
#22
I believe it equals an advantage we didn’t have at the end of the year. We have a legitimate chance of winning an SEC title and an NCAA championship. We now have a legitimate chance of reviving the days past by when we were considered one of the top five teams in the country. We have all the elements to excite Vol Nation and have sellout home games.

For a year, yes, totally. After next year, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens. Tennessee will be saying goodbye to Horston, Key, and now Jackson, and they will need to have the players in place to step up after that. To really revive things - to improve attendance, to grow the attention they receive - Tennessee has to sustain it. Programs can "get gud" for a year or even two, but to really right the ship, the dominant success has to become an expectation again.
 
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#23
#23
I know it has .. still doesn't mean that they won't leave ....
I could be very wrong here but I believe a lot depends on the chemistry of the team and how players relate to each other. Coach will play you if you perform and she will give you every opportunity to shine and she will attempt to develop you. As a player you can’t ask for much more than that. So I do not expect to see any transfers, at the very least, no transfers of any consequence. Playing on a team that values you and put you into situations where you can thrive , have fun and play ball is not common any more. I believe these transfers have been places where the culture is different and these young women can see and feel the difference. Go big 🍊
 
#24
#24
For a year, yes, totally. After next year, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens. Tennessee will be saying goodbye to Horston, Key, and now Jackson, and they will need to have the players in place to step up after that. To really revive things - to improve attendance, to grow the attention they receive - Tennessee has to sustain it. Programs can "get gud" for a year or even two, but to really right the ship, the dominant success has to become an expectation again.
It's all different now tho. Having alot of upperclassman isn't the same as it used to be what with the transfer carnival. A couple of years ago, it would have made sense for young players, like our current rising sophs, to sit tight and wait their turn on a Sr-laden team. Not anymore. KJH currently owns the transfer portal and its easy to think she'll make several more big booms next year. Also, her high school recruiting success is bound to pick up off this momentum. More better pipelines for restocking more better players.

Meanwhile, its possible at least a couple of current players will realize they're unlikely to ever get major minutes with the New Elite Again Lady Vols. I'm glad the portal is there for players like this. Emily is a good example.

I totally agree with the second part. Going to have to score some big wins and tourney success over a few seasons to return to former attendance glory. But I do think individual big games - UConn, Stanford, etc. plus big SEC games will see solid 12,000 again. Build it and they will come.
 
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#25
#25
There’s a very good chance.. that the young nucleus of Brooklyn Miles, Sara Puckett, Karoline Striplin, Kaiya Wynn, Tess Darby, and newcomers Jillian Hollingshead and Justin Pissott remain with Tennessee for the next 3/4 years. Darby’s younger sister could find her way as well and it’ll serve as an asset to the program.
That’s a nice core group. I expect the staff will recruit young players not necessarily through the portal that can learn and enhance the above group of talent. The growth in year 1 has laid the foundation for years to come. I don’t think Brooklyn Miles and Sara Puckett get enough credit for playing major roles as just Freshmen for a whole season. Karoline Striplin and Kaiya Wynn showed consistent improvements over the course of the season. Playing behind an All-American/SEC caliber player at the Guard/Wing/Center position is a luxury for young players. I can see our young talent is very unselfish.
Once the 2021 and 2022 class get into their Jr. and Sr. seasons each player could be playing at a very high level. Even coming off the bench most of them will have made a name for themselves with the success Tennessee is bound to have this season. They have no reason to depart seeing as though each player has already shown signs of being part of the future of this program through basketball, community work, NIL deals etc. It’s actually a bonus that each of these players are able to develop without much pressure to carry a program.
 
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