What is the Issue?

[Smallvol#1]

it has been the Lady VOLS all my life and i have quite a few years on me,why should Hart change it now ? to make him like himself for making a change ? I don't see any reason for a change? do you?

so far,the best thing Hart has done is back into hiring CBJ

the mens basketball coach hiring may be one hell of a train wreck coming,but who knows on that,I guess that means he helped run off Coach Martin too ?

he did let Dooley go,but he also ran off a top 25 defensive staff way before that

and wasn't the football Bowl selection looking to play in Memphis or Charlotte i believe ? so wasn't it Slive and the SEC that boosted the VOLS to the Gator Bowl ? instead of Hart looking for it ?

other than that,i guess he is a great AD

Mule, you did say "other than that":

Lady Vols volleyball, Lady Vols soccer, track - both men and women (Vols and Lady Vols)...?? Not sure of the timeframe on those, I don't really follow them but have read some concerns. (In other words some of these may belong to hammy)

Also lawsuits Jennings, Moshack, etc.

I'm sure others could add to the list.

 

[teacherdean]

Well the problem sure ain't talent, so....

Darth you are right the talent is there now and there will be more talent next year. The big question is where is the coaching talent and leadership? If it is there, we will see it this year, it is not fair to give Holly a pass for this year.

 

[teacherdean]

If Tennessee beats Chattanooga by 10, a win is a win as far as I'm concerned. And even though Holly lost to Chattanooga in her first game as a HC, she still led Tennessee to the SEC regular season title, so that game really is somewhat meaningless, except for tournament seeding purposes..and maybe not even if she finishes strong once SEC play begins.

Cecelia is a wing, not a post. I don't know about the 6'7 girl, but the class of 2016 has a ton of 5 star posts. No sense in wasting scholarships with leftovers from this class.

Next year, Holly has Mercedes as starter and Nia as backup. That should be good enough. If Mercedes is not 100%, then Tennessee will have a problem.

If bodies are all you want, Holly might as well use Jasmine Jones as backup center, or Bashaara Graves if Holly's really desperate.

The 6'7" Therisa McCowan (the spelling might be suspect) is a well thought of post, thought to be headed to Baylor before Baylor signed the two other post players. I do not think that would be a wasted scholarship. I think you need to analysis more things then wins, or even conference championships. The ultimate goal should be how far you go into the tournament, NC's and how close are we to beating the best. That has been the Lady Vol DNA for the past 25 or 30 years. Far too many Lady programs have been allowed to die, because as their competition improved they did not.

Yes 2016 has 28 five and/or four star posts, but we do not seemed to have received any verbals, of course I believe the top two post have not made a verbal commitment.
I pray that Holly is able to recruit a creditable post or even a very good wing or two.

Time will play out and the real story will be told no matter what we think of Holly's coaching. I pray that things improve and before things become bleak that necessary changes are made to keep the number one ladies' basketball team, in the history of NCAA sports, at the top of the heap.

 

[reno tony]

"The Next Pat" isn't as much the issue as waiting for "The Next Candace".

If Breanna Stewart decided to come to Tennessee, no one would be second guessing Holly right now because she'd have at least 1 NC under her belt.

Do you think Stewart showed up at UCONN ready to go? Do you think Holly could coach her the same way Geno does? Do you realize how good UCONN is and was, even without Stewart? Stewart is a great player but Holly would still be without an N.C. with her. She needs to learn how to build a cohesive team with the right players. The top players don't go to UCONN because Geno wants them... they go because they want him. And if Pat were still capable of coaching they would be coming here because they want her as well.

 

[reno tony]

I know we can't because we are not a great defensive team. To say a great defensive team can't hold teams to less than 60 is totally wrong and can be proven by teams that are great defensive teams.
Case in point is UConn last season held the following top teams to less that 60 points.

Stanford 57
Maryland 55
Duke 61
California 47
Baylor 55
Louisville 48
Louisville 52
Texas A&M 54
Stanford 56
Notre Dame 58

So yes great defensive teams can do it.

To add the post above this was meant to be sarcastic because Holly always says play defense don't worry about offense and it is evident that is what she does. The point being if you are going to have that mind set then you have to be able to hold teams to 60 or less points to have a chance to win because with no offense your not going to score that many. That seems to be Holly's game plan or she would play her best shooters and scorers and they are not named Reynolds, Carter, or Burdick.

Here is a snapshot of the scoreboard during last year's final four. This stat concerning defense amazes me every time I think about it.

 

[Pat4life]

Of course the fact that UConn has Stewart will be problematic next year, even with Diamond and Mercedes back. But Tennessee should be top 3 from beginning to end and considered one of the favorites for NC.

If Tennessee loses to Chattanooga again next year, then obviously something's not working...but I'll be willing to beat my paycheck that scenario won't happen again.

Diamond will slap her whole team, alpha female, I don't see that happening with her on the floor, she hates to lose.

 

[Cockhornleghorn]

From the outside, as much as I love and respect Pat and enjoyed watching her coach for many years, her nearness to the program is probably keeping Holly from reaching her potential. It would take a very, very strong and confident person to grab the bull by the horns this soon after Pat's retirement. I predict that Holly will coach a few more years and if Tyler has a decent run at LT, then he will replace her when she retires.

 

[manville77]

Next year will tell whether Holly is a keeper long term or not. Many fans are restless with how we are playing, me included. I believe Middleton needs more that 5-10 minutes of playing time but at this point Holly does not.

 

[Smallvol#1]

From the outside, as much as I love and respect Pat and enjoyed watching her coach for many years, her nearness to the program is probably keeping Holly from reaching her potential. It would take a very, very strong and confident person to grab the bull by the horns this soon after Pat's retirement. I predict that Holly will coach a few more years and if Tyler has a decent run at LT, then he will replace her when she retires.

Maybe get Dawn instead? JK

 

[Amb3096]

Diamond will slap her whole team, alpha female, I don't see that happening with her on the floor, she hates to lose.

And that's been the problem with most of the girls on these teams for the past few years: they love to win more than they hate to lose.

 

[volcrazy89]

^ Exactly. And that's a product of today's everyone-gets-a-trophy society.

 

[volnationnj]

Ive been a reader of volnation for years but have never registered to post until now. The general question about what fans should post about their teams on team forums are the same everywhere. Some people think it should only/almost only be positive reinforcement. Others feel a more critical approach is beneficial in the hope that the direction the team is heading can be changed. Ive actually read posts where fans said that weaknesses of home team players shouldnt be discussed due to the possibility that the opposition could use that info against them.
AS far as the good/bad Holly question goes.
On the pro Holly side:
She has recruited well. In the seasons 2011-12 to 2014-15, Tennessee is the only team besides ND to have top 6 classes every year (as per ESPN). Tennessee has been unlucky in the injury department. (e.g. Tucker, Russell, Massengale) Certainly they would be a better team with a fully healthy roster.
On the con Holly side:
She does have a roster full of AAs that have underachieved in the NCAA tournament. As a #1 seed, losing in the round of 16 is underachieving. They dont appear to have a cohesive offensive plan. I know this is difficult to quantify but when watching Tennessee play against even reasonably tough opposition I just dont see an overall purpose to the offense, outside of somehow getting the ball down low to Izzy and hoping for the best.
If we are all Lady Vol fans, then why cant we be at least civil to each other? Theres no reason to make disparaging remarks about each others intelligence. We are all on the same side. I agree that the negative comments seem unrelenting but I think I know why many LV fans are upset. Holly took over the premiere womens college basketball program in the country and though we dont expect a National Championship every year, there is an expectation of competing for a NC pretty much every year. Its been 6 years since Tennessee has made it to the final four and at this point it doesnt look likely that the streak will be broken this year. We see a program in decline and not because of a lack of quality players but rather a lack of quality coaching. Therein lies the problem.
I am in the camp that Holly is not a very good head coach. It seems to me that either she cannot get the team to do what she wants it to do or her idea of what they should be doing is not very effective. I suspect the former. The problem is who could you replace her with that would have an immediate positive impact? Im not sure that person exists right now. If I were the AD and cared about the program, I would wait and see how this season plays out. If some of the worst fears come to fruition (i.e. No SEC season or playoff championships, early exit from the NCAAs) then I would begin a serious search for a new HC.

I had trouble sleeping last night, so I combed through the archives and came up with my very first post on VolNation.
The more things change, the more they remain the same.

 

[Amb3096]

The 6'7" Therisa McCowan (the spelling might be suspect) is a well thought of post, thought to be headed to Baylor before Baylor signed the two other post players. I do not think that would be a wasted scholarship. I think you need to analysis more things then wins, or even conference championships. The ultimate goal should be how far you go into the tournament, NC's and how close are we to beating the best. That has been the Lady Vol DNA for the past 25 or 30 years. Far too many Lady programs have been allowed to die, because as their competition improved they did not.

Yes 2016 has 28 five and/or four star posts, but we do not seemed to have received any verbals, of course I believe the top two post have not made a verbal commitment.
I pray that Holly is able to recruit a creditable post or even a very good wing or two.

Time will play out and the real story will be told no matter what we think of Holly's coaching. I pray that things improve and before things become bleak that necessary changes are made to keep the number one ladies' basketball team, in the history of NCAA sports, at the top of the heap.

Good call teacherdean. Although I don't think "Therisa McCowan" would have developed under Holly the way she did under Vic.

So many teams, not just Tennessee, must be banging their heads on the wall for passing up on her.