What's going on with this team
- Thread starter Eastknox865
- Start date
I was bothered by Kim’s answer when a reporter asked her directly what she would say to her team about this current string of losses. Her answer was well that’s just the SEC. Sometimes you have good patches sometimes you have bad patches.
I don’t expect her to cry real tears on the podium and it didn’t exactly go well for her when she expressed anger. But that answer made me feel like she really doesn’t get it with the LV tradition. And how could she really? I wanted us to go outside the family for a coach this time. But this may just be a price we pay.
brittannica
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2023
- Messages
- 2,572
- Likes
- 12,553
I worry Kim has now over-corrected and seems too pleasant given the circumstances. I really do feel bad for her! But also saying "it's just the SEC isn't it?" in response to a seven game skid is absolutely wild.
She also needed to reign in the taunting and finger guns earlier in the season. I have to believe they are doing that in practice and that is why they are doing it in the game and are subsequently shocked when held accountable for it. I don't mind taunting, though I think it's a poor look when you're losing. The finger guns are stupid because we keep getting T'd up for them.
AllMidSouth65
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2024
- Messages
- 193
- Likes
- 466
This is nothing new, and comes with the style of play that CKC implemented. It's predicated on getting more possessions than your opponents, launching more threes and outscoring them. Defense wasn't a priority. Same as last season where they lost several shootouts that looked like the Oklahoma game.
What was rare, however, were these games where the opponents scored in the 80s-90s while Tennessee was a good 20-30 points under that. That's been pretty common this season.
troopervol
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2008
- Messages
- 110
- Likes
- 83
LV renaissance
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2021
- Messages
- 1,481
- Likes
- 8,010
The top issues in my opinion are
1. The emotional fragility of the best players who are upperclassman. This group is where leaders are typically found but have not been there in pivotal games and reportedly in practice. This team more than most teams needed this due to all the Freshman players who are contributing on the team. The emotional fragility may also contribute to some more conflict and dissention within the team, but this part is speculative.
2. Coach Kim not doing well in dealing with the emotional/interpersonal issues on the team. She seems really bright in all areas that I can tell except for emotional intelligence. Some of her reactions suggests that she just isn't nuanced at all in this area, such as she saying I guess the team needs me to yell at them all the time so they would be reminded to do the game plan. This may not be a big obstacle until you deal with a team full of emotional issues, which is likely to increase drastically in this crazy NIL era. Hopefully, she will be learning quick from this year.
3. The combination of the first two issue leads to the third major issue, which is there has not been a player or group or players or a coach who has been able to consistently reach this team when it is falling apart emotionally. This has led to either me-ball or just quitting. There has been some improvement in this area, but more is still needed.
4. No player improvement. Only Latham among the 8 players who played college ball last year has shown significant growth in their game from last year with extreme regression with Zee, Jersey, and to a lesser extent, Boyd.
5. NO Ruby - basketball and emotional impact on team.
6. The schedule is part of the problem. You would never guess for all the extreme hysteria going on right now about the losing streak that actually this team has looked decent in the SEC except for 4 games, 2 of them coming in the 4 games in 8 days stretch. We looked pretty good to very good in the other SEC 8 games we played. After seeing the team for a bit in the preconference season, I think many of us were thinking our final SEC record would be somewhere between 8 and 8 to 10 and 6 with a real optimistic take being 11-5. Well, we not that far off in that we will be 8-8 at worse and possibly 9-7 if we got a much-needed win against Vandy. No one would argue that because we were 6-0 to start the SEC that the team and Kim are great, but there seems to be a popular narrative that the team, coach, and the system are pitiful now that we are losing to top 10 teams that we expected to lose to in the first place. No team has won at either OU, UCLA or SC this year, and only LSU has won at Ole MISS after they were dominated by OM the first three quarters, but the worn-out Ole Miss team was so exhausted that they couldn't shoot in the 4th quarter.
I agree that the horrible showing against A&M helped further intensify the narrative that this team and coach are completely off the rails, but overall, we are not a team getting progressively worse. Our games against Mizzou, Texas, and even OU illustrate that. The team earlier in the year would have been smashed by Texas and OU.
1. The emotional fragility of the best players who are upperclassman. This group is where leaders are typically found but have not been there in pivotal games and reportedly in practice. This team more than most teams needed this due to all the Freshman players who are contributing on the team. The emotional fragility may also contribute to some more conflict and dissention within the team, but this part is speculative.
2. Coach Kim not doing well in dealing with the emotional/interpersonal issues on the team. She seems really bright in all areas that I can tell except for emotional intelligence. Some of her reactions suggests that she just isn't nuanced at all in this area, such as she saying I guess the team needs me to yell at them all the time so they would be reminded to do the game plan. This may not be a big obstacle until you deal with a team full of emotional issues, which is likely to increase drastically in this crazy NIL era. Hopefully, she will be learning quick from this year.
3. The combination of the first two issue leads to the third major issue, which is there has not been a player or group or players or a coach who has been able to consistently reach this team when it is falling apart emotionally. This has led to either me-ball or just quitting. There has been some improvement in this area, but more is still needed.
4. No player improvement. Only Latham among the 8 players who played college ball last year has shown significant growth in their game from last year with extreme regression with Zee, Jersey, and to a lesser extent, Boyd.
5. NO Ruby - basketball and emotional impact on team.
6. The schedule is part of the problem. You would never guess for all the extreme hysteria going on right now about the losing streak that actually this team has looked decent in the SEC except for 4 games, 2 of them coming in the 4 games in 8 days stretch. We looked pretty good to very good in the other SEC 8 games we played. After seeing the team for a bit in the preconference season, I think many of us were thinking our final SEC record would be somewhere between 8 and 8 to 10 and 6 with a real optimistic take being 11-5. Well, we not that far off in that we will be 8-8 at worse and possibly 9-7 if we got a much-needed win against Vandy. No one would argue that because we were 6-0 to start the SEC that the team and Kim are great, but there seems to be a popular narrative that the team, coach, and the system are pitiful now that we are losing to top 10 teams that we expected to lose to in the first place. No team has won at either OU, UCLA or SC this year, and only LSU has won at Ole MISS after they were dominated by OM the first three quarters, but the worn-out Ole Miss team was so exhausted that they couldn't shoot in the 4th quarter.
I agree that the horrible showing against A&M helped further intensify the narrative that this team and coach are completely off the rails, but overall, we are not a team getting progressively worse. Our games against Mizzou, Texas, and even OU illustrate that. The team earlier in the year would have been smashed by Texas and OU.
Last edited:
Kim needs to clear up Barker's status immediately because if she's coming back soon and the violation was minor, Kim needs to pull JB out from under the bus. Everyone interested in the LVs has now identified barker as the cancer. If she's not, please say so.
The reason for the feeling of completely off the rails is the magnitude of the beat downs, settng records for futility, and the public locker room turmoil. Thats why this season feels progressively worse than last year, which in itself was just OK. We were already beating poor Missouri and staying close to teams like Texas and Oklahoma last year. Having those as high points this yr shows we're just barely treading water and definitely not making progress.
I actually think we're off the rails until we start going forward and not backwards.
Last edited:
Clad in Big Orange
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2021
- Messages
- 7,212
- Likes
- 12,675
Gross, Barker, whose checkered history I fully understand, has been thrown completely under the bus whether intentional or not. Kim indicated her infraction was minor and she'd be back soon, indicating she's actually not "the problem". But now She'll never not be seen as the cancer. Maybe deserved but maybe completely unfair.
If we happen to be on a good shooting night, and Kim keeps the system antics to a minimum like she did in the first half against OK, we can usually hang for a little while. Made up for Barker's scoring by hitting a few lucky 3s and by Civils good game.
Last edited:
First, both could be true: the infraction was minor AND Barker is part of the problem. I think there is evidence of this in her on-court actions this year. BUT, there is a bigger issue that I think you are pointing out. No matter what, she is not THE problem. In situations like this, there are almost always multiple causes. Which means there are multiple paths to improving and or avoiding the situation in the future. And I hope (and expect from what I've seen and heard from her) that Kim will evaluate her role, that of her staff, of other players, of player evaluation and what they are told during recruitment, and more during the off season. Because I'm 100% sure that Janiah has brought both good and bad to this team and is not, in any sense, THE problem.
VolTenn25
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2025
- Messages
- 121
- Likes
- 392
VolTenn25
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2025
- Messages
- 121
- Likes
- 392
Did you ever play a sport? Are you a competitive individual? I did & am. Were you over the moon thrilled after a game or stretch of games where your team looked less than great? Coaches are human. They are flawed. I just think there are bigger fish to fry than to worry about our coach not hugging the opposing coach after a game, especially when that coach has been chirping on Twitter about her team’s rankings. & talking about how they have the most difficult schedule.
I ain’t worried about my coach going on twitter to talk after a loss. I want mine to go to work & get better. Not smile & hug or dap up the opposing coach after every loss.I disagree. Barker is Barker, its all about her. She has less than 30 assist on the year. She just wants to get hers , whether it hurts the team or not. We played better against OU as a team than we have in a long time. We really need Mia to get back to being Mia . She is the engine than makes this team go.
WaywardVol
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2022
- Messages
- 1,689
- Likes
- 2,101
Also regarding Barker, I totally don't buy the narrative that on court the team is better off without her. They were able to compensate for awhile Sunday because they hit shots unusually well and Civil had a big game. But if anyone thinks this team can stand to lose Barker's 14 points and seven rebounds a game long term they are sadly mistaken. Even if intangibles are better without he,r that's a staggering loss to an offense that already often struggles to score.
LasVegasBill23
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
- Messages
- 1,472
- Likes
- 2,035
I point to Good Sportsmanship no more no less..... your average person knows what that entails..... and yes i did play sports up through collegiate levelDid you ever play a sport? Are you a competitive individual? I did & am. Were you over the moon thrilled after a game or stretch of games where your team looked less than great? Coaches are human. They are flawed. I just think there are bigger fish to fry than to worry about our coach not hugging the opposing coach after a game, especially when that coach has been chirping on Twitter about her team’s rankings. & talking about how they have the most difficult schedule.
Advertisement
