krichunaka
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- Apr 12, 2019
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We are going to be very good. And, this, with the personnel on hand. We have enough talent and quality with our lineup and Coaches to finish this season very strong, and I expect we will do just that.
We have two very appealing recruits, both about six feet tall - an excellent marksman, and a high-caliber, slasher type and good defender. We should have Zaay Green back at close to 100% at about the time those reinforcements arrive. Tamari will continually learn and improve; her body of work suggests that though there will be other aberrational episodes against bigger, and smaller opponents, her future is bright.
The post player who many of us are the most critical of (though it varies) will indeed get better; and the tall Lady Vol from West Virginia - the granddaughter of the career Marine (Semper Fi) - can become a force, and I believe she will. Miss McCoy’s injuries certainly haven’t helped, but she is healing and conditioning and will contribute more, and relatively soon.
But most all of this is on down the line. Meanwhile, we just experienced the full-bore effect of losing Miss Zaay Green, and we must admit that we do not yet have a capable replacement, either singularly or by committee. And so, we are more or less forced to play a “bigger” kinda game.
Several are clamoring to start the more athletic player, and some even wanted us to go quicker in Connecticut to match the little fellow’s faster line-up. Let me respectfully suggest that in an already error-filled game this was not an attractive option. Our Staff likely considered in advance several methods to counter such an onslaught and ultimately went with what they thought was the best chance for success. It didn’t work, so we move onward.
With Zaay Green healthy we could bring in Jessie, and/or Rae, and probably keep either of the two on the floor longer, for instance when Jordan needs a break. We lost so much in quality and diversity when Zaay’s knee tore. Coach Kellie, already playing catch up in familiarizing herself with twelve new players, suddenly had to rip out several pages of the play book. And, while the “next-man-up” approach sounds good on the radio, in most cases a loss like this is a giant step backwards. Especially when it happens right after game one. So, seven months into the new job, with all new players - at Tennessee! - she was essentially back to square one.
So, are we bad/inconsistent because of the crazy substitution pattern, or are the primary players the primary reason for what’s not quite right?
Or are we overly reliant on two freshmen for a large percentage of points, rebounds, steals, and blocked shots? Neither of them played very well against the cons. Imagine that. Freshmen not quite up to standards against a top three team, on the road, before a near sellout.
What is the short-term, long-term answer? BTW, I know that ...I don’t know; and with due respect, neither do any of us. Nor does the coaching staff. Because the level to which the Lady Vols ascend depends, to a large degree, on those two raw, talented freshmen. Because there is simply no one good enough, or ready enough to replace either of them. Oh, and they really do not become sophomores at Christmas break. They become sophomores after the summer after their last freshman game. We’re a long way from that.
We are also likely to lose a few more contests this regular season, plus two tournament games, and how players and staff react to Thursday night’s unfortunate turn of events will determine at what stage we lose them. And, of course, the “blame Kellie” line that formed last Spring will lengthen, thus everyone who disagreed with the hire then or now can continue to pile on. Incessantly.
Finally, there was nothing magical or ingenious about the infamous third quarter. The turnovers didn’t noticeably escalate. We missed shots! And, due to the turnovers (throughout the game) we missed further opportunity to miss more shots. If you’re missing so many shots, will you suddenly start hitting them with more attempts? Well, probably. Or, maybe not. Nor will we ever know. But, from the posted numbers, we could still have made a game of it by making even close to this season’s averages ...with the shots we actually took.
Just breathe in. Breathe out. We’re in the beginning stages toward greatness.
______________________________________
“We know how rough the road will be
How heavy the load will be
We know about the barricades
that wait along the track.
But we have set our soul ahead
Upon a certain goal ahead
And nothing left from Hell to sky
Will ever set us back.”
Grantland Rice
Cheers!
We have two very appealing recruits, both about six feet tall - an excellent marksman, and a high-caliber, slasher type and good defender. We should have Zaay Green back at close to 100% at about the time those reinforcements arrive. Tamari will continually learn and improve; her body of work suggests that though there will be other aberrational episodes against bigger, and smaller opponents, her future is bright.
The post player who many of us are the most critical of (though it varies) will indeed get better; and the tall Lady Vol from West Virginia - the granddaughter of the career Marine (Semper Fi) - can become a force, and I believe she will. Miss McCoy’s injuries certainly haven’t helped, but she is healing and conditioning and will contribute more, and relatively soon.
But most all of this is on down the line. Meanwhile, we just experienced the full-bore effect of losing Miss Zaay Green, and we must admit that we do not yet have a capable replacement, either singularly or by committee. And so, we are more or less forced to play a “bigger” kinda game.
Several are clamoring to start the more athletic player, and some even wanted us to go quicker in Connecticut to match the little fellow’s faster line-up. Let me respectfully suggest that in an already error-filled game this was not an attractive option. Our Staff likely considered in advance several methods to counter such an onslaught and ultimately went with what they thought was the best chance for success. It didn’t work, so we move onward.
With Zaay Green healthy we could bring in Jessie, and/or Rae, and probably keep either of the two on the floor longer, for instance when Jordan needs a break. We lost so much in quality and diversity when Zaay’s knee tore. Coach Kellie, already playing catch up in familiarizing herself with twelve new players, suddenly had to rip out several pages of the play book. And, while the “next-man-up” approach sounds good on the radio, in most cases a loss like this is a giant step backwards. Especially when it happens right after game one. So, seven months into the new job, with all new players - at Tennessee! - she was essentially back to square one.
So, are we bad/inconsistent because of the crazy substitution pattern, or are the primary players the primary reason for what’s not quite right?
Or are we overly reliant on two freshmen for a large percentage of points, rebounds, steals, and blocked shots? Neither of them played very well against the cons. Imagine that. Freshmen not quite up to standards against a top three team, on the road, before a near sellout.
What is the short-term, long-term answer? BTW, I know that ...I don’t know; and with due respect, neither do any of us. Nor does the coaching staff. Because the level to which the Lady Vols ascend depends, to a large degree, on those two raw, talented freshmen. Because there is simply no one good enough, or ready enough to replace either of them. Oh, and they really do not become sophomores at Christmas break. They become sophomores after the summer after their last freshman game. We’re a long way from that.
We are also likely to lose a few more contests this regular season, plus two tournament games, and how players and staff react to Thursday night’s unfortunate turn of events will determine at what stage we lose them. And, of course, the “blame Kellie” line that formed last Spring will lengthen, thus everyone who disagreed with the hire then or now can continue to pile on. Incessantly.
Finally, there was nothing magical or ingenious about the infamous third quarter. The turnovers didn’t noticeably escalate. We missed shots! And, due to the turnovers (throughout the game) we missed further opportunity to miss more shots. If you’re missing so many shots, will you suddenly start hitting them with more attempts? Well, probably. Or, maybe not. Nor will we ever know. But, from the posted numbers, we could still have made a game of it by making even close to this season’s averages ...with the shots we actually took.
Just breathe in. Breathe out. We’re in the beginning stages toward greatness.
______________________________________
“We know how rough the road will be
How heavy the load will be
We know about the barricades
that wait along the track.
But we have set our soul ahead
Upon a certain goal ahead
And nothing left from Hell to sky
Will ever set us back.”
Grantland Rice
Cheers!
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