Who will be the player that stuns us?

[reno tony]

Mercedes if she develops a shot outside of 8 feet. She is not a threat until she does that. But if she does, and plays a little more physical, she should be a big surprise.

 

[th2421]

Mercedes if she develops a shot outside of 8 feet. She is not a threat until she does that. But if she does, and plays a little more physical, she should be a big surprise.

She had that shot in high school but I'm not sure she's been asked to use it in her time at UT.

 

[LVJeff]

She had that shot in high school but I'm not sure she's been asked to use it in her time at UT.

She used that shot (a face-up 10 footer) several times in the win at OSU last season. OSU's Hamblin wouldn't come out to guard Mercedes and Mercedes took the shot. However, Mercedes is normally a back-to-the-basket center.

 

[Volfan2012]

I think Mercedes could have a big year if she is aggressive and gets to the line more. She shot 112 last year which is ridiculous for a player of her size. She needs to double that and coaches need to put her in position so she can. She would have to shoot better than 55 percent but I can see her picking up 4 ppg just by getting fouled.

 

[Amb3096]

I think Mercedes could have a big year if she is aggressive and gets to the line more. She shot 112 last year which is ridiculous for a player of her size. She needs to double that and coaches need to put her in position so she can. She would have to shoot better than 55 percent but I can see her picking up 4 ppg just by getting fouled.

She would have had more touches and more FT attempts if the Tennessee guards could pass the ball to her when she's in position to score. If they do a better job of that, she will easily up her PPG.

 

[Coach Jumper]

She would have had more touches and more FT attempts if the Tennessee guards could pass the ball to her when she's in position to score. If they do a better job of that, she will easily up her PPG.

To take advantage of her, though, we have to have a more efficient "cutter" and "arc" offense. If we try to just force it in the paint, we duplicate last year.

 

[teacherdean]

I really think that Russell has to be a beast. She cannot play soft, however, playing tough does not seem to be in her DNA. I also think that Diamond needs to regain her mojo from her freshman year at NCU when she was a beast. If that happens, we have the parts to be a very good team. Good coaching will also be a part of the equation.

 

[Amb3096]

I am forcing myself to learn as much on development of this position as I can. (While I : hate it!). I am a firm believer in five positions with defined parameters and responsibilities.

What has been lost in the winged offense is each player's ability to define their role. If you think about it, it has rolled over to the bench too. You don't hear the term 6th man as much anymore because multiple position players are of the norm now.

The teams that experience success on the top levels have five position players and 2-3 first-off-the benchers. As do the teams of the past lady vols. There are exceptions. But the rule seems to be, five position players take you deeper.

The newer wing-offense has more of feel of a C a PF and 3 SF's, each with their innate position-skills.

UConn the last few years:
Stewart - played SF, PF and C
Tuck - played SF, PF and C
Hartley - played PG and SG
Stokes - played PF and C
Chong - played PG and SG
Collier - played SF and PF
KLS - played SF and PF
Williams - played SG, SF and PF

The difference with these players is that there was no drop off when one of these players moved into a position that was not their "natural" one. Part of it has to do with the players' skills; much of it has to do with the system they run.

The problem with Tennessee's combo guards (Reynolds, Carter, Middleton) isn't the fact that they are combo guards; it's the fact that a.) they aren't very good players to begin with and b.) they don't run an offense that encourages movement. So you're left with 3 mediocre combo guards who mostly plant themselves out on the perimeter and throw up bricks.

 

[Ladyvolfan4ever]

UConn the last few years:
Stewart - played SF, PF and C
Tuck - played SF, PF and C
Hartley - played PG and SG
Stokes - played PF and C
Chong - played PG and SG
Collier - played SF and PF
KLS - played SF and PF
Williams - played SG, SF and PF

The difference with these players is that there was no drop off when one of these players moved into a position that was not their "natural" one. Part of it has to do with the players' skills; much of it has to do with the system they run.

The problem with Tennessee's combo guards (Reynolds, Carter, Middleton) isn't the fact that they are combo guards; it's the fact that a.) they aren't very good players to begin with and b.) they don't run an offense that encourages movement. So you're left with 3 mediocre combo guards who mostly plant themselves out on the perimeter and throw up bricks.

Geno and the boneyard would gladly accept you as a fan anytime you ain't happy here Goodbye

 

[Coach Jumper]

I hope we're stunned by either Reynolds or Middleton having developed into a stellar PG over the summer. We've been missing that since Bobbitt.

When you are at the game you see things that the camera's miss. You see some spectacular reveres-layups by DD, Jaime, Merce... A no look bounce by A\M to Jaime that I'm not sure will be visible on film.

SO how did they do?

Will 11 Diamond shine as bright as she (and I) think she will?
She did. From moment one.
Will Dunbar 13 be the lights out shooter we need her to be.
TBD
Will GA girl, Kamera 5 be an immediate contributor?
Not yet, but she had moments of touch shooting from the elbow. Something we badly need.
Is it Meme 10's year to stun us with her Moriah Jefferson speed?
Lets just say watching Meme 5'10" and that 5'4" speedster tangle was like watching a cheetah chase an antelope. (The Cheetah won)
Will Alexa 33 become the combo guard that I think she will become?
Statline. 10p 5RB, 2 steals, two assists and one blocked shot..Sounds like a combo guard to me.
Will Jaime 31 take it to the hoop right through a defender?
This was the best job of driving to the paint I have seen by Jaime so far in her time here.
Is Shaquilla 4 going to blossom when she finally gets to play in the bigs?
She needs footwork. She is too relying on her length and aggression. Footwork!
Is Jordan 0 the missing ingredient?
The opening moments of that game were magical. Jordan played with unbridled fervor. SHe led the pack on most every transition, often feeding a trailer.
Will Mercedes 21 get mad?......Finally!
No, not yet. But that will come. SHe did however play the most athletic game I have seen her play. She has obviously worked on running this summer, because she runs with much less effort this year.

 

[governmentmule]

A 20% improvement isn't going to happen, forget that. The team shot 40.8% from the field last season. A more realistic goal is to improve that to 43-45%. The real problem though isn't the 40.8% which includes layups and five-footers, it's the shooting from 15 feet and out that was so awful. The team shot 25% from the three-point line. That needs to improve to 33%. If they can get the turnovers down to 12-14 per game coupled with the shooting improvements, they can squeeze out 8-10 more points a game.

it pisses me off when they miss the short shots