Will the Lady Vols be Improved next Season?

#127
#127
DarkPhoenix said:
So having only one go to scorer that I trusting big games in Rickea, u think we will be better? So u think with the current roster we can go to the elite 8 or final four?
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Very possibly. Do you think Tamari Key sat on her hands and didn't work on her strength, conditioning, and offensive game while she was off? She is bigger and stronger than Cardosa, or basically anyone else in the country, Shuts down more than you can see, and will be a nightmare for opposing coaches this upcoming season preparing on both ends of the court. You will see our defense much better than this past season and probably better than two years ago when we held teams to 31% shooting and there are a whole lot more than Rickea that can score the basketball on this current roster. Striplyn, Hollingshed and Darby all shot well over 40% and Tamari Key shoots in the High 60's. Wells shoots the ball very efficiently from Distance. When you have a team that has the ability to shoot from deep and we have that in a number of players that can, it is a whole lot harder to camp in the Paint and Double and Triple Tamari. Ask South Carolina how much it would have helped to have players that could shoot from the 3 point line.
 
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#128
#128
Rooster1 said:
Coach Staley was out-coached in that game, no question. She came in riding on the tail of a 42 game winning streak however, so she had not been out-coached many times the past few seasons. It happens. Trying to parlay that one loss into an implosion of sorts for the program may or may not have merit, but if we are just looking at the raw odds, I think not.

Don't get me wrong here, next season is a transition year for SC, so undefeated conference record and 42 game win streak is off the table, it’s a true transition year from a group of five who started for four years and went 129-9 in that time. Next year will not be close to that standard, but it will end up being a competing team on the rise by year end, the youth changeover will need time, and will take some lumps, but implosion of program is silly, they could still challenge for the SEC title, I just think it will take another year to do that again. Most likely SC loses 6-10 games next year while they develop the young team, it’s all a process, always is. Personally, I enjoy watching the developing years as much as watching the dominating years, we all enjoy watching young players grow and develop.
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Kim Mulkey is getting ready to do to the SEC what she did to the Big 12 which is a scary thought. If she brings in another good recruiting class to follow up on the one she got this year, it is over for a while. People can talk all the smack they want about her, but the woman does not lose often and that is a trademark of her career.
 
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#129
#129
Dak1219 said:
Kim Mulkey is getting ready to do to the SEC what she did to the Big 12 which is a scary thought. If she brings in another good recruiting class to follow up on the one she got this year, it is over for a while. People can talk all the smack they want about her, but the woman does not lose often and that is a trademark of her career.
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I suspect you are probably correct on Mulkey, she is a winner, no doubt. Her trails in the SEC will be diff than they were in the B12, a little more competition in the SouthEastern. But yeah, I get your gist, she is a feisty competitor, and won’t settle for second any time soon.

I think her and CDS will do battle for years to come, expect Mulkey wins the 2023-2024 battle…then it flips to SC, then who knows. If UT is to be a player in the next two years I would imagine Coach Harper has turned a corner in recruiting and tbh, has had some great success in the portal, which she may well do.
 
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#130
#130
Dak1219 said:
Very possibly. Do you think Tamari Key sat on her hands and didn't work on her strength, conditioning, and offensive game while she was off? She is bigger and stronger than Cardosa, or basically anyone else in the country, Shuts down more than you can see, and will be a nightmare for opposing coaches this upcoming season preparing on both ends of the court. You will see our defense much better than this past season and probably better than two years ago when we held teams to 31% shooting and there are a whole lot more than Rickea that can score the basketball on this current roster. Striplyn, Hollingshed and Darby all shot well over 40% and Tamari Key shoots in the High 60's. Wells shoots the ball very efficiently from Distance. When you have a team that has the ability to shoot from deep and we have that in a number of players that can, it is a whole lot harder to camp in the Paint and Double and Triple Tamari. Ask South Carolina how much it would have helped to have players that could shoot from the 3 point line.
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Maybe Key is better now, but the years she has been here I’ve noticed she can’t catch passes, doesn’t command the position, get the balls snatched out her hands by small guards and then throws her hands up, doesn’t keep the ball high while in the paint and trouble making layups. Cardosa plays big and keeps the ball high and finished with contact. Hollingshead I trust to get it done, but the other names was a no show in big games and that’s what it’s all about. Now I’m not trying to be negative but that’s what I watched with my own eyes, now I will be hoping for the best, but slow players won’t get fast over the summer.
 
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#131
#131
DarkPhoenix said:
Maybe Key is better now, but the years she has been here I’ve noticed she can’t catch passes, doesn’t command the position, get the balls snatched out her hands by small guards and then throws her hands up, doesn’t keep the ball high while in the paint and trouble making layups. Cardosa plays big and keeps the ball high and finished with contact. Hollingshead I trust to get it done, but the other names was a no show in big games and that’s what it’s all about. Now I’m not trying to be negative but that’s what I watched with my own eyes, now I will be hoping for the best, but slow players won’t get fast over the summer.
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Do you recall her leading the nation in blocks also? Or altering so many shots in the post that UT defense was rated amongst the best in the nation? Lot to think on here, but a lot of it is better than most remember…in her prime, she is a force defensively. She may well show that one more time…
 
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#132
#132
Rooster1 said:
Do you recall her leading the nation in blocks also? Or altering so many shots in the post that UT defense was rated amongst the best in the nation? Lot to think on here, but a lot of it is better than most remember…
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Yes I remember that and that’s something we missed this year. But we need her to give of more.
 
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#133
#133
DarkPhoenix said:
Maybe Key is better now, but the years she has been here I’ve noticed she can’t catch passes, doesn’t command the position, get the balls snatched out her hands by small guards and then throws her hands up, doesn’t keep the ball high while in the paint and trouble making layups. Cardosa plays big and keeps the ball high and finished with contact. Hollingshead I trust to get it done, but the other names was a no show in big games and that’s what it’s all about. Now I’m not trying to be negative but that’s what I watched with my own eyes, now I will be hoping for the best, but slow players won’t get fast over the summer.
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#134
#134
glv98 said:
Could not disagree more. Did you see Justine play in person? At this point in her development, Justine is far, far less athletic than Striplin. Is light yrs behind both in physicality and in mental intensity. Justine looks exactly like a player who played in a less than demanding league in HS and is getting eyes wide open at the next level. She may have great potential but she's a long way away.

Kamilla Cardoso.
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I totally disagree
 
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#135
#135
glv98 said:
The key for me is that one last upgrade that you didn't mention, probably bc it hasn't happened yet lol. That is a shooting guard who can both shoot and guard on the perimeter. If we add that, plus the Wells upgrade, the Rickea awesomeness, the Key return, and the Jill, Strip, and Puckett improvement we pray for, that's a solid squad. Add Powell as co PG with experience in the system, and Wynn as defensive specialist and there's no reason we can't be competitive all the time.

I think we can guarantee the pre-season schedule will be easier, but the SEC schedule will be much harder. We'll have SC, Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama away next season.
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Everyone has a lot of caveats about the improvement of the team next year; and ,that is how it should be .There are a lot of questions about who will be added to the roster and just how much development of the existing squad members will take place.Assumptions mean nothing at this point in time in history.
 
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#137
#137
Dak1219 said:
Very possibly. Do you think Tamari Key sat on her hands and didn't work on her strength, conditioning, and offensive game while she was off? She is bigger and stronger than Cardosa, or basically anyone else in the country, Shuts down more than you can see, and will be a nightmare for opposing coaches this upcoming season preparing on both ends of the court. You will see our defense much better than this past season and probably better than two years ago when we held teams to 31% shooting and there are a whole lot more than Rickea that can score the basketball on this current roster. Striplyn, Hollingshed and Darby all shot well over 40% and Tamari Key shoots in the High 60's. Wells shoots the ball very efficiently from Distance. When you have a team that has the ability to shoot from deep and we have that in a number of players that can, it is a whole lot harder to camp in the Paint and Double and Triple Tamari. Ask South Carolina how much it would have helped to have players that could shoot from the 3 point line.
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We were not a good three-point shooting team last year, so I'm not sure why you think we're going to be better next year....Most of the quality teams we played--maybe all of them--made more threes and shot a higher percentage from 3-land. Adding Key and losing Horston means we've--net--lost points. If she stays in the paint--and of course teams will try to pull her out of the paint, Key will help reduce the number of layups we gave up last year when opposing players blew by Darby, Hollingshead and Striplyn--but there will still be defensive problems.
 
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#138
#138
turbovol said:
We were not a good three-point shooting team last year, so I'm not sure why you think we're going to be better next year....Most of the quality teams we played--maybe all of them--made more threes and shot a higher percentage from 3-land. Adding Key and losing Horston means we've--net--lost points. If she stays in the paint--and of course teams will try to pull her out of the paint, Key will help reduce the number of layups we gave up last year when opposing players blew by Darby, Hollingshead and Striplyn--but there will still be defensive problems.
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Isn't a big part of why we got Wells to improve 3 pt shooting? She should be a significant upgrade over Walker in that department. It's also (broken record alert) why we desperately need another perimeter player who can shoot and defend from the portal. Also, it's reasonable to think Rickea is going to kick the 3pt% up. Tess is very effective in certain situations and surely Sara will get her touch back next season. I'll be disappointed if we aren't a much better 3 pt shooting team next season.
 
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#140
#140
glv98 said:
Isn't a big part of why we got Wells to improve 3 pt shooting? She should be a significant upgrade over Walker in that department. It's also (broken record alert) why we desperately need another perimeter player who can shoot and defend from the portal. Also, it's reasonable to think Rickea is going to kick the 3pt% up. Tess is very effective in certain situations and surely Sara will get her touch back next season. I'll be disappointed if we aren't a much better 3 pt shooting team next season.
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Wells is not the answer, I’m not sure she will be able to create and get that shot off. We need a Sg that can score at all levels.
 
#143
#143
DarkPhoenix said:
Maybe Key is better now, but the years she has been here I’ve noticed she can’t catch passes, doesn’t command the position, get the balls snatched out her hands by small guards and then throws her hands up, doesn’t keep the ball high while in the paint and trouble making layups. Cardosa plays big and keeps the ball high and finished with contact. Hollingshead I trust to get it done, but the other names was a no show in big games and that’s what it’s all about. Now I’m not trying to be negative but that’s what I watched with my own eyes, now I will be hoping for the best, but slow players won’t get fast over the summer.
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Are you a Vanderbilt fan or maybe Alabama?
 
#145
#145
WE WILL NOT BE BETTER NEXT SEASON. We will hear the same complaints for Negavols and Mega prima Vols. This is who we’ve become. A run of the mill program. I hate it!! We get a star now and then but we keep signing second level players and expect to reach the FF? Give me a break.
 
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#146
#146
Lawdawg said:
WE WILL NOT BE BETTER NEXT SEASON. We will hear the same complaints for Negavols and Mega prima Vols. This is who we’ve become. A run of the mill program. I hate it!! We get a star now and then but we keep signing second level players and expect to reach the FF? Give me a break.
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I agree 100% with this, but I’m still hopeful until the portal is closed and all the top players are gone. I really hope this isn’t the roster for the season, we will have a hard time making the tournament or maybe one and done but that’s as far as they will go.
 
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#149
#149
VolFuture said:
Miami was definitely a worse team than us last year and they made it to the elite 8 honestly you never know matchups but we’re poised for that chance again. Also don’t doubt the power of Wells dying to make it deep in the tournament
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Not doubting what you’re saying but we need at least that one more SG also for me I think a big to help with Key. She has been known to get in foul trouble in a lot of games
 
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#150
#150
Right now I would rate our roster about fifth in the SEC. Were far weaker rebounding team just because we lost Franklin and Horston. You have to be an elite rebounding team in the SEC. Coach Kellie says were not through so let us see who else were adding to the roster.
 
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