2025 Recruiting

[madtownvol]

I just think that whole situation was too fraught and too far gone once Kellie was fired. I trust that the current staff read it all correctly. I don't really blame them for this one.

We've talked about this before and I disagree about surprising anyone or throwing opponents off. This will be nothing they haven't known we were going to do since last spring, they've all seen it before, probably considered implementing it themselves. I don't think it will be chess against top opponents, I think it will be a talent show. Whoever has enough talent to control tempo wins. Period.

Which brings us back to the thread topic - landing truly elite recruits. Until we do, no system is matching the big dogs on a regular basis.

Yes and don't forget to bring up Shannon Bobbitt for the height one off. Everyone's got that one exception ready to roll. But that's all they are. Odds are the rankings and offers are your clue.

Let me clarify, as I understand it, the whole point of CKC's high press style is to disrupt teams from getting into their set offense. So, if the LVs can't throw opponents off (or get them out of their comfort zone, or break their rhythm, etc. etc.), then Houston we have a problem.

The chess match will be over who controls the tempo- can teams force CKC out her system by breaking the press, dominating the boards, finding gaps to exploit and when that happens how do the LVs respond.

 

[Hexad Vol]

Z. Zeigler on the men's team was not highly recruited, mostly because he was "too short". He is the defensive player of the year in the SEC. Size is very helpful, but quickness, anticipation, technique, and tenacity can overcome a lack of height. I'd rather have a short, quick guard that can stay in front of her man than a larger slower one that may get blown by.

 

[chuckiepoo]

Z. Zeigler on the men's team was not highly recruited, mostly because he was "too short". He is the defensive player of the year in the SEC. Size is very helpful, but quickness, anticipation, technique, and tenacity can overcome a lack of height. I'd rather have a short, quick guard that can stay in front of her man than a larger slower one that may get blown by.

Nice comp.

 

[Mafiaboss]

Z. Zeigler on the men's team was not highly recruited, mostly because he was "too short". He is the defensive player of the year in the SEC. Size is very helpful, but quickness, anticipation, technique, and tenacity can overcome a lack of height. I'd rather have a short, quick guard that can stay in front of her man than a larger slower one that may get blown by.

Excellent.

 

[Mafiaboss]

Strong possibility

Yeah, when he tweeted this a few months ago, I was like, uh no. Just no. No matter how good she is.

 

[Majors]

Yeah, when he tweeted this a few months ago, I was like, uh no. Just no. No matter how good she is.

Adults ruin it for kids

 

[Mafiaboss]

Yup.

 

[glv98]

Let me clarify, as I understand it, the whole point of CKC's high press style is to disrupt teams from getting into their set offense. So, if the LVs can't throw opponents off (or get them out of their comfort zone, or break their rhythm, etc. etc.), then Houston we have a problem.

The chess match will be over who controls the tempo- can teams force CKC out her system by breaking the press, dominating the boards, finding gaps to exploit and when that happens how do the LVs respond.

Agree. Who controls tempo is the whole ball of wax. And IMO whoever has superior talent is likely to control the tempo.

 

[37620VOL]

Agree. Who controls tempo is the whole ball of wax. And IMO whoever has superior talent is likely to control the tempo.

Not necessarily. Pressure defense can be a great equalizer. See our recent Ohio State games.

The thing about this system is you can't prepare for it unless you are super deep and have great composure - which does not necessarily correlate to raw talent.

 

[glv98]

The thing about this system is you can't prepare for it unless you are super deep and have great composure - which does not necessarily correlate to raw talent.

We'll have to agree to disagree bc IMO being super deep and composed correlates exactly to talent and describes the better teams we'll face.

 

[37620VOL]

We'll have to agree to disagree bc IMO being super deep and composed correlates exactly to talent and describes the better teams we'll face.

For a few years LSU has played an extremely short bench. For most teams, the top seven or eight players get almost all the minutes. This system will wear those teams down.

Didn't Uconn only have 7 healthy players for a good part of one season?

 

[BruisedOrange]

Let me clarify, as I understand it, the whole point of CKC's high press style is to disrupt teams from getting into their set offense. So, if the LVs can't throw opponents off (or get them out of their comfort zone, or break their rhythm, etc. etc.), then Houston we have a problem.

The chess match will be over who controls the tempo- can teams force CKC out her system by breaking the press, dominating the boards, finding gaps to exploit and when that happens how do the LVs respond.

Just a reminder for everyone (not just you, madtownvol) that CKC has always said that everything she has her teams do is so that they can win by having more possessions and more shot attempts than the other team.

They've beaten teams that shot over 50% for the game, while her team was shooting below 30%. More possessions, more shot attempts. That's Coach Caldwell's strategy. Every other emphasis--offensive rebounding, pressing, taking every open 3-pointer--is done to achieve that goal. And it has worked for her teams.

Maybe some people missed this postgame presser after Marshall won their conference championship to earn Marshall's first invitation to the NCAA Tournament in 17 years (IIRC). It's all here, in what she and what her players had to say:

 

[VolBlocker]

They will see why none of those coaches went after these girls the moment they don't get what they want.

I can tell some of you haven't done your research/homework on the Pauldo Twins or their father! Coach Kim runs a system that's right up the Twins alley. They pick people up full court press style in high school already so it's a perfect fit at Tennessee. As far as their dad goes, he pushes them in the right way. He believes in them when nobody else doesn't because he knows what they are capable of. Mia Pauldo has cooked some of the best players in high school. Malaysia Fulwiley was one of them! Do your research. Mya Pauldo is extremely good defensively. She has checked some of the top ranked guards in the country. So quit trying to discredit them. They got an OVERTIME SELECT Tournament going on in September for those who don't know. The Twins team is called Double Dynasty. They are already 2-0..Deniya Prawl & Kate Harping are their teammates. Everybody respects the TWINS. They really scare people because they are Dawgs!

 

[Dadof2Vols]

Oh boy it sounds like the same arguments for why CJH‘s offense would not work…..

Time will tell on the court And field.

 

[glv98]

For a few years LSU has played an extremely short bench. For most teams, the top seven or eight players get almost all the minutes. This system will wear those teams down.

Didn't Uconn only have 7 healthy players for a good part of one season?

The top teams in the SEC are very deep and very talented.

Just a reminder for everyone (not just you, madtownvol) that CKC has always said that everything she has her teams do is so that they can win by having more possessions and more shot attempts than the other team.

They've beaten teams that shot over 50% for the game, while her team was shooting below 30%. More possessions, more shot attempts. That's Coach Caldwell's strategy. Every other emphasis--offensive rebounding, pressing, taking every open 3-pointer--is done to achieve that goal. And it has worked for her teams.

Maybe some people missed this postgame presser after Marshall won their conference championship to earn Marshall's first invitation to the NCAA Tournament in 17 years (IIRC). It's all here, in what she and what her players had to say:

Yes I understand the strategy. How did that work out for Marshall against Va Tech? Again, control of tempo and resulting possessions will be decided by who has the most talent on the floor IMO.

 

[chuckiepoo]

I can tell some of you haven't done your research/homework on the Pauldo Twins or their father! Coach Kim runs a system that's right up the Twins alley. They pick people up full court press style in high school already so it's a perfect fit at Tennessee. As far as their dad goes, he pushes them in the right way. He believes in them when nobody else doesn't because he knows what they are capable of. Mia Pauldo has cooked some of the best players in high school. Malaysia Fulwiley was one of them! Do your research. Mya Pauldo is extremely good defensively. She has checked some of the top ranked guards in the country. So quit trying to discredit them. They got an OVERTIME SELECT Tournament going on in September for those who don't know. The Twins team is called Double Dynasty. They are already 2-0..Deniya Prawl & Kate Harping are their teammates. Everybody respects the TWINS. They really scare people because they are Dawgs!

Welcome to the Asylum!

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

For a few years LSU has played an extremely short bench. For most teams, the top seven or eight players get almost all the minutes. This system will wear those teams down.

Didn't Uconn only have 7 healthy players for a good part of one season?

CKC signed five players with starter experience from the ACC and SEC with multiple accolades via the transfer portal that fit her system.
She retained the core of a SEC roster that has routinely beaten majority of the league teams with recent wins over new conf. team Oklahoma and LSU. CKC has put them through a strength and conditioning training program that has shown early progress this offseason.
You are correct the depth and talent will be a key factor for this Tennessee team. They will not struggle to matchup talent or athletic wise with any team in the SEC.

 

[volbeast33]

Agree. Who controls tempo is the whole ball of wax. And IMO whoever has superior talent is likely to control the tempo.

I disagree…. Kim’s foundation is solid defensive principles with a contemporary analytic based offense… She can win many different ways…. The press and tempo dominates teams with equal/less talent and can be an equalizer against more talented teams…. We don’t have to look very far for an example. Bruce Pearl won at UT when he first got here bc of his press and contemporary style offense.

 

[Dak1219]

Not necessarily. Pressure defense can be a great equalizer. See our recent Ohio State games.

The thing about this system is you can't prepare for it unless you are super deep and have great composure - which does not necessarily correlate to raw talent.

Yet Ohio State is highly inconsistent. How many final fours have they made in the last 5 years?

 

[krichunaka]

And the Kim Caldwell System continues to intrigue. We - all of us - are not far past where we were in early-April, knowledge-wise, and I think it's fair to state that Coach Kim, herself doesn't know if or how effective her system will translate to the SEC, and nationwide. Florida State, Iowa, uconn, MTSU, et al, will offer some clarity, but we're probably two seasons short of a knowing. Her immediate success certainly rides primarily on her ability to get the necessary buy-in, from the returnees and newcomers. So, while none of us know, by Valentine's Day, '25 we and she can make a more informed appraisal. I think it's going to be SO MUCH FUN!

I watched the dreadful Virginia Tech tournament game. Even without their two-time All-American, Tech had a "sizeable" advantage. Marshall had several open shots but couldn't find the bucket, and so many other things didn't go their way. AMoore did her thing, and King and others ended their collective shooting slumps to the tune of a forty-point beat down. That game is not a reasonable indicator of what to expect now and moving forward. Burn the film. It was a mismatch, plain and simple.

Someone mentioned Ohio State. I'd be interested to hear what Kara Lawson had to say about the OSU-Duke tournament game. OSU overwhelmed Duke throughout the first half, but failed miserably to convert several opportunities, and well, Duke moved on. Lawson deserves credit for plugging the leaks and keeping the Blue Devils within reach. I missed the second half, and the post-game press conferences. I'd like to know what adjustments she made, if any, to keep things close. Anybody have more on that game? Because, Lawson's coaching could be the blueprint to use ...against us.

With only the one-minute sneak peaks to go by, and as noted by other boarders, our Ladies look noticeably fitter, sharper. And, count me among those who believe that we will match up well, even against the better-best teams. I'm not suggesting we're "loaded," or that we'll reach the NCAA Title Game, but I think we'll present as many problems for our opponents as they will for us. We have a very talented basketball team. A lot, of course, depends on the apparent improvement by Tess, Sara, and Jill. The new girls are certainly very impressive. I don't know who playing "ten" will affect early on, but hoping to see all of them on the court in November.

*This little speech posted all by itself while I was typing away, and thus, the heavy editing. My apologies.

 

[VolBall09]

Yet Ohio State is highly inconsistent. How many final fours have they made in the last 5 years?

How many Elite Eights have we been to in the last 5 years?

 

[volbeast33]

How many Elite Eights have we been to in the last 5 years?

Our goal is to be better than we were with the previous staff. I do think Kim will get us there.

 

[mcannon1]

 

[madtownvol]

Just a reminder for everyone (not just you, madtownvol) that CKC has always said that everything she has her teams do is so that they can win by having more possessions and more shot attempts than the other team.

They've beaten teams that shot over 50% for the game, while her team was shooting below 30%. More possessions, more shot attempts. That's Coach Caldwell's strategy. Every other emphasis--offensive rebounding, pressing, taking every open 3-pointer--is done to achieve that goal. And it has worked for her teams.

Maybe some people missed this postgame presser after Marshall won their conference championship to earn Marshall's first invitation to the NCAA Tournament in 17 years (IIRC). It's all here, in what she and what her players had to say:

Lets work through this logically.

1. Playing at a faster tempo per se does not give you more shots. If my team gets up a shot every 15 seconds and my opponent takes 30 seconds, we are still trading one to one possessions.

2. You say but REBOUNDING. Fair, but every team comes into the game with a goal of controlling the offensive glass. Kellie's teams generally got more possessions through a rebounding advantage (though that edge was often mitigated by loosing the turnover battle). There is nothing new or radical in saying our game plan is to out rebound our opponent.

3. What is different about CKC's system is playing a pressing defense for 40 minutes. Matt MItchell's "40 minutes of hell" scheme at KY was similar but he was not fully committed to positionless basketball or going 10 to 12 deep to maintain intensity levels.

When it works, the LVs should win the rebounding and TO battles. If opposing teams crack the LV press and shoot a decent %, that slows tempo down because the LVs would not be in transition as often and they would have to run more half court sets.

The fact that Marshall got destroyed by VT (minus their best player) should be taken as a point of concern in that better quality teams are not rattled by pressure defenses. On the flip side, CKC will have an arsenal of much better athletes than she did at Marshall and so their 40 minutes of hell should be a lot more ferocious than what Marshal could muster.

 

[LV renaissance]

Lets work through this logically.

1. Playing at a faster tempo per se does not give you more shots. If my team gets up a shot every 15 seconds and my opponent takes 30, we are still trading one to one possessions.

2. You say but REBOUNDING. Fair, but every team comes into the game with a goal of controlling the offensive glass. Kellie's teams generally got more possessions through a rebounding advantage (though that edge was often mitigated by loosing the turnover battle). There is nothing new or radical in saying we our game plan is to out rebound our opponent.

3. What is different about CKC's system is playing a pressing defense for 40 minutes. Matt MItchell's "40 minutes of hell" scheme at KY was similar but he was not fully committed to positionless basketball or going 10 to 12 deep to maintain intensity levels.

When it works, the LVs should win the rebounding and TO battles. If opposing teams crack the LV press and shoot a decent %, that slows tempo down because the LVs would not be in transition as often and they would have to run more half court sets.

The fact that Marshall got destroyed by VT (minus their best player) should be taken as a point of concern in that better quality teams are not rattled by pressure defenses. On the flip side, CKC will have an arsenal of much better athletes than she did at Marshall and so their 40 minutes of hell should be a lot more ferocious than what Marshal could muster.

Yes, I like the eloquence and parsimony of this. It is not that complicated when it comes down to understanding why it is a winning formula. The team getting far more rebounds AND winning the turnover battle by a big margin will almost always win the game. This is true even if you are playing a more talented team. What we are waiting to see if the teams at the highest level of talent and coaching can thwart our attempts to trump them in rebounds and turnovers. I have a hunch we will win some of these games, but there may be other teams with great guard play and supreme athletes that will make it hard for us to win the essential turnover stat. Over a few seasons, high level coaching may also lead to adjustments being made to better exploit our system. At the point, I imagine the CKC will have a few counter moves to keep us competitve. In any case, it is going to be a fascinating journey that makes me glad that we seem to have such an astute cocah.