Absolutely embarrassing performance

[Tenacguy50]

I don't blame coaching and I am not thick either. We just don't have the talent on the bench at this point. We don't match up well with many of the guards we have played. We can hold our own in the post when the defense honors the outside but when we substitute, we drop off dramatically and I think that is the story of the game. Once we drop off and the other team starts exploiting our substitutes, we play under pressure to catch back up and this team does not always do that very well.

Disappointing loss....yes. Unexpected....no. The coaches cannot fix what they don't have the tools to fix. The easy way out for some fans is to blame the coaches each time the LV's play a close game or lose in a stinker. In their frustration, they turn on other fans who don't agree with them. Frustration should not cloud your critical thinking ability if you have it. Most if not all the board experts have never coached a competitive college level game in their life because if they had, they would realize that this coaching staff is handcuffed to a large extent.

We should have a deeper bench. That's on the coaching staff. Coaches did not get a recruit in here for this class. A transfer is not going to cut the mustard. HW should resign now!

 

[LasVegasBill23]

I don't blame coaching and I am not thick either. We just don't have the talent on the bench at this point. We don't match up well with many of the guards we have played.

Oh Rickster, of course you are not thick.... but why can't our coaches devise a plan to at least compete with Auburn so that we do not lose by 20..... yes the bench is short.... yes we do not have ideal situation at guard.... but man, we have the most dynamic player in the country in DD, #3 in the entire country coming out of high school, and we are covering for her, saying we can't compete with opposition schemes..... she should be able to help on the back line so that we are not so exposed... but 9 TOs tonight wow.... Russell #1 in the entire country Nared #6 in entire country.... but they cannot compete with Ole Miss or Auburn.... we have several McD All Americans... creme de la creme..... Va Tech had zero.... Penn St had zero Ole Miss had zero.... they all whooped us.... tonight we had at least 2 times with the shot clock expired... clearly the responsibility of the coaches... that is what they yell on the sideline for.... to keep omnipresent in players minds what they need to know and do....

And I ask myself and others.... why such a great feeling about recruits next year when they are not rated as highly as the lot we have on the floor now. I continue to hope for better days

 

[gule]

I think we have been fooling ourselves about how great DD is supposed to be.

We have no players on the team that would make it onto the UConn roster.

Russell is barely in the top five posts in the SEC, Nared? not in the top ten SEC forwards.

And that's our best..

Holly is going into battle with an unloaded gun but it is her own doing.

 

[LasVegasBill23]

But those 3 players you mentioned, Gule, were in the top 5 of their class nationwide.... i am sure talent wise they would have made the UConn roster... I think in some cases the gals have a notion that they are better than they are, and do not have to show intensity and effort every night..... Mercedes was standing around a lot vs Ole Miss, and was not stellar defensively tonight.... Diamond with 9 turnovers.... wow.... that cost us a dozen points the other way..... Auburn shot over 50%..... we get the primo athletes but they need to be coached and starting at the fundamentals..... for instance, it helps if they can learn to dribble out of a trap instead of always trying to pass out of it.... and do not make mental errors like letting shot clock expire.... and if you have ball at end of quarter, do not jack it ump with 8 seconds left on clock... that sort of thing....

 

[gray0306]

This coach needs to go, any longer and this program will be totally destroyed. Sports at UT have become a utter cluster**k! when and if they ever hire an AD they will have to make some really hard decisions with these coaches, right now Barnes is the only one I feel confident in building a program

 

[volnationnj]

I think we have been fooling ourselves about how great DD is supposed to be.

We have no players on the team that would make it onto the UConn roster.

Russell is barely in the top five posts in the SEC, Nared? not in the top ten SEC forwards.

And that's our best..

Holly is going into battle with an unloaded gun but it is her own doing.

I agree, our players are not living up to their high school rankings. But why ? Is it just a statistical anomaly that all of our current players are underperforming their numerical rankings or is it the coaching that is not having a positive effect on them as a team ?
Or perhaps a combination of both ?
Considering the huge potential that the team has but is only occasionally realized (and even then only at home e.g. ND, Stanford), the reason for the vastly uneven performances has to be laid at the feet of the coaching staff.

 

[PineyBluff Vol]

This is not on the coaches in my opinion. This was all about heart and not playing like a freshman when you get pressured. A minimum of three times Jordan threw the ball right to an Auburn player when being double teamed. Half of them can't even dribble the ball. I would march them straight to the bus. No interviews, no showers, no change of clothes. Straight home and not a peep from anybody.

Sorry, don't see this as a answer. You as a coach have to take responsibility for your players. Holly is not doing this and quite frankly, I don't think she can.

 

[Orange Maniac]

Sorry, don't see this as a answer. You as a coach have to take responsibility for your players. Holly is not doing this and quite frankly, I don't think she can.

What does that even mean? It sounds good but what does it mean? I'm not one that thinks Holly is the greatest and in fact I didn't want her to get the job but Russell told us in the post game show what the problem was and it wasn't coaching. The problem is you don't have enough people on the bench that would let you make some players sit. Short bench is partially Holly's fault. The second, third and most of the fourth was on the players.

 

[Bah Humbug]

I did not make comment after the ND game because I knew better. The bottom line she did nothing in that game, our offense had no plays other that to dribble down the clock. We were hitting well that night and the girls just decided that they were going to win it without a coach. The game tonight proves my point, and I did not realize that we could sink so low. I won't watching the post interview. I have seen the head scratching after every question and the same answer for 4 years. They worked harder than we did. They wanted it more than we did. They were quick shooting. I don't know. The biggest problem that I have is that she can't be that stupid after working for Pat all those years, and how she can allow herself to bring our program down. There isn't a team in the SEC that doesn't look forward to playing against us.
So Sorry she is being allowed to do this to a once premier program.

Don't forget where she has no answer...

 

[kamoshika]

I don't blame coaching and I am not thick either. We just don't have the talent on the bench at this point. We don't match up well with many of the guards we have played. We can hold our own in the post when the defense honors the outside but when we substitute, we drop off dramatically and I think that is the story of the game. Once we drop off and the other team starts exploiting our substitutes, we play under pressure to catch back up and this team does not always do that very well.

Disappointing loss....yes. Unexpected....no. The coaches cannot fix what they don't have the tools to fix. The easy way out for some fans is to blame the coaches each time the LV's play a close game or lose in a stinker. In their frustration, they turn on other fans who don't agree with them. Frustration should not cloud your critical thinking ability if you have it. Most if not all the board experts have never coached a competitive college level game in their life because if they had, they would realize that this coaching staff is handcuffed to a large extent.

Quality depth is an obvious problem but what we're continuing to see goes far beyond our personnel limitations. Lack of talent fails to explain these recurring displays of bad habits & poor fundamentals. Just like last year, it's clear from both the players' comments and Holly's that this is a frustrated, bewildered, and disengaged team suffering from a chronic leadership deficit.

Before the Auburn game:

But two days later, a two-hour practice was like two different workouts in one. Warlick was pleased with the first hour and furious about the second and confronted the players. “I asked which team is going to show up and they said the first hour,” Warlick said, “so that made me feel better.” She felt even better about a watchword the players have coined. Warlick heard them saying “lock in” throughout Monday’s game, especially in team huddles. “They’re a team that’s very distracted by what just happened,” Warlick said Tuesday, “instead of staying in the present and worrying about what they’re going to do in the next couple of minutes.”

Guard Diamond DeShields essentially confirmed the problem Monday while encouraging forward thinking. “There’s no turning back now,” she said. “Our team sometimes just falls back into a slump and we cannot afford to do that. So moving forward, hopefully we can keep the momentum going and continue playing the way we did (Monday).”
Lady Vols want to take mystery out of season

Warlick after the game, talking once again about the same problems that keep showing up for some apparently inexplicable reason:

"We loved the sideline today, and in the first quarter we got the ball in the middle and attacked. And then, I don't know, I guess we relaxed. Again, I really don't have an answer....You can't guard somebody standing up, you can't guard somebody not communicating...Defense was important in the first quarter, and then we were done with it...It's like somebody told them that you'll get a million bucks if you go dribble near the sideline, 'cause we got really good at that."

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKU0hwxL4UI[/youtube]

 

[landscapingvol]

This game wasn't coaching.

Hahahahaha ok k:

Please explain to the board how trying to dribble out of press coverage has nothing to do with coaching when they consistently do it. Every player on the court for UT was highly recruited, not highly ranked but highly recruited. They can't shoot, turn the ball over way too much and that has been a consistent issue since she has been there. Were they all that poor fundamentally when they arrived? If so, then why were they so highly recruited? The answer is no. They play poorly because they reflect the attitude and commitment of the coaching staff. Filling the team with another round of all-Americans isn't going to change a thing, they already have a group of them on the team. Guard play under Warlick is atrocious and adding another handful of guards won't make a bit of difference.

 

[landscapingvol]

I think we have been fooling ourselves about how great DD is supposed to be.

We have no players on the team that would make it onto the UConn roster.

Russell is barely in the top five posts in the SEC, Nared? not in the top ten SEC forwards.

And that's our best..

Holly is going into battle with an unloaded gun but it is her own doing.

Diamond was a good player until she arrived at UT and was coached by Warlick, now she is a turnover machine.

 

[bobkitten]

Well, our players got a clinic tonight on how to do a full court press, just like the LVs of old used to do. It hurt to see them handle it so poorly.

My 2 cents (for almost every game) is the players don't seem to understand it takes more than just showing up to win a game, usually. It LOOKED easy when LVs of old did it, but it was not.

We need to quit worrying about our hair (keep your hands off your head during the game. If you have a stray hair sticking out it won't hurt you!) And stop plucking at your shorts, being sure your top is plugged in stylishly!

We are at a young, healthy age--EVERY team member needs to sprint down the court. These strolls some players take is ridiculous! Those who stroll or run a few steps, then stroll should be gotten into running condition. Both teams and the ball should NOT reach the paint long before you do, time after time !

Is Holly afraid of some players' parents? I recall CPS launching into very good players like a heat-seeking missile for boneheaded plays. I am not sure she was cowed by anyone. I am betting Holly has TMJ from clenching her jaw so hard. Let it out, Holly! Express how disappointed you are! Pull someone aside and "advise" them.

For you who moan the loss of Te'a for this year--she was a turnover machine! Don't you remember? We would have many of the same problems with her in the game, plus her set shop in her limited bag of tricks.

I am ALWAYS cheering for our LVs but some of the problems are not just the coaches, significant though their "contribution" is.

 

[armchair]

we weren't prepared to deal with the auburn press. That's coaching.

 

[landscapingvol]

Were you in the locker room for the speech or no?

Giving a speech isn't coaching, nor is screaming like a maniac on the sidelines. Coaching is effectively teaching, if it were just a matter of telling someone what to do then anyone could be a head coach. You have to have the ability to reach players, and show them in a way that is retainable not just tell them what to do. Holly does not have that ability.

 

[landscapingvol]

Standing on the sidelines makes you no more of a coach than laying in a driveway makes you a car

 

[armchair]

Giving a speech isn't coaching, nor is screaming like a maniac on the sidelines. Coaching is effectively teaching, if it were just a matter of telling someone what to do then anyone could be a head coach. You have to have the ability to reach players, and show them in a way that is retainable not just tell them what to do. Holly does not have that ability.

Holly is not a teacher and she is not a reacher, in terms of psychologically reaching kids individually and as a team. The players do not respond to her. I always go back to a TV game a couple of years ago, and they broadcast some of Warick's pre-game talk to the team. It was one of the early games in the season--and Warlick was practically screaming at the team to be "tenacious"--a word she used about 5 times in one minute. It was a cringe-worthy moment--and a window into how tone-deaf she is. There is no need to bellow at a team in an early season pre-game speech. She is not a good teacher and not a good leader, and the players do not respond to her. She is not suited to be a head coach--we've had AMBLE evidence of that.

 

[Orange Maniac]

Diamond was a good player until she arrived at UT and was coached by Warlick, now she is a turnover machine.

Not true. Diamond is what she was at NC. Go look at the stats.

 

[Orange Maniac]

we weren't prepared to deal with the auburn press. That's coaching.

So these players who have been playing since they were knee high to a duck have never been taught how to beat a press? If not, then it's a little late for that now. When your senior point guard looks like a deer caught in headlights when she sees a press, it's because the game plan didn't prepare her for the press? I can't believe anyone would think that. All that experience on the bench and people think they never thought to prepare the team for the Auburn press? Really?!!? Russell said two players quit playing. You can't beat 5 with 3. That was the whole problem last night. They know how to beat the press. They just didn't feel like putting forth the effort to do so and Jordan mentally broke down last night.

 

[Amb3096]

First off, Middleton was terribly overmatched in this game.

But the LVs hot start was fool's gold. Auburn was sleep walking defensively -- we are not the only team to have slow starts. Once they got into their aggressive pressing defense, the LVs collapsed because they just could not match up against that pressure.

It really did not matter who Holly had the court once Auburn locked in.

I actually thought Middleton dealt with the press better than Jordan. She knew that she had to attack it, but her ball handling is not that great when she goes too fast and she got out of control. You could almost sense that the AU players could smell blood when they saw her charging down the court. At least she wasn't constantly dribbling along the sideline and then picking up her dribble once the double team came like Jordan did...over...and over...and over again. Why didn't Holly direct her to the middle of the court, and when her teammates saw that she was struggling to beat the press, why didn't they come to her instead of making her resort to Hail Mary passes?

This just shows how mediocre Reynolds is as a ball handler. She cannot change speeds or directions to save her life. Jordan is fine pushing the ball in transition, but if you slow her down and put pressure on the ball, she cannot dribble her way out of it. Middleton at least grasps the idea of changing speeds, but frankly, she's too slow to fool someone as quick as McKay was.

 

[Amb3096]

So these players who have been playing since they were knee high to a duck have never been taught how to beat a press? If not, then it's a little late for that now. When your senior point guard looks like a deer caught in headlights when she sees a press, it's because the game plan didn't prepare her for the press? I can't believe anyone would think that. All that experience on the bench and people think they never thought to prepare the team for the Auburn press? Really?!!? Russell said two players quit playing. You can't beat 5 with 3. That was the whole problem last night. They know how to beat the press. They just didn't feel like putting forth the effort to do so and Jordan mentally broke down last night.

If they can't execute during games, that is on the coaching.

If they can't play with composure, that is on the coaching.

If they let their play on offense dictate their play on defense, that is on coaching.

If they constantly forget to box out for rebounds, that is on coaching.

If they constantly let their player blow by them for easy baskets, that's on coaching.

These are all things a coach is supposed to do. Help a team prepare for games and put them in position to win. When they make the same mistakes repeatedly throughout a game, across games, and season after season...that's also on coaching.

If that's not on coaching, what do you purport the role of the coach is supposed to be?

 

[Orange Maniac]

If they can't execute during games, that is on the coaching.

If they can't play with composure, that is on the coaching.

If they let their play on offense dictate their play on defense, that is on coaching.

If they constantly forget to box out for rebounds, that is on coaching.

If they constantly let their player blow by them for easy baskets, that's on coaching.

These are all things a coach is supposed to do. Help a team prepare for games and put them in position to win. When they make the same mistakes repeatedly throughout a game, across games, and season after season...that's also on coaching.

If that's not on coaching, what do you purport the role of the coach is supposed to be?

I agree with all of that to a certain point but they were coached well enough to beat Stanford, ND and should have beat Miss. St. So did the coaches just say eff it. No need to do our job now. The kids got this. The reason I blame the players for the Auburn game is the frustration I saw on the coaches faces because the players weren't doing what they were told to do.

 

[56vol]

I would really like to read "Coach Jumper's" assessment of that game. He usually has great insight. If he watched the game he is probably still nauseated. What a pitiful display of college basketball.

 

[bobkitten]

Me, too!

 

[mike099]

So, who is Coach Jumper? Is he a high school or travel team coach? If we do not know, we could play whats my line. Only Gule and some of the older folks would know that show.