Article that is so true.

[Volfan2012]

I thought Bobbitt made the difference for us in winning the National titles in 2007 and 2008. She gave Parker that 3 point threat that made it a lot easier for her inside. I remember the last time we played UConn Bobbitt made 5 threes and that was a major factor of why we won that game.

 

[Amb3096]

She's good for our team but across the conference or nation not really. Outstanding defensive performances get you post season accolades. She wasnt even on the all SEC defensive team.

Exactly. Carter's defense is severely overrated. Outstanding defensive players don't let opposing players have career scoring games against them.

Carter is great in the press at getting players to cough up the ball if they get careless and pick up the dribble. Once the offense is in motion, she is not good enough defensively to deny her person the ball, stay on them when she gets screened, or prevent them from driving to the basket.

She's best coming in off the bench in spurts in offense/defense situations to try to force turnovers, then subbed back out for a player that con contribute something to the offense.

 

[Amb3096]

I loved Simmons' passion and personality, and while she had her moments, she was one-dimensional, a wispy, underweight shooter, and didn't shoot well enough to be a special player.

I figure that's why she didn't make a WNBA roster. Plus, she had fairly low court IQ and didn't make the best decisions when she had the ball. But she wasn't afraid to take the shot and was a fiery competitor.

Zolman was good at making stand-alone treys but pretty weak otherwise.

Zolman doesn't get credit for what she did. She was deadly as a spot up shooter, but she also knew how to use screens to get her shot off. She also knew when to attack the basket, had a solid mid-range pull up jumper, and was an excellent free throw shooter. She was the best SG Tennessee has had since Lawson.

Moore was athletic and could handle the ball--bit of enigma, as I recall, and don't think we were all that good during her years.

Loree was probably the best pure PG the team has had since Marciniak. She had size, was a great playmaker, played solid defense, and knew when to shoot and when to pass. Her teams went to 2 NC games and 2 FFs, so they were plenty good. They could have potentially grabbed at least 1 NC game (vs. UConn's freshman-heavy team) and possibly a 2nd if they didn't choke vs. Baylor in her senior year.

Bobbitt wasn't great but she had a big tourney as a senior--made some clutch shots, so credit for that.

Bobbitt was steady and freed up Hornbuckle from having to bring the ball up and run the offense. She also was a deadeye 3 point shooter, was pretty good defensively, and brought on court leadership.

Lawson was good--probably the best all-around guard we've had in 20 years, and could play either the 1 or 2.

Agreed.

I had high for Massengale when I first saw her as a freshman but she turned out to be average at best.

I'd say Ariel was above average. She got better as her career went on. Always a great passer, but learned to become a scoring threat. Her senior year was all but wasted playing in the backcourt with two sub-par backcourt players.

Bjorklund was more a wing player, no, and something happened to her her senior year. Not sure what.

She was a big shooting guard. She was a less rounded version of Zolman. I think she had foot problems her senior year, but she was a great shooter...something the tam sorely misses this year.

There have been a lot of issues. You have to be GOOD on both ends if you want to have a genuinely good team now

Tennessee is not a "guard-friendly" program. Even if you have players like Bjorklund who could put up 20 points every night, they will underachieve at Tennessee because no plays will ever be run for them and by God, that ball will go into the post FIRST!

That's how they end up with "Defensive Specialists" who are valued because they play defense with a lot of energy (but not necessarily well), even if they are a liability on offense.

 

[Volfan2012]

Carter is good when we press may get a steal or two when we decide on press defense. In the half court she gets beat for a layup as much as anybody else that plays the perimeter probably more.

 

[djtee]

I thought Bobbitt made the difference for us in winning the National titles in 2007 and 2008. She gave Parker that 3 point threat that made it a lot easier for her inside. I remember the last time we played UConn Bobbitt made 5 threes and that was a major factor of why we won that game.

Bobbitt was a difference make on offense and defense.

 

[LVJeff]

Carter can read the passing lanes and make steals. She's good at that. But she can't stop anybody one-on-one.

 

[DR2]

Of the guards, still think Lawson had overall the most impressive game during that period, and Zolman for even some limitations was deadly on 3s and was always dangerous out there. However, I think Moore would have likely been not far behind if not for the drat ACL injury in her junior season when she led the upset of Duke. That effectively was the end of her college career, but her first two years were very nice. Not as much of a scorer as Lawson and Zolman and maybe too many TOs, but she was a kleptomaniac out on the court, got a good amount of assists, and had a decent shooting touch.

 

[LadyVol1908]

Carter can read the passing lanes and make steals. She's good at that. But she can't stop anybody one-on-one.

+1 extremely one dimensional! We won't win anything with those type of guards.

 

[LadyVol1908]

I think Lauren Avant was going to be a good PG for us!

 

[djtee]

+1 extremely one dimensional! We won't win anything with those type of guards.

I`m with you on this one and Holly is rolling the dice with what we have. I understand we are thin in the post and if we need to bring in 6-3 shot blocking K.Harris fine it gives us a another big body. But our guard play is so bad right now and has cost the team many games. To me it make more sense right now to try and sign Tyasha Harris. At at least this will fix a big part of the problem on the offensive and defensive end at the guard position . So if you are gonna sign 6-3 k. Harris you should push to sign pg Tyasha to.

 

[Vols4us]

Done. The program is done until they rebuild from the top down. The coaching staff has proven they cannot out scheme even mediocre opponents, cannot develop All American HS talent, cannot coach well in games. Holly becomes a clock watching cheer leader that isn't capable of managing situations. She is horrible communicating through the media. They recruit players that either cannot shoot well, or, they develop them into crappy shooters. There is not one player left now that Graves is graduating that knows how to box out. The whole thing is just embarrassing for an elite program with every single thing it needs to stay elite to fall apart like this one. How any true LV fan can say this OK and not see the train wreck it has become is beyond me.

Start over from the top or get used to being a has been.

 

[oldUCONNfan]

Done. The program is done until they rebuild from the top down. The coaching staff has proven they cannot out scheme even mediocre opponents, cannot develop All American HS talent, cannot coach well in games. Holly becomes a clock watching cheer leader that isn't capable of managing situations. She is horrible communicating through the media. They recruit players that either cannot shoot well, or, they develop them into crappy shooters. There is not one player left now that Graves is graduating that knows how to box out. The whole thing is just embarrassing for an elite program with every single thing it needs to stay elite to fall apart like this one. How any true LV fan can say this OK and not see the train wreck it has become is beyond me.

Start over from the top or get used to being a has been.

Disclaimer: I'm new as a member to the Volnation forum, but I'm a longtime follower.

Background: I came to women's basketball when moving to CT in 1999, and fell hard for the UConn program and women's bball generally -- not in small part due to the Lady Vols. Truth be told, most (sensible) UConn fans loved the Lady Vols program; *they* were the ones to beat -- the ones "we" (UConn) have to first become and then try to beat. Those fans loved the rivalry: the Lady Vols were The Standard -- a standard you hated to lose to, but a standard you wanted to surpass. Despite the rancor between some of the two fan bases, any sensible UConn fan knew (and still knows) that the Lady Vols defined what it is to be great. And all the UConn fans wanted desperately to match and exceed that level greatness as far as possible. One thing was clear: UConn followed CPS's example of recruiting: we-are-a-team mentality is as important as -- if not slightly more important than -- individual talent. And CPS's teams showed it in their great performance.

Fast forward to this year (the year I followed this forum at least weekly, because I -- and many UConn fans -- were hoping to see The Great Standard of Lady Vols begin to rise again).....

I have *zero* interest in criticizing the Lady Vols program, since I am not competent to do so. (I don't know the program from an insider-fan's perspective.) What I do care about is seeing the rise of the program again -- hopefully, before the UConn program starts to slide, as even Auriemma hinted that it inevitably will at some point.

One observation: It really looked like the Lady Vols team couldn't (wouldn't?) buy into the we-are-team-first mentality, as many posters here have said over and over throughout the season. The team's individual-player talent equaled or at least was close to UConn's (certainly USC's and ND's). And this is what raises a question for me.

Question: Who will win if UConn and Tennessee play each other next year? Remember, UConn won't be as talented as the Lady Vols next year (assuming -- a big assumption -- that the Lady Vols return en masse), at least on an individual basis. But the question that seemed to haunt this season is whether the Lady Vols will play as a team consistently enough to use that talent towards beating UConn (should they meet). (Same question applies to USC, ND, etc.) Tennessee *should* beat UConn next year -- or so I believe most informed fans should believe. But will they?

(My other question is related but very different: does anyone have any reason to think that DD will actually be playing at Tennessee next year -- vs going to Europe? My suspicion is that very intense conversations are happening right now between CHW and DD on what's best. Without any new recruits, it's a tough call for each side, I would guess.)

 

[cwbytruckers]

Disclaimer: I'm new as a member to the Volnation forum, but I'm a longtime follower.

Background: I came to women's basketball when moving to CT in 1999, and fell hard for the UConn program and women's bball generally -- not in small part due to the Lady Vols. Truth be told, most (sensible) UConn fans loved the Lady Vols program; *they* were the ones to beat -- the ones "we" (UConn) have to first become and then try to beat. Those fans loved the rivalry: the Lady Vols were The Standard -- a standard you hated to lose to, but a standard you wanted to surpass. Despite the rancor between some of the two fan bases, any sensible UConn fan knew (and still knows) that the Lady Vols defined what it is to be great. And all the UConn fans wanted desperately to match and exceed that level greatness as far as possible. One thing was clear: UConn followed CPS's example of recruiting: we-are-a-team mentality is as important as -- if not slightly more important than -- individual talent. And CPS's teams showed it in their great performance.

Fast forward to this year (the year I followed this forum at least weekly, because I -- and many UConn fans -- were hoping to see The Great Standard of Lady Vols begin to rise again).....

I have *zero* interest in criticizing the Lady Vols program, since I am not competent to do so. (I don't know the program from an insider-fan's perspective.) What I do care about is seeing the rise of the program again -- hopefully, before the UConn program starts to slide, as even Auriemma hinted that it inevitably will at some point.

One observation: It really looked like the Lady Vols team couldn't (wouldn't?) buy into the we-are-team-first mentality, as many posters here have said over and over throughout the season. The team's individual-player talent equaled or at least was close to UConn's (certainly USC's and ND's). And this is what raises a question for me.

Question: Who will win if UConn and Tennessee play each other next year? Remember, UConn won't be as talented as the Lady Vols next year (assuming -- a big assumption -- that the Lady Vols return en masse), at least on an individual basis. But the question that seemed to haunt this season is whether the Lady Vols will play as a team consistently enough to use that talent towards beating UConn (should they meet). (Same question applies to USC, ND, etc.) Tennessee *should* beat UConn next year -- or so I believe most informed fans should believe. But will they?

(My other question is related but very different: does anyone have any reason to think that DD will actually be playing at Tennessee next year -- vs going to Europe? My suspicion is that very intense conversations are happening right now between CHW and DD on what's best. Without any new recruits, it's a tough call for each side, I would guess.)

With all the turmoil HW and DD have never talked.

 

[Amb3096]

(My other question is related but very different: does anyone have any reason to think that DD will actually be playing at Tennessee next year -- vs going to Europe? My suspicion is that very intense conversations are happening right now between CHW and DD on what's best. Without any new recruits, it's a tough call for each side, I would guess.)

If you are insinuating that Holly would suggest what's best is for Diamond to play elsewhere, then that would make her a major fool. Holly needs Diamond 100x more than Diamond needs her. If she goes, Tennessee would not sniff the top 10 next season. If she takes Cooper with her, Tennessee is not a Top 25 program. If anything, Holly should be assuring Diamond that she will be a major, major part of Tennessee's return to glory.

I wouldn't be surprised to see transfers. The younger players and WNBA hopefuls should be seriously asking if staying with Holly is making them better players and/or improving their stock for the WNBA draft. If not, I could see them leaving a la Azure Stevens.

 

[teacherdean]

We can discuss whatever the problems are with the LV's but all lay in the hands of the coaching staff and the AD. Have any of us Fans really seen anything about Holly and her staff that would want a high top five recruit want to sign with the LV's? Please don't say yes because we have made four straight elite 8s when we in most cases had final 4 possibilities.

The environment on this team has to mirror the coaching and right now that mirror is very confusing. As I have stated we have reduced ourselves to hoping 3 stars will sign on. We have dropped a lot in the last few years in recruiting and there is no way to defend this situation by making excuses for the recruiting and coaching ineptitude of this team and its coaching staff. We have a lot to prove during the 2017 recruiting period. Holly's butt should feel like it is seated in a pressure cooker.

 

[jsc1973]

Adams is saying something I've been saying for years. The LV's offense sucks, and it already sucked the last several years Pat was coaching. The only reason she got those last two titles was because she had Candace Parker, and your offense can only suck so much when you have Candace Parker.

It used to be that offense didn't matter that much. If your defense was good enough, you could score a ton in transition off your defense, if you played it as well as most of Pat's teams did. You had to have elite guard play or you had no chance. At least until Geno came along with teams that had elite guard play, played great defense, AND had a real offensive scheme beyond "let's turn the other team over a bajillion times and score off our defense." It's not a coincidence that the only teams we had that beat him head-to-head in the tournament were the 1996 and 1997 teams that had outstanding guard play and several reliable scoring threats. We scored 88 and beat UConn in '96 and 91 to beat them in '97.

 

[madtownvol]

Disclaimer: I'm new as a member to the Volnation forum, but I'm a longtime follower. Background: I came to women's basketball when moving to CT in 1999, and fell hard for the UConn program and women's bball generally

Sigh, a Uconn fan comes on the board to lament that "gee, the poor ole LV program has lost something since the CPS era ended" (Wow, you really think so? Here in LV land we just never noticed that the team has gone from winning NCs to not even making the FF. Mind blown!) (Strike 1)

And you also came on to express "strong suspicions" that talks are underway about having our star player leave early. Way to win hearts and minds oldfan.

Actually, we do have a new recruit so no need to casually drop reference to what had been a major sore point (Strike 2)

There is no evidence that the players did not buy into the "team concept." The problem was the game plan or lack of that they were asked to execute. Many of the LVs' turnovers were caused by forcing passes into the post and sometimes being too unselfish and not taking the open shot. Yes, a few on this board were suggesting that all the team's problems were traceable to one player but they all had to STFU with the LVs end of season run (Strike 3).

And no the LVs did not have comparable talent to Uconn; not even close. Uconn had a multi-time player of the year and she was part of triumvirate senior class who are all going to be first round WNBA draft choices. Of our players, only DD, Graves, and Russell would probably have cracked the UConn line-up and probably all would have been role players (Diamond's late season form might have put her in contention for a starting role).

College schedules are set in advance and there is no game with Uconn slated for next season (Strike 4).

Thanks for playing.