Bashaara/Coach Jumper?

[CincyLadyVol]

Just wanted to ask the board and Coach Jumper for their thoughts on this. Am I the only one who feels that if Bashaara had better instruction from the staff, she could have been an All-American? She gave solid effort on the court, but if her footwork and low block skills would have been better developed, I think she could have easily averaged 15-16 points per game.

Seems she normally had 4-6 chances a game to get put backs but often got her shots blocked or missed chances to score because she simply didn't know how to do that other than trying to force or muscle the ball back up through outstretched defenders arms. Skill and technique could have cured a lot of that. I think she also could have used her outside scoring a bit more and earlier in her career.

Thoughts?

Not blaming the young lady at all. I think she gave all she could to the program. Just feel she wasn't used in the best way and that her loyalty and effort could have been rewarded with more touches and more emphasis on offense, especially after seeing how sitting out a year impacted Diamond/Mercedes.

 

[Nute Gunray]

Just wanted to ask the board and Coach Jumper for their thoughts on this. Am I the only one who feels that if Bashaara had better instruction from the staff, she could have been an All-American? She gave solid effort on the court, but if her footwork and low block skills would have been better developed, I think she could have easily averaged 15-16 points per game.

Seems she normally had 4-6 chances a game to get put backs but often got her shots blocked or missed chances to score because she simply didn't know how to do that other than trying to force or muscle the ball back up through outstretched defenders arms. Skill and technique could have cured a lot of that. I think she also could have used her outside scoring a bit more and earlier in her career.

Thoughts?

Not blaming the young lady at all. I think she gave all she could to the program. Just feel she wasn't used in the best way and that her loyalty and effort could have been rewarded with more touches and more emphasis on offense, especially after seeing how sitting out a year impacted Diamond/Mercedes.

I am not blaming Bashaara also, however, if these comments are true, then Holly and her staff should be fired immediately. There is no way for the LVs to return to the pinnacle of WCBB if there is no player development.

 

[armchair]

I think better coaching could have made Graves a better player. She has always been a good rebounder and tireless worker. Her problem is that her offensive game was VERY SLOW to develop. She lacked confidence with the ball for at least two years. All she could do to score for a long time is put in offensive rebounds--and even that was often a challenge because she has a tendency to bend over and play small before going back up and is generally far too slow making decisions and getting her shot off.

Scoring in the paint is about playing tall--being upright, getting the ball up--and getting your shot off quickly. Indeed, really talented players wouldn't even bring down an offensive rebound--s/he would jump, grab the ball and put it back up in one action--before landing back on the floor. Graves always wants to bring the ball back down to her waist, gather herself and then go back up for a put-back by which time she is often surrounded. She just does everything with the ball too slowly, and that's one reason she's had a lot of shots blocked. She's got a great basketball body--she's a warrior and much respect to her--but she never learned the explosiveness one needs to be a good scorer down low. She should have watched tapes of Bernard King--that's explosive.

She's like everyone on this team--the fundamentals just aren't there. She gets the ball 7 feet from the basket--and instead of just going up for and shooting form there, she will put the ball on the floor and try to drive to the basket--from 7-8 feet! She gets away with it and scores sometimes, but it's not really what you should be doing from 7 feet. She has the last year and half become more assertive--is now taking the outside jumper, is now starting to make decisions with the basketball more quickly--but one wishes she'd really got that point by the end of her sophomore year and not the end of her senior year. Still and all, we'll miss her.

 

[Volfan2012]

Her freshman year turned out to be her best season. Your supposed to get better from freshman season onward never happened.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Just wanted to ask the board and Coach Jumper for their thoughts on this. Am I the only one who feels that if Bashaara had better instruction from the staff, she could have been an All-American? She gave solid effort on the court, but if her footwork and low block skills would have been better developed, I think she could have easily averaged 15-16 points per game.

Seems she normally had 4-6 chances a game to get put backs but often got her shots blocked or missed chances to score because she simply didn't know how to do that other than trying to force or muscle the ball back up through outstretched defenders arms. Skill and technique could have cured a lot of that. I think she also could have used her outside scoring a bit more and earlier in her career.

Thoughts?

Not blaming the young lady at all. I think she gave all she could to the program. Just feel she wasn't used in the best way and that her loyalty and effort could have been rewarded with more touches and more emphasis on offense, especially after seeing how sitting out a year impacted Diamond/Mercedes.

++++++++++++


If any player was dealt a misfortune it was this player. Graves was among the first of the players fully coached by HW, in Summit's step-back. She could have truly been "The Beast"... She could have been taught Footwork, jump-hook, upNunder's, reverse-pivot-fade-away at the elbow, Ewings fade-away at the baseline,etc... But to be taught, you have to have a teacher. Graves is an unusual leader. She leads almost entirely by example. very little in the sound-byte area... So if a team is going to be led by her it has to follow her example.... And it has... Frustration, concern, fear, uncertainty... with flashes of brilliance.

Do you know that Graves is the only one of the 7 McDonald's AA's that is leaving us this season?


I have learned over my years of working with females that teams that play inconsistently are that way because of mental obstacles. . . The physical attributes have not changed. The skills learned have not changed. and the player themself has changed little in the 18-22 range, except to get stronger and they lose a little more baby-fat.

Graves IS and WAS an all american. she plays her heart out when she is asked to. But she is a different type of Alpha than coop and DD... She is almost apologetic when she runs over someone and lifts them back sometimes, while a player like DD or Coop will look down on their fallen foe and dare them to get up again.

What is missing is the person on the staff that these kids can go to and get their heads straight. It doesn't have to be the HC. Just the right presence. . . If you think back over all of the years of HW as the PG coach,only a few were the leaders. (Simmons, Massengale, maybe a couple more). Most of the leadership from this team came from the SF spot. And that is as it should be.

Cincy, most of the AAU coaches i know could have done a better job with this group. 19-14 is a reprehensible record for a team this full of talent. There are many coaches like me, sitting and watching this fiasco, thinking the same thing.... And we're not in LaLa land... We know what we HAVE done with this talent in our own arena's of AAU.
......Coach Jumper

 

[mlindsay]

From her Freshman season (where she came in and played based on her coaching in high school and her AAU coaches) she was a "beast" and earned the name and slowly there after her skills declined "or so it seems" which makes you wonder was it just her inability to improve or the coaches inability to coach her up. Seeing the results I have seen this year (and some of last season in terms of Holly's coaching) I would have to say it was the later. Players look like stars prior to coming here (when coached/developed by other coachers) and then when they arrive here they look like a shadow of what they once were. There is no player development being done as Holly thought she could just inherit All Americans and they would win it all (just like Joann P. McCallie at Duke) but getting the best players mean nothing if you can't coach/develop them to be greater.

 

[Coach Jumper]

I think better coaching could have made Graves a better player. She has always been a good rebounder and tireless worker. Her problem is that her offensive game was VERY SLOW to develop. She lacked confidence with the ball for at least two years. All she could do to score for a long time is put in offensive rebounds--and even that was often a challenge because she has a tendency to bend over and play small before going back up and is generally far too slow making decisions and getting her shot off.

Scoring in the paint is about playing tall--being upright, getting the ball up--and getting your shot off quickly. Indeed, really talented players wouldn't even bring down an offensive rebound--s/he would jump, grab the ball and put it back up in one action--before landing back on the floor. Graves always wants to bring the ball back down to her waist, gather herself and then go back up for a put-back by which time she is often surrounded. She just does everything with the ball too slowly, and that's one reason she's had a lot of shots blocked. She's got a great basketball body--she's a warrior and much respect to her--but she never learned the explosiveness one needs to be a good scorer down low. She should have watched tapes of Bernard King--that's explosive.

She's like everyone on this team--the fundamentals just aren't there. She gets the ball 7 feet from the basket--and instead of just going up for and shooting form there, she will put the ball on the floor and try to drive to the basket--from 7-8 feet! She gets away with it and scores sometimes, but it's not really what you should be doing from 7 feet. She has the last year and half become more assertive--is now taking the outside jumper, is now starting to make decisions with the basketball more quickly--but one wishes she'd really got that point by the end of her sophomore year and not the end of her senior year. Still and all, we'll miss her.

++++++++++++++++++

Scoring in the paint,yes, ball up and stature up...every other aspect of controlling the paint is about taking up space,holding your ground and being wide. . . As is proven by the way Basha does score. She scores against people she can navigate around,not go over... Bringing the ball down is the single-most frustration for coaching in any gender in BB... Kids want to pull the ball into their midsection and explode upward.. there is an unmistakable Adrenalin rush in powering the ball up... trouble is it only takes a little touch to take the ball from between two hands in motion and you can't "chin" the ball like you used to to protect it or you get called for an O foul... Imagine Basha with UCONN. The one thing they don't have right now is a pure-power player.

 

[Coach Jumper]

]From her Freshman season (where she came in and played based on her coaching in high school and her AAU coaches) she was a "beast" and earned the name and slowly there after her skills declined "or so it seems" which makes you wonder was it just her inability to improve or the coaches inability to coach her up.

++++++++++

your answer is in your question... if it is unique to Basha, it is her fault... If it is in several players, you have to consider it isn't the players... right?

 

[Vols4us]

OP - good observations.

Graves was a #4 that with development could have also played the #3. Instead they played her more as an undersized #5 than a #4. With her quickness and ability to position for rebounds, the LV's never got around to using her as she should have been, because they have been terrible at player development for much longer than HW's time as HC. Ask yourself, why is it that nearly every high scorer in HS since Parker & crew graduated has lost their shooting touch when they became LV's? The program has been on a significant downward trend for 6-7 years.

Graves should have been the mid-range and in scorer in addition to her rebounding and defense.. She could have flashed across the lane with her quickness. She could have been the female version of Tyler Smith. But we will never see that now because of the dumb double post half court sets that HW uses and forcing her to play the #5 and in the low post. She gives 100% every time her feet hit the floor. VFL.

 

[armchair]

I wouldn't say that Graves is "quick." She's not. Graves was a pretty much a pure rebounder when she got to UT, who could score off of offensive rebounds right at the basket, and stayed that way for much of her career. Not much confidence with the ball, slow with decision-making, not a natural scorer. To turn someone like her into a scorer, and cultivate confidence in broadening her offensive game, coaches would need to get to work from day 1 and push her out of her comfort zone. Kids want to stay in their comfort zone--but if their capabilities are limited they've got to be taught new things, and early, because it takes time to adjust and develop confidence in doing new things.

It may be that Graves has been coached up a lot and just been slow to develop and broaden her offensive game. The idea that she would have automatically been better had Summitt been coaching her is not true: there were a TON of players under PS whose offensive games were never developed and more than a few players whose offensive games REGRESSED during their four years of listening to PS bellow about defense. The truth is, offensive development and offensive coaching has been a program weakness for 20 years. This is a program that was built around defense and rebounding--that was PS's mantra--and indeed, it was a given that we would score a lot of points off of offensive rebounding--that was UT's forte, along with defense. HW embraced that old philosophy. Neither she nor PS figured out that the game was changing and that you'd better have a good, efficient offense to go with the rest or you would have problems. This has been UT's problem.

 

[bobkitten]

My observations on Bashaara: Her first 2 1/2 years she played rather "delicate," especially her second and half of her third. I actually thought she was ill. She had many games where she was pretty much a non-factor. Late last season, and certainly this season, she has played tougher, willing to muscle around and go after it more.

On the guard play: I think Holly and the other coaches have had a negative impact on the guards, long-term. They played better their first year than they have since.

It does no good to get the ball inside if the pass will be fumbled at least 50% of the time, and if your big seems afraid of taking a hit or offending anyone.

Instilling discipline in someone who has been allowed in high school to roam free and be the star is hard. It is also difficult when everyone complains when you do play those players (because of their mistakes) and complains when you do not play those players (because of their "potential."

I hope Holly will never bring in the "boot camp" idea again. Looking at the players' body language, it looks like it was heavily resented by the players, and set a negative tone among many. You want your team strong and united, not torn down. "Gotcha" from the coach never goes well.

 

[Coach Jumper]

I hope Holly will never bring in the "boot camp" idea again. Looking at the players' body language, it looks like it was heavily resented by the players, and set a negative tone among many. You want your team strong and united, not torn down. "Gotcha" from the coach never goes well.[/QUOTE]

+++++=

In Boot camp, I had Drill Seargent Segui, DS Raintree, DS Armstead and DS Diaz... To this day DS Diaz I considered was one of those allowed by pressure to be in that spot. . . She was about 5' 1" so her march cadence was to her own step-pattern. it was so short and quick it made my squad look like we were stumbling... When she got in someone's face, she was about chest high, so she it was either talk to the neck or us look down while standing in attention... I see such an instructor in this boot camp setting.... This is not to center out vertically challenged as a reason, only coincidence in two in-charge i have personally viewed intently. And both of their respect factors (from without and within) are paralleled.

 

[djtee]

OP - good observations.

Graves was a #4 that with development could have also played the #3. Instead they played her more as an undersized #5 than a #4. With her quickness and ability to position for rebounds, the LV's never got around to using her as she should have been, because they have been terrible at player development for much longer than HW's time as HC. Ask yourself, why is it that nearly every high scorer in HS since Parker & crew graduated has lost their shooting touch when they became LV's? The program has been on a significant downward trend for 6-7 years.

Graves should have been the mid-range and in scorer in addition to her rebounding and defense.. She could have flashed across the lane with her quickness. She could have been the female version of Tyler Smith. But we will never see that now because of the dumb double post half court sets that HW uses and forcing her to play the #5 and in the low post. She gives 100% every time her feet hit the floor. VFL.

Here is the truth Holly and Dean Lockwood had 4 years to work with Graves her on her game but they failed. Note Graves is only 6-2 yes she hit`s the glass but on the offensive end she has a very hard time getting her a good shot without a mid range game.

 

[CincyLadyVol]

Thanks for all the responses on this. Nice to read different ideas and get input. I don't know what is going to happen after the season is over, but I do hope something changes with player skills/development. Hopefully we can get someone on staff to work with the players and improve their game.

On another note, would it have been better for Jas to have been a four and perhaps played Bashaara at three, if Jas could have spent more time on the court? A friend of mine saw them play and thought Jas would have been more suited and less turnover prone under the basket rather than as a three/wing. Any thoughts on this?

And of course we'll never know but just throwing it out for discussion....

 

[Coach Jumper]

Thanks for all the responses on this. Nice to read different ideas and get input. I don't know what is going to happen after the season is over, but I do hope something changes with player skills/development. Hopefully we can get someone on staff to work with the players and improve their game.

On another note, would it have been better for Jas to have been a four and perhaps played Bashaara at three, if Jas could have spent more time on the court? A friend of mine saw them play and thought Jas would have been more suited and less turnover prone under the basket rather than as a three/wing. Any thoughts on this?

And of course we'll never know but just throwing it out for discussion....

I can't say that I have been impressed enough about JJ to say anything. the reason: I haven't yet seen her used in such a way that it would dictate my attention. . . But I do know that the players on this team are very easy to assess their individual types of game, physicality and mental/emotional make-up... This is what a HC does as opposed Ac (head assistant coach)... the HC has to control the mind and torso ,,, the AC's have to control the arms and feet.

HC has to focus on the vision... while the AC has to focus on their task in the vision

HC has to be the program's visible symbol, a AC should never be the public-focus of a team ... And there is a myriad of other different mentalities of HC v AC's.

 

[armchair]

The preseason boot camp program had nothing to do with this team's problems: don't be silly. It is designed to build togetherness and mental toughness, the latter being something this group seriously lacks. I'd say this group needs more boot camps, not fewer, along with smarter, better coaching.

 

[SAMCROVIPER]

I hope Holly will never bring in the "boot camp" idea again. Looking at the players' body language, it looks like it was heavily resented by the players, and set a negative tone among many. You want your team strong and united, not torn down. "Gotcha" from the coach never goes well.

+++++=

In Boot camp, I had Drill Seargent Segui, DS Raintree, DS Armstead and DS Diaz... To this day DS Diaz I considered was one of those allowed by pressure to be in that spot. . . She was about 5' 1" so her march cadence was to her own step-pattern. it was so short and quick it made my squad look like we were stumbling... When she got in someone's face, she was about chest high, so she it was either talk to the neck or us look down while standing in attention... I see such an instructor in this boot camp setting.... This is not to center out vertically challenged as a reason, only coincidence in two in-charge i have personally viewed intently. And both of their respect factors (from without and within) are paralleled.[/QUOTE]

Don't EVER EVER mess with female DS's!!! They have something to prove. Trust me.

 

[Coach Jumper]

In Boot camp, I had Drill Seargent Segui, DS Raintree, DS Armstead and DS Diaz... To this day DS Diaz I considered was one of those allowed by pressure to be in that spot. . . She was about 5' 1" so her march cadence was to her own step-pattern. it was so short and quick it made my squad look like we were stumbling... When she got in someone's face, she was about chest high, so she it was either talk to the neck or us look down while standing in attention... I see such an instructor in this boot camp setting.... This is not to center out vertically challenged as a reason, only coincidence in two in-charge i have personally viewed intently. And both of their respect factors (from without and within) are paralleled.

Don't EVER EVER mess with female DS's!!! They have something to prove. Trust me. [/QUOTE]


+++++++++++++

Raintree was a female too. My basic training was one of the first ever to have females in both as DS's and as part of a squad... 98 men, 48 women. all in B-1-1 at dragass hill in SC.... it was like the second time ever for such a thing... Yep, DS Raintree knew her stuff.

 

[DonDiego]

I can't say that I have been impressed enough about JJ to say anything. the reason: I haven't yet seen her used in such a way that it would dictate my attention. . . But I do know that the players on this team are very easy to assess their individual types of game, physicality and mental/emotional make-up... This is what a HC does as opposed Ac (head assistant coach)... the HC has to control the mind and torso ,,, the AC's have to control the arms and feet.

HC has to focus on the vision... while the AC has to focus on their task in the vision

HC has to be the program's visible symbol, a AC should never be the public-focus of a team ... And there is a myriad of other different mentalities of HC v AC's.

Now, I know I probably missed this, and I'm not really an every day poster on this or any site, but before we recommend you for the next Lady Vol Head Coaching position, would you mind providing us with some INDEPENDENT, third party references we can check out to verify the true existence of all of your stories, lessons, exploits, etc?

Now seriously, I don't doubt that you have done this before, because I really only check this stuff out every two or three days, and if this has already been done, I'll gladly jump in line here, but until then, where can we go to verify all of your stories?

 

[Coach Jumper]

Now, I know I probably missed this, and I'm not really an every day poster on this or any site, but before we recommend you for the next Lady Vol Head Coaching position, would you mind providing us with some INDEPENDENT, third party references we can check out to verify the true existence of all of your stories, lessons, exploits, etc?

Now seriously, I don't doubt that you have done this before, because I really only check this stuff out every two or three days, and if this has already been done, I'll gladly jump in line here, but until then, where can we go to verify all of your stories?

+++++++++++++

pictured is my 2013 Knoxville Panthers. As far as I know, so far, 22,10,11,13,and 41 are playing college ball. The best of them, Savannah Felgemacher #41 is playing for James Madison which is #45 in the country at 25-5. Savannah was the first freshman ever to post a double double.

In my 12u AAU video, #25 Shannon Titus is #214 on the USA 16u 40 player roster. pdf and video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjvIZMA3ojE attachedView attachment 15 wu16 trials roster 5 24 15 1 15 pm 40pdf (4).pdf


Or, we can do this the ol fashioned way. I would be happy to do a skills clinic/camp. All I need to get the ball rolling is a good gym... Maybe there's one at UT available. (Jenny?)