ESPN's Way-too-early Top 25

[Volfan2012]

If we got the outside shooting that I think we have it is going to make defenses have to close out on shooters more. That gives a lot of space for Key and Green to operate. We really don't know very much about the team right now. I think it shapes up to be a much better three point team than we've had in the last few seasons. If that proves to be true then that makes us a dangerous team for anyone. I am expecting Key to move to a different level along with Burrell. Davis should be better as well. Green is an unknown in the SEC she was terrific player at Liberty and she played well no matter the competition have to see if she can do that every night against elite teams. Point guard looks to me to be much better than last season. Horston another level and we've got a talented starting five and the bench looks better to me as well.
We'll know a lot more after we play some games. Missouri State is in those rankings and they don't have anyone on the roster ranked as a top 100 player or even a four star out of high school. I'm ready to play hopefully late November if everything remains as it is today.
I think we can beat any of those ranked SEC teams except SC none seem to look to have a better roster than we have. Hopefully it all works out and we end up having a winning season and another trip to the NCAA Tourney.

 

[Coach Jumper]

If we got the outside shooting that I think we have it is going to make defenses have to close out on shooters more. That gives a lot of space for Key and Green to operate. We really don't know very much about the team right now. I think it shapes up to be a much better three point team than we've had in the last few seasons. If that proves to be true then that makes us a dangerous team for anyone. I am expecting Key to move to a different level along with Burrell. Davis should be better as well. Green is an unknown in the SEC she was terrific player at Liberty and she played well no matter the competition have to see if she can do that every night against elite teams. Point guard looks to me to be much better than last season. Horston another level and we've got a talented starting five and the bench looks better to me as well.
We'll know a lot more after we play some games. Missouri State is in those rankings and they don't have anyone on the roster ranked as a top 100 player or even a four star out of high school. I'm ready to play hopefully late November if everything remains as it is today.
I think we can beat any of those ranked SEC teams except SC none seem to look to have a better roster than we have. Hopefully it all works out and we end up having a winning season and another trip to the NCAA Tourney.

By season's end, Burrell will be the most improved player this season

 

[lfvol]

By season's end, Burrell will be the most improved player this season

I would not be surprised if she is the best player this year.

 

[Amb3096]

I would not be surprised if she is the best player this year.

Best player on the team or the country?

 

[lfvol]

Best player on the team or the country?

Lol, team. Just seemed to have the most potential.

 

[Coach Jumper]

 

[Amb3096]

Lol, team. Just seemed to have the most potential.

LOL, ok... I was gonna say!

I think that if Rae doesn't have a good year, then Tennessee is toast...unless one of the freshmen really steps it up in an ungodly way. IMHO, I still think Rennia is the best player on the team. I think she is the best overall player Tennessee has had since CP, to be honest.

 

[sisaq]

LOL, ok... I was gonna say!

I think that if Rae doesn't have a good year, then Tennessee is toast...unless one of the freshmen really steps it up in an ungodly way. IMHO, I still think Rennia is the best player on the team. I think she is the best overall player Tennessee has had since CP, to be honest.

Well, she needs to be more aggressive and consistent. Do not count Jordan H out..With this great transfer guard, she could turn into 30 point player.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Well, she needs to be more aggressive and consistent. Do not count Jordan H out..With this great transfer guard, she could turn into 30 point player.

Not more aggressive, but more "aggressive under control",,,if she learns to harness and direct her energy, she will vault to the top

You see what I see with Jordan,,,she could easily fill Rennia's spot if she takes advantage of Jordan-2 and if Miles becomes what she needs to become

 

[lfvol]

Not more aggressive, but more "aggressive under control",,,if she learns to harness and direct her energy, she will vault to the top

You see what I see with Jordan,,,she could easily fill Rennia's spot if she takes advantage of Jordan-2 and if Miles becomes what she needs to become

I agree with Jordan potentially taking Rennia’s spot. That’s a better fit than the 1. It seems Miles has miles to go though for this level so I am dubious on that part.

 

[Voltopia]

LOL, ok... I was gonna say!

I think that if Rae doesn't have a good year, then Tennessee is toast...unless one of the freshmen really steps it up in an ungodly way. IMHO, I still think Rennia is the best player on the team. I think she is the best overall player Tennessee has had since CP, to be honest.

Not far off the mark. Interesting though though. Who else would even make that conversation? Isabella Harrison? Maybe not overall but she was a rock of a player. DeShields? Definitely talented but there were other questions. Maybe Nared, she really turned it on her last two seasons? I don't know that it's the same. And I really wonder what Pat would gotten out of some of those players. Not to drag up the same old "it's so sad she's gone" conversation, but just more at how thinking about what their careers would have looked like.

As for Rae, I think you've got a point. She's either option #2 or option #3 depending. And they will need her to be consistent. She was sporadically amazing, sometimes confusing. It felt sometimes like she was trying too hard, but in a way the team couldn't help with. So it would be spectacularly good or spectacularly bad. BUT. She was trying at least. Tennessee will need that. They will need her to do even more this season. Gah. Really regret losing Green. I don't regret the program having to reboot itself, but I regret seeing talented players leave like that. It would have been a pretty good lineup.

 

[Amb3096]

Not far off the mark. Interesting though though. Who else would even make that conversation? Isabella Harrison? Maybe not overall but she was a rock of a player. DeShields? Definitely talented but there were other questions. Maybe Nared, she really turned it on her last two seasons? I don't know that it's the same. And I really wonder what Pat would gotten out of some of those players. Not to drag up the same old "it's so sad she's gone" conversation, but just more at how thinking about what their careers would have looked like.

This is my top 5: Rennia Davis, Shekinna Stricklen, Glory Johnson, , Diamond DeShields, Isabelle Harrison. HM to Meighan Simmons and Angie Bjorklund. Not sure any of the others during the HW era are in the conversation.

As for Rae, I think you've got a point. She's either option #2 or option #3 depending. And they will need her to be consistent. She was sporadically amazing, sometimes confusing. It felt sometimes like she was trying too hard, but in a way the team couldn't help with. So it would be spectacularly good or spectacularly bad. BUT. She was trying at least. Tennessee will need that. They will need her to do even more this season. Gah. Really regret losing Green. I don't regret the program having to reboot itself, but I regret seeing talented players leave like that. It would have been a pretty good lineup.

Yeah, that's the thing. Game after game, they will need Davis, Horston and Burrell to be productive because they can all create their own shot. Posters are talking up the two transfers, but they have to prove they can play with the major leagues. Cautionary tale is the girl who grad transferred to UConn last year. Similar game as Keyen Green and averaged 19 pts 11 rbds her last season before transferring...and averaged 1 ppg and only played 1/3 of the games on a team that was seriously hurting for a PF.

Unless some newcomers way, way exceed reasonable expectations, it will be the Tennessee backcourt starters that will determine Tennessee's destiny in games, with defensive contributions from whoever is playing the 5.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Not far off the mark. Interesting though though. Who else would even make that conversation? Isabella Harrison? Maybe not overall but she was a rock of a player. DeShields? Definitely talented but there were other questions. Maybe Nared, she really turned it on her last two seasons? I don't know that it's the same. And I really wonder what Pat would gotten out of some of those players. Not to drag up the same old "it's so sad she's gone" conversation, but just more at how thinking about what their careers would have looked like.

As for Rae, I think you've got a point. She's either option #2 or option #3 depending. And they will need her to be consistent. She was sporadically amazing, sometimes confusing. It felt sometimes like she was trying too hard, but in a way the team couldn't help with. So it would be spectacularly good or spectacularly bad. BUT. She was trying at least. Tennessee will need that. They will need her to do even more this season. Gah. Really regret losing Green. I don't regret the program having to reboot itself, but I regret seeing talented players leave like that. It would have been a pretty good lineup.

The "right words" will give Rae all the help she needs...She has the tools, but so far hasn't had the guidance

 

[Coach Jumper]

I agree with Jordan potentially taking Rennia’s spot. That’s a better fit than the 1. It seems Miles has miles to go though for this level so I am dubious on that part.

Miles and Salary both have to thicken their skin before growth happens...Maybe coach K can do this.
Me, I can't...I take control of the athletes who can take the truth and grow from it and leave the coddling to my assistants

 

[lfvol]

The "right words" will give Rae all the help she needs...She has the tools, but so far hasn't had the guidance

Why do you think she “hasn’t had the guidance so far”?

 

[Coach Jumper]

Why do you think she “hasn’t had the guidance so far”?

I have coached kids like her for forty years.
Whether 14, 18 or 22 years old they need the right words to focus and control their abundant energy.

It's like @Voltopia said ... "She was sporadically amazing, sometimes confusing. It felt sometimes like she was trying too hard, but in a way the team couldn't help with..."

The team couldn't help with
Rae didn't have it in her
it has to come from someone who knows what to say

It's difficult to explain
but it is reality
The right person saying the right things to help her get past this inability to grasp consistency and then she will be off to the races

Why do I think she hasn't had the needed guidance so far...inconsistency

 

[GameTime]

Coach, the girl needs discipline....Too many times she just goes off on her own "one on one game" and turns the damn ball over....

Until Kellie demands team ball from everyone, the high number of turn overs will continue, which will lead to more needless losses.....

If Kellie is the answer, she has to take absolute control from their first practice....

 

[sisaq]

Miles and Salary both have to thicken their skin before growth happens...Maybe coach K can do this.
Me, I can't...I take control of the athletes who can take the truth and grow from it and leave the coddling to my assistants

Exactly, and not cry

 

[Coach Jumper]

Coach, the girl needs discipline....Too many times she just goes off on her own "one on one game" and turns the damn ball over....

Until Kellie demands team ball from everyone, the high number of turn overs will continue, which will lead to more needless losses.....

If Kellie is the answer, she has to take absolute control from their first practice....

This year will tell me more about Coach K than any year she will have.
She is no longer driving Holly's car.
It is her now and she has the keys,
Not all of the parts are of her choosing, but the way it is to be driven is no longer influenced by her predecessor.

For the team to make strides they have to see strides made by the coach.
CHW made no strides, she duplicated her mistakes yearly and in each game and so did her players.
Coach K has some things to work on,,,

• Playing those who contribute and securing the win before playing everybody
• Use of timeouts to manage the game (interrupt runs, get in the player's grill when they play wihtout purpose, etc) and not just using TO's to save the game
• Holding players responsible for goofy or defiant on-court play when they come to the bench...Immediately!...Stare, bark or something but don't just let them walk over and sit.
• Understanding that this is SEC and not the Missouri Valley Conference

I don't say these things to discredit Coach K, but to point out that she too has room for growth and if her team sees it, they will follow her lead.
I believe in Kellie...I have from the gitgo.
But going to this university as a coach is a formidable task and it is not like any other coaching job, except for a very rare few colleges. In fact it is really only like one other coaching job right now, South Carolina, because they play in the SEC too...The connies, Baylor, ND, etc DO NOT play in as tough a conference as the SEC is top to bottom, so to me, they cannot directly compare

 

[Rixxx]

This year will tell me more about Coach K than any year she will have.
She is no longer driving Holly's car.
It is her now and she has the keys,
Not all of the parts are of her choosing, but the way it is to be driven is no longer influenced by her predecessor.

For the team to make strides they have to see strides made by the coach.
CHW made no strides, she duplicated her mistakes yearly and in each game and so did her players.
Coach K has some things to work on,,,

• Playing those who contribute and securing the win before playing everybody
• Use of timeouts to manage the game (interrupt runs, get in the player's grill when they play wihtout purpose, etc) and not just using TO's to save the game
• Holding players responsible for goofy or defiant on-court play when they come to the bench...Immediately!...Stare, bark or something but don't just let them walk over and sit.
• Understanding that this is SEC and not the Missouri Valley Conference

I don't say these things to discredit Coach K, but to point out that she too has room for growth and if her team sees it, they will follow her lead.
I believe in Kellie...I have from the gitgo.
But going to this university as a coach is a formidable task and it is not like any other coaching job, except for a very rare few colleges. In fact it is really only like one other coaching job right now, South Carolina, because they play in the SEC too...The connies, Baylor, ND, etc DO NOT play in as tough a conference as the SEC is top to bottom, so to me, they cannot directly compare

Absolutely agree with first bullet point.

 

[k-town_king]

Holly 2.0

 

[Bballnut1952]

The connies, Baylor, ND, etc DO NOT play in as tough a conference as the SEC is top to bottom, so to me, they cannot directly compare

SEC was the 4th rated conference by RPI and SOS.

Conference Overall Rec Conf. Rec RPI SOS
1 Pacific-12 234-141 (62%) 114-22 (84%) 0.5846 0.5777 1
2 Big Ten 262-172 (60%) 123-33 (79%) 0.5770 0.5766 2
3 Big 12 180-114 (61%) 90-24 (79%) 0.5740 0.5700 3
4 Southeastern 259-171 (60%) 134-45 (75%) 0.5685 0.5668 4
5 Atlantic Coast 261-204 (56%) 112-55 (67%). 0.5538 0.5579 5
6 Big East 167-143 (54%) 68-44 (61%). 0.5426 0.5428 6

RealTimeRPI.com Women's College Basketball Rating Percentage Index (RPI) Ratings - A leading sports ratings and resources community on the Internet

 

[lfvol]

I have coached kids like her for forty years.
Whether 14, 18 or 22 years old they need the right words to focus and control their abundant energy.

It's like @Voltopia said ... "She was sporadically amazing, sometimes confusing. It felt sometimes like she was trying too hard, but in a way the team couldn't help with..."

The team couldn't help with
Rae didn't have it in her
it has to come from someone who knows what to say

It's difficult to explain
but it is reality
The right person saying the right things to help her get past this inability to grasp consistency and then she will be off to the races

Why do I think she hasn't had the needed guidance so far...inconsistency

I guess my question is why did KH not do it last year? I keep recalling the Lou Brown experience article which gives me pause on how she connects with kids. You can be tough because Pat was. But it only works if you have a connection that causes kids to trust you care for them.

 

[zaqhhh]

I have serious concerns both this year and going forward. I wasnt big on the KJH pick to begin with and wasn't impressed last year.

Clearly she deserves more time but I am skeptical.

 

[Coach Jumper]

I guess my question is why did KH not do it last year? I keep recalling the Lou Brown experience article which gives me pause on how she connects with kids. You can be tough because Pat was. But it only works if you have a connection that causes kids to trust you care for them.

This is my only concern as well.
Day one, set the tone.

There is something to be said for learning your environment before injecting your signature, but that's not my style. In both coaching and my employment: ...My style is "if the job is getting done to my standard and in the same time-frame,,,,Stay the heck out of it and let the process run its course until I can see a clear improvement...On the other hand, if I can see an immediate need for improvement in something,, then that is what I am paid to do,,,Manage.

I too, wonder why certain immediate needs weren't addressed.
But as I said, I am behind Coach k. I was all for her hiring and am staying in her court.
The only way that changes (by the same standard I judged CHW's body of work)...If I knew I my self could have done a better job, then its gloves off.

And I could have done a better job than CHW with the players she had!