Five things Basketvols need to do during the off-season...

#1
zjcvols

zjcvols

"On a Tennessee Saturday night."
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#1
1. Melvin Goins needs to work on his dribbling and creation for others: He has a good mid-range game, and we know his defense is solid. Yet his dribbling and creating for others needs to improve, especially since Golden is techinally a two. Does he need to average eight assists a game? No, but he needs to do what Bobby Maze did and get everyone involved better.

2. Rebounding: Rebounding wasn't something to brag about until Brian Williams started to beast up. Yet Kenny Hall was caught too many times trying to rely on his athleticism and size instead of boxing out. Hopefully that was a freshman thing. J.P. was a very good rebounder for a guard, and we need Scotty and Cam to crash the boards on both sides to help out rebounding-wise.

3. Find a consistent scorer from outside: The reason we needed Selby so much was because we need somebody who can get their own shot at any time. I've seen Tobias' film some, and he seems to know how to score in many ways. Yet we also need an outside scorer. Can Scotty step up? Tatum was playing his most consistent ball near the end. Will the increased minutes produce results? Hopefully it will.

4. Find the answer at the backup 4: From what I've gathered, we aren't really in anybody's favorite for another big. So that means we have competition for the backup 4 position between Woolridge, Pearl, and Maymon. It seems like Maymon has the talent, he just needs to understand that is his best position. Woolridge has the talent, he just doesn't know how to play the position and I'm not sure he ever will. Pearl has too many offensive liabilities despite his hustle. It's critical to find another capable 4 player to give Tobias a break or help with foul trouble.

5. Find the leader: The least of my worries, yet something you need to consider with three excellent leaders leaving. It seems like Brian and Melvin are going to take that role. We know how much leadership can affect a team when Wayne took over this team after the suspensions.

I'm very excited for basketball and can't wait till basketball season starts. But I'm very concerned about mainly two things: Our back-up 4 position and lack of consistent scoring from outside. Hopefully these things can be figured out soon.

Go Vols!!! :hi:
 
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#3
#3
swampy said:
wouldn't hurt to practice a couple of freethrows while they are at it.
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That is such an easy thing to fix, it is amazing how much of an epidemic poor FT shooting has become in college basketball.
 
#5
#5
does anybody think that some concentrated work on dribbling might help hopson? with that much talent, it seems like he would be able to fix that....
 
#7
#7
I like your post...Only thing I would add is that the entire team needs to spend some serious time in the WEIGHT ROOM....Players Like Hopson really need this...But I think if Cameron Tatum could add some size that he would really be tough to guard with his ability to get to the basket...

Kenny Hall is in desperate need of about 20 pounds of strength...

Pearl is pretty big he just really needs to work on Free throws...

I am really pulling for Mcbee and I hope he finds his spot on this team...This kid has a stoke of a shot and with the right coaching could be a good weapon off the bench for a quick couple of threes and some hustle defense...

But like the OP said someone on this team has to step up in JP's role and make something happen when they are in the game...JP was the best at getting to the basket and finishing at the rim..He was also good at drawing the defense then dishing off a good pass down low...WHO IS GONNA TAKE OVER THAT ROLE?
 
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#10
#10
Wouldnt hurt if Brian Williams would get a little stronger as well. Needs to use that frame to push others out more consistently.
 
#11
#11
IIRC Pearl said he is planning on converting Golden to a 1 or will at least work him in at that position.
 
#12
#12
1. Scotty Hopson needs to run the fumbling drill with the football team. He has to get stronger with the ball.
2. Williams needs to strengthen his lower body, and develop a little more touch. Needs a go to move.
3. Tatum needs to round his game off more.
 
#13
#13
IMO, I think Williams will be the most impressive this off season leading into the new season. He seemed a lot more focused late in the season than ever. If Scotty could improve his ball handling, I believe he's the toughest player to wear the orange in white in a long time. Everytime he touched the ball I looked for a turnover so hopefully he does work on that. Also, if Hall hits the weights hard this off season, man he's going to be tough to stop. I think we lucked up big time with Tobias. Reading all the articles and seeing all the videos on him, seems like he tries extremely hard. I think he's the type of player that transitions beautifully from the HS to college level.
 
#14
#14
It's hard to list five things, as everyone has something to work on.

BWill: Learn to go up stronger (the end of this season was a good start).
Hall: Build some muscle, get tougher on D
Swiper: Learn to use your size.
Pearl: FREE THROWS!
Tatum: Shoot for more consistency, defensive focus
Hopson: Work on ballhandling and not letting bad plays get you down and take you out of the game.
McBee: Adjust to the college game.
Bone: Become a three point threat to add an offensive element to your defensive contributions.
Goins: Work on ballhandling and distribution.

Everyone: Free throws. Please.
 
#15
#15
dunno what happened to Scotty's ball handling/dribbling - he has gotten worse with it - was better as a freshman with the ball in the open court - anytime he has a 1v1 or if he's involved in a 2v1 you can pretty much guarantee a turnover, lol.
 
#16
#16
Scotty dribbles the ball too high and loose. He needs to be more compact and dribble lower to the ground, i.e. before the ball reaches his hip when he drives.

I also think Scotty needs to finish stronger around the basket. With his combination of quickness, leaping ability and length, Scotty should not use the floater nearly as much as he does. He should be able to finish with a finger roll or dunk more often than not.
 
#17
#17
Unimane said:
Scotty dribbles the ball too high and loose. He needs to be more compact and dribble lower to the ground, i.e. before the ball reaches his hip when he drives.

I also think Scotty needs to finish stronger around the basket. With his combination of quickness, leaping ability and length, Scotty should not use the floater nearly as much as he does. He should be able to finish with a finger roll or dunk more often than not.
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I think all these are legitimate areas of improvement. But, I think most of his problems are in his head. He appeared to lose confidence as the year went on this year, and no matter how much he improves this offseason, if the pouting, cry baby attitude continues, he will continue to not realize his potential.
 
#18
#18
LawVol13 said:
I think all these are legitimate areas of improvement. But, I think most of his problems are in his head. He appeared to lose confidence as the year went on this year, and no matter how much he improves this offseason, if the pouting, cry baby attitude continues, he will continue to not realize his potential.
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yup. when he makes a move he needs to commit to it 100%. he needs to be thinking "you can't guard me punk" everytime he catches. his mental game sucks.

i was pleasantly surprised at how JP, bwill, maze and goins suddenly seem to "get it" with regards to their mental approach. like the lights just went on suddently... they generally played smart and with confidence in the tourney.

it's amazing how being predicted as a first round donkey focused our team. pearl's teams thrive as the underdog.
 
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#19
#19
mental toughness for scotty.
he has the most talent on the team, but cannot seem to be able to put it together.
he seems to just kinda float around the perimeter, whereas he would be much more effective if he drove the lane more often.
 
#20
#20
PandamoniumReigns said:
Player's Mentality: You don't make ESPN highlights at the free throw line.
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Dumb.

Is Kevin Durant a player? Dwayne Wade? Kobe? Lebron? Do those guys get to the FT line? Do they make a good percentage of those FTs? Don't those guys also make a lot of ESPN highlights?

Dumb.
 
#21
#21
kidbourbon said:
Dumb.

Is Kevin Durant a player? Dwayne Wade? Kobe? Lebron? Do those guys get to the FT line? Do they make a good percentage of those FTs? Don't those guys also make a lot of ESPN highlights?

Dumb.
Click to expand...

Did I ever say Durant, Wade, Kobe, LBJ, etc don't go to the free throw line? Find me a post that says I did. College players go to the FT line too.

I'm saying a college player's mentality is more along the lines of wanting to make Sportscenter's Top Ten, or at least the game highlights. When was the last time you saw Durant's Free throws make the Top Ten? As opposed to a dunk?

Some of these Pre-Madonna college kids come into the game with a mentality that they are already good enough to play NBA ball. Therefore they don't practice the fundamentals, such as free throws, nearly as much as they need to. They would rather work on Highlight-Reel plays. They really need to exorcise more and practice the basics.

You need to re-think your thinking. Respond to the post. You basically just made-up an argument.

Dumb back atcha.
 
#22
#22
Harris will have some huge shoes to fill. I don't think we can expect to rely on him for offensive production in the paint like Wayne, so Williams will need to get more efficient on offense. He showed some really nice moves around the rim, but he also showed that he needs to really improve his touch.

And in order to take the pressure off of our front court, we really need to improve our 3 point shooting - particularly from Hopson. Also, Goins and Tatum need to be able to consistently knock down the open looks.

It was said earlier... these guys really need to hit the weight room over the summer. I think Goins is at a good level, but the rest of them need to hit it hard.
 
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