Game thread: #15/13 Lady Vols at Florida. Sunday, Feb. 23, 1pm ET, SECN

[Scotty4lvs]

Nobody was calling Coop low IQ when she made the perfect pass to Zee for the bucket that locked up the UCONN win.

Perfect, no, dribbles too high in traffic (not unlike another stellar player we were once lucky to have), sure. Am I thrilled that Coop is a Lady Vol? You bet!!

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

And this why we can't have nice things. Coop was a bit player as a freshman at SC. Now in her 2nd season, she has become the LVs go to player. She is key to their entire defensive scheme and the heart of their offensive attack. We saw at the FL game what the team looks like without Coop.

Sure, she makes some mistakes but those some of those errors come with her role as the head of the snake of an aggressive pressing defense. On the whole, this team makes a lot of "mistakes" because the entire system is built on a high risk-high reward scheme. As long they generate more mistakes then they make, the outcome is generally positive. And 21 wins so far indicates that the LVs have generally been on the right side of the equation.

Coop will become an incredible player as she continues to gain experience.

Labeling her inexperience and some issues that just come with the team's style of play as "LOW IQ" is questionable on so many levels but to avoid further controversy, lets just say I am pretty sure that such derogatory comments directed at a LV athlete violates board rules and it is also completely unwarranted.

I am betting the poster can fully relate to the referenced condition having suffered from it.

 

[Lucy]

Even the use of the phrase “low iq” is ridiculous. First off it started as a reference to basketball IQ and went downhill from there.
CKC gave Coop the keys to the bus. That alone should shut that phrase down.
Additionally she a sophomore playing her first significant collegiate minutes. She has also been given a lot of responsibility.
I say go Coop! Don’t even think about pumping those brakes. If there is a cleanup on aisle three we’ll get to that later. Coop and Spear my co-MVPs this year.

 

[madtownvol]

You CIA ?

If I told you, I would have to kill you....

 

[madtownvol]

Yes, the plays being labeled as mistakes are what highly successful coaches understand comes with taking chances with their elite playmakers.
You can’t play it safe and expect big results.
Taking away how Coop plays the game would not help her grow as a player. CKC is molding her, teaching her, and letting her figure out how to become a great player.
You learn from the mistakes and continue to compete at a high level.
Coop is a competitor. Coop and her teammates are trying to win at all cost and Coach Caldwell knows it.
Coop is not a low IQ player. She thinks she can score every time she touches the ball. Even with her talent it’s rare to see a player have this level of hunger/determination and killer instinct.

I will reinforce a few of your points. Some folks are not getting the contradiction of cheering for the fast paced high scoring offense and the wear the opponent defensive pressure and then condemning players and calling them names when they make TOs or pick up fouls by being too aggresive.

I think that is one reason a lot of coaches don't play this style because you have to accept some "mistakes" that are going to happen when you are playing all out, all the time.

As the team gets more experience and playing time together, they will get more efficient but this team is really a work in progress that has not been at it all that long. On the whole, they are ahead of schedule, including Coop.

If people watch her play and only scream and complain about her mistakes, versus applauding her steals and clutch buckets, well, they might be card carrying members of the "legion of the miserable."

 

[madtownvol]

…oof. This hits way too close to home.

Don't go to that darkside of the fan force no matter how much they tell you to feel your anger. You know where this path leads....

 

[Orange007]

i really don't understand the cooper criticism. many players on the team have had highs and lows on their level of play. and, some of the players from last year haven't really had many "highs" either. coop is also now getting the star treatment on defense from the other teams. she will be fine!