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

[VolBall09]

Personally,I would not use “low IQ” but rather would say overconfidence plays a role here. She quite obviously thinks that she can play one on three or even four and come out best. This flies in the face of what the results have shown so far. When she is one on one or one on two she frequently wins that matchup, but one on three or more usually ends in a bad outcome. So many times she goes one on three with a teammate wide open and makes no attempt to pass to the open player. This is a learning experience for her and as she matures in her play these open teammates will start receiving passes for open shots. This board went for years criticizing the preponderance of times that players took the ball into the paint and were surrounded by defenders and made bad plays. She will learn that it will enhance her performance to pass to an open player. Her future ceiling is All American caliber. Go Lady Vols!

I think we all need to keep in mind people are using a basketball term. Her bball IQ can tend to be low at times. That isn’t for lack of effort and certainly has nothing to do with her actual intelligence.

Coop does more in fewer minutes than almost any other player in the SEC. Half of that is her fault for being in first half foul trouble so much. Gotta keep pointing that out to her if you’re Coach. “You’re putting up 19, 7 and 7 in 19 minutes….just imagine what you could do with 32.”

 

[Volfan2012]

I think we all need to keep in mind people are using a basketball term. Her bball IQ can tend to be low at times. That isn’t for lack of effort and certainly has nothing to do with her actual intelligence.

Coop does more in fewer minutes than almost any other player in the SEC. Half of that is her fault for being in first half foul trouble so much. Gotta keep pointing that out to her if you’re Coach. “You’re putting up 19, 7 and 7 in 19 minutes….just imagine what you could do with 32.”

Great post cause actually she is more like a freshman than a sophomore in playing time. She sat the bench at SC rarely played. This is her first year and as the year progresses I think she has gotten a little better in decision making still has a ways to go she will get there.

 

[lvocd]

I agree, Volfan2012. A year from now I suspect Talaysia Cooper will have a much more mature game, and opposing coaches will be getting more headaches trying to figure out what to do about her.

 

[37620VOL]

Yall are nuts if you think Coop has low bb IQ. Nuts!

 

[Ladyvols4ever!]

Yall are nuts if you think Coop has low bb IQ. Nuts!

I think they meant low IQ, period.

 

[madtownvol]

Anybody have a clue if she is playing outside coach’s directions? Full bore can bring on error potential, but wonder if she has been instructed in-game or post game to be more conservative. Collapsing on her creates space for others. Bet staff has a net/net study on all players. Same for her overplay going the other way. Gotta take the good with the bad, and do the whole calculation.

I mean that is an interesting point. On the one hand, people celebrate CKC for being a super demanding coach and then assume that for some inexplicable reason, she is cool with her best player going off script and making "dumb" plays.

What I have realized is that the key to CKC's system is her willingness to play the risk-reward game and not freak out when "mistakes" are made. Cooper being a threat to get to the rim is a part of the offense and if that sometimes leads to her getting caught in a double team, so be it so long as her net is positive.

I go nuts when teams beat the LV defense with an over the top with a long pass for an easy lay-up but CKC obviously sees that play as a risk worth taking for the benefits of their high press defense.

 

[LV renaissance]

Anybody have a clue if she is playing outside coach’s directions? Full bore can bring on error potential, but wonder if she has been instructed in-game or post game to be more conservative. Collapsing on her creates space for others. Bet staff has a net/net study on all players. Same for her overplay going the other way. Gotta take the good with the bad, and do the whole calculation.

Coach has clearly benched her lately for a brief spell when she is not playing team ball on offense. There were two occasions in the 2nd half that she never looked for teammates on a few consecutive possessions and then she alone was summoned to the bench. She then was fairly quickly given another chance and did better. I like this approach!

 

[glv98]

I mean that is an interesting point. On the one hand, people celebrate CKC for being a super demanding coach and then assume that for some inexplicable reason, she is cool with her best player going off script and making "dumb" plays.

Don't think CKC is "cool" w it, just understanding that good decision making for elite players is sometimes a long and painful process, again remember Jordan Horston. Knowing when to "carry" the team and when to pass off isn't easy.

It's also a learning process for coaches and CKC has never had a player w the elite physical skills of Coop.

Again, I'll only get worried if it doesn't get better over the offseason. Should def be the focus for Coop over the summer.

 

[madtownvol]

Don't think CKC is "cool" w it, just understanding that good decision making for elite players is sometimes a long and painful process, again remember Jordan Horston. Knowing when to "carry" the team and when to pass off isn't easy.

It's also a learning process for coaches and CKC has never had a player w the elite physical skills of Coop.

Again, I'll only get worried if it doesn't get better over the offseason. Should def be the focus for Coop over the summer.

My intended point (perhaps poorly conveyed) is that CKC is not cool with the mistakes but she understands that some mistakes have to be accepted for Coop and other players to implement her "pedal to the metal" system.

Too much focus is on Coop in the regard. How many times a game does Spencer get caught in the trees driving to the lane or Ruby taking the ball into the paint and getting swarmed or Spearman picking a foul for being over aggressive?

All those mistakes come with this system. Sure, as time goes on, they should get more efficient and reduce some of this mistakes but they are never going to disappear. Cooper is carrying a bigger load than any other player, except maybe Spencer, so she has more opportunities to make plays and make mistakes.

CKC is implementing this style with an entirely new group of players, most of whom had not any playing time together prior to this season. Next season, assuming there are no portal surprises, there will be a more experienced core but still a lot of new additions, including a freshman PG and who ever else comes in through the portal. So, next year's team will have its own learning curve but it won't be from ground zero

 

[Coach Jumper]

And one more thing before I go, no matter how many think pieces y’all are writing, it’s not going to change the fact she makes low IQ plays that can be completely avoidable! Be blessed! 🩵

Miss you already

 

[RespectAPA]

Yall are nuts if you think Coop has low bb IQ. Nuts!

Who do you think has the lowest bball IQ on the team, if you don't think it's Coop? I don't think it's 'nuts' at all to think that Coop underperforms her giftedness more than any other player we utilize.

A lot of that is hero ball bad decisions on offense that results in her eventually getting the numbers she wants, (sometimes with an ugly FG% tho because of the missed midrange shots) yet holds the rest of the shooters on the court back from reaching their offensiv potential.

 

[Rickster]

My intended point (perhaps poorly conveyed) is that CKC is not cool with the mistakes but she understands that some mistakes have to be accepted for Coop and other players to implement her "pedal to the metal" system.

Too much focus is on Coop in the regard. How many times a game does Spencer get caught in the trees driving to the lane or Ruby taking the ball into the paint and getting swarmed or Spearman picking a foul for being over aggressive?

All those mistakes come with this system. Sure, as time goes on, they should get more efficient and reduce some of this mistakes but they are never going to disappear. Cooper is carrying a bigger load than any other player, except maybe Spencer, so she has more opportunities to make plays and make mistakes.

CKC is implementing this style with an entirely new group of players, most of whom had not any playing time together prior to this season. Next season, assuming there are no portal surprises, there will be a more experienced core but still a lot of new additions, including a freshman PG and who ever else comes in through the portal. So, next year's team will have its own learning curve but it won't be from ground zero

I personally believe that the screen and dribble drive and kick out are the two main offensive schemes CKC and staff coach. It is also a preferred offense for a guard oriented team as it generates mismatches. I expect CKC is going for the shock plays on both defense and offense. Pressure is the game. In order for pressure to take effect, it has to be present most of the time.

 

[lvocd]

Yes, madtown, next season the staff will have extra help teaching new players the system instead of it all landing on the shoulders of a few coaches: returning players from this season. With returning players also spread out on the court shepherding the freshmen, I expect the time it takes for the young ones to get it to be cut in half, at least. We've gotten to watch this year's team's gradual-but-steady progress, but I do believe the Lady Vols will be much further along earlier next season, and hopefully some of this year's close losses will be wins next year.

 

[madtownvol]

Who do you think has the lowest bball IQ on the team, if you don't think it's Coop? I don't think it's 'nuts' at all to think that Coop underperforms her giftedness more than any other player we utilize.

A lot of that is hero ball bad decisions on offense that results in her eventually getting the numbers she wants, (sometimes with an ugly FG% tho because of the missed midrange shots) yet holds the rest of the shooters on the court back from reaching their offensiv potential.

Coop leads the team in scoring, steals and blocks, she is 2nd to Spearman in rebounding (though she leads in Offensive rebounds) and 2nd to Spencer in assists. Not bad for a "low IQ bball player."

Now, you say but she leads the team in TOs with 99!!!!! See, low IQ!!!! Well, lets look at another stat. The net difference between TOs and steals. For Coop, that number is a -14 (and I do wish that number was a +) but Spencer's difference is a minus 21; Ruby is- 28; Hollingshead, in far fewer minutes, is also -14. So why single out Coop?

[On a more positive note, Kaniya is +16!!]

Also, Coop's shooting % of .448 is one of the highest on the team among player who are averaging more than 10 minutes a game. Jewel is 44%; Spence is 40%. Ruby leads the guards at 47%. Kaniya is shooting over 50% but she has only taken 76 shots all season (and almost all are driving to the rim).

Would really love to hear the rationale as to how Coop is holding the rest of the shooters on the court from reaching their potential. That seems like an odd accusation in light of the last game. The LVs offense against FL completely stagnated without Coop on the floor and then exploded in the 2nd half when she was involved.

If that is "holding" the team back, then give me more of that "holding back".

 

[Lucy]

Coop leads the team in scoring, steals and blocks, she is 2nd to Spearman in rebounding (though she leads in Offensive rebounds) and 2nd to Spencer in assists. Not bad for a low "IQ bball" player.

Now, you say but she leads the team in TOs with 99!!!!! See, low IQ!!!! Well, lets look at another stat. The net difference between TOs and steals. For Coop, that number is a -14 (and I do wish that number was a +) but Spencer's difference is a minus 21; Ruby is- 28; Hollingshead, in far fewer minutes, is also -14. So why single out Coop?

[On a more positive note, Kaniya is +16!!]

Also, Coop's shooting % of .448 is one of the highest on the team among player who are averaging more than 10 minutes a game. Jewel is 44%; Spence is 40%. Ruby leads the guards at 47%. Kaniya is shooting over 50% but she has only taken 76 shots all season (and almost all are driving to the rim).

Would really love to hear the rationale as to how Coop is holding the rest of the shooters on the court from reaching their potential. That seems like an odd accusation in light of the last game. The LVs offense against FL completely stagnated without Coop on the floor and then exploded in the 2nd half when she was involved.

If that is "holding" the team back, then give me more of that "holding back".

Absolutely!!!!

 

[volsagain]

Who do you think has the lowest bball IQ on the team, if you don't think it's Coop? I don't think it's 'nuts' at all to think that Coop underperforms her giftedness more than any other player we utilize.

A lot of that is hero ball bad decisions on offense that results in her eventually getting the numbers she wants, (sometimes with an ugly FG% tho because of the missed midrange shots) yet holds the rest of the shooters on the court back from reaching their offensiv potential.

It should never be about individual numbers it's a team sport. Helping others get numbers give you numbers to increase your value. It's all about playing as a team. I think most of the time she thinks she can do it all and it doesn't look good in the moment. She does get some assist but she could probably double her assist and make the team better. Coop and Whitehorn both need to get a little more air under the ball would cut down on the block shots they have. It's just all about getting better as a team. GLV

 

[Orange.]

100% should be on a different thread but for all the dog owners on here……
Me to dog: No more food, the bag says 1 cup!
Dog to me: Well Alice I’m pretty sure the Oreo bag doesn’t say 16 but here we are.

 

[SGMVols]

I'd like to see Kim install a play just for Ruby to get her open for a mid-range shot. Lately it has been basketball Groundhog Day with her dribbling in and ending up surrounded by two or three players and either getting tied up or turning it over. Her confidence appears to be a little shaken right now, so I hope the staff does something to break that cycle. We're definitely going to need Ruby to take on some of the scoring like she had been doing until recently.

Kim believes in the modern “rim and 3” offense so she will almost never draw up sets for mid range shots. Now she is not as dogmatic about it as, say, Nate Oats, as she will let players shoot mid range if they get the look, but there are no plays in her book where Option A is a mid range shot.

 

[gule]

seems like a bad idea to me to limit what the defense has to work against. plus, a short 2pt short is easier to hit most times than a contested layup or desperation 3.

 

[lvocd]

Kim believes in the modern “rim and 3” offense so she will almost never draw up sets for mid range shots. Now she is not as dogmatic about it as, say, Nate Oats, as she will let players shoot mid range if they get the look, but there are no plays in her book where Option A is a mid range shot.

Yeah, I know that. BUT, I am hoping she'll break character for just this singular purpose, for this one player, to get a good uncontested look she can make early against Kentucky to maybe get Ruby going. She's in a rut, it seems, and it certainly couldn't hurt to throw her a special bone Thursday.

I don't expect it, but I can hope for it. I just think Whitehorn getting back on track and confident again will help take some of the pressure off Cooper.

 

[Lucy]

View attachment 724336View attachment 724338

Floofers!!! Noble beast there!

 

[knoxvol52]

Floofers!!! Noble beast there!

After I got divorced 15 years ago I got a full blooded pit bull. Gotti lived in the house with me was my best friend, Gotti could drink as much beer as me had to put him on Michelob Ultra after a few years, was getting too fat....

 

[Coach Jumper]

Coop leads the team in scoring, steals and blocks, she is 2nd to Spearman in rebounding (though she leads in Offensive rebounds) and 2nd to Spencer in assists. Not bad for a "low IQ bball player."

You had me here ;o)

 

[37620VOL]

Who do you think has the lowest bball IQ on the team, if you don't think it's Coop? I don't think it's 'nuts' at all to think that Coop underperforms her giftedness more than any other player we utilize.

A lot of that is hero ball bad decisions on offense that results in her eventually getting the numbers she wants, (sometimes with an ugly FG% tho because of the missed midrange shots) yet holds the rest of the shooters on the court back from reaching their offensiv potential.

I wouldn't put anyone on this team in the low bb IQ spectrum, they are all average to above average. For Cooper I think her IQ is decent on offense and elite on defense. As examples, Brooklyn Miles and Justine Pissott are low bb IQ.

 

[Orange.]