Game Thread: (20/21) Lady Vols at Missouri

[Rickster]

I don't understand why people are so critical of Rennie. She stuck with us during some tough times and I know I am not the only one who appreciates her for being a part of the team. She is a shooter and shooters have slumps. Kellie plays her because Kellie knows she is just a few shot attempts away from breaking out of the slump and she understands the offense which is also extremely important.

 

[Nute Gunray]

Funny, if Kellie coached like RP, everyone would be calling for her head. All Mizzou does is lose close games.

Robin Pingeton is roughly equivalent to Melanie Balcomb at Vandy. She recruits players to her system (shoot 3s and foul and flop so incessantly that refs just give up trying to call the game). The entire team is a one-trick pony who have no plan B which accounts for all the lost closegames. When they are hitting 3s, coupled with their assault and battery defense, they can stay close in many games but lack the talent (or adaptability) to win it in crunch time. The LVs caught Mizzou at their very best in the first half. That was their absolute upper level of performance to grind out a 3 point lead against a LV team not firing on all cylinders.

I am a little confused, Madtownvol, concerning your statement about MIizzou scoring at their best in the first half. They scored 36 points in the first half and 37 points in the second half.

 

[PRG]

speed is relevant,,,the slowest opponent in the SEC will be as fast as the fastest opponent in HS,,,unless they to were recruited

I would put my money on Darby though,,,I have talked personally to people who watched her shoot and she is a gunner

I watched her in the state tournament in Murfreesboro. She definitely is a shooter and can play better defense ? Looks like a little weight gain also ? Let’s see next year if she can earn more playing time ?

 

[djtee]

I watched her in the state tournament in Murfreesboro. She definitely is a shooter and can play better defense ? Looks like a little weight gain also ? Let’s see next year if she can earn more playing time ?

There are a lot of shooters but can they create there own shot against the elite teams and elite defenders ? We will see.

 

[madtownvol]

I am a little confused, Madtownvol, concerning your statement about MIizzou scoring at their best in the first half. They scored 36 points in the first half and 37 points in the second half.

I stand corrected, It was the 4th quarter where the wheels came off for Mizzou (so we got their best for 3 quarters where they where shooting over 50% from outside).

 

[bobkitten]

When will something be done to penalize the floppers? It’s almost as bad as soccer!

 

[LadyVols_WBK]

 

[Rickster]

Looks like a pretty rough floor with plenty of splinters.

 

[FormerLadyVolFan]

Good reading...Three things we learned in Mizzou women's 78-73 loss to No. 20 Tennessee

 

[Coach Jumper]

I watched her in the state tournament in Murfreesboro. She definitely is a shooter and can play better defense ? Looks like a little weight gain also ? Let’s see next year if she can earn more playing time ?

agree on the not in collegiate condition thing,,she has to get serious on weights and speed this summer...got to bulk u p a little and tone down to more definition

 

[Lucy]

I think Darby still having the leg issues makes her a bid liability defensively. Hopefully that all goes away this year and next year she gets some time on the court she definitely can shoot the three when she get time in a game to get in a rhythm.

Can Tess get a medical redshirt or does that not matter this year anyway?

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Can Tess get a medical redshirt or does that not matter this year anyway?

Doesn’t matter everybody gets this year back

 

[GameTime]

agree on the not in collegiate condition thing,,she has to get serious on weights and speed this summer...got to bulk u p a little and tone down to more definition

Coach, Darby's face is a lot rounder than before she became a Lady Vol....There appears something other than natural weight gain going on....Perhaps, she is taking meds to help with the shin splints, and if so, they are bulking her up and slowing her down.

It was so obvious, in last nights game, Rennie was useless on offense, and lost on defense...Sweet girl, but definitely not a ready for prime time player....

If Darby had been healthy, she would have been in that game in a New York minute, and taken Rennie's place....

 

[Voluble2]

I will say this for Rennie, she has worked hard and improved her defense. She hustles and takes care of the ball.

She isn't afraid of contact and scraps. Her passes are nice and crisp --- which is something the other players could learn from.

But her shot has totally abandoned her this year. She is one of those girls who has to work really hard to rise to the level or a role player who can be put in for a few minutes without hurting us. I respect that sort of effort.

But we have had a long line of three pt specialists who don't shoot the three very well. You have to be able to do your trick if you are a one trick pony.

Consistency is something that really eludes the whole team. Very often we will see a particular player burn three possessions in a the row for us. Sometimes it is KK, sometimes it is Walker etc... Outside of Burrell, they all seem to be very up and down. That is the next hurdle we need to get over. Horston finishing her shots more like she did in the this last game would make us elite with just a little more consistency out of the rest of the supporting players.

On the plus side, Kellie is pulling those players and seems to see when they get down, or are mismatched somehow. So it is being addressed in game. Hopefully between games as well.

 

[madtownvol]

Coach, Darby's face is a lot rounder than before she became a Lady Vol....There appears something other than natural weight gain going on....Perhaps, she is taking meds to help with the shin splints, and if so, they are bulking her up and slowing her down.

It was so obvious, in last nights game, Rennie was useless on offense, and lost on defense...Sweet girl, but definitely not a ready for prime time player....

If Darby had been healthy, she would have been in that game in a New York minute, and taken Rennie's place....

Judging weight by facial appearance is tricky because the optics are so effected by hairstyle, camera angles. Here is a high school shot:

I think these pics look pretty similar in terms of facial fullness.

You really don't take meds for shin splints (again what is technically known as medial tibial stress syndrome). Anti-inflammatory drugs actually hinder bone healing so they are a no-no.

My daughter having struggled with this injury I know a lot about it People hear shin splints and think oh sore muscle but the injury is actually a bone inflammation (due to overuse or some kind of bio-mechanical issue) that puts you on a continuum to a stress fractures (or multiple stress fractures).

Depending on the exact site of the inflammation (and obviously the degree) they can be more or less difficult to manage but the only way to completely get rid of them (and the pain) is no impact for 6 weeks followed by a gradual return to activity.

I said back when her injury was reported that such an injury could easily tank her season, which unfortunately seems to be the case.

But to your point, I would also bet $ that Tess was not ready to play (and she possible might not even clearance to play).

The good news is that Rennie got an opportunity to play in a meaningful game and it did not cost the LVs a win.

 

[GameTime]

mad, I use to live in San Diego with a girl that had a constant case of painful shin splints...We were both into a lot of jogging and other sporting activities the yuppies were doing in those days; jogging, tennis, racket ball, and even some bowling...

I chose to run on the grassier areas like parks, while she liked to run on sidewalks and the streets of San Diego....When she would get to hurting from the shin splints, I would tell her to run on the grass with me at the parks....She said no one could see her there....She did like to be looked at...

I would ice her legs down and do some massaging to help ease the pain.....The best "temporary cure" was not to jog for a few weeks....But, as soon as she got back on the streets, the pain would start back up again....

Darby must be really suffering, poor kid....I had a lot of hope for her, at least as a 3 point shooter...Not sure she will ever be 100% rid of this ailment, but I sure hope so...She is such a sweetheart....Great smile!

 

[Memvol44]

agree on the not in collegiate condition thing,,she has to get serious on weights and speed this summer...got to bulk u p a little and tone down to more definition

Maybe we should look at our conditioning program overall!!

 

[Coach Jumper]

The weights and conditioning programs are getting much better in HS's
what is unfortunate is the competition for the elite athletes is scarce in HS

there are around 400,000 girls playing HS BB
only 4000 will play d1 and out of those, only 780 will play in power 5 conferences
SO the chance of a D1'er playing a D1'er is about 100 to 1
that means the chance of one power 5 player playing another in HS is less than 1 in 1000

that said, the chance that these girls will see each other in HS are minuscule
This is why they come into P5 conferences and struggle so, they have a dostorted view of how good they are and the level of athlete they will face,,,they come in thinking they are in game-shape

Nope, not SEC game shape

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Maybe we should look at our conditioning program overall!!

What do you mean?

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

The weights and conditioning programs are getting much better in HS's
what is unfortunate is the competition for the elite athletes is scarce in HS

there are around 400,000 girls playing HS BB
only 4000 will play d1 and out of those, only 780 will play in power 5 conferences
SO the chance of a D1'er playing a D1'er is about 100 to 1
that means the chance of one power 5 player playing another in HS is less than 1 in 1000

that said, the chance that these girls will see each other in HS are minuscule
This is why they come into P5 conferences and struggle so, they have a dostorted view of how good they are and the level of athlete they will face,,,they come in thinking they are in game-shape

Nope, not SEC game shape

isn’t that where playing in AAU comes in handy depending on the teams and tourney?

 

[Coach Jumper]

isn’t that where playing in AAU comes in handy depending on the teams and tourney?

AAU helps, a lot, but the number of cupcake teams (startup programs and weak teams) that you play to reach the elite is probably 20-40%...I'd say based on my many years in AAU play that only in the championship rounds and the exposure tournaments will you see P5 players

In Atlanta, I had a team that had 13 girls...I told them that if at least 8 could play we'd play any tournament weekend available...we played in 18 tournaments over that summer, 72 games....We were in the payoff rounds in all but four tournaments and won 5 of them,,, ended up #4 in GA

On that team, as far as I could trace them I had 1 P5 player and 4 mid/lower level D1's

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

AAU helps, a lot, but the number of cupcake teams (startup programs and weak teams) that you play to reach the elite is probably 20-40%...I'd say based on my many years in AAU play that only in the championship rounds and the exposure tournaments will you see P5 players

In Atlanta, I had a team that had 13 girls...I told them that if at least 8 could play we'd play any tournament weekend available...we played in 18 tournaments over that summer, 72 games....We were in the payoff rounds in all but four tournaments and won 5 of them,,, ended up #4 in GA

On that team, as far as I could trace them I had 1 P5 player and 4 mid/lower level D1's

I live in the DMV area so i guess i’m just used to some pretty good bball where teams play each other. Paul VI, Sidwell Friends, St. john’s then some of the MD and VA high school teams are good. Also we have Boo Williams over the summer in VA and it seems like competition is high each game.

I understand what you’re saying most definitely. I am pretty sure that’s why Justine went to a Nike based established team. It’s interesting because a lot of good girls basketball players came out of the Phillie Belles program most notably Breanna Stewart now she has her own AAU team. I wonder if some of the Belles girls will go with Breannas team?

 

[djtee]

I live in the DMV area so i guess i’m just used to some pretty good bball where teams play each other. Paul VI, Sidwell Friends, St. john’s then some of the MD and VA high school teams are good. Also we have Boo Williams over the summer in VA and it seems like competition is high each game.

I understand what you’re saying most definitely. I am pretty sure that’s why Justine went to a Nike based established team. It’s interesting because a lot of good girls basketball players came out of the Phillie Belles program most notably Breanna Stewart now she has her own AAU team. I wonder if some of the Belles girls will go with Breannas team?

I have family in that area and i agree Paul VI, Sidwell Friends, St. john’s then some of the MD and VA high schools are all strong. Just like in NC,SC,FL,NY, i have been to many games,

 

[Coach Jumper]

I live in the DMV area so i guess i’m just used to some pretty good bball where teams play each other. Paul VI, Sidwell Friends, St. john’s then some of the MD and VA high school teams are good. Also we have Boo Williams over the summer in VA and it seems like competition is high each game.

I understand what you’re saying most definitely. I am pretty sure that’s why Justine went to a Nike based established team. It’s interesting because a lot of good girls basketball players came out of the Phillie Belles program most notably Breanna Stewart now she has her own AAU team. I wonder if some of the Belles girls will go with Breannas team?

Don't take me wrong, the level of competition in exposure ball is definitely a good barometer for college ball...Greensboro, Kings Island, Atlanta War Games, Orlando,,,those tourneys are scouted by every NCAA coach worth their salt,,,but the mom and pop tourneys in AAU those make up about 20% of the tourneys in a city like Atlanta.

 

[krichunaka]

Jessie has regressed it seems. Don't know what she did to earn those minutes. Darby really needed them if she is in any plans for the future.

I'll go ahead and concede the argument (with you, or everyone for that matter) that Jessie's shot is off; the numbers speak for themselves: It's flat, it's unnatural (to her normal stroke). But, what I saw in the Missouri game, was a player (and pretty good one, IMO) who is crisp, and aware - I literally saw her point to an open streaker on a fast break (a player who actually scored).
And unfortunately, she's brutally unselfish! Someone already pointed out that she passes well; but she not only passes the ball accurately, she puts it where it needs to be, and in the proper profile - high, low, bounce, lob - she is, for now, our ONLY player to do this (though Jordan Horston is starting to show that SOMETHING SPECIAL in her game). Let that soak in: Jessie Rennie is the sole Lady Vol who can make every pass. We spend so much time complimenting, and criticizing our players by their every flaw and attribute, and yet the one who "doesn't deserve to be at this level" is our one truly skilled passer. A dozen-plus Lady Vols could learn and improve their offensive games just by watching how she catches, scans, and quickly delivers an accurate pass ...meanwhile, we watched - DOZENS of times - our high screen continuously embarrass us in the loss to Georgia. No adjustments; just dribble the long way around a double-team (because Georgia knew they didn't have to guard Kasi or Tamari 25-feet from the goal! We simply didn't have the wherewithal to find an open player. Unbelievable!
It's an unfair comparison, but our All-American went what, two-for-twenty in a game? Rennie is not close to being Rennia (regardless of spelling). But then, there are not many in all of Women's College Basketball who are. And she doesn't possess the height or athleticism to keep her on the court until her shot arrives, or she decides to turn it on. So, as many of you have pointed out, it is what it is.
But, we could do a lot worse ...than Jessie Rennie.