Game Thread: (7/7) Lady Vols 56 - (10/9) Connecticut 75

[SGMVols]

The program is no where near back. An elite 8 this season would be wonderful.

If this team makes the Elite Eight, I’ll literally eat my hat.

 

[Darth_Vol]

I never saw the wheels coming off so completely, even after the inexplicable loss to Auburn.

This complete season meltdown is quickly approaching Hollyball levels...

 

[djtee]

I do have to give credit to Azzi Fudd. That girl can shoot. That is the sweetest looking jump shot I've seen this year.

And was a Elite HS player

 

[Darth_Vol]

If she can't stop the free fall Danny White will..

It's a really good thing he signed Kellie to that extension when he did...

 

[mcannon1]

This game just makes me sad. I had such hopes that this would be a win two weeks ago. I thought it would be a National showcase for the NEW Lady Vols. The relevant Lady Vols. Sadly, that is not to be. I hate it for the program. A win here would have been great for recruiting.

My thoughts exactly. I'm so sad.

 

[GiveHim6InSC]

My son stuck it out and said we cut their big lead in half. That Geno called a TO and lit into his team and they reestablished the rout.

My question: is Geno going to be suspended for confronting his players in a loud voice?

Meanwhile, Kellie gives her players little gold keys and tells them everything will be okay if they just do their part.
You see which approach is getting results…

 

[SGMVols]

Meanwhile, Kellie gives her players little gold keys and tells them everything will be okay if they just do their part.
You see which approach is getting results…

The problem is Kellie has already established herself as a cheerleader coach. Players would see right through her if she all of a sudden tried to become a disciplinarian. It would be so fake.

 

[djtee]

If she can't stop the free fall Danny White will..

You dead wrong for posting this i`m sorry to funny

 

[GBO18]

If this team makes the Elite Eight, I’ll literally eat my hat.

I’m assuming this team will be a top 4 seed. So anything less than a sweet 16 will be a failure.

 

[feathersax]

I think her Eyelashes are hindering her play.

Well, they ARE stylish.

 

[Aladywhovolunteer]

Not a good day. UCONN played well and shot the ball even better. It would be difficult to shoot that well even unguarded. Some of our ladies, perhaps doing research, decided to give it a try and fine out if that is true.
A terrible gut punch for my teddy bear.

 

[turbovol]

I'm sorry to say it, wish it weren't true--but UT is not a talented team, overall; not an athletic team, overall; and not a good team, overall. We don't shoot
the 3 very well--haven't for years--and that's another major problem.

We've got one very talented player, one player who is also talented but struggling as she attempts to come back from a knee injury; a freshman who is going to be a good complementary player for us....and that is about it. After those three..we've got a whole lot of meh....tiny players meh...unathletic players meh...no bench meh...meh meh.

Here is the stat that probably, more than any other, illustrates why this program has not been good for a long time: Assist to turnover ratio. I've mentioned it before--a lot. It tends to be a very good metric of how a team has played on the day. UT's A/TO ratio generally has fluctuated between mediocre and awful for most of the last 12 years. Today we had 7 assists and 15 turnovers. That's bad. UConn had 18 assists and 14 TOs. Doesn't tell the whole story--but a lot of it. We were not a good ball movement/passing assist team in the last few years of Summitt's tenure; our A/TO ratio during all of Warlick's tenure was BAD--and it continues to be bad under Harper. Our PG, Walker, played 30 minutes today and--in addition to missing ALL 7 of her shots--had 1 assist. When you are a PG and you've got 1 assist in 30 minutes, you've and the team have been very poor.

Part of it is that Horston has the ball a lot and goes 1v1 with the ball a lot. You need players that can create off the dribble and score, to be sure--but Horston seems to be all we've got, at times, offensively--and you're not going to beat any decent opponent when your offense centers on one good player doing her thing. It means one of two things: Either the rest of the players simply aren't that good offensively and/or your team simply does not run a disciplined player movement/ball movement/get a good shot offense. We certainly don't have a lot of players who are naturally talented. We seem to suffer from both problems. We try to run the offense through a low post player who, while giving it her all, is not in any form or fashion a good offensive player. And when that doesn't work, meaning when Key isn't able to get a shot (which is typical), we aren't good enough at kicking the ball out and around and executing the offense so that somebody else can get a good shot. The ball will usually end up back in Horston's hands. On those occasions when we do move the ball smartly, the players often miss the shot.

If your offensive limitations weren't bad enough, we've not been a good defensive team in recent weeks either. Too many players who get beat off the dribble. Players slow to recognize and help a teammate who's gotten beat. Slow to get out to cover opponents at the 3-point line. All in all, a very discouraging couple of weeks. Frankly. Harper and her staff need to recruit--- hard and well, better than they have thus far--or it's hard to see things getting better for this program.

 

[Rixxx]

Anybody checked out Reacher on prime video?

I'll wait until it shows up on Netfix or network TV. I am a huge fan of Lee Childs, the author of 25+ novels on this character. I have read them all. HOWEVER, Lee Childs has added his brother to subsequent writings and fans have said the new stuff is just not the same.

 

[SGMVols]

I’m assuming this team will be a top 4 seed. So anything less than a sweet 16 will be a failure.

I don’t know that that’s a safe assumption anymore.

 

[Darth_Vol]

Time to cancel the series again. Kellie will never beat Geno as long as she is the coach here. Period.

 

[Caz]

Time to cancel the series again. Kellie will never beat Geno as long as she is the coach here. Period.

Not sure we ever will with any coach unless the mojo changes in this series. Should change the T in Tennessee to T for Terrified.

 

[Orange_Mamba]

I'll wait until it shows up on Netfix or network TV. I am a huge fan of Lee Childs, the author of 25+ novels on this character. I have read them all. HOWEVER, Lee Childs has added his brother to subsequent writings and fans have said the new stuff is just not the same.

Only on episode 3 but it’s great so far.

 

[creekdipper]

Nah. I didn’t forget I was talking about recruiting. I asked you a clarifying question which is the normal thing to do when you don’t wanna assume you know what someone is talking about.

Firstly, I wasn’t referring to the previous staff. I was speaking to the fact that while having an excellent recruiter is great, it has to be the HEAD coach the recruit wants to play for ultimately.

While I’m sure Sharona Reaves played a big role in the Lady Vols signing those two top-five classes in 2017 and 2018, they came to play for the Holly. How they performed on the court once they got there is a whole different story. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s what it sounds you’re getting at — their actual performance once they got to UT. To me, that goes back to who coached them. It didn’t stop top recruits from coming though. I’m looking at our current coaches inability to close the deal with elite recruits. With the 2023 class (and the portal), that could change.

That was my point.

Your point was that the players come to play for the "HEAD" coach...implying that there's something Kellie is doing or not doing that is turning recruits away. My point is that Holly pulled in recruits similar to what CONN has been signing (even getting DeShields as a transfer).

Are you seriously saying that Kellie's credentials with three other programs were viewed more negatively than Holly's product she put on the floor during her seven years? Holly's program was trending downward from the mid-point of her tenure with one small bump upwards. Still, we could see that offense was stagnant, and we could see that the team chemistry was way off. And can you or anyone who has ever heard both coaches speak publicly believe that Holly is just so much more persuasive and knowledgeable than Kellie?

I don't know why we're missing out on more top recruits. Right now Kellie's old MVC friend Jennie Baranzck (formerly of Drake) is having a lot of success in her first year at Oklahoma. Meanwhile, some of the "bigger name" coaches whom some fans wanted here over Kellie, such as Oregon State's Scott Reuck, isn't doing so well this season.

It's certainly fair to question why we aren't signing more top recruits, but my point is that I doubt that many except the most ardent Kellie-haters would say that Holly is a better coach than Kellie. So it can't all be about "wanting to play for the head coach." Otherwise, why would Holly be able to land so many top players?

 

[Hallie]

Yes that will happen when it's 5 on 1.

Why is that ?? Turmoil on team or ???

 

[Hallie]

Also helped that we only had 1 player show up.

And that player hadn't been .. might be better orher way around .. Horston is going to shoot .. regardless of pct .. 25 shots might make 8 .. with 6 TO's .. so I'd rather the others play well

 

[creekdipper]

Not a good day. UCONN played well and shot the ball even better. It would be difficult to shoot that well even unguarded. Some of our ladies, perhaps doing research, decided to give it a try and fine out if that is true.
A terrible gut punch for my teddy bear.

Please don't abuse the poor , who was in no way responsible for the loss.

 

[Rixxx]

Only on episode 3 but it’s great so far.

Prime recently cancelled a detective series titled Bosch. A grizzled LA cop who always gets his man. Based also on novels = Michael Connolly. I think the series was eight seasons. Check it out.

 

[therealitytheory]

Thing is, UCONN didnt embarrass us with pressure like our earlier 2 drubbings. We actually got to run our offense - and may have set a record for shots attempted that never touched the rim.

And I posed the question a few weeks back when Darby was knocking down 3s - great, but what will she do vs UCONN and SC. The UCONN part has been answered...

 

[Voluble2]

Frankly. Harper and her staff need to recruit--- hard and well, better than they have thus far--or it's hard to see things getting better for this program.

Like I have said, this year or next year at the latest is her high water mark talentwise. A downturn in our record and talent is pretty much baked into the cake now due to her past inability to recruit. The Miles/Striplin/Darby/Wynn level players will never beat a UConn or contend for titles. They can all contribute, but cannot be relied upon to play a major role or be starters on a championship level team.

 

[Orange_Mamba]

Prime recently cancelled a detective series titled Bosch. A grizzled LA cop who always gets his man. Based also on novels = Michael Connolly. I think the series was eight seasons. Check it out.

I will thanks for the suggestion. I usually don’t like to get invested with first year shows, because they’ve started canceling shows left and right after the 1st and 2nd season.