Game Thread Lady Vols at Mississippi State

[Amb3096]

Oh, by the way she did manage three turnovers. Couldn't get a rebound but can sure manage to get turnovers.

2 turnovers were charges against an elite defender. The 3rd was because Middleton threw her the ball with the shot clock between 1 and 0. Hardly her fault.

How about the starting PG with 0 assists and 3 TOs?

 

[Spacejam]

DeShields was definitely not why we lost the Kentucky game, two players missed free throws and one couldn't make a simple layup that could have easily been the game winner.

 

[Sandvol]

2 turnovers were charges against an elite defender. The 3rd was because Middleton threw her the ball with the shot clock between 1 and 0. Hardly her fault.

How about the starting PG with 0 assists and 3 TOs?

Then why's she playing? How about Jordan Reynolds with 11 rebounds? That's somebody who's giving effort.

 

[Sandvol]

But you're right about assists. I've been saying since game 1. The team doesn't pass the ball well or move well. Who's that on?

 

[tonybologna]

Oops we did it again! Blew another one! I can't believe we were up by 12 points heading into the 4th quarter & blew another one. 3 points in the 4th quarter? Are you kidding me? A middle school team could do better than that. This is getting way past old Holly! This is so sad to see Lady Vol basketball fall so far since Pat left us.

We need a change bad! We have no drive to finish games period. It's time for coaches to go & go fast but I bet we wait until after this horrible season is over. It's certainly not acceptable for Lady Vol basketball.

 

[aredfox28]

I got Hart figured out... He wanted to get rid of the lady vols logo because he knew this was coming the holly, he knew she destroy what the lady vols had built all of these years, and didn't wanna tarnish the logo... Has to be why.

 

[Voluble2]

No, they wouldn't have. Okorie is not small. She's got height and she's stronger than Russell. She got perfect position and there was way Russell was getting that ball when it rolled right above Okorie, unless she reached over and fouled her.

MS was fortunate how the ball came off the rim. If it came towards Russell, that should have been an easy putback and possibly + 1. It was bad luck, but Cooper should have made a very makeable shot instead of blaming a player that would have to defy physics to get that ball.

I watched the replay. Mercedes only had one hand up going for that rebound. If she had the other one up there is a good chance she gets it since the ball went over that shoulder. That seems to be a common problem for her. She is slow reacting and often doesn't have her arms up on defense or going for rebounds.

There is enough blame to go around and I thought Russell played a decent game. She is just one of those players who is slow and methodical. The worst thing about her tonight is that Holly made her switch on defense so she spent the night at the three pt line instead of rebounding and blocking shots. That wasn't her fault.

The fact is it never should have come down to the last play. Holly kept pulling productive lineups and taking out the hot player. At key points in the game she would put in someone who had done nothing to that point instead of sticking with what was working.

She had us in the wrong defense for much of the night and we never tried to use our press to create any turnovers. Their guards were quick, but they weren't tall or good passers so we could have made some hay there I think. They also liked to dribble a lot which is what you want them to do against your press. Last game she waited too long to press. This game she did not press at all.

This was a very winnable game and Holly had to make a string of really poor decisions to put us in position to lose. The players didn't make some plays they should have but they made more than enough to win had we employed the right strategy.

 

[Volfan2012]

I didn't watch the game so really can't comment on what went wrong. It appears that State dominated the shots getting up 73 to our 55 and that should never happen. They didn't shoot it very well and we shot it better than usual but not enough shots.
I see we were ahead by 12 going into the fourth quarter and let them tie it. That amazes me that we couldn't figure out a way to score more than three points in a quarter. This is game 20 and we should have an idea how to attack any defense but it appears that we still don't have a clue about how to attack a zone.
So I hope we can find a way to get to the tourney it would be a devastating blow if we don't get in. I am hoping we can make changes in the coaching staff including letting Holly go as head coach.

 

[therealitytheory]

Holly will never, ever, ever quit. She thinks she earned this job and she thinks she's good at it.

Exactly right. And Holly is a hometown girl with a lot of supporters in key places. Even with 12-13 losses her overall winning pct will be relatively strong. Dearstone, the voice of the LVs, is her Bearden buddy and loudest defender.

Holly leaving is like a LV layup ...NOT a sure thing. Not by a long shot.

 

[FrozenLVFan]

She was the leading scorer against Florida and 2nd leading against UK.

Big deal. She gives up way more points than she scores because of her rampant turnovers and lackadaisical wave-by defense. She gets beat more on defense than Middleton, who's probably the least athletic player on the team. Inserting DD into the game last night did nothing to help the team.

Having said all that, plus the usual criticisms of CHW, we would have won last night if we'd made our FT's.

 

[teacherdean]

No, they wouldn't have. Okorie is not small. She's got height and she's stronger than Russell. She got perfect position and there was way Russell was getting that ball when it rolled right above Okorie, unless she reached over and fouled her.

MS was fortunate how the ball came off the rim. If it came towards Russell, that should have been an easy putback and possibly + 1. It was bad luck, but Cooper should have made a very makeable shot instead of blaming a player that would have to defy physics to get that ball.

We keep our feet on the gas and it would not have gotten to this point. MS was mostly fortunate that we have Holly and her seven 5 stars and they have Vic and their two 5 stars. We can blame this on the players if we want but this situation was coaching, or lack there of. Think about how loose the LV's played in the first half verses the second half, 3 points in the 4th quarter. I believe that this is a top 5 team playing for a bottom feeder coach. Again, there is no excuse for what happened and that is a shame.

 

[alexvol]

reynolds has 15 pts and 10 rebounds. yeah she's the problem.

I would agree that Reynolds had a good game last night until the chips were down and then what happened ? By the way this is Reynolds 3rd year and this is the 2nd good game she has had out of what 71 games ? The other good game she had was in the SEC Tournament when she was a Freshman.

 

[JoelW]

I'm new to the site but have been following comments a long time and after last night, I thought it is time to join. I hate to criticize young players when even the best need coaching and guidance. But after watching the 3rd quarter last night and then seeing that group of players substituted for a non functional unit, I can only say the blame for the loss lies squarely on the coach. The mood went from an upbeat bunch having fun playing basketball to a confused group of folks playing one on one and passing the ball around the outside. The sad thing is this happens game after game after game. I don't doubt Holly's dedication and love for Tennessee, but it is definitely time for a reboot.

 

[alexvol]

I would bench DeShields and leave her on the bench. She's been terrible. No one needs to tell me about our coaching issues--about which I've been yelling since about a week after Warlick took over. Still, players must have some accountability, and DeShields has been weak---we played much better without her tonight. I'm beginning to think she is the big problem with this team. She's certainly A problem--why, I'm not sure. She comes in the game--and this was the only brief stretch I watched, and she immediately makes an ill-advised pass into the low post to....Cooper! I was amazed she actually corralled the ball amid all the bigs. It was the type of cute pass that DeShields likes to try regularly--and they usually end up as turnovers. DeShields then comes down the court on the next two/three possessions and takes two off-balance shots--both misses. If you are going to shoot, square up and go up strong. She is often off-balance and seems to take shots sometimes just for the hell of it. Her decision-making and general play have been AWFUL.

The player we thought was one of the most talented in the country is dragging down this team. Is she a prima donna? That's the vibe I've gotten from her since game one. Am I wrong? Is she out there encouraging teammates? No. Does she bust her butt getting back down the floor on defense? No, she runs/jogs at about 3/4 speed. Does she show any passion or fire or vocal leadership on the court? None that I've seen. The Vols have a lot of issues--and Warlick is top of the list. But DeShields, IMO, is right behind her. She was supposed to be the bell-cow on this team and instead she's been bad in a LARGE number of games--bad shooting/high turnovers. She's arguably been the worst player on the team in more than a few games--certainly in the florida game she was terrible, and she was terrible against kentucky, and she's been terrible in other games I've lost track of. Tonight she wasn't terrible--didn't play that much, did she?--but she didn't do anything to help us get a victory either. 3 points. That's not the way it was supposed to be, not at all. This team badly needs her to be good--and she's been just the opposite.

She played with a bum ankle last nite...enough said.Diamond is not the problem by herself ...its the whole team and the whole coaching staff.
But hey the refrain from all the years that Holly has been the Coach after a loss has been wait until next year when we get those new recruits in and get everyone healthy......so just wait until next year when we get all those new recruits in.......oh wait there are no new recruits coming in so what will the refrain become this year ?

 

[Amb3096]

But you're right about assists. I've been saying since game 1. The team doesn't pass the ball well or move well. Who's that on?

It's on coaching, and to a degree, on Jordan Reynolds for her lackadaisical play up until the last few games. IMO, she has better court vision than Carter. She has size, strength and aggressiveness to drive to the paint, and that opens up her passing options. Draya doesn't do this, and the offense stagnates when she has the ball. I'm not saying that Reynolds is great at it, but she's the better option.

If Jordan is being aggressive in taking shots that the defense gives her and knows when to set up her teammates (which she can do), she's the better option between the two at PG. If Cooper has found her form, she may be a better option at SG.

 

[gule]

please LORD, make it stop!


anybody else miss Meghan Simmons?

 

[dillyo51]

You want to shed yourself of CHW? Quit attending the games. Pretty simple IMO. Instead of 9-10 thousand per game, 2500 to 3500 would force AD Hart's hand to make a change.

 

[Batman33]

I'm new to the site but have been following comments a long time and after last night, I thought it is time to join. I hate to criticize young players when even the best need coaching and guidance. But after watching the 3rd quarter last night and then seeing that group of players substituted for a non functional unit, I can only say the blame for the loss lies squarely on the coach. The mood went from an upbeat bunch having fun playing basketball to a confused group of folks playing one on one and passing the ball around the outside. The sad thing is this happens game after game after game. I don't doubt Holly's dedication and love for Tennessee, but it is definitely time for a reboot.

Welcome! Sorry that these dire circumstances are what brings passionate LV fans together. As the multitude has increased, the weight on Bama Dave's shoulders must be hurting!

 

[governmentmule]

I'm new to the site but have been following comments a long time and after last night, I thought it is time to join.

welcome to the Board :hi:

 

[governmentmule]

I just got done watching the replay of the game and except for the 4th quarter I thought they showed some heart in this game,there getting better but they should have been at this point in the middle of the first half of this season

the Defense for the lady Vols was all right for this game,but not what they are capable of and i thought that the refs whiffed on a bunch of calls against the Lady Vols,there were several mystery calls

when Mississippi State went to the Zone Defense in the 4th quarter the lady Vols seemed lost ,why they can't deal with a Zone this time of year is beyond me

Reynolds did have a great game,didn't she get a double double ?

and what in the hell is Russell doing at the free throw line on defense ? beats me I think she would be better utilized by staying under the basket and working to get into position to be able to block out,have Graves out there not Russell on Offense

Te'a is starting to finally play better,she is showing a lot more confidence on Offense,I just wished some of them jacked up wild looking shots would fall for a change she is a liability on Defense though,was it me or where a lot of the wide open shots by her player when they were in the Zone on defense ?

and why hasn't Kourtney Dunbar even seen the court in a couple of games ? i had thought that she was playing better on Offense myself,I know that her defense needs some work,but you can't fix that without some playing time,she is either hurt or is in the ole Rocky Top Dog house for some reason I guess

and wouldn't it be great to have Jasmine Jones to come in and play some defense in some of these games ? has anybody heard anything about her lately ? I hope she is doing well and has made a recovery from the concussions,is she being to safe ? probably,but she should be after as many as she has had