Game Thread: Lady Vols v UCONN; Thurs. 8PM; on ESPN

[Majors]

You've perfectly encapsulated why it's not hyperbole to say this was a program defining loss and what a significant portion of the LV fan base - what's left of it - is feeling...

It was eye opening to many on how far we are when UConn wins by 17 with two of their best players out. At home to add to it

 

[Darth_Vol]

Edit: There is a reason that they play the game. I believe what UConn has done this year has been exceptional, all things considered. However, I am not thinking about the national championship. I watch one game at a time. Due to parity most anyone can be beaten. After watching UConn get destroyed in the rebounding area last night, I will be severely concerned with that aspect of a matchup with USC. Geno discussed his players being tired and making mistakes. Also, due to lack of depth, and concerned with fouls, it was evident that their defensive pressure had to back off. Having only one primary ball handler was shown as a weakness against the press. This depth issue against the depth of USC is concerning. While good coaching can offset some issues, you can't teach size. However, it will be settled on the court.

I dunno. Based on what I just saw UConn could very well be SC's greatest threat this year. Geno lost his best player before the season even started, key players in and out of the lineup all season, even missing a few games himself, and they took a couple of lumps early. They didn't make excuses, all they did was somehow continue to improve. SC barely escaped Stanford, their upcoming game to Hartford could be very interesting...

 

[OrangeCow68]

No we had to hire a tree hire and a woman. Not the best candidate.

Got roasted on here for even mentioning that a man could coach the beloved lady vols.

 

[LasVegasBill23]

Staley doesn't have much class. She canceled a basketball game against BYU because, supposedly, somebody on another team might have heard a BYU fan say something inappropriate or racist. BYU investigated and could find nothing. Completely idiotic overreaction by Staley.

glad this was brought up..... apparently dawn went by heresay didnt coordinate with BYU to fully check

 

[LasVegasBill23]

Got roasted on here for even mentioning that a man could coach the beloved lady vols.

unless it was tyler..... he was a very popular candidate for a while

 

[ncteacher88]

glad this was brought up..... apparently dawn went by heresay didnt coordinate with BYU to fully check

And, has never apologized even after an exhausting investigation showed the narrative was wrong. Disgraceful! (I hope this comment not inappropriate for a sports themed board)

 

[LasVegasBill23]

And, has never apologized even after an exhausting investigation showed the narrative was wrong. Disgraceful! (I hope this comment not inappropriate for a sports themed board)

still a good coach but this sort of tactic throw the grenade the back away not commendable

 

[LasVegasBill23]

So, in Holly's first year--and you know the old thing about how hard it is to follow a legend--the LVs won their 17th SEC regular season title and advanced to their 26th NCAA Elite Eight. Warlick was chosen Spalding Maggie Dixon National Rookie Coach of the Year and SEC Coach of the Year.

So you would have fired the SEC coach of the year? Ooooh, the national press from that decision sure would have helped the program and I am sure any available coach would have jumped at the opportunity to go to a school where winning the conference and being named of the year gets you fired, Yeah boy...... You definitely know to build a program.

Holly had a great run for four years and then things starting sliding down hill (though her recruiting stayed strong). Give the woman her due....

well maybe appropriate to say i never would have hired her she was good asst coach not head coach m
never had her players accountable just threw them to the press i cannot get them to assume defensive position they do not want to do it i cannot coach effort wouldnt hear that from pat or muffet or dawn

 

[LasVegasBill23]

I was hungover with disappointment today despite not drinking a drop. The disappointment is not just because we lost to UCONN but that we lost with our top players being seniors with hardly any elite talent among the underclassmen and ZERO recruits coming in next year. On top of that, how is Kelly now going to recruit better in the future when there is even less momentum in our program now compared to the last couple of years. The only chance for her recruiting to improve was to show that we are headed in the direction of being a Final 4 team. So, part of the grief about the game was really taking in the possibility that this whole ship is still going side-ways and it may take years and another coach to right the ship. Unlike some posters here, I deeply hope that I am wrong and will fully support the team no matter what happens. I just can't stand the thought of a lengthy further decline and a new coach that won't have people like Jordy and Key to help rebuild with. I am getting old .

In regard to the defense, it is perplexing that we have played several excellent quarters of defense but can't come anywhere close to that for a whole game. This shows we have the capability in theory but we never have consistent effort on defense throughout a whole game. Team speed is an issue when we play certain teams, and it will be more of one against LSU than it was for UCONN. Yes, we got beat at times by UCONN due to team speed but we got beat more often just by their excellent offensive execution that is based on lots of movement through quick passing and constant player motion. It is less based on unbelievable foot speed. In fact, I really wonder if when we have Horston, Jillian, Powell, Jackson, and Walker are on the court if we are not a faster team that UCONN. We just don't have the offensive schemes to utilize their speed. As mentioned previously by many, we also elect to start games with one of our slowest possible lineups. LSU will absolutely do the same thing as UCONN did if we start the same lineup there.

I think one of the main differences between UCONN and LSU is that UCONN will kill you with finesse, skill, and execution while LSU will kill you with extreme athleticism and effort. Hard to pick your poison, but I sure hope the Lady Vols will surprise us with a supreme effort that shows that the team and coaches learned from the UCONN loss. Maybe at some point in the future someone can copy my first paragraph and tease about this not aging well.

i think AD happy if we stay 3rd best in SEC

 

[madtownvol]

I was hungover with disappointment today despite not drinking a drop. The disappointment is not just because we lost to UCONN but that we lost with our top players being seniors with hardly any elite talent among the underclassmen and ZERO recruits coming in next year. On top of that, how is Kelly now going to recruit better in the future when there is even less momentum in our program now compared to the last couple of years. The only chance for her recruiting to improve was to show that we are headed in the direction of being a Final 4 team. So, part of the grief about the game was really taking in the possibility that this whole ship is still going side-ways and it may take years and another coach to right the ship. Unlike some posters here, I deeply hope that I am wrong and will fully support the team no matter what happens. I just can't stand the thought of a lengthy further decline and a new coach that won't have people like Jordy and Key to help rebuild with. I am getting old .

In regard to the defense, it is perplexing that we have played several excellent quarters of defense but can't come anywhere close to that for a whole game. This shows we have the capability in theory but we never have consistent effort on defense throughout a whole game. Team speed is an issue when we play certain teams, and it will be more of one against LSU than it was for UCONN. Yes, we got beat at times by UCONN due to team speed but we got beat more often just by their excellent offensive execution that is based on lots of movement through quick passing and constant player motion. It is less based on unbelievable foot speed. In fact, I really wonder if when we have Horston, Jillian, Powell, Jackson, and Walker are on the court if we are not a faster team that UCONN. We just don't have the offensive schemes to utilize their speed. As mentioned previously by many, we also elect to start games with one of our slowest possible lineups. LSU will absolutely do the same thing as UCONN did if we start the same lineup there.

I think one of the main differences between UCONN and LSU is that UCONN will kill you with finesse, skill, and execution while LSU will kill you with extreme athleticism and effort. Hard to pick your poison, but I sure hope the Lady Vols will surprise us with a supreme effort that shows that the team and coaches learned from the UCONN loss. Maybe at some point in the future someone can copy my first paragraph and tease about this not aging well.

I do hate to rain on a really good gloom and doom party but this level of despair is way premature. January gets forgotten pretty fast in March. If the LVs, finish 2nd or even 3rd in the SEC and pull it together for another sweet 16 run or better, all is fine on Rocky Top. For next season, Kellie shores up some gaps through the portal; Justine comes back as Candace Parker 3.0 and Key takes her extra year of eligibility and dominates the WCBB like no since Griner. Or not. It could all could go poorly from here on out and if it does, you are the sage who saw it all coming but why not look on the sunny side of life while possibilities still abound?

 

[madtownvol]

glad this was brought up..... apparently dawn went by heresay didnt coordinate with BYU to fully check

Well, BYU had banned the fan at the time that Staley cancelled the game but a subsequent investigation could not find evidence that such a taunt was made and the ban was rescinded. Staley then did have time to change her decision but opted not to. So, if there is criticism to be wielded, it should be for the post-investigation decision.

 

[madtownvol]

well maybe appropriate to say i never would have hired her she was good asst coach not head coach m
never had her players accountable just threw them to the press i cannot get them to assume defensive position they do not want to do it i cannot coach effort wouldnt hear that from pat or muffet or dawn

Nice move those goal posts!!!!

Again those problems arose later in her coaching tenure. In the 20th game of the 2014-15, they lost Izzie Harrison, whom the entire team was built around to an ACL, and they still won the conference and got to the elite 8. She lost control over the next 3 years but one has to be in some real denial to say that she did not do a good job in those 4 years or that a male coach would have come in and gotten better results. Also, Pat Summitt wanted Holly to assume the mantle so I think that counts for something as well.

 

[LasVegasBill23]

Nice move those goal posts!!!!

Again those problems arose later in her coaching tenure. In the 20th game of the 2014-15, they lost Izzie Harrison, whom the entire team was built around to an ACL, and they still won the conference and got to the elite 8. She lost control over the next 3 years but one has to be in some real denial to say that she did not do a good job in those 4 years or that a male coach would have come in and gotten better results. Also, Pat Summitt wanted Holly to assume the mantle so I think that counts for something as well.

yes understand how you and others feel i do not challenge how others feel you apparently loved holly pat thought she was solid stock

 

[LV renaissance]

I do hate to rain on a really good gloom and doom party but this level of despair is way premature. January gets forgotten pretty fast in March. If the LVs, finish 2nd or even 3rd in the SEC and pull it together for another sweet 16 run or better, all is fine on Rocky Top. For next season, Kellie shores up some gaps through the portal; Justine comes back as Candace Parker 3.0 and Key takes her extra year of eligibility and dominates the WCBB like no since Griner. Or not. It could all could go poorly from here on out and if it does, you are the sage who saw it all coming but why not look on the sunny side of life while possibilities still abound?

Sometimes a moment of grief and acceptance is a key to future well-being. I am just letting go of my energy tied to the Lady Vols making a major turnaround. In some ways, that will likely help me ultimately enjoy the rest of the season more if it goes the way it has been (e.g., win against non-rated teams with some quarters of really good play and lose the games against the top teams). It is somewhat like hoping that a friendship might become a real close one but things out of your control keep limiting how close it can become. You probably will enjoy your friend more if you accept the limitations of the situation rather than keep on wishing for more than they can deliver. In the Lady Vols situation, I may be wrong and they will surprise me and others. I think that surprise has to be really big this season for it to parlay into the great recruiting season we need for 2024. That just a lot of surprises to wish for, so for now I am just going to stay with the reality as I see it and know that reality can change. Others may feel optimistic than me about the direction of the program and I hope they are right.

 

[VolBalls33]

Striplin starting alone should have people questioning Kellie. That may sound harsh but she just isn't good enough against anyone good in the post. Hollingshead is clearly better. I know it sucks Key is out for the year and no one saw that coming, but Striplin isn't an SEC caliber athlete. Striplin isn't a top 40 post player in the country, yet starts for UT.

 

[madtownvol]

yes understand how you and others feel i do not challenge how others feel you apparently loved holly pat thought she was solid stock

Ah, not about feelings at all (except perhaps for those who have such a great, irrational antipathy toward Holly Warlick that they simply can't acknowledge what she did accomplish).

I supported her for 4 years but I too was calling for a coaching change in the last two season. You see, the world does not have to be either or. To say that Holly objectively had a really good record in her first four years does not mean that one has an irrational "LOVE" for her. Holy earned the right to keep going as LVs' HC, as her many conference titles and awards attested..

After that, the program started to decline. And get this news flash, when performances change that means that a person can update their viewpoint based on new information and changing circumstances.

One can argue that the change could have been made a year earlier but she had the #1 recruiting class coming in and so, it would have been hard for the AD to not give her a shot with that talent infusion and likely also lose those recruits.

 

[creekdipper]

Ah, not about feelings at all (except perhaps for those who have such a great, irrational antipathy toward Holly Warlick that they simply can't acknowledge what she did accomplish).

I supported her for 4 years but I too was calling for a coaching change in the last two season. You see, the world does not have to be either or. To say that Holly objectively had a really good record in her first four years does not mean that one has an irrational "LOVE" for her. Holy earned the right to keep going as LVs' HC, as her many conference titles and awards attested..

After that, the program started to decline. And get this news flash, when performances change that means that a person can update their viewpoint based on new information and changing circumstances.

One can argue that the change could have been made a year earlier but she had the #1 recruiting class coming in and so, it would have been hard for the AD to not give her a shot with that talent infusion and likely also lose those recruits.

This is a factually correct post.

 

[LasVegasBill23]

This is a factually correct post.

if factually correct then i am wrong

 

[creekdipper]

if factually correct then i am wrong

This is also a factually correct post.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

I said they are the team of the decade thus far. There is some talk that Boston is not going Pro coming back for a Covid year. Second their is no demise in their roster it is loaded with AA's all the way down to slot number 12. I didn't say UConn was in total demise just Championship demise so I'm just saying with his ability to coach this would be a huge opportunity if he could pull it off. It would be totally unexpected. Would certainly be far better than beating Tennessee a team in total collapse for the most part. That is not much an accomplishment this season everyone elite or even good is doing it.

TN is not a team in total collapse, especially not after losing to UConn, which most teams do. You got upset last year over our roster, but then we got four really good players from the portal. We just don’t know how our games will go for the rest of this season, and we have no idea what our future rosters will look like, but we have good smart people working on it. Take a breath and try not to worry, or despair, over things we cannot control. Every new player is a surprise we never predicted.

 

[Volfan2012]

TN is not a team in total collapse, especially not after losing to UConn, which most teams do. You got upset last year over our roster, but then we got four really good players from the portal. We just don’t know how our games will go for the rest of this season, and we have no idea what our future rosters will look like, but we have good smart people working on it. Take a breath and try not to worry, or despair, over things we cannot control. Every new player is a happy surprise we never predicted.

Were in the second tier of teams meaning we can probably compete with ranked teams 11 through 25. We have proven we can't compete with the top ten. Yes as far as the SEC were still a top team. Nationally the truth is were not. I will wait until the end of the season we may still find a way to get there, but this has not been a success it needed to be thus far. In year four for Coach Harper it had to be better. Every player on the roster is hers and the ones that are not are some of the best players on the team. I am hoping she can figure it out for this team cause we should've been a better team against anyone in the country.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

You've perfectly encapsulated why it's not hyperbole to say this was a program defining loss and what a significant portion of the LV fan base - what's left of it - is feeling...

To me, it wasn’t the loss….It was the way we lost and what I saw in execution from the two different sides.

One was ready to play, one was lost.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

She alone has 14 assist, we as a team had 12

Because they have a real offense and players aren’t standing around??

 

[Majors]

To me, it wasn’t the loss….It was the way we lost and what I saw in execution from the two different sides.

One was ready to play, one was lost.

Like Steve Spurrier said of the 90’s playing Tennessee…One team expects to win, one team hopes to win.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

Were in the second tier of teams meaning we can probably compete with ranked teams 11 through 25. We have proven we can't compete with the top ten. Yes as far as the SEC were still a top team. Nationally the truth is were not. I will wait until the end of the season we may still find a way to get there, but this has not been a success it needed to be thus far. In year four for Coach Harper it had to be better. Every player on the roster is hers and the ones that are not are some of the best players on the team. I am hoping she can figure it out for this team cause we should've been a better team against anyone in the country.

When Kellie was hired, it was late in the recruiting year. Then the next year, Covid restrictions meant no on campus visits. It was an unusual way to have to begin, which did not hurt already established Coaches who had been recruiting certain players for years. Then last year, we lost four players to injury, yet still found a way to be successful.

Our early season predictions included our tall Center. I think it would have been better for us had we not lost our irreplaceable 6’8 (?) Senior Center, Tamari Key, who was a blocker and large defensive presence for us, and Marta. Franklin is good, but 6’1, and you can see our Sophomore posts are improving. Horston just had one of her best games ever. It takes time to get a roster full of five star players, that Stanford, UConn, and SC already have, we’ll get there.