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

[JFP]

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.

Pat was the closer. She had a great team that beat the bushes and found top talent. She then went and closed the deal.

 

[Volfan2012]

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.

We'll see how it all goes a lot has to happen for us to be a decent team next year since no freshmen in 2023. We have the portal maybe it will all work out. Usually Coaches are given four years to get their own roster because of covid she may get five and expect to be there in year six. I don't know just think were at a crossroads where we have to be moving forward not just in the SEC but Nationally.

 

[Chippo]

I muted them from the outset and watched the game without all the chatter.

It was background noise,, just watched the game.

 

[Chippo]

Pat was the closer. She had a great team that beat the bushes and found top talent. She then went and closed the deal.

Everyone wanted to play for Pat.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Everyone wanted to play for Pat.

And everyone should want to play for Tennessee

 

[charleyhorse]

Best post in the buckett.

program is still haunted/cursed by internal locker room strife. It affects recruiting. What these kids do off the court affects on court play.

 

[Volfan2012]

program is still haunted/cursed by internal locker room strife. It affects recruiting. What these kids do off the court affects on court play.

Well this is something I need to be enlightened about. What exactly are our players doing off the court that is affecting their play? I haven't heard even a whisper that such a situation exists.

 

[Coach Jumper]

program is still haunted/cursed by internal locker room strife. It affects recruiting. What these kids do off the court affects on court play.

Don't post something like this unless you get something in your back it up... Unless you have information that can be verified it is pure assumption and you know what Happens when you assume

 

[Coach Jumper]

Well this is something I need to be enlightened about. What exactly are our players doing off the court that is affecting their play? I haven't heard even a whisper that such a situation exists.

Nor have I and I am very close to the program

 

[Volfaninfl2]

We'll see how it all goes a lot has to happen for us to be a decent team next year since no freshmen in 2023. We have the portal maybe it will all work out. Usually Coaches are given four years to get their own roster because of covid she may get five and expect to be there in year six. I don't know just think were at a crossroads where we have to be moving forward not just in the SEC but Nationally.

Freshmen don’t always play that much. Some portal players have several years left to play, like Jillian does. There are also junior college and international prospects. Even supportive posters here may be helpful for recruiting. I believe Kellie will explore all the possibilities. Getting the commitment of the #1 rated player for 2027 shows she’s working on recruiting not just now, but for the future.

 

[th2421]

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.

...did you watch the game at Stanford?

 

[Volfan2012]

...did you watch the game at Stanford?

Yes we did compete in that game, but what happened in most of the other games and what we looked like against UConn is what is in question. Are we improving from that Stanford game or getting worse? We were at home and couldn't do better than a 17 point defeat. I don't know where we are anymore. Doesn't look like we can figure out how to compete for 40 minutes. We seem to do it for a quarter or two and are totally nothing in others.

 

[StorrsCentral]

We'll see how it all goes a lot has to happen for us to be a decent team next year since no freshmen in 2023. We have the portal maybe it will all work out. Usually Coaches are given four years to get their own roster because of covid she may get five and expect to be there in year six. I don't know just think were at a crossroads where we have to be moving forward not just in the SEC but Nationally.

Look, I'm an outsider and try not to interfere with you guys, but I just have to speak out on this. Having no recruits for 2023 is extremely troubling. The only way to build chemistry is to have freshmen and get them acclimated to the D1 game so they can make a contribution. Justine Passot was a high recruit brought in this year. She played great in all kinds of tournaments prior to coming on campus, and also won numerous awards. This player is sitting on the bench, not getting in because of players from the portal. At this time of year, she should be a player that gets at least 10-15 minutes a game, but she is not. Fast forward to next year, no freshmen coming in so Kellie will again have to go to the portal. If Justine is not given the attention that she deserves, look out, because her name may appear in the portal without warning. Somebody is not doing the job in recruiting, whether it is Kellie or the assistants. Coach Sam was said by many of you guys that she is one of the best recruiters in the country, but how has that worked out. Getting players from the portal is not recruiting, at least not if you want to build chemistry among all the players. Something has to change, and the sooner the administration gets to the problem the better. I apologize if I'm stepping on toes, but I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. This team has a long great tradition, and without recruiting high school players so they can be developed, the longer the program will remain, well you know what I mean, I just don't want to say it. Good luck to the team, and again, I apologize.

 

[Volfan2012]

Look, I'm an outsider and try not to interfere with you guys, but I just have to speak out on this. Having no recruits for 2023 is extremely troubling. The only way to build chemistry is to have freshmen and get them acclimated to the D1 game so they can make a contribution. Justine Passot was a high recruit brought in this year. She played great in all kinds of tournaments prior to coming on campus, and also won numerous awards. This player is sitting on the bench, not getting in because of players from the portal. At this time of year, she should be a player that gets at least 10-15 minutes a game, but she is not. Fast forward to next year, no freshmen coming in so Kellie will again have to go to the portal. If Justine is not given the attention that she deserves, look out, because her name may appear in the portal without warning. Somebody is not doing the job in recruiting, whether it is Kellie or the assistants. Coach Sam was said by many of you guys that she is one of the best recruiters in the country, but how has that worked out. Getting players from the portal is not recruiting, at least not if you want to build chemistry among all the players. Something has to change, and the sooner the administration gets to the problem the better. I apologize if I'm stepping on toes, but I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. This team has a long great tradition, and without recruiting high school players so they can be developed, the longer the program will remain, well you know what I mean, I just don't want to say it. Good luck to the team, and again, I apologize.

Were not happy about her sitting and the reason given was her defense. How could that be said with a straight face after the way some of the players are playing defense. Not hard to see the situation were in and have been in mostly since Pat. We'll keep hoping for a solution whatever that is and trust our new Ad which is the best we've had in years to get the situation right again at Tennessee.

 

[glv98]

If Justine is unhappy with her situation, she sure hides it well. Should study acting. I'm not sure what JP brings that Tess does not. Tess is shooting about 40% from 3 and has been reliable most of the time. I don't think Justine would have been any more effective against UConn.

And I ask again: what could be dumber than leaving this team bc you want more minutes. We will be suiting up managers next year. Justine will get lots and lots of minutes next year.

 

[Majors]

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.

Except you don’t need a roster of 5* recruits if you can coach what you got up to compete. That’s what made Bruce Pearl a nice fit when he got here. Coached up lesser talent and won.

 

[Majors]

If Justine is unhappy with her situation, she sure hides it well. Should study acting. I'm not sure what JP brings that Tess does not. Tess is shooting about 40% from 3 and has been reliable most of the time. I don't think Justine would have been any more effective against UConn.

And I ask again: what could be dumber than leaving this team bc you want more minutes. We will be suiting up managers next year. Justine will get lots and lots of minutes next year.

Leaving to get more minutes, be in a place where you feel valued. Did she come to TN to be a catalyst in a year where the coach could be on the way out playing with as you said managers?

 

[Majors]

Were not happy about her sitting and the reason given was her defense. How could that be said with a straight face after the way some of the players are playing defense. Not hard to see the situation were in and have been in mostly since Pat. We'll keep hoping for a solution whatever that is and trust our new Ad which is the best we've had in years to get the situation right again at Tennessee.

Like I said, the practice excuse was played out with RJ and her sitting. It’s a safe answer because nobody is around to check her. Games are in real time.

 

[glv98]

Games are in real time.

What has Justine done in games to indicate she needs more mins? Are we near a point this season to "play for the future?" Justine was fully aware of the current roster when she got here. Minutes were always going to be tough this year.

 

[loyaladyvolfan]

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.

Hollingshead and Striplin have both improved immensely since the season started. Getting more playing time, especially since Key has been out, has no doubt helped. Striplin has had some excellent games of late. She did not start out doing so well against Uconn, while Hollingshead was one of the bright spots on the entire team in that game. Coach Harper responded, as Striplin only played 5 minutes the entire game, while Hollingshead played 24 minutes. Perhaps Hollingshead matched up better with UConn's post. Perhaps Striplin wasn't feeling well. There so much we may not know about what goes on behind the scenes. Striplin and Hollingshead's recent overall progress is very encouraging. They both have a bright future ahead as Lady Vols.

 

[StorrsCentral]

What has Justine done in games to indicate she needs more mins? Are we near a point this season to "play for the future?" Justine was fully aware of the current roster when she got here. Minutes were always going to be tough this year.

All I'm saying is that without players coming in Kellie may have to attack the portal again, and that may keep her minutes down again. You're right, I haven't payed attention to the Tennessee situation as far as bench players. BTW, I believe that she committed before the other players were snatched up from the portal.

 

[Volfan2012]

What has Justine done in games to indicate she needs more mins? Are we near a point this season to "play for the future?" Justine was fully aware of the current roster when she got here. Minutes were always going to be tough this year.

I can agree that she has done nothing thus far. I can't really remember any game that she played enough to really tell what she can do. She has made 35 percent of her three attempts. I could see her not getting in there if everyone were playing now was doing a fabulous job to the point that it was just not possible. That isn't true so I don't think working her in say 10 minutes in the home games could cause very much damage except maybe mentally to a few sophomores that are getting nothing as well.

 

[Majors]

What has Justine done in games to indicate she needs more mins? Are we near a point this season to "play for the future?" Justine was fully aware of the current roster when she got here. Minutes were always going to be tough this year.

What has those ahead of her shown? All fade away in big games. Tess has to have more than 6 points in 21 mins, Puckett 5 points playing 26 mins. What have they done to get 20+ mins? Not tough to get min based off production in front of her

 

[glv98]

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 .

Hungover with disappointment was exactly me after the game Thursday. (Sports me of course, realizing there's way more important things). Nothing that happened Thursday was not harmful to the progress we had hoped for and got so brutally teased with preseason. KJH took a gamble, for which I commend her, but she lost big time.

There was a feeling around here of OK, we'll give the Lady Vols another chance. KJH herself called it all about opportunity. Everyone went all out and the event itself was great. All the more gut punching that the outcome was not only getting soundly beat, but by our hated rival and in all the exact ways we've been losing big games for years. Once again, on national TV, we are who they thought we were. Who we thought we weren't going to be anymore.

I'm sure maximum practice and effort will continue to be put in to keep getting better. Really all they can do is hang together, take one game at a time and maybe good things will happen. KJH keeps saying they are capable and I believe they are. Build on that.

Don't even get me started on the effect on recruiting. Yikes. I am very worried about next year.

 

[volnationnj]

If Justine is unhappy with her situation, she sure hides it well. Should study acting. I'm not sure what JP brings that Tess does not. Tess is shooting about 40% from 3 and has been reliable most of the time. I don't think Justine would have been any more effective against UConn.

And I ask again: what could be dumber than leaving this team bc you want more minutes. We will be suiting up managers next year. Justine will get lots and lots of minutes next year.

There could very well be a boatload of minutes available for JP and others next year. Or, CKJH could dip into the portal and pick up another 3 or 4 players. In which case JP could be in the same position as the 2021 class is in this year. Which is on the bench.