Game Thread Lady Vols versus USA scrimmage, Nov 5, 6PM, Food City/Thompson Boling Arena

[Volfan2012]

Issues coming to the surface only matters, if they are addressed and fixed. I’ve seen some things, so hopefully they are worked on.

My biggest take from the game yesterday was really poor shooting 21 of 64. I guess their defense had a lot to do with that still I expected us to push at least over 40 percent. We outrebounded them 38 to 37 and even though we committed 9 more turnovers a lot of bumping and hands were being allowed much more physical than you would see teams get away with in a regular game. Other than a really poor second quarter I thought we played them fairly well. I think they will beat Duke by 60 if they play with the same intensity that they played against us and are allowed to play as physical as they did yesterday.

 

[WinnerCircle]

Duke is weak in the post. Not showing very much athleticism on the perimeter in the 1st half. They won’t belong on the court with the USA Nat’l Team.
I could see USA Nat’l Team taking it down a lot from the defensive intensity they had to play with against Tennessee.
This opening week of action is likely going to show that the LVs are a Top 5-10 team in WCB.

 

[Darth_Vol]

My biggest take from the game yesterday was really poor shooting 21 of 64. I guess their defense had a lot to do with that still I expected us to push at least over 40 percent.

I don't know why you would expect that. Poor shooting and turnovers have been staples here since Kellie took over...

 

[WinnerCircle]

Or yall could just not post ignorant @$$ $h*t. That goes both ways!

They’re traveling on a one-way street.

Watched the game tonight. A lot of positives. Jackson (obviously) and Hollingshed have next level skills. Hollingshed was a force on the boards. Powell and Wells played hard and will be fine. I thought Wynn played very well too. Wynn got airborne a couple times without a plan but she handled the ball well.

Against bigger guards Wynn's size and pace will help. Strickland played well also and earned some playing time.

The game was a big win for Tennessee. No one got hurt. They now have 40 minutes of film to review and use to get better. Very proud of the team. They played well given the competition.

Definitely a BIG win. I’m watching teams play right now and others set to kick-off the regular season that isn’t better than Tennessee. Tennessee won the off-season. From the Foreign Tour, Transfer Portal, and yesterday’s scrimmage against the USA Nat’l Team.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

My biggest take from the game yesterday was really poor shooting 21 of 64. I guess their defense had a lot to do with that still I expected us to push at least over 40 percent. We outrebounded them 38 to 37 and even though we committed 9 more turnovers a lot of bumping and hands were being allowed much more physical than you would see teams get away with in a regular game. Other than a really poor second quarter I thought we played them fairly well. I think they will beat Duke by 60 if they play with the same intensity that they played against us and are allowed to play as physical as they did yesterday.

We scored 8 points in the 3rd quarter, I believe we had several turnovers in that quarter as well. Really hoped we’d come out strong after the half, didn’t happen.

 

[Volfan2012]

I don't know why you would expect that. Poor shooting and turnovers have been staples here since Kellie took over...

The number of turnovers were not that bad considering the competition. We have better shooters this season would certainly expect better shooting don't know how coach Kellie would affect that part of their game.

 

[Volfan2012]

We scored 8 points in the 3rd quarter, I believe we had several turnovers in that quarter as well. Really hoped we’d come out strong after the half, didn’t happen.

Not a game you can really judge a college team on of course. Same goes for playing Carson Newman. We won't learn much either against Florida A&M. Florida State is the first big test being a road game see what we have when we play them.

 

[Lucy]

One thing I "love" about some fans is they think the "tone" of a message board can be changed or argued against by endless righteous lectures and tut tuting. Or that any of it matters to the actual real life season in progress. If only we could skip all that middle school drama and just have actual content.

One person’s “content” is another person’s horse manure.

 

[Coach Jumper]

So here's my thoughts and please don't read them harshly:

Player grades:
Looked like they belonged out there - RJ
Mostly could hold their own - Jill, Spear, Powell
Showed potential to hold their own - Darby, Pucket, Key
Encountered a lot of learning opportunities - the rest

Takeaways:
We need to steal USA's transition offense (fast break and secondary break), that's how it's done.

We need to play D like they do, that's how it's done. Our players couldn't even look for scoring opportunities because the defense was consistently threatening the ball. Half of our players were trying to survive the next pass or dribble instead of stressing the defense. At least half of our players were clearly intimidated and overwhelmed by the pressure. Time to coach them up because there are answers available.

Our OOB plays have sucked for years. Please get new ones. This is the one and only thing Holly did well, pull her old stuff out of a file drawer.

If one thing befalls this team, it may be general niceness. All of these players seem like wonderful human beings. Problem is, I don't think you can win at the level that we want to without a certain edginess. I know you can't go out there and beat up on Team USA, but after RJ, Jill, and Spear get their minutes, next in line might need to be whoever brings the most tenacity, even if that ends up being Wynn.

I think there is potential for this team to be very, very good. This game was an incredible blessing because it brings everyone's issues to the surface while there is still time to correct or mitigate them.

Don't discount Avery,,,she played with no fear and made impact when on the court

Re their defense,,,this game was called as an international game,,,there is no way the holding by Griner and the constant handchecking of the USA guards would go uncalled in the NCAA. WIthout the handchecking, it would have been a very different game

 

[37620VOL]

My biggest take from the game yesterday was really poor shooting 21 of 64. I guess their defense had a lot to do with that still I expected us to push at least over 40 percent. We outrebounded them 38 to 37 and even though we committed 9 more turnovers a lot of bumping and hands were being allowed much more physical than you would see teams get away with in a regular game. Other than a really poor second quarter I thought we played them fairly well. I think they will beat Duke by 60 if they play with the same intensity that they played against us and are allowed to play as physical as they did yesterday.

It was the size and pressure. Griner blocked a couple of Jill's shots that no other player in the world would have able to. Our 3pt shooting was okay, even under pressure.

 

[37620VOL]

We scored 8 points in the 3rd quarter, I believe we had several turnovers in that quarter as well. Really hoped we’d come out strong after the half, didn’t happen.

It sure felt like they scored 60 points on our 18 TOs

 

[37620VOL]

Don't discount Avery,,,she played with no fear and made impact when on the court

Re their defense,,,this game was called as an international game,,,there is no way the holding by Griner and the constant handchecking of the USA guards would go uncalled in the NCAA. WIthout the handchecking, it would have been a very different game

I dunno, SC plays us that way every year. I think we'll have to be prepared for it.

 

[madtownvol]

Edie reminds me of John Stockton with her fearless play. She didn't hesitate to set picks against bigs (including, I believe, Griner) and didn't appear at all intimidated by the ball pressure. Nice stat line for a walk-on, too. Loved watching her penetrate and kick out for an assist. Maybe it was just because it was late in the game, but I could swear that the energy picked up on offense and that the spacing, cutting, screening, and passing got better (with the exception of a couple of turnovers...not on Edie...that resulted in eady USA layups).

Really glad to see Kaiya's improvement. She could have hit the portal to look for greener pastures but instead has stayed the course and put in the work. Her commitment is paying off.

All the ladies had good moments that can only help their confidence and help them grow. Really enjoyable game, even if we did only get to watch the second half due to the v-ball overrun.

I watched this game for who won little battles (cause the outcome of the war was a fait accompli before the tip).

First, I was pleasantly (actually deliriously) SHOCKED by how comfortable Edie looked on the court. I completely underestimated her. She is gonna get some important minutes this season.

And Kaiya has made some real steps forward. Great to see as well.

Jillian is not going to face that many 6-9 opponents this season and her post game looks good.

Rickea hitting threes!!!

Breakaway spot up 3 for Tess (that looked just like the clip from a practice session where many went So? it is just practice. Well, practice translates to games)

Puckett looking like she is ready to shred this year--goodbye sophomore slump.

I think this was a good game for Jewel to get under her belt, who looked just a little rusty but got more comfortable as the game unfolded.

For the most part, Wells and Powell did a decent job except for the 2nd quarter where they feel into a turnover fest.

I would have liked the LVs to be a little better under pressure. I think they got a bit complacent in the 1st quarter where Taurasi's rotation group were more than happy to exchange baskets and play exhibition game caliber defense. The 2nd team came in and ramped it up fast.

However,, TOs were a problem last season so that is one point of concern.

 

[WinnerCircle]

Pretty cool experience!
Lets GBO !!

 

[lvocd]

Yeah, you can tell by all the photos and all the post-game interviews that the experience was a total useless waste of time and no one involved will cherish the memory of it because we got trounced.

lol

I had so much fun at the game, and it was a joy to watch our players interacting with some of their basketball idols. The fact that Griner and Taurasi got tremendous ovations was touching, and it made me so proud of our fanship.

I don't care what the final score was, our Lady Vols competed well for very nearly the entire game. There were a couple of minutes here and there they lost focus, but for the most part they fought hard.

Team USA was, of course, just a much better, stronger and, most obviously, quicker team, and yet our players did better (I think) against that than they really should have given the width of that particular gap in physical abilities.

Anyone who can't see how valuable that experience was really needs to go watch all the interviews after the game. This, what, 40-point loss? It is going to help our team. To have rubbed elbows with those world-class players, and even just to have heard those players giving them compliments on their competitiveness, is going to be a confidence booster.

I'm THRILLED we played that game yesterday, and IMO, that loss was a huge win for the program.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

One thing I "love" about some fans is they think the "tone" of a message board can be changed or argued against by endless righteous lectures and tut tuting. Or that any of it matters to the actual real life season in progress. If only we could skip all that middle school drama and just have actual content.

Now how boring would this site be if we dropped all the drama and complaining!!! What are you thinking

 

[GameTime]

The LV's have been given a blueprint how to improve their offensive game and how to step up their defensive pressure on their opponents.......Study the film ladies.

Also, it was good to hear DT say "Go Vols" after her interview...She seems like a fun lady now and time has calmed her down.....This is good.

 

[Lucy]

The LV's have been given a blueprint how to improve their offensive game and how to step up their defensive pressure on their opponents.......Study the film ladies.

Also, it was good to hear DT say "Go Vols" after her interview...She seems like a fun lady now and time has calmed her down.....This is good.

DT also made a funny comment about not being recruited by LVs. I have no idea whether that was true or not but can you imagine how she and Pat would have worked out!

 

[Voltopia]

Also, it was good to hear DT say "Go Vols" after her interview...She seems like a fun lady now and time has calmed her down.....This is good.

I don't know that I will ever forget her attitude toward Tennessee during the rivalry years - I witnessed enough games in person and up close to hear her opinion on the Lady Vols back then - but I will acknowledge that she was more cordial in the interview than I expected.

 

[Voltopia]

DT also made a funny comment about not being recruited by LVs. I have no idea whether that was true or not but can you imagine how she and Pat would have worked out!

Pat called her on the phone early in the recruiting process, and Taurasi more or less blew her off, as I recall. That's essentially how it went. Tennessee certainly knew about her, and tried to recruit her, but the tone of Taurasi's response to Tennessee was largely "don't bother," and Tennessee got the message.

 

[ABV]

DT also made a funny comment about not being recruited by LVs. I have no idea whether that was true or not but can you imagine how she and Pat would have worked out!

DT would have set the record for being thrown out of Pat's practice with the mouth and attitude she had at that time!!

 

[Majors]

I don't know that I will ever forget her attitude toward Tennessee during the rivalry years - I witnessed enough games in person and up close to hear her opinion on the Lady Vols back then - but I will acknowledge that she was more cordial in the interview than I expected.

Maturity and respect for the legacy of Pat. If she somehow landed here she would have been remembered with cutting nets and had her jersey in the rafters.

 

[Coach Jumper]

DT would have set the record for being thrown out of Pat's practice with the mouth and attitude she had at that time!!

To coach an Alpha player, you have to be more dominant Alpha Coach
DT would have met such a person in Pat Summitt

 

[Majors]

To coach an Alpha player, you have to be more of an Alpha Coach
DT would have met such a person in Pat Summitt

It would have been better than what others believe.

 

[GameTime]

If DT had came here, there would have been at least 2 more title banners in our rafters.....She was one hell of a fine college player...

Pat would have put her steely blue eye stare on DT to keep her in her place...Lost opportunity....