Game Thread: LADY VOLS VS. AUBURN

[NoBackBoard]

Proud of Zaay Green for her ability to make layups. Even the announcers praised her. Many of our players struggle to make layups (hey Meme) but Zaay finished well against Auburn.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Proud of Zaay Green for her ability to make layups. Even the announcers praised her. Many of our players struggle to make layups (hey Meme) but Zaay finished well against Auburn.

One of Coach Jumper's Summer Sessions

I can be there this summer

 

[NoBackBoard]

One of Coach Jumper's Summer Sessions

I can be there this summer

I’ve heard so much about your coaching talent (all from you, of course). I’m shocked a man as skilled and experienced as yourself hasn’t found his way on a college coaching staff.

What’s preventing you from making the big jump, Jumper?

 

[Coach Jumper]

I’ve heard so much about your coaching talent (all from you, of course). I’m shocked a man as skilled and experienced as yourself hasn’t found his way on a college coaching staff.

What’s preventing you from making the big jump, Jumper?

I took the business side of my Sports management degree and went to work as a materials manger...21 Years later i am an excellent materials guy. Any WMS dbase (except SAP,,,hate it) , any inventory, any dock, production line, even an Ops manager at one point.... Life happened, NBB, and I never got to do as a profession the thing I did as a passion. Since 1981 BB has been a part of my life. All of it dedicated to the girls game, except for two favors (boys team and trained one boy over a summer)...I guess I am at the time of my life where if the opportunity comes up I can literally "be there tomorrow"

I know, the obvious question...Is: from AAU to an elite college program??. Why not try a small college?

I am not 22 or even 32,,,I can't take that much time to do the "circuit" (HS, sm college, national power) ,,,more importantly, this is an excellent timing thing...UT's teams of late has had needs in areas of improvement that I am best at: fundamentals and advanced skills, movement and continuity and someone on the bench who can read a player needs "at that moment".

So I now I have to push the only buttons I don't know how to push.
"Getting in front of the right person"
Once I do, I am more than confident in my abilities.

 

[JFP]

Hope the best

 

[djtee]

I know given the overall level of understandable frustration with the current state of the LV program, it is an invitation to flaming to say anything positive about a winning effort but I will take the risk.

The LVs played a really good 2nd half. For all the team's past struggles with missing lay-ups, Zaay hit some shots at the rim that had a high degree of difficulty, requiring a lot of body control and a deft touch. Cheridene was very clutch around the rim in the 2nd half as well. Offensively, this team is built to get transition buckets and that is what their heightened defenisive generated. And the team did a great job crashing the boards, particularly on the offensive side. I found the 2nd half to be a very enjoyable 20 minutes of basketball, which has been hard to come by this season.

I am starting to get a feel for some of the personalities on this team. Rennia wants to be the quiet assassin, who sneaks up on you with the killer play. Zaay is more of a"I want to dominate the game" type and her motor is supercharged. This game was a breakout for her and it will be interesting to see if she can string together a few more performances like this one.

Evina is poised, confident and exudes a kind of "bad @ss" swagger. She is the leader of the pack, no doubt.

And Cheridene is the clear counterpoint to those who say NO LADY VOL ever improves. C.G. is light years ahead of where she was last year. Her increased impact factor is just an undeniable fact.

In this game, Meme Jackson provided a lot of important intangibles--in the tangible category, she hit two timely 3s but, her bigger impact was being a much needed settling presence. She did a great job of getting the ball up court under Auburn's press. Her score sheet won't show it but the LVs would not have won this game without her.

As this team goes down the stretch in trying to make the Big Dance, with no margin of error, I think they need to rely primarily on the starting group of Z. Green, C. Green, Davis, Westbrook, and Jackson, using KK and Massengill only as needed for short rest breaks and foul trouble management. Collins and Burrell's time will come next year but they need a summer of work to be ready for this kind of pressure game stretch run. Harris can provide a little bit of a defensive presence for brief stretches as well, but the emphasis has to remain on "brief."

Bench depth is not a strength of this year's team.

This not going deep into the bench will not work Holly has been trying to do that. This team has yet to play a clean 40min game so how can you just go with 6-7 player rotation been there done that. Note i`m not saying you are wrong and i agree with you but it just will not work with this team.

 

[bobkitten]

So what is the prognosis for this game?