Game Thread Lady Vols vs Ole Miss

[Volfan2012]

You got the wide open shot you have to take it. Annie finally did and made two of three. In several games we haven't taken that shot we've tried to pass from the perimeter. Teams are learning to take Mercedes away with a triple trap and saying to the other players you have to make a shot were not letting her get one.

 

[teacherdean]

Two takeaways from the game, we need to get our confidence back at the 3 ball, learn how to play through a team that has been taught to flop on a dime and bad calls. And, if we face a 3 ball shooter, get in her face. Much better in the last half on that.

The refs sucked and bit on nearly every one of Ole Miss flops. They were flopping more than a fish out of water.

It was nice to see Massingale on the bench with Ole Miss. Another one from the Lady Vol coaching tree.

 

[1CHATTVOL]

Glad for the win, but was disappointed in defense & hustle for much of the game.

Annie shooting the 3 was a big plus tonight. She was very efficient.

Davis cutting to the basket was there all night.

Evina had great defense on MM.

But when those 3 were on the bench with foul trouble, we lost our lead.

Wish I understood Jaime's shooting slump. Her shot selection is good, but even her bunnies are not falling.

Playing like we did tonight, we will have a tough time with LSU. Fast drives & nice mid range game by the tigers.

Go Lady Vols

 

[governmentmule]

hmmm 10 million served


makes you wonder what the average price per ticket is


thru the years of course

 

[governmentmule]

Davis is POG

 

[Coach Jumper]

We pulled it out though it wasn’t beautiful. But we have got to play better than this the rest of the way. Russell is still trying to rebound without jumping. I know she can at least jump 5 inches. She has got to become more dominant in the post on defense. If she was as aggressive as Davis, this team would be more dominant than many of the top 5 teams.

In reality, it was our three freshman that won this game for us.

Russell disappears. Early on she is a force, then poof.
:compute:
This has to be figured out.

 

[PRG]

In the second quarter with all of the subs in...... Holly still has us playing man defense????? We should have went to a zone before Evina ,Annie , and Davis got two fouls!!!!!!! What makes anyone think that KK , Green, and Kortney can guard in man defense when the starters can’t?

 

[T.J.]

I wish I could see a Tennessee practice.

Does Holly have the practice doors closed to prying eyes?

 

[Darth_Vol]

We pulled it out though it wasn’t beautiful. But we have got to play better than this the rest of the way.

We seem to say that here a lot, particularly after wins against overmatched opponents.... :question:

 

[djohnnyg]

Game was too close. It was a game we were expected to win against an average at best team. You take the W but it certainly did nothing to instill confidence of great things going forward. Better than a loss...don't get me wrong...just did more to cause concern than confidence.

 

[teacherdean]

Russell disappears. Early on she is a force, then poof.
:compute:
This has to be figured out.

Coach you know from your experience that you usual get what you demand. Russell is the type of player that has a lot of talent but likes to take time off on the court. I think it is a coaching issue. Holly needs to get in Russell’s grill when she disappears. In the beginning of tonight’s game we saw Russell run hard down the court, however, after that she mostly played on cruse control. The sad part is, if she played at full speed 95% of the time, she could easily be a major dominant force. Right now she is only dominant in spurts. A lot her disappearance is lack of aggressiveness and effort.

 

[Ladyvol777]

Coach you know from your experience that you usual get what you demand. Russell is the type of player that has a lot of talent but likes to take time off on the court. I think it is a coaching issue. Holly needs to get in Russell’s grill when she disappears. In the beginning of tonight’s game we saw Russell run hard down the court, however, after that she mostly played on cruse control. The sad part is, if she played at full speed 95% of the time, she could easily be a major dominant force. Right now she is only dominant in spurts. A lot her disappearance is lack of aggressiveness and effort.

I was at the game and watch Russell a lot. Holly needs to take her out and give her more rest, she gets tired quick and need more rest. No more then 30 minutes a game. she played 37 tonight. Holly needs to call more times out to rest here also.

 

[Rickster]

Congratulations on the win Lady Vols. Need to buckle up for that LSU game as those Cajuns will be looking for an upset.

 

[creekdipper]

Congrats on the win.

 

[gule]

what the heck has happened to Green's ball skills? She was pretty good for the first 15 games. Now, she isn't doing anything well. imho Lockwood?

 

[alexvol]

Unfortunately the team play is regressing.Something needs to happen to turn that around.Will coaching do the trick.Will a blowout do the trick and if so who can they blow out ?

Play like they have in the last 5 games ....especially against the two Mississippi teams and they are in real danger Sunday against LSU because the Coach down there at LSU can coach .....knows x's and O's ,knows the LV's,familiar with Holly's coaching, and is a real motivator.Hopefully ,the LV's can overcome the stupor they have been playing in the last three games.Would really love to see Jaime come out of the shooting funk in this game.

 

[Zbbfan]

Would love to see a breakdown of MR’s stats on a quarter by quarter basis. To me she disappears after the first half. And I don’t buy that opposing coaches are making halftime adjustments to guard her. They are smart enough to know going in what MR is capable of and plan for it from the start. She is an enigma to me.
Love the freshmen and am willing to let them play as much as possible, mistakes and all. They are talented and need thenplaying time.
Nared? Who knows what’s up with her.

 

[lvocd]

Unfortunately the team play is regressing.Something needs to happen to turn that around.Will coaching do the trick.Will a blowout do the trick and if so who can they blow out ?

Every Lady Vol basketball team since Pat became noticeably... well... "not the same Pat" has suffered the same fate: Different groups of talented, highly touted players come in, there's tremendous optimism and many fans mentally start making Final Four hotel reservations.

Then, *THUD*

The quality of recruits who want to be Lady Vols is the same. The facilities are the same or better. University support is there. Attendance has taken a hit, but the program still draws more than most others.

The only difference in the Glory Days and these Gory Days is the level of competency of the head coach. It all started
going downhill when Pat's brain started going downhill. She lost her edge and her confidence, and her last few teams' NCAA Tourneys reflected that.

Fast-forward to Holly. Every year since she has been at the helm has taken the same turn. This cannot cinsistently be just because of bad luck or stubborn players or ball hogs or lack of intense personalities of wearing the uniforms year after year. If the very same results happen with every group of talented players (when they get here), then it is OBVIOUSLY an issue of how they are being taught/handled.

There is no other logical explanation. Once opposing coaches see what Tennessee has and begins to build a library of game plans to beat them, Tennessee never has any answers to what other coaches have done to prepare for them.

It's a broken record. Deeply loving a program and possessing the competency to lead it are not the same thing, and it's painfully clear that Holly's abilities aren't what they need to be to hold a team's respect and confidence.

I love Holly and appreciate her devotion to Tennessee. But... damn. Time to admit she's in way over her head. WAY over.

 

[gule]

you love her, huh? sure!

 

[Rickster]

Wish I had spent that 30 seconds doing something else.

 

[lvocd]

you love her, huh? sure!

I know it's difficult for some to imagine that it's possible to like and love someone and also be honest about them, but I guess I'm just a little more able to look at this objectively than they are.

Holly's recruiting ability is outstanding! Next to Pat there's noone else who has been associated longer with, and who's held a deeper abiding love for, Lady Vols basketball than Holly.

Holly Warlick is a Tennessee institution! There is no question about that. Never has been, never will be any questions about whether she's capable of helping young high-school aged kids grow into strong, capable, community-conscious college graduates who will go on to have lives everyone can be proud of. Holly can deliver on those promises.

She has a big, kind heart that makes her a great assistant coach who is perfect in the type of support role she played for decades. But it appears that her brain isn't wired to understand the basketball part like all the great head coaches do. I know it's hard to admit that, but it's time to accept that Holly's strengths are in being a "support" staffer.

Holly Warlick is simply in over her head and has literally told everyone many times that she doesn't know the answers. Why don't people believe her OWN WORDS?

 

[FrozenLVFan]

In the second quarter with all of the subs in...... Holly still has us playing man defense????? We should have went to a zone before Evina ,Annie , and Davis got two fouls!!!!!!! What makes anyone think that KK , Green, and Kortney can guard in man defense when the starters can’t?

I agree with most of that...KD is slow and always will be, and despite her speed Annie can't keep anyone in front of her in a man-to-man and needs serious remedial help. However, every time CHW puts in 3 bench players at the same time, and it doesn't matter which three, our play goes to he77 and the type of defense doesn't matter either. This has happened in multiple games now. We need three starters in at all times to maintain any momentum.

 

[madtownvol]

Every Lady Vol basketball team since Pat became noticeably... well... "not the same Pat" has suffered the same fate: Different groups of talented, highly touted players come in, there's tremendous optimism and many fans mentally start making Final Four hotel reservations.

Then, *THUD*

The quality of recruits who want to be Lady Vols is the same. The facilities are the same or better. University support is there. Attendance has taken a hit, but the program still draws more than most others.

The only difference in the Glory Days and these Gory Days is the level of competency of the head coach. It all started
going downhill when Pat's brain started going downhill. She lost her edge and her confidence, and her last few teams' NCAA Tourneys reflected that.

Fast-forward to Holly. Every year since she has been at the helm has taken the same turn. This cannot cinsistently be just because of bad luck or stubborn players or ball hogs or lack of intense personalities of wearing the uniforms year after year. If the very same results happen with every group of talented players (when they get here), then it is OBVIOUSLY an issue of how they are being taught/handled.

There is no other logical explanation. Once opposing coaches see what Tennessee has and begins to build a library of game plans to beat them, Tennessee never has any answers to what other coaches have done to prepare for them.

It's a broken record. Deeply loving a program and possessing the competency to lead it are not the same thing, and it's painfully clear that Holly's abilities aren't what they need to be to hold a team's respect and confidence.

I love Holly and appreciate her devotion to Tennessee. But... damn. Time to admit she's in way over her head. WAY over.

Actually, some other things have changed. The competitive environment of WCBB has shifted. It is moving in the direction of the men's game where there are multiple strong rather than a select few. When CPS was at the helm, schools like South Carolina and MSU were after thoughts, not competing for final four spots.

IN the SEC, it was generally UT and Georgia and then LSU came into the mix (with other schools like Vandy or Auburn periodically having a strong team).

If you look at schools like Stanford, Maryland, Duke, certainly Texas, none of the locks for a final four year in and year out. There really is only one program that can claim that distinction right now.

Could the LVs, in some ideal world, get a better coach than Holly (including her recruiting acumen which is a big part of the equation). Of course, but when you start searching for viable upgrades, the list actually gets pretty narrow, particularly when you see how the stars fade on some coaches who have been heralded as a better option--Like Matt Mitchell.

However, could the LVs do worse than Holly? I think so and much worse. I know this statement will trigger a million snarky post of the variety of "gee, anyone, or any inanimate object can out coach Holly" but those posts will happen regardless...

 

[Martic]

Actually, some other things have changed. The competitive environment of WCBB has shifted. It is moving in the direction of the men's game where there are multiple strong rather than a select few. When CPS was at the helm, schools like South Carolina and MSU were after thoughts, not competing for final four spots.

IN the SEC, it was generally UT and Georgia and then LSU came into the mix (with other schools like Vandy or Auburn periodically have a strong team).

If you look at schools like Stanford, Maryland, Duke, certainly Texas, none of the locks for a final four year in and year out. There really is only one program that can claim that distinction right now.

Could the LVs, in some ideal, get a better coach than Holly (including recruiting acumen which is a big part of the equation). Of course, but when you start searching for viable upgrades, the list actually gets pretty narrow, particularly when you see how stars fade on some coaches where have been heralded as a better option--
Like Matt Mitchell.

However, could the LVs do worse than Holly. I think so much worse. I know this statement will trigger a million snarky post on the variety of "gee, anyone, or any inanimate object can out coach Holly" but those post will happen regardless...

Watch your mouth I was blasted for even suggesting the same thing, referencing the situation with the football team as a possibility of what could happen to our LV program. Accused of all manner of things.

 

[FrozenLVFan]

...Could the LVs, in some ideal, get a better coach than Holly (including recruiting acumen which is a big part of the equation). Of course, but when you start searching for viable upgrades, the list actually gets pretty narrow, particularly when you see how stars fade on some coaches where have been heralded as a better option--
Like Matt Mitchell.

However, could the LVs do worse than Holly. I think so much worse. I know this statement will trigger a million snarky post on the variety of "gee, anyone, or any inanimate object can out coach Holly" but those post will happen regardless...

Bingo.

There are hundreds of "Fahr Holly" posts on here, but no viable options mentioned for replacing her. Guess what?...

Geno and Muffet aren't coming here.

Gail G and Nell have expressed no desire to return to a college head coaching position.

Brenda, Kim, Jeff, Dawn, and Vic all have good things going where they are now.

Tamika and Kara don't want to be coaches.

Other people in Pat's coaching tree like Nikki Caldwell and Kellie Harper are barely succeeding where they are.

And the suggestions to hire Tyler are the most moronic things ever seen on a sports forum.

So before we decide we need to show Holly the door, someone had better put a viable replacement in our sights, because we're likely to end up with somebody who's marginally successful elsewhere or an unproven AC who'll take 5 years to get acclimated to this program and being a HC. If you want a great example of this, look at the list of candidates the Yankees interviewed after firing Girardi last fall and who they ended up with.