It is Time to Put A Fork in The LV Season

[madtownvol]

It's hard to figure out a correct description for the Vols this year other than erratic and puzzling. Anyone shown the results of just the two OSU (Oregon and Ohio), Arizona State and second Texas A&M games and asked how you they would rate the team that beat the Sagarin 6, 12, 18, 24 teams would say they must be a solid top 10 or 20 team. Anyone shown just the results of just the VTech, Alabama, LSU, and Arkansas losses to Sagarin 80, 85, 100, 102 teams and asked to pass judgment would say the team was very bad. Sure, Stanford and Oklahoma had even worse losses, but it's hard to think of any team in recent years that in so many games could beat some of the best and lose to some of the worst P5 teams.

So despite the perceived lack of coaching abilities and player issues on the team, there has to be some deep down well of great play that can be pulled out for 40 minutes. But Tennessee this season just too often seemed to be playing to the level of an opponent, because along with the above 8 games, there were a bunch of solidly close losses to South Carolina, ND, KY, and Miss St x 2 and a couple of late-season wins against bad teams that were way too close. All this points to a system that actually does have some pretty talented players but that is far too reactive to game conditions instead of having much of an overall plan.

Spot on post. The 2015-16 LVs were a complete enigma who on any given good like a Final Four team, a middle of the pack team or flat out terrible (ala LSU and Bama).

It is hard to pinpoint why the team was plagued by this inconsistency but, at the end of the day, the proverbial buck stops with the coaching staff. And so the criticisms of Holly and company are warranted.

But, there is one obvious, and so fundamental that it seems almost silly to mention, contributor to this inconsistency: shooting. The LVs had many games when they could not hit wide-open jump shots and missed more bunny shots that you could count. Missing shot after shot puts more pressure on defense--always in transition--and also leads to forced passes and turnovers. I can't recall a LV team that was more crippled by an inability to shoot the ball than this one.

 

[volfanIND]

It is clear and evident to any fan/viewer that the problems from day one were never addressed/fixed, and it lead to our defeat in the end. Why wasn't there improvement? Where is the progression?

My thoughts on Holly: She figures the players are just going to figure it out on their own. By playing the videos and showing them what they did wrong, it will be fixed. I'm not in practice, so I don't know, but I do know you have to 'break down the play' You take time in practice and work on doing/showing the right thing. The right pass, screens, shots, player cuts, and you turn it into drills. In her interviews it seems it's just more about video's. I can watch a video of the Lady Vols 1996 season, but that's not going to make me a champion.

Again, I'm not in practice, and I don't think any of you are. But our lack of offensive zone execution was a problem from day one, and it's still the problem 6 months later, what was done to 'address' it didn't work. I'll reiterate that I like Holly, I think she is an asset to the team because of her experience with Pat/team of so many years. We just need an offensive minded guru coach on this staff that leads. Because on the outside, it's clear that was not executed.

 

[Volfan2012]

There has to be a lot of shooting technique problems when each and every perimeter player could not shoot 40 percent from the field or 30 percent from the three. if they had all shot these percentages I imagine we win at least five to six more games. Why no one on this team can shoot the ball is the problem that has to be fixed whether it is the coaching staff or players being lazy and not working both come together as something the staff has to fix.
No way this team is doing anything next season if they come back shooting the same way they shot this season. We need each and every perimeter player to be able to shoot over 40 percent from the field and over thirty percent from the three. We don't have any that shoot 40 percent from the field and only one part time player that can shoot over thirty from the three.
If you want to see Holly have another bad year as a coach just let these players come back with the same shooting ability. You will again see double digit losses. If I was this staff these girls would be shooting the ball all summer and not on their own but with a legitimate instructor who knows how to make player shoot better.

 

[DR2]

Spot on post. The 2015-16 LVs were a complete enigma who on any given good like a Final Four team, a middle of the pack team or flat out terrible (ala LSU and Bama).

It is hard to pinpoint why the team was plagued by this inconsistency but, at the end of the day, the proverbial buck stops with the coaching staff. And so the criticisms of Holly and company are warranted.

But, there is one obvious, and so fundamental that it seems almost silly to mention, contributor to this inconsistency: shooting. The LVs had many games when they could not hit wide-open jump shots and missed more bunny shots that you could count. Missing shot after shot puts more pressure on defense--always in transition--and also leads to forced passes and turnovers. I can't recall a LV team that was more crippled by an inability to shoot the ball than this one.

Agree that shooting is a big key because you can't win games unless you score baskets, and that the LVs usually won when they shot at least decently well, but that still begs the question of why the shooting was bad at times and good enough at others. Sure, tight rims and nerves and flukey nights are always thrown out, but even a Delle Donne will shoot poorly when she's not getting open shots. You can't shoot well if your offensive flow isn't working well enough set up to provide high quality shots. There were indeed some inexplicable ouch stretches when seemingly great looks were just bounding away, but there were also way too many times when you were asking why was DD or TC taking a shot like that. Sometimes you root for these tough shots not to go in because you know that a make will lead the player to shoot 5 more clankers of the same type.

Without the kind of purposeful offensive movement to free up better looks, that 40.8% is not going to improve, and it could well go down with Graves leaving.

 

[LVJeff]

... All this points to a system that actually does have some pretty talented players but that is far too reactive to game conditions instead of having much of an overall plan.

Your reactive comment rings true. The entire team has an inability to exert their will over an opponent. They just react to what the opponent does. Whether this is because they aren't mentally strong players or aren't prepared adequately, I don't know.

 

[LVJeff]

... We just need an offensive minded guru coach on this staff that leads. Because on the outside, it's clear that was not executed.

Holly is on record as saying because she recruits great offensive players, she doesn't have to teach them offense. I really think the bulk of the team's problems could be solved if Holly would stop ignoring the most important part of the game - scoring - and start practicing it.

 

[InVOLuntary]

Maybe one of the incoming freshman can contribute. Oh wait...

 

[governmentmule]

Answer; Holly can't coach and she can't recruit, only in the women's game would a school allow to happen what is happening to the Lady Vols. Can you imagine what would happen if the men's basketball or football team failed to land a single recruit? Holly failed to recruit one 2016 recruit but claims she is so committed to the Lady Vols, if that was really true, she would realize how inept she is as a head coach and resign, however, as is, she stands a chance to receive, not earn because that is very questionable, approximately, counting this year, a little over 2 million dollars. Why in the world would she quit when being inept pays so well?

You ask why can't Holly recruit the girls we need? Have you seen Holly during an interview? If you have not it is a really sad situation. She scratches nearly every part of her body, steadily plays with the back of her hair, seems nervous, looks real uncomfortable and insecure and stumbles a lot when she answers questions. She might be a little better when talking to recruits but I seriously doubt it.

yet during the game and locker room interviews she looks composed and confident

as best as I can tell,she will never be a good interview on TV ,which is OK

I'm sure she is trying to sell we have made it to the Elite 8 and we need you to get to the FF

 

[LA Vol]

In the postseason, the games the LVs lost were the games Bashaara was injured and didn't play her best. She will be missed. The LVs have no one to replace her and no bigs coming in. That's worrisome.

 

[teacherdean]

Holly is on record as saying because she recruits great offensive players, she doesn't have to teach them offense. I really think the bulk of the team's problems could be solved if Holly would stop ignoring the most important part of the game - scoring - and start practicing it.

If this is true, we now know she is the most delusional head coach in America. That ideology goes beyond ignorant, it is unreal and an example of a coach not coaching with a full deck.

 

[LasVegasBill23]

If this is true, we now know she is the most delusional head coach in America. That ideology goes beyond ignorant, it is unreal and an example of a coach not coaching with a full deck.

Yes, TD I am with you..... This is one of the most incredulous statements I have heard.... unbelievable

 

[cwbytruckers]

Holly is on record as saying because she recruits great offensive players, she doesn't have to teach them offense. I really think the bulk of the team's problems could be solved if Holly would stop ignoring the most important part of the game - scoring - and start practicing it.

They all know what offense is. Their problems are they don't run any kind of play or formation that would indicate that the coaches have actually called a play. All this dribble dribble crap is like watching football and the coordinator doesn't get the play in until late and we have to throw up a prayer. Also these players didnt know how to be as 1 until late LATE in the season. By then it was to late.

 

[PineyBluff Vol]

This has been a frustrating season watching the Lady Vols, however, those of us that love them refused to jump ship. Yes some of us complained and prayed for better results, and the Ladies made some remarkable improvements in the last 9 games, however, they fell short of their original expectations as well as other teams, i.e. USC, Baylor & ND.

Some will use the failures of others to justify our erratic season, if that makes you happy, then so be it. To me the expectation should always be number one. The expectation should not be to just make the NCAA's, make the Sweet 16, the Elite 8 but to make the final four and eventually become a national champion. We should recruit that way, coach that way and expect no less. When we start accepting small victories, that is all they are. When we lower the bar, we will get exactly what we expect.

UCONN has set the bar and the LV goal should be to reach that bar and reset the bar. We did it before, and with the proper expectations, coaching and recruiting we can once again be at the top of the food chain. Once we accept second best, or less, that is exactly what we will become.

Hang in there fellow Lady Vol fans stay on the bandwagon and hope for much brighter days to come. :dance2:

I would be happy if Holly and Company takes the left fork and the Team takes the right fork, if you don't mind.

 

[djtee]

Maybe one of the incoming freshman can contribute. Oh wait...

Zero freshman in 2016 none !

 

[teacherdean]

Yes, TD I am with you..... This is one of the most incredulous statements I have heard.... unbelievable

You must not have heard much in your life. You have to get out more. There is a whole new world out there full of icredulous and ignominious statements. Though sad in many cases but true in most. Many statements made with insidious intentions.::good!:

 

[LasVegasBill23]

You must not have heard much in your life. You have to get out more. There is a whole new world out there full of icredulous and ignominious statements. Though sad in many cases but true in most. Many statements made with insidious intentions.::good!:

Oh TD you are funny!!! I just hadn't heard of Holly saying this..... such a wide chasm between HS hoops and Div 1 college.... the thought that accomplished HSers do not need buffing and shining is a shocker to me....

 

[teacherdean]

Oh TD you are funny!!! I just hadn't heard of Holly saying this..... such a wide chasm between HS hoops and Div 1 college.... the thought that accomplished HSers do not need buffing and shining is a shocker to me....

It is a good chance she may never have made that direct statement, however, someone might have thought she did, since offense seem to be less important than defense. That may have been implied by statements made previously by Holly.

All I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A GOOD COMPETITIVE LV TEAM WITH AN OFFENSE AND A DEFENSE & A STOCKING FULL OF RECRUITS THAT ARE BIGS AND A FEW 3 SHOOTERS!!!!! IS THAT ASKING TOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!:clapping:k::crossfingers::baloon:

 

[madtownvol]

It is a good chance she may never have made that direct statement, however, someone might have thought she did, since offense seem to be less important than defense. That may have been implied by statements made previously by Holly.

All I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A GOOD COMPETITIVE LV TEAM WITH AN OFFENSE AND A DEFENSE & A STOCKING FULL OF RECRUITS THAT ARE BIGS AND A FEW 3 SHOOTERS!!!!! IS THAT ASKING TOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!:clapping:k::crossfingers::baloon:

If I recall CHW's statement correctly, it was a case of relative emphasis. In other words, high profile recruits come in with a better understanding of offense than defense and blocking out etc. Hence, she said they were devoting more practice to those issues (which did not mean that no time was spent on offense); after the early season struggles, Holly and staff reversed course and admitted they had overestimated their players offensive proficiency and switched the emphasis.

I understand that people will use that miscalculation as evidence that CHW is the worst coach ever but at least she was willing to acknowledge a mistake and reverse course. That is a reason why I still hold out some hope that she can further grow into the job.

 

[LVJeff]

There are several telling quotes linked in this original post by Kamoshika:

http://www.volnation.com/forum/tennessee-lady-vols/250668-warlick-quotes-ago-telling.html

Among them:
"I don't care if they hit a three; I don't care if they hit a shot,"
"All I care about is getting down and playing defense."
"We haven't spent a lot of time shooting the basketball and that was just my decision because I thought we needed to work more on our defense than our offense,"
"To this point our practices have probably been 70 percent defense and 30 percent offense."
"These kids, when you recruit them they are great offensive players, so we have it in us (to shoot well), but it's up to us, the coaches, to turn them into great defensive players."

You can decide for yourself what all these quotes mean. But for me, it's clear Holly spends the bulk of practice on defense, and the players can't shoot and are dysfunctional on offense as a result.

 

[barnolde]

I am with them --win lose or tie

 

[madtownvol]

There are several telling quotes linked in this original post by Kamoshika:

http://www.volnation.com/forum/tennessee-lady-vols/250668-warlick-quotes-ago-telling.html

Among them:
"I don't care if they hit a three; I don't care if they hit a shot,"
"All I care about is getting down and playing defense."
"We haven't spent a lot of time shooting the basketball and that was just my decision because I thought we needed to work more on our defense than our offense,"
"To this point our practices have probably been 70 percent defense and 30 percent offense."
"These kids, when you recruit them they are great offensive players, so we have it in us (to shoot well), but it's up to us, the coaches, to turn them into great defensive players."

You can decide for yourself what all these quotes mean. But for me, it's clear Holly spends the bulk of practice on defense, and the players can't shoot and are dysfunctional on offense as a result.

That is all true but the LVs did make a significant mid-season course correction, as reported in a Knoxville News Sentinel story:
Practicing offense in the planner for Lady Vols

If forced to choose between practice, video study and extra shooting, Lockwood said he'd take the last option.

"It's starts there; there's no shortcut," he said. "Any skill can be worked on and developed, but it must be worked on and developed.

"You can't circumvent the process. You have to spend time."

Tennessee also is spending more time on offense in practice. Lockwood estimated about 30 more minutes on average are being budgeted for shooting and team work.

"We're practicing (offense) a lot more than we had earlier," Warlick said after Thursday's game. "That's on me. We should have been doing that. Hopefully we are correcting it and getting those turnovers down."

 

[teacherdean]

If I recall CHW's statement correctly, it was a case of relative emphasis. In other words, high profile recruits come in with a better understanding of offense than defense and blocking out etc. Hence, she said they were devoting more practice to those issues (which did not mean that no time was spent on offense); after the early season struggles, Holly and staff reversed course and admitted they had overestimated their players offensive proficiency and switched the emphasis.

I understand that people will use that miscalculation as evidence that CHW is the worst coach ever but at least she was willing to acknowledge a mistake and reverse course. That is a reason why I still hold out some hope that she can further grow into the job.

The problem is she needs to start showing the ability to turn things around offensively consistently. One or two games we seem as though we have turned things around, only to loose it immediately. This lack of offense situation has been an anvil around the neck of this team prior to Pat's retirement it is time to show some ability to change that. It might take a new staff or at least shaking up the staff.

Until she can show differently, I think Holly may be a better assistant than a head coach. I would love to see that change, but this program needs a top ten coach or at least one with that potential. Right now there is not a lot of lasting evidence in Holly's favor. I certainly think that 2017 should be Holly's make or break year, especially if recruiting falls off and the team does not move forward.

 

[madtownvol]

The problem is she needs to start showing the ability to turn things around offensively consistently. One or two games we seem as though we have turned things around, only to loose it immediately. This lack of offense situation has been an anvil around the neck of this team prior to Pat's retirement it is time to show some ability to change that. It might take a new staff or at least shaking up the staff.

Until she can show differently, I think Holly may be a better assistant than a head coach. I would love to see that change, but this program needs a top ten coach or at least one with that potential. Right now there is not a lot of lasting evidence in Holly's favor. I certainly think that 2017 should be Holly's make or break year, especially if recruiting falls off and the team does not move forward.

I totally agree with your assessment. I think Holly had done enough to earn a grace year and this year (despite a decent tournament) definitely cashed that chip.

 

[LasVegasBill23]

It is a good chance she may never have made that direct statement, however, someone might have thought she did, since offense seem to be less important than defense. That may have been implied by statements made previously by Holly.

All I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A GOOD COMPETITIVE LV TEAM WITH AN OFFENSE AND A DEFENSE & A STOCKING FULL OF RECRUITS THAT ARE BIGS AND A FEW 3 SHOOTERS!!!!! IS THAT ASKING TOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!:clapping:k::crossfingers::baloon:

I am with you..... I hope for that this coming year.... but my expectations are tempered somewhat if offense is not practiced.... the game has changed so much since Pat ruled the roost..... I didn't hear any direct comments from Holly this year about offense, but she did say directy in 14-15 that offense was not even focused on until 2nd half of the season....