@LadyVol_Hoops Media Day - 10.29.14

[VN News]

Catch Holly Warlick's presser at 1:05 p.m. ET and take part in a Google+ Hangout Video Chat 1:30-2:30 p.m. during Lady Vol Basketball Media Day 2014.

WARLICK PRESSER LIVE STREAM

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[gule]

I just watched it. Loved it too! especially Ms Moore, she so smooth... lol. And DD was great in her interview.

 

[gule]

I'm getting to be such an old softy in my later days now, lol

When DD was asked "How did you feel playing against UT last year?" you could see she truly wanted and wants to be wearing BIG Orange. Just that one insight into her mindset has given me hope for the future of the team. She is not going to rest until UT is back on top, IMHO.

Might have to put her right next Ms. Nia on the list of favs....

 

[armchair]

Listening to Warlick never leaves me feeling confident, I have to say. She talks but it almos always vague generalities.

She seemed to indicate that Russell COULD play this year--could return to action by January, but she and the staff decided giving her the year off would be good for the player. I'm sure it will be good for Russell but I doubt it will be good for the team, as UT will be thin this year in the paint. Warlick said she wanted the team to run more, which is a very good idea for a number of reasons, and if the team actually does play a running style then Russell won't be missed as much. In physical, half-court matchups, however, we will have issues. The situation kind of reminds me of Butch Jones and the football team: He wanted to give Dobbs a redshirt year this year, which wouldn't have been a problem except that Dobbs is probably the best QB we have and we are desperate to win some games after being bad for a decade. Similarly, Warlick really needs to show that she can make a serious tournament run.

She also suggested that Tucker wouldn't be contributing a lot early on. That is not surprising given that she's not played for two years and is coming off knee surgery. I suspect that Tucker will need all year to get fit and adjusted to the college game, and we may not see much impact from her until next year. Warlick said Jones improved her offensive skills in the off-season, and if true that is welcome. Warlick said that there are a lot of versatile players on the team, and she likes versatility--we will see a lot of different personnel combinations. The key question is, can Warlick and the staff find the right combinations, the right positions, the right rotation for this group to maximize the potential of the team? That is the million-dollar challenge for Warlick. Versatility is a good thing if you've got players who can be comfortable at more than one position, GOOD at more than one position.

 

[And1]

Listening to Warlick never leaves me feeling confident, I have to say. She talks but it almos always vague generalities.

She seemed to indicate that Russell COULD play this year--could return to action by January, but she and the staff decided giving her the year off would be good for the player. I'm sure it will be good for Russell but I doubt it will be good for the team, as UT will be thin this year in the paint. Warlick said she wanted the team to run more, which is a very good idea for a number of reasons, and if the team actually does play a running style then Russell won't be missed as much. In physical, half-court matchups, however, we will have issues. The situation kind of reminds me of Butch Jones and the football team: He wanted to give Dobbs a redshirt year this year, which wouldn't have been a problem except that Dobbs is probably the best QB we have and we are desperate to win some games after being bad for a decade. Similarly, Warlick really needs to show that she can make a serious tournament run.

She also suggested that Tucker wouldn't be contributing a lot early on. That is not surprising given that she's not played for two years and is coming off knee surgery. I suspect that Tucker will need all year to get fit and adjusted to the college game, and we may not see much impact from her until next year. Warlick said Jones improved her offensive skills in the off-season, and if true that is welcome. Warlick said that there are a lot of versatile players on the team, and she likes versatility--we will see a lot of different personnel combinations. The key question is, can Warlick and the staff find the right combinations, the right positions, the right rotation for this group to maximize the potential of the team? That is the million-dollar challenge for Warlick. Versatility is a good thing if you've got players who can be comfortable at more than one position, GOOD at more than one position.

In the past, I would agree that she has been rather vague, and rather uncomfortable, quite frankly. But I thought her message was pretty clear this time in that they will try to run more, which is smart due to the lack of depth in the post. We'll see... Plus she was upfront about Russell's status as well as Tucker's. Listening to Holly, it appears she is settling in more as a head coach and we will see if that translates into positive results this season.