Lessons learned from playing four teams not on skill level with LVs

[cwbytruckers]

I wonder who will actually be in the rotation once we start playing quality top ranked teams.
Harris is the one person I feel who’s minutes will be cut.
You can throw in any of our freshmen into the line up and we won’t miss much.

I think Harris looks more polished than Kushkituah.

 

[teacherdean]

Many on here had hoped KK would develop into a quality inside presence as I did! Sorry to say has not and I don't see it happening. Seems to be a great young lady but too much of a project.

Right now I see Collins

Many on here had hoped KK would develop into a quality inside presence as I did! Sorry to say has not and I don't see it happening. Seems to be a great young lady but too much of a project.

At this point KK seems to need a little more work. She misses too many easy paint shots and is not as physical as I thought she would be. She also seems a little out of shape.

I can see a Lady Vol team using 2 guards and three forwards, Davis, G/SF, Westbrook, PG, Jackson, G/SF, Collins, F and C. Green, F. That would be a very physical and athletic lineup. Davis and Jackson can jump out of the gym, they are also big guards. I think I would use Davis as my second guard, because of her quickness and her ability to dribble drive. Jackson is shorter than Davis but can play the small forward position. You could also sub in Burrell at the small forward. We have freshmen guards in Z. Green and Massengile who can sub in as guards and there would not be a huge drop off, right now experience would be the issue with these two young ladies. My observation from the first few games is that, these two ladies are not that far away from being really good players. Burrell could sub in as a forward and we would not lose much athleticism in that position. She also has three point shooting capability. KK could still put in some significant minutes subbing for C. Green or Collins. Harris tries but I do not see her playing that much unless there are extreme fouling issues with our forwards or we are involved in a game where the end result is not in question.

 

[PRG]

I am excited for the aspect that we have recruited players that can contribute almost immediately! For what ever reason it takes the bigs longer to contribute! However the freshman for Maryland seems to be ready from day one?? But ours seem to take awhile? But next year with Horston..... I am sure she will hit the floor running.... Now will our inside game come from KK, Brown, Collins, Key, or JUCO???? All this being said: As long as we contiue to get top ten recruits like E, Davis, Zaay, and other capable players, our program looks like it is on the way back from the good old days! We shoud become relevant soon !!!

 

[lvocd]

I am excited for the aspect that we have recruited players that can contribute almost immediately! For what ever reason it takes the bigs longer to contribute! However the freshman for Maryland seems to be ready from day one?? But ours seem to take awhile? But next year with Horston..... I am sure she will hit the floor running.... Now will our inside game come from KK, Brown, Collins, Key, or JUCO???? All this being said: As long as we contiue to get top ten recruits like E, Davis, Zaay, and other capable players, our program looks like it is on the way back from the good old days! We shoud become relevant soon !!!

Hope you're right.

 

[Undercovervol]

I disagree with the criticism of the five in five out subs, especially when you consider the rate of transfers in today’s game. Getting these freshmen time with each other develops chemistry, talent, and allows for valuable experience. We probably will press all game for most games, so this also helps players get into shape. Yes the rotation will shorten against better competition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this type of substitution in big games as well to give the starters a break. We play fast, and it’s unrelaistic to expect that we will have a short bench when we have all these talented players that work hard.
I’m a bit confused with the criticism of KK, and I think it’s a bit indicative of how spoiled our fan base can be and even be delusional at times. KK went from barely playing to STARTING in her sophomore year. Her mobility, conditioning, and defense has improved, and she’s a physical player with talent who is developing an offensive game. We should be patient with post development. Besides, in today’s game, it’s no longer necessary to have a dominant post inside: that’s indicative of an old style of play.

 

[VolBall09]

I wonder who will actually be in the rotation once we start playing quality top ranked teams.
Harris is the one person I feel who’s minutes will be cut.
You can throw in any of our freshmen into the line up and we won’t miss much.

I think (and hope) we will see some shake ups at the 4/5 positions once we start playing better competition. I really like C. Greene's she is so mobile, would love to see some more screening to get her the ball on some cuts, finishes well at the rim and has a great body. I think the 5 spot could see some rotation with KK and Collins, I've been really impressed with Collins motor, a little undersized for a 5 but she goes to the boards and isn't afraid of contact, I still see KK being timid sometimes. I saw Mimi rip a couple rebounds and loose balls like you better get out of her way, we've been missing that. Russel was a very skilled post, but she wasn't overly aggressive.

I have to say I am more excited about this team this year than I have been in a very long time. Watching lots of other teams play I feel like our chances are pretty good if we work out some of the kinks and get the freshman up to speed. It really is nice to see a group of ladies that seem to genuinely enjoy playing with each other and spending time together. Haven't gotten that vibe from a team for a good long while.

 

[VolBall09]

I am excited for the aspect that we have recruited players that can contribute almost immediately! For what ever reason it takes the bigs longer to contribute! However the freshman for Maryland seems to be ready from day one?? But ours seem to take awhile? But next year with Horston..... I am sure she will hit the floor running.... Now will our inside game come from KK, Brown, Collins, Key, or JUCO???? All this being said: As long as we contiue to get top ten recruits like E, Davis, Zaay, and other capable players, our program looks like it is on the way back from the good old days! We shoud become relevant soon !!!

I've always felt it takes the big girls a little longer to adjust to the college game because they face more size immediately. In HS most times there are one or two dominant post players in your league or even the entire classification in the state. They don't face other girls their size with same ability, they're guarded by players giving up several inches and the physicality is totally different once you're facing an equally physical player at the college level. Rebounding is big too, at the HS level most of them were able to stand and rebound over smaller players, didn't really have to put a body on someone and clear them out, young posts always pick up cheap fouls on rebounding their first year or two until they figure it out.

 

[djtee]

I disagree with the criticism of the five in five out subs, especially when you consider the rate of transfers in today’s game. Getting these freshmen time with each other develops chemistry, talent, and allows for valuable experience. We probably will press all game for most games, so this also helps players get into shape. Yes the rotation will shorten against better competition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this type of substitution in big games as well to give the starters a break. We play fast, and it’s unrelaistic to expect that we will have a short bench when we have all these talented players that work hard.
I’m a bit confused with the criticism of KK, and I think it’s a bit indicative of how spoiled our fan base can be and even be delusional at times. KK went from barely playing to STARTING in her sophomore year. Her mobility, conditioning, and defense has improved, and she’s a physical player with talent who is developing an offensive game. We should be patient with post development. Besides, in today’s game, it’s no longer necessary to have a dominant post inside: that’s indicative of an old style of play.

Then someone needs to tell ND and Md it’s no longer necessary to have a dominant post inside MD post play was overwhelming vs SC.

 

[VolBall09]

I disagree with the criticism of the five in five out subs, especially when you consider the rate of transfers in today’s game. Getting these freshmen time with each other develops chemistry, talent, and allows for valuable experience. We probably will press all game for most games, so this also helps players get into shape. Yes the rotation will shorten against better competition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this type of substitution in big games as well to give the starters a break. We play fast, and it’s unrelaistic to expect that we will have a short bench when we have all these talented players that work hard.
I’m a bit confused with the criticism of KK, and I think it’s a bit indicative of how spoiled our fan base can be and even be delusional at times. KK went from barely playing to STARTING in her sophomore year. Her mobility, conditioning, and defense has improved, and she’s a physical player with talent who is developing an offensive game. We should be patient with post development. Besides, in today’s game, it’s no longer necessary to have a dominant post inside: that’s indicative of an old style of play.

I see what you're saying about the old style of play, but it is still imperative to have a strong inside presence. Every team that has won the NCAA Championship in recent memory has had quality production inside. No way ND wins last year without Jessica Shepherd in the post. I do feel KK has improved remarkably from a season ago, but she is still playing soft. Gets the ball taken from her by smaller players and has her shot blocked by guards. No way Mississippi State runs the table in the SEC last year without McGowan in the middle. All the guard play in the world wont win you games without someone inside to take the pressure off your shooters.

 

[Jcarter]

When the team plays Stanford, Texas, and Notre Dame. How deep will the rotation be?

 

[VolBall09]

When the team plays Stanford, Texas, and Notre Dame. How deep will the rotation be?

I would guess we will still go 9 deep, some of the younger players will see their minutes diminish, but if we intend to press like we are, we're going to have to keep fresh legs on the floor. I think Evina and Rennia will play significantly more minutes with Massengill and Burrell playing less but coming in to spell them now and then. I feel like Z. Greene and Meme J. will split minutes more evenly, I've really liked the look of Evina, Z. Greene at the 2, Davis 3, Greene 4, Collins/KK 5. It is a really big, athletic line-up for us. If Meme keeps shooting the ball like she has been that will change things a little though.

I still see KK and Mimi, getting about equal time at this point Greene will be our mainstay in the post, she plays quality defense and has the size and quickness to guard most other posts with the exception of McGowan who will require a team effort. I feel like Harris wont see much time against that level of competition, especially against teams like Notre Dame/Miss State with a dominant post presence.

This is all purely speculation for fun though! I think we have actual options this year where we won't be taking a big hit offensively or defensively when we sub.

 

[djtee]

I would guess we will still go 9 deep, some of the younger players will see their minutes diminish, but if we intend to press like we are, we're going to have to keep fresh legs on the floor. I think Evina and Rennia will play significantly more minutes with Massengill and Burrell playing less but coming in to spell them now and then. I feel like Z. Greene and Meme J. will split minutes more evenly, I've really liked the look of Evina, Z. Greene at the 2, Davis 3, Greene 4, Collins/KK 5. It is a really big, athletic line-up for us. If Meme keeps shooting the ball like she has been that will change things a little though.

I still see KK and Mimi, getting about equal time at this point Greene will be our mainstay in the post, she plays quality defense and has the size and quickness to guard most other posts with the exception of McGowan who will require a team effort. I feel like Harris wont see much time against that level of competition, especially against teams like Notre Dame/Miss State with a dominant post presence.

This is all purely speculation for fun though! I think we have actual options this year where we won't be taking a big hit offensively or defensively when we sub.

I agree with you will go 9 deep, But as for the Freshmen minutes being diminish i`m not gonna go there just yet. Meme needs to show she can play big time ball against the top teams, Westbrook need to show she can handle the ball when being pressed against a good team, Also we need to see what KK will bring to the table against better post players. Note: we played 3 cupcakes.

 

[teacherdean]

I disagree with the criticism of the five in five out subs, especially when you consider the rate of transfers in today’s game. Getting these freshmen time with each other develops chemistry, talent, and allows for valuable experience. We probably will press all game for most games, so this also helps players get into shape. Yes the rotation will shorten against better competition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this type of substitution in big games as well to give the starters a break. We play fast, and it’s unrelaistic to expect that we will have a short bench when we have all these talented players that work hard.
I’m a bit confused with the criticism of KK, and I think it’s a bit indicative of how spoiled our fan base can be and even be delusional at times. KK went from barely playing to STARTING in her sophomore year. Her mobility, conditioning, and defense has improved, and she’s a physical player with talent who is developing an offensive game. We should be patient with post development. Besides, in today’s game, it’s no longer necessary to have a dominant post inside: that’s indicative of an old style of play.

KK eventually could be a great player, however, in the three previous game against competition against low level teams, she has not dominated as she should at her size. She has missed a lot of close in shots and had smaller players out rebound her. These are somethings I am sure the coaches will address. It is obvious that Collins, C. Green and Burrell are more physical. By the way post players are expected to be dominate in the post position. They usually control and protect the paint. When you go inside a good post, or a power forward, is a game changer.

 

[Pat4life]

Pashen Thompson, Nicky, Casteel, Peggy, I can name a few Lady Vols bigs that wasn't game changers, but played their role and they played hard.

KK play defense, BANG, and hit the boards and get things will happen.

 

[Volfan2012]

I think we will continue to play all ten players. I think what we will see is players like Davis, Westbrooks, Jackson, a couple others see their minutes go up while the others go down. This will be based on player performance during these early games before the SEC begins and against top teams we play before SEC play. I expect you will see Davis, C. Green, Westbrooks, Jackson jump to 30 minutes and probably see one or two only get four or five minutes in a lot of games. With a lead going into the last five minutes look for the top five free throw shooters to be on the floor because teams behind will foul and you need your best free throw shooters to step up and make them. I don't know who those players will be yet certainly MeMe, Davis other three who knows.

 

[Undercovervol]

I see what you're saying about the old style of play, but it is still imperative to have a strong inside presence. Every team that has won the NCAA Championship in recent memory has had quality production inside. No way ND wins last year without Jessica Shepherd in the post. I do feel KK has improved remarkably from a season ago, but she is still playing soft. Gets the ball taken from her by smaller players and has her shot blocked by guards. No way Mississippi State runs the table in the SEC last year without McGowan in the middle. All the guard play in the world wont win you games without someone inside to take the pressure off your shooters.

KK eventually could be a great player, however, in the three previous game against competition against low level teams, she has not dominated as she should at her size. She has missed a lot of close in shots and had smaller players out rebound her. These are somethings I am sure the coaches will address. It is obvious that Collins, C. Green and Burrell are more physical. By the way post players are expected to be dominate in the post position. They usually control and protect the paint. When you go inside a good post, or a power forward, is a game changer.

All good points, I just don't think it's necessary to be able to win with a great post. Look at Britney Griner: the most dominant post player in history won one national championship in college. Tina Charles wouldn't have done squat without Maya Moore (Tina is a great player though). DT, Cheryl Miller, Bridgette Gordon, Katie Smith, Tina Thompson, Sue Bird...The greatest players are usually guards. Candace parker could/can play all positions on the court.