Let Them Play

[mlindsay]

"Diamond, Taurasi, all have the same mindset . . "

Not hardly. Taurasi was the consummate team player. She is the all time assist leader at UConn. IMO she was the best passer to ever play at UConn. All that while playing mostly as a "superstar" shooting guard.

I don't see that in Deshields. I've only seen her play a couple of times but from what I could see and from what I read here (and from what I read about her at NC) with DD it's all about her winning, not the team.

If it was all about her winning and not the team she would've stayed at UNC knowing the scandal was coming and the other girls would be transferring out. Or she could've transferred to a school where she could do what she want when she wants but she chose our legacy and wanted to win as a lady vol. If she doesn't shoot (as you see when Holly told her not to shoot and get it inside in the second half) we can't score. We go as she goes and its that simple. We have nobody else who can score like her (Cooper has been able to blow by every defender but misses the layups most of the time). Let's sit Diamond for the ND game since she is the problem and see if we score more than 40 points.

 

[madtownvol]

Holly needs to quit this I'm your friend bulls#$@
Holly has passion, but she doesn't have the fire. I've been on the fence this season with my thoughts on the leadership for this team. I'm not on the fence anymore.

1. All the successful coach's don't have a problem in getting in a players butt in the middle of the game. CHEW THEM OUT! Sit them on the bench and get in their face. Wake them up!

2. Holly's philosophy isn't working. I love the idea of getting the ball inside, but this has created an environment where players are afraid to shoot unless your name is Diamond, Russell, or Graves.

3. She is not utilizing her player personal. It DOES make sense to get the ball to your 6'6 post player. But it doesn't make sense when they are triple teaming her every time. I was very proud of Russell last night in the 2nd half when ARK tripled her, she made good decisions to pass it out to a WIDE OPEN PLAYER, who does what? Dribbles!

4. We did good in the 2nd quarter with our press and transition scoring. This is ALL WE HAVE. When the press isn't working, we don't have anything else. Why did we allow Jackson to score 25 points? In the 3rd quarter she caught the ball at the top of the key STOOD THEIR FOR 5 SECONDS (she was going to shoot it, and I don't know why she didn't) and still nobody picked her up??? She single handily beat us, and we couldn't even guard her.

As a coach you have to get on your players when they are not doing good. And I don't mean throwing chairs, but Pat/Geno are able to do it just fine.

Jimmy Dykes out coached Holly last night. At half time, he made the right adjustments (which means, changing your original plan) to win. Holly stuck with the same ole crap that ISN"T WORKING. What's the definition of insanity?

Again, I agree with get the ball to your 6'6 girl. But their needs to be more when this isn't working.
Players are afraid to shoot, players are over-passing to the post, players are NOT COMFORTABLE and their is no flow. This isn't a player problem, this is a coaching problem. The players are doing what they are told to do, it's just not working with our player personal. Where are the adjustments Holly?????? This is your mess, FIX IT!

A few days ago, I made a post that drew a lot of negative reactions that made an analogy of the LVs being in a race where they were riding bicycles against comp. that was on motor bikes. My point was this: Holly and staff can yell and demand and be as tough as any coach in the world and the players can run themselves into the ground giving 110% effort. However, if they are put in effective offensive and defensive schemes, in the end, the results are not going to be that great. On some nights, effort may overcome these inadequacies but on others, like last night, the system beats them.

 

[madtownvol]

Holly has been the problem and I am tired of people defending her. As shown in the first half of last nights game this team plays better when they are allowed to get the rebound get it to a guard and run the floor (transitional basketball) than when they have to get it, give it to a guard and wait for Russell or Graves to get up the floor to force the ball inside. In the first half we were clicking and had an 11 point lead which looked like it would be a blowout only for Holly to want Graves and Russell to get more touches when Diamond was basically unstoppable. Diamond tried to do as Holly ask (not shoot and get the ball inside) which lead to several turnovers and her being put on the bench for a long period of time, the moment Diamond was sent to the bench the team no longer had anything offensively. As I stated before we will go as far as Diamond takes us (not Holly) Diamond is the superstar and any other coach would see that and accept that stars input/allow them to play. She has shown she is a team player and the ladies have shown that they play better when Diamond is out there performing. Holly needs to get a grip, we should not be ranked and at the rate we are going will probably not make the tournament and will lucky to reach the WNIT. Share your Thoughts of Agreements or Disagreements. I just want to make sure that I am not the only one.

Okay, lets suspend the fire Holly/keep Holly debate. Let's just assume that she is the coach going forward (a safe assumption for the near term). Does the team performance indicate a need to change something in her approach?

Having dropped games to several unranked teams and sitting at 2-2 in the conference (and having started against some of the weaker SEC teams), I find it hard to believe that any one can conclude -- yep, lets just keep on doing what we are doing!!

Now lets look at this team, not as the LVs but as a generic team X. Team X has lots of athletic guards and a dynamic scorer who is best in transition. There posts are undersized in terms of height (Graves) and bulk (Russell and Moore) but all run the floor much better than most. And this team is not very good shooting from beyond the arc on most nights.

Given those traits, what is the standard prescription for beating this kind of team-- SLOW THEM DOWN; don't let get transition buckets; make them work the clock.

What does Holly's offense do by design? Slow the team (don't you quick shoot the ball!); work the clock (lets pass around the perimeter under 10 seconds or less on the shot clock and then force a pass into the double teamed post!). This approach really does not make mush sense given the players in the mix.

On a few plays, the LVs did try to set some screens to create space. Almost in all cases, they were called for moving screens (and correctly). So, there many fundamentals of the half court offense (if that is going to be their bread and butter) that the LVs do not seem comfortable implementing. Why would that be?

 

[meekfan]

Originally Posted by mlindsay View Post
...Diamond was basically unstoppable... She has shown she is a team player.

Diamond was 6/16 (38%) against a cupcake team that has no talent. As for being a team player, she had 1 assist and 7 turnovers. I think she is the problem, not the solution. That being said, I also believe that she is one of the most talented and athletic players in the country. I just do not think she buys into the concept of "team."

Nothing like facts to make one reconsider their view. I for one find it a little old by now that Diamond is being considered the second coming. As my pal Cuba Gooding used to say, "Show me the money". Its time for Diamond to demonstrate (consistently) her abilities on the floor!

 

[meekfan]

Diamond was 6/16 (38%) against a cupcake team that has no talent. As for being a team player, she had 1 assist and 7 turnovers. I think she is the problem, not the solution. That being said, I also believe that she is one of the most talented and athletic players in the country. I just do not think she buys into the concept of "team."

Jordan, Kobe, Diamond, Taurasi, all have the same mindset and desire to never lose and are passionate about the game . . . .

Probably the most delusional thing said on this forum in a long time. Show me!

 

[armchair]

This team has NO TOUGHNESS, starting with Warlick. Toughness is really innate. Some people act tough but aren't; others ARE tough. I agree completely with VolfanIND above, and have said this myself many times: Good coaches are teaching and working on their players during games and when they come off the court--they are in their faces when they are screwing up. I never see Warlick teaching or pointing out mistakes or talking to players courtside. Maybe she does it and I miss it. I see her stand with her hands on hips a LOT; I see her whistling and calling out plays--but I do not see her teaching enough.

Taurasi was not only a very talented player--she was probably the toughest player I've ever seen in women's basketball. She has a very cocky, almost nasty, in your face style. She talks trash to opposing players--and backs it up. I can't remember the last player we had like that. Where is the toughness? I certainly don't see it in DeShields, who plays too much like a prima donna. She'll score a basket and look great--then coast around, miss three shots and try a flashy pass that gets picked off.

Where is the passion in this group, the grit, the vocal leadership? We've got a bunch of wussies on these team. Russell? soft and quiet. Carter? quiet. Graves: tough-minded but too quiet and not really as talented as you want in a leader. We have NOBODY. Reynolds has some toughness but she is on and off the court and extremely inconsistent. I think the most basic problem with this team is poor leadership--at the top, for sure, and among the players--and a lack of toughness. When you wilt in games like we do, you are missing both.

 

[Sandvol]

Diamond was 6/16 (38%) against a cupcake team that has no talent. As for being a team player, she had 1 assist and 7 turnovers. I think she is the problem, not the solution. That being said, I also believe that she is one of the most talented and athletic players in the country. I just do not think she buys into the concept of "team."

I concur. DD is a big part of the team's chemistry problems. That was my fear when I heard she was transferring here and voiced that on this board, but most pooh poohed my fears. DD is about DD. Holly is not strong enough coach to rein her in. (I actually thought I was wrong about DD because she seemed to be so supportive and positive influence on the team when she sat on the bench for a year but now that she is playing it is evident she is bad for team chemistry.) But, it isn't just chemistry issues. Holly is fundamentally a bad coach-period.

 

[madtownvol]

This team has NO TOUGHNESS, starting with Warlick. Toughness is really innate. Some people act tough but aren't; others ARE tough. I agree completely with VolfanIND above, and have said this myself many times: Good coaches are teaching and working on their players during games and when they come off the court--they are in their faces when they are screwing up. I never see Warlick teaching or pointing out mistakes or talking to players courtside. Maybe she does it and I miss it. I see her stand with her hands on hips a LOT; I see her whistling and calling out plays--but I do not see her teaching enough.

Taurasi was not only a very talented player--she was probably the toughest player I've ever seen in women's basketball. She has a very cocky, almost nasty, in your face style. She talks trash to opposing players--and backs it up. I can't remember the last player we had like that. Where is the toughness? I certainly don't see it in DeShields, who plays too much like a prima donna. She'll score a basket and look great--then coast around, miss three shots and try a flashy pass that gets picked off.

Where is the passion in this group, the grit, the vocal leadership? We've got a bunch of wussies on these team. Russell? soft and quiet. Carter? quiet. Graves: tough-minded but too quiet and not really as talented as you want in a leader. We have NOBODY. Reynolds has some toughness but she is on and off the court and extremely inconsistent. I think the most basic problem with this team is poor leadership--at the top, for sure, and among the players--and a lack of toughness. When you wilt in games like we do, you are missing both.

Actually, I think the problem might have more to do with not being able to hit open shots and a very stagnant and ineffective half court set than a lack of innate toughness. It is a common tendency to attribute failure to individual shortcomings when the problem is often more structural--a bit like saying poor people are poor because they don't work as hard as the rich (who inherited a trust fund and was able to go the best schools money can buy).

After every loss, the players step and say it was our fault- not enough effort not following the game plan; but when the game plan is not effective, it is hard to succeed.

 

[brassie]

"Or she could've transferred to a school where she could do what she want when she wants . . . "

Maybe she did. Deshields is a chucker. High volume/inconsistant accuracy. She has difficulty taking care of the ball and assists don't appear to be on her radar. She had that rep at UNC and based on her stats she hasn't changed.

 

[gule]

she'd have plenty of assists if Russell would learn how to post up and catch the damn ball.

 

[Spacejam]

This team have had the same issues way before DeShields even got here. i don't see how it's her fault Tennessee didn't get any players from the 2016 class if anyone is to blame for that it's the entire coaching staff. last time i checked they're the one's in charge of scouting and recruiting players. recruits having a team on their list is part of the process the most important part is getting them to commit and making sure that they do sign that letter of intent to make it official and the staff failed on the two that mattered the most.

 

[volfanIND]

Looking at our losses, I think only 2 would of been losses if we would of hit shots. Then nobody would be complaining. It was really interesting to hear Andy Landers commentating last night talk about our offense. Besides a couple shots of DD and Coop, most of are shots are wide-open, not forced shots, so the selection isn't all that bad. Truly, our defense hasn't been that bad other than Florida and Stanford in my opinion. VTech, only scored 57 points, but our defense sucked and could of easily held them under 50.

Texas 64- 53. We shot 30% 21-69. Free throws 63% 7-11 If we would of made just 5 more shots (38%) and one free throw. Victory. Texas is 16-0, and honestly they are the 3rd best team in the country right now. 16TO's.

VTech 57-43. We shot 31% (17-55) and free throws 80%(8-10). We were also 1-19 from 3pts. If we just made 6 more shots, and hit 2-19 3pointers. Victory. 17TO's.

Stanford 69-55. We shot 31% (20-63) and 21% for 3points (3-14). I think that our defense hurt us pretty good as well, as we were out rebounded 42-31. Still, make 4-14 three pointers, and 5 more shots (25-63), grab 2 more rebounds. Victory. 14 TO's

Florida 74-66. Hands down our worse defensive game of the year, and our worst shooting. We shot 29% (24-82) and 3points% was 18% (4-22). If we would of made just 4 shots (28-82 34%) and 1 3pointer (5-22 23%). Victory. 21 TO's.

Arkansas 64-59. We shot 35% (24-69), and 3pointers 26% (5-19). If we make 3 more shots. Victory. This game was more about turnovers than anything. 24TO to be exact against a VERY SMALL ZONE.

The common denominator in our losses is coming down to shooting and TO's in my opinions

 

[Amb3096]

Looking at our losses, I think only 2 would of been losses if we would of hit shots. Then nobody would be complaining. It was really interesting to hear Andy Landers commentating last night talk about our offense. Besides a couple shots of DD and Coop, most of are shots are wide-open, not forced shots, so the selection isn't all that bad.

The common denominator in our losses is coming down to shooting and TO's in my opinions

Interesting enough, Holly's post-game interview concedes that they got good looks and the shot selection was good, but the shots weren't falling. For a change, no whining about "quickshooting".

I thought Andy Landers was quite amusing in his commentary about the degree of difficulty for Diamond's shots, and that she doesn't get extra points for shooting ridiculous high difficulty shots (they were going in at the time he said this).

 

[VolUpInCumming]

Not next year. Not a single member of the class of 2016 wants to be Diamond's teammate.

Not a single member of the class of 2016 wants to be coached by Holly and her staff.

 

[Hangtyme24]

Holly has been the problem and I am tired of people defending her. As shown in the first half of last nights game this team plays better when they are allowed to get the rebound get it to a guard and run the floor (transitional basketball) than when they have to get it, give it to a guard and wait for Russell or Graves to get up the floor to force the ball inside. In the first half we were clicking and had an 11 point lead which looked like it would be a blowout only for Holly to want Graves and Russell to get more touches when Diamond was basically unstoppable. Diamond tried to do as Holly ask (not shoot and get the ball inside) which lead to several turnovers and her being put on the bench for a long period of time, the moment Diamond was sent to the bench the team no longer had anything offensively. As I stated before we will go as far as Diamond takes us (not Holly) Diamond is the superstar and any other coach would see that and accept that stars input/allow them to play. She has shown she is a team player and the ladies have shown that they play better when Diamond is out there performing. Holly needs to get a grip, we should not be ranked and at the rate we are going will probably not make the tournament and will lucky to reach the WNIT. Share your Thoughts of Agreements or Disagreements. I just want to make sure that I am not the only one.

PREACH! Holly makes the game so hard to watch. She has to go. I'm nervous about the ND game and I shouldn't be. We have the talent and the pieces, but our coaching doesn't put the ladies in a position to flourish. Reynolds and Cooper should never start together. Russell needs to get more physical down low and Graves needs to take that 15 footer when she's open. I'm sorry but the coaching has been les than average all season. We need a fiery coach who can get in the ladies grill, who can encourage them, and most of all one who has a game plan to fit our strengths. Our offense is atrocious. Without Diamond IDK where this team would be. Even when shooting 6/16 and with 7 TO's against Arkansas, I don't blame Diamond because when she was leading the team and playing to her strengths we were up 11 and she wasn't turning the ball over. Holly has to go. Maybe she can be demoted back to assistant, but head coaching just isn't for her. Not everyone is a leader.

 

[Teejay5952]

Holly literally has no clue on how to coach offense, that's the main reason the team is struggling. She is telling them to get the ball inside & the guards are passing up on wide open shots & trying to force it inside, if you watch any other top teams the guards are playing freely & their offense is looking 10x better. Holly has one of the best players in the country (diamond) but she prefers to run her offense thru the post. Te'a was the second leading scorer on the team in the beginning of the season but holly told her not to shoot & it shows because she only takes like 6 shots a game now. Holly is the problem people!

 

[Teejay5952]

Oh by the way deshields is leading the team in assist. & for the ppl who said she didn't pass at unc she had 91 assist that year no player on lady vols roster has gotten more in a year. 😬

 

[Amb3096]

Te'a was the second leading scorer on the team in the beginning of the season but holly told her not to shoot & it shows because she only takes like 6 shots a game now. Holly is the problem people!

And she makes 1 of those 6 shots.

I'm sorry, but her shooting efficiency is atrocious. Even when she was 2nd leading scorer, it was atrocious.

She needs to learn how to penetrate and pass. Once she does that, she can start taking shots to keep defenses honest. She's like a black hole in the paint...once she goes in, the ball's not coming out, except when it gets swatted to the 2nd row. Opposing defenses know this too.

 

[ocoandasoc]

Okay, I posted my opinion on the Summitt almost a year ago and got hammered for it. Here’s an updated version… too long, I’m sure, for many.

For years I was a marketing exec and trained customer service people. I preached to them that making customers happy was all about managing expectations. Tell a customer you’ll try to deliver on Wednesday, and then not delivering until Thursday, leaves them a bit vexed. But tell the same customer you’ll try to make delivery on Friday and then deliver on Thursday and they’ll be very happy. Yet your performance was the same – the only difference? – their expectations.

Lady Vols fans expectations for this season were way too optimistic.

The losses from last year’s team were extensive. But fans were led to believe (or perhaps just wanted to believe) that the additions would make this team an immediate Final Four team, maybe even an NC contender. I said at the time that those expectations were totally unrealistic. Let’s look at them one by one.
Russell – She was very mediocre in her first year – a bit of a disappointment for such a highly ranked player. Then she was injured, and sat out a year. So how was it fair to expect her to come in this year and be twice as good as she was in her freshman year?

Cooper – Quick, give me a list of point guard prospects that started in their freshman year and took their teams to the Final Four? Yeah, a very short list. So why did fans expect it this year?

DeShields – If you look at DeShields performance this year it is almost exactly the same as her season at North Carolina. Many questioned her FPOY award that season because it was based on a lot of shooting, a very good performance in really only a few key games, and because she was an undisciplined player on a very undisciplined team. There was also talk of poor team chemistry, which seems to be borne out by the number of transfers from the NC program. So then she takes a year off, and is injured, and has to play in a totally different system. She’s skilled and athletic, but there’s a leaning curve. For all practical purposes, during her year at NC she was still playing high school ball.

Now here’s the other thing about unrealistic expectations: it can adversely impact team, individual, and coaching performance. And don’t give me that crap about “this is Tennessee, we always have high expectations, we expect Final Fours and National Championships.” None of the current players have ever reached that level. Our head coach has never reached that level as a head coach. The program hasn’t reached that level in nearly a decade. Fans might live in the past, but the current players do not. And it’s unrealistic to expect them to. They can look at the banners in the arena, but they don’t feel like they are THEIR banners.

Take away the expectations and it’s a lot easier for Holly to use playing time to discipline her players. It’s a lot easier for her to concentrate on making this team better for March instead of panicking over early losses and making knee-jerk reactions during or between games. And it’s a lot easier for the players – especially the three I’ve listed above – to experiment and hone their skills, to not be afraid to make a mistake, to take an open shot or drive to the basket early in the shot clock. You wind up with players who aren’t confident, an up and down season, and an attitude of fatalism among the players who realize – rightly or wrongly – that they’ll never be as good as those expectations. Afraid to make a mistake, they’ll make them over and over.

Holly is a good coach. Probably not a great coach. But she might become one. I believe in the time she’s been head coach she might have a better won-lost record (80%+) than any other SEC coach. To measure her against Pat’s glory years is unfair – and another unrealistic expectation. (Pat’s last years didn’t measure up to the glory years either – WCBB has changed, folks!)

And unrealistic expectations also bite you when it comes to recruiting. First, fans take the published high school player rankings as gospel – big mistake. The top WCBB teams do their own scouting and pay little attention to the published reports, although the two overlap some. And if you don’t have the proper mix of the right talent and attitude you’ll never have the synergy that most great teams exhibit.

Holly’s mistake was probably setting her expectations on the recruits she could land too high. Like the fans, she overestimated the lure of the Tennessee mystique that says that every young lady wants to put on the orange instead of realizing that Pat’s departure, the LV’s relative lack of recent super-sized success, and the emergence of many new program alternatives dictated a new approach and strategy, and a down-sizing of expectations. Just because a large number of top recruits puts you on their final list, doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get what you believe will be your fair share. I understand that Holly is casting a much wider net now. Reaching for the stars is not a bad strategy… as long as you reach out to both five-star and four-star players, and maybe ever some underrated three-star performers ready to blossom or role-play.

This year’s team is talented, and may get it all together and make a run to the Final Four. It may start tonight. Or it may not. It may just stay an up-and-down season and end disappointingly for those with Final Four expectations. But I suggest we all offer encouragement and enjoy the ups. Next year’s team, if we’re fortunate and have no injuries or transfers, will be about the same as this year’s team. Analyzing performances, armchair quarterbacking lineups or game plans, etc. is fine – and fun. I just don’t see how bashing the players or the coach and constantly reminding them that they’re not living up to our expectations is going to help.

 

[Rickster]

Okay, I posted my opinion on the Summitt almost a year ago and got hammered for it. Here’s an updated version… too long, I’m sure, for many.

For years I was a marketing exec and trained customer service people. I preached to them that making customers happy was all about managing expectations. Tell a customer you’ll try to deliver on Wednesday, and then not delivering until Thursday, leaves them a bit vexed. But tell the same customer you’ll try to make delivery on Friday and then deliver on Thursday and they’ll be very happy. Yet your performance was the same – the only difference? – their expectations.

Lady Vols fans expectations for this season were way too optimistic.

The losses from last year’s team were extensive. But fans were led to believe (or perhaps just wanted to believe) that the additions would make this team an immediate Final Four team, maybe even an NC contender. I said at the time that those expectations were totally unrealistic. Let’s look at them one by one.
Russell – She was very mediocre in her first year – a bit of a disappointment for such a highly ranked player. Then she was injured, and sat out a year. So how was it fair to expect her to come in this year and be twice as good as she was in her freshman year?

Cooper – Quick, give me a list of point guard prospects that started in their freshman year and took their teams to the Final Four? Yeah, a very short list. So why did fans expect it this year?

DeShields – If you look at DeShields performance this year it is almost exactly the same as her season at North Carolina. Many questioned her FPOY award that season because it was based on a lot of shooting, a very good performance in really only a few key games, and because she was an undisciplined player on a very undisciplined team. There was also talk of poor team chemistry, which seems to be borne out by the number of transfers from the NC program. So then she takes a year off, and is injured, and has to play in a totally different system. She’s skilled and athletic, but there’s a leaning curve. For all practical purposes, during her year at NC she was still playing high school ball.

Now here’s the other thing about unrealistic expectations: it can adversely impact team, individual, and coaching performance. And don’t give me that crap about “this is Tennessee, we always have high expectations, we expect Final Fours and National Championships.” None of the current players have ever reached that level. Our head coach has never reached that level as a head coach. The program hasn’t reached that level in nearly a decade. Fans might live in the past, but the current players do not. And it’s unrealistic to expect them to. They can look at the banners in the arena, but they don’t feel like they are THEIR banners.

Take away the expectations and it’s a lot easier for Holly to use playing time to discipline her players. It’s a lot easier for her to concentrate on making this team better for March instead of panicking over early losses and making knee-jerk reactions during or between games. And it’s a lot easier for the players – especially the three I’ve listed above – to experiment and hone their skills, to not be afraid to make a mistake, to take an open shot or drive to the basket early in the shot clock. You wind up with players who aren’t confident, an up and down season, and an attitude of fatalism among the players who realize – rightly or wrongly – that they’ll never be as good as those expectations. Afraid to make a mistake, they’ll make them over and over.

Holly is a good coach. Probably not a great coach. But she might become one. I believe in the time she’s been head coach she might have a better won-lost record (80%+) than any other SEC coach. To measure her against Pat’s glory years is unfair – and another unrealistic expectation. (Pat’s last years didn’t measure up to the glory years either – WCBB has changed, folks!)

And unrealistic expectations also bite you when it comes to recruiting. First, fans take the published high school player rankings as gospel – big mistake. The top WCBB teams do their own scouting and pay little attention to the published reports, although the two overlap some. And if you don’t have the proper mix of the right talent and attitude you’ll never have the synergy that most great teams exhibit.

Holly’s mistake was probably setting her expectations on the recruits she could land too high. Like the fans, she overestimated the lure of the Tennessee mystique that says that every young lady wants to put on the orange instead of realizing that Pat’s departure, the LV’s relative lack of recent super-sized success, and the emergence of many new program alternatives dictated a new approach and strategy, and a down-sizing of expectations. Just because a large number of top recruits puts you on their final list, doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get what you believe will be your fair share. I understand that Holly is casting a much wider net now. Reaching for the stars is not a bad strategy… as long as you reach out to both five-star and four-star players, and maybe ever some underrated three-star performers ready to blossom or role-play.

This year’s team is talented, and may get it all together and make a run to the Final Four. It may start tonight. Or it may not. It may just stay an up-and-down season and end disappointingly for those with Final Four expectations. But I suggest we all offer encouragement and enjoy the ups. Next year’s team, if we’re fortunate and have no injuries or transfers, will be about the same as this year’s team. Analyzing performances, armchair quarterbacking lineups or game plans, etc. is fine – and fun. I just don’t see how bashing the players or the coach and constantly reminding them that they’re not living up to our expectations is going to help.

I'd vote this post as the post of the day. Really well said and spot on.

 

[ATLVolFan06]

Diamond was 6/16 (38%) against a cupcake team that has no talent. As for being a team player, she had 1 assist and 7 turnovers. I think she is the problem, not the solution. That being said, I also believe that she is one of the most talented and athletic players in the country. I just do not think she buys into the concept of "team."

Problem with that is we have no offensive scheme for her to buy into

 

[madtownvol]

Now here’s the other thing about unrealistic expectations: it can adversely impact team, individual, and coaching performance. And don’t give me that crap about “this is Tennessee, we always have high expectations, we expect Final Fours and National Championships.” None of the current players have ever reached that level. Our head coach has never reached that level as a head coach. The program hasn’t reached that level in nearly a decade. Fans might live in the past, but the current players do not. And it’s unrealistic to expect them to. They can look at the banners in the arena, but they don’t feel like they are THEIR banners.

Take away the expectations and it’s a lot easier for Holly to use playing time to discipline her players. It’s a lot easier for her to concentrate on making this team better for March instead of panicking over early losses and making knee-jerk reactions during or between games. And it’s a lot easier for the players – especially the three I’ve listed above – to experiment and hone their skills, to not be afraid to make a mistake, to take an open shot or drive to the basket early in the shot clock. You wind up with players who aren’t confident, an up and down season, and an attitude of fatalism among the players who realize – rightly or wrongly – that they’ll never be as good as those expectations. Afraid to make a mistake, they’ll make them over and over.

This is where I differ. Fan expectations should not impact a coaches ability to make her team better. "Oh, I could really coach this team if weren't for these darned expectations!" Coaches have to manage expectations as part of their job-both internally and externally. So, the idea that Holly can't get her players to focus in the task in front of them (or that she can't do the same) would really be a damning indictment.

Your points about the new additions to the line-up are well taken but this team still had an experienced pre-season AA candidate in Graves, and a very experienced set of guards in Carter and Reynolds. Few expected Russell to be a world beater but at 6-6 she should be more of a force in the paint.

 

[Amb3096]

Your points about the new additions to the line-up are well taken but this team still had an experienced pre-season AA candidate in Graves, and a very experienced set of guards in Carter and Reynolds. No expected Russell to be a world beater but at 6-6 she should be more of a force in the paint.

There were some funny posts on here. I remember one person last year after the first 3 or so games said that Tennessee would have 2 of the 5 best centers (Mercedes and Nia) this year. Others have stated that coming in, Mercedes would by default be one of the top 5 centers in the game. There was a thread feigning outrage how Mercedes was "disrespected" by some media votes for Ruth Hamblin as the top center in the game (even though Ruth was an AA last season).

Personally speaking, Mercedes is producing about what I expected her to this season. On paper, she's been good, but watching her play, I 100% agree that she has the physical tools to be more aggressive.

 

[Sandvol]

It really isn't the players. It is the coach. Holly is responsible for how DD fits into the team and her proper role. If she shoots 38% and has 1 assist and 7 turnovers then the coach is responsible for that not the player.

 

[Sandvol]

If a player's play is a cancer to the team. If she is causing chemistry issues. Then it is up to the coach to correct it. You coach the player and if she doesn't respond to coaching then you use someone else.