Lockwood Needs to Teach Graves...

[armchair]

How to catch and shoot the ball in almost one motion. Every time she catches a pass or grabs a rebound, she brings the ball down to waist level, bends over and THEN tries to go up and shoot. It's like she needs to gather herself before shooting. No good. She is wasting time and wasting movement--and giving the defense time to recover. And then she tenses up and fights the shot and misses another 3-foot shot. She's painful to watch. Where has Lockwood been with this kid?

If you catch the ball head high, extend your arms and shoot the freakin' ball. Get rid of it! Quick release, soft touch. Lockwood should watch some tapes of Bernard King--UT's best-ever player--and then show them to Graves (and everybody else). King was an absolute master of the quick release, soft touch: no wasted motion, no wasted time. He'd catch the ball and an instant later it was bouncing gently off the glass and through the hoop. Graves doesn't have the King touch, but at least she can work on a quick, one-motion release. Keep your arms (and the ball) up. Don't bring the ball down, because then you have to bring it up again to shoot--and by then you've lost the easy opportunity. In the 1.5+ seconds you wasted bringing the ball down, defenders have recovered and now you have a more difficult shot. Clang. It's basketball 101. Don't go from high to low to high again. Graves has finished two full years at UT and apparently has not been taught, or learned, this fundamental lesson. This is a big reason why she can't make three-foot shots.

And Simmons? 4-15. The less said, the better. She's back in her low IQ street mode. What are the odds she'll play a high IQ game and shoot well when we really need her against a big dog? Uh, L-O-W.

 

[meekfan]

Good analysis armchair. This game was painful to watch.

Graves is not alone. How many times do you see a big catch the ball & bring it down before they shoot? It just makes a 6'3" player 5'8" and easy pickins for a quick small guard who might be nearby

I have real concerns now on how the the LV's will do against a team with a strong inside game. It won't be pretty.

 

[Crazy Ivan]

How to catch and shoot the ball in almost one motion. Every time she catches a pass or grabs a rebound, she brings the ball down to waist level, bends over and THEN tries to go up and shoot. It's like she needs to gather herself before shooting. No good. She is wasting time and wasting movement--and giving the defense time to recover. And then she tenses up and fights the shot and misses another 3-foot shot. She's painful to watch. Where has Lockwood been with this kid?

Her body language is really bad. She's not comfortable at all around now. Her shoulders are slumping and she's talking to herself in frustration. She's thinking and you don't have time to think in play. There is no smoothness to her game right now because of that. She needs something to happen to give her some confidence.

Hopefully just the dreaded sophomore slump. We saw her talent and abilities her freshman season. She'll turn it around. Just maybe not until next season.

 

[Slydell]

Back room coaches are a dime a dozen. If you know what you're talking about, get a job at a D1 school as a coach. 'Til then, nothing more than opinions.

 

[FormerLadyVolFan]

Lots of bigs do that...I am not sure why they feel the need to put the ball where someone shorter can grab the ball...

I call it the Charles Hathaway disease after the former UT men's player who had the same problem.

 

[GBOVOLS]

Lots of bigs do that...I am not sure why they feel the need to put the ball where someone shorter can grab the ball...

I call it the Charles Hathaway disease after the former UT men's player who had the same problem.

The usually gather themselves to power backup for the put back. All the bigs do it Look at greats like Shaq even Duncan does it.

 

[stllvf]

a 6'2 big female is not the same as a 6'9" 250 lb male who can elevate and dunk with both hands.

the catch and layin by Harrison going full speed was one terrific play and she definitely didn't bring the ball down after making the catch (smile)

 

[GuntherVol]

Simmons has been playing like she just gulped down a 10 hour energy drink. She shows flashes of brilliance but misses so many shots. I feel bad, but was happy when she went to the bench at one point yesterday.
I don't follow WNBA but do you guys see her going to the next level?
Thanks! Go Lady Vols!

 

[RollerVol]

Lots of bigs do that...I am not sure why they feel the need to put the ball where someone shorter can grab the ball...

I call it the Charles Hathaway disease after the former UT men's player who had the same problem.

Well, heck, even Jarnell and Jeronne do it. Don't know why?:whistling:
GO VOLS!

 

[golf437]

Back room coaches are a dime a dozen. If you know what you're talking about, get a job at a D1 school as a coach. 'Til then, nothing more than opinions.

Good post.

 

[meekfan]

Back room coaches are a dime a dozen. If you know what you're talking about, get a job at a D1 school as a coach. 'Til then, nothing more than opinions.

WOW! I guess everyone should keep their opinions to themselves. Oh, wait, that's what forums are supposed to be for - sharing opinions. It doesn't take a D1 coach to see what is going on during a game. . .

What do you think should be discussed here Sly?

 

[tim]

WOW! I guess everyone should keep their opinions to themselves. Oh, wait, that's what forums are supposed to be for - sharing opinions. It doesn't take a D1 coach to see what is going on during a game. . .

What do you think should be discussed here Sly?

Recipes. I also think Graves posts up too deep and this forces her to dribble out from underneath the goal.

 

[Arclight]

She needs to watch tapes of Nina DAVIS from Baylor. Davis played at Memphis-Central.

 

[Orange Maniac]

Do people actually think the post players are taught to bring the ball down? They harped on Nicky Anosike for 4 years and that was under Pat. Did it make her change. NO. In the heat of battle the player reverts to what they have been doing their whole life. They don't get enough practice time in school to get it out of their system. Maybe a greater emphasis should be put on it, but they are being coached to keep the ball up.

 

[Slydell]

WOW! I guess everyone should keep their opinions to themselves. Oh, wait, that's what forums are supposed to be for - sharing opinions. It doesn't take a D1 coach to see what is going on during a game. . .

What do you think should be discussed here Sly?

Whatever you want. Just some confuse their opinions with facts. Two different animals. IMO. :hi:

 

[armchair]

The usually gather themselves to power backup for the put back. All the bigs do it Look at greats like Shaq even Duncan does it.

Shaq might have done it some--he wasn't that skilled but he was huge and strong and so nobody could stop him--but Duncan's fundamentals have always been excellent. I'm simply pointing out something that is quite obvious when you watch Graves with the ball--and that quite obviously makes it even more difficult for her to score than if her fundamentals were good, because she doesn't have much touch. The paint area is crowded--the longer you hold the ball in there, the more trouble you will have. She gets rebounds but you have to be able to put the ball in the basket. We're playing a 16 seed with zero size and she missed at least four three-foot shots in a row in the first half. And we're going to challenge ND and CT., two programs with excellent players AND excellent coaching?

 

[Amb3096]

Simmons has been playing like she just gulped down a 10 hour energy drink. She shows flashes of brilliance but misses so many shots. I feel bad, but was happy when she went to the bench at one point yesterday.
I don't follow WNBA but do you guys see her going to the next level?
Thanks! Go Lady Vols!

She will get drafted, but it's a different story if she makes a roster.

If she goes to training camp and plays like she did from from Jan up to the SEC tournament, she's a lock to make a team. Who wouldn't want a player with that kind of speed and ability to hit tough shots.

If the Simmons who has played since the first SEC tournament game through yesterday's game is the one that shows up in training camp, then she will be in the first round of cuts.

I personally think that the odds are against her on making a final roster cut. She was a very good college player, but the WNBA slots are so limited that they just won't risk a roster space on a streaky player who can disrupt an offensive flow when she gets too amped up. There have been other more fundamentally sound players from Tennessee (Bjorklund, Spani, Cain) who weren't able to stick in the league. Simmons is more athletic, but she also tends to shy away from contact and rely on low percentage contested pull up jumpers with no chance of drawing fouls. With her speed, she should be taking at least 6 FTs a game before the intentional fouls, but it's just not in her nature.

She'll get drafted late first round/early second round, but if I had to predict, I'd say the won't makeit past the final cut.

 

[Amb3096]

In the heat of battle the player reverts to what they have been doing their whole life. They don't get enough practice time in school to get it out of their system. Maybe a greater emphasis should be put on it, but they are being coached to keep the ball up.

That's the difference between a good athlete and a good basketball player.

Good athletes rely on athleticism, not fundamentals.

Good basketball players rely on skill first, enabled by athleticism.

With the exception of Harrison, Carter, Massengale and Reynolds, and Simmons in the middle, Tennessee's roster is filled with athletes first.

They have the 4 6'2+ posts that probably dominated in HS because they were taller and more athletic, but their basketballs skills and IQ are on the low side. Then you have Russell, who so far is just tall. If these five players don't turn into solid basketball players in the next year or two, Tennessee won't be challenging for a NC over teams with good basketball players.

 

[Convoluted]

Back room coaches are a dime a dozen. If you know what you're talking about, get a job at a D1 school as a coach. 'Til then, nothing more than opinions.

What the coaches say are opinions too. Just because they are coaches doesn't mean they are good at getting through to the players.

What I see are players getting back slaps for one or two good plays while bonehead moves are ignored.

 

[Convoluted]

I don't follow WNBA but do you guys see her going to the next level?
Thanks! Go Lady Vols!

No. Others above have hit the nail on the head.

 

[Convoluted]

Do people actually think the post players are taught to bring the ball down? They harped on Nicky Anosike for 4 years and that was under Pat. Did it make her change. NO. In the heat of battle the player reverts to what they have been doing their whole life. They don't get enough practice time in school to get it out of their system. Maybe a greater emphasis should be put on it, but they are being coached to keep the ball up.

Pat wasn't know for teaching offense. Kids use to be taught fundamentals in high school, but no longer. Now they just play a lot of games with little instruction. Therefore, when they get to college, coaches need to start with the basics instead of assuming they already know those concepts.

As Bria Hartley said of Geno Auriemma's method: You don't practice something until you get it right. You practice it until you can't get it wrong.

 

[Orange Maniac]

Pat wasn't know for teaching offense. Kids use to be taught fundamentals in high school, but no longer. Now they just play a lot of games with little instruction. Therefore, when they get to college, coaches need to start with the basics instead of assuming they already know those concepts.

As Bria Hartley said of Geno Auriemma's method: You don't practice something until you get it right. You practice it until you can't get it wrong.

That's why Geno is the best women's coach in the game. He gets it done while others don't. That's what sets him apart from every other coach out there. The Lady Vols have leaned on just the talent for a long time. I think they are coached pretty well, not Geno level but not Andy Landers level either.

 

[Amb3096]

That's why Geno is the best women's coach in the game. He gets it done while others don't. That's what sets him apart from every other coach out there. The Lady Vols have leaned on just the talent for a long time. I think they are coached pretty well, not Geno level but not Andy Landers level either.

The thing that UConn teams do that I wish Tennessee would learn is how to make crisp passes. UConn moves the ball between the players with surgical precision. Stefanie Dolson is a better passer than anyone on Tennessee's team, and she probably averages more assists per game. So far, Carter and Reynolds are the only consistently good passers on the team...especially with Massengale out.

It drives me crazy watching Tennessee throw those high overhead passes crosscourt that they bobble. Those passes do nothing for getting good court position to score. It's even worse when they try to make cute passes, turn the ball over and foul on a made basket at the other end (BURDICK!).

 

[clkou]

She will get drafted, but it's a different story if she makes a roster

If Kamiko was able to get drafted, make a roster, and get minutes, there's no reason Meighan can't either.

 

[armchair]

The thing that UConn teams do that I wish Tennessee would learn is how to make crisp passes. UConn moves the ball between the players with surgical precision. Stefanie Dolson is a better passer than anyone on Tennessee's team, and she probably averages more assists per game. So far, Carter and Reynolds are the only consistently good passers on the team...especially with Massengale out.

It drives me crazy watching Tennessee throw those high overhead passes crosscourt that they bobble. Those passes do nothing for getting good court position to score. It's even worse when they try to make cute passes, turn the ball over and foul on a made basket at the other end (BURDICK!).

between CT. and UT since Geno took over that program. They pretty much do everything well that we did well under PS (defense, rebounding)--but they have always been a MUCH better passing team than the Vols, which translates into better offensive efficiency. Actually, it isn't really that Ct.--and ND and others--are excellent passing teams. Rather, it's simply that UT isn't--and hasn't been for a LONG time. This is why we've seen so much ugly offensive basketball over the years--see the first half against NW State. Team offense simply was never PS's thing, and then that deficiency caught up with us. This is why our turnover numbers are so consistently high. I think UT's passing under Warlick has actually /improved a bit/--but ball movement is still not what it should be. We will make two/three passes, and then Simmons will hoist up a shot. We need to emulate the way we played against Vandy in Ktown--patient offense, very efficient, get the ball inside, high assist number, few TOs. Possessions are valuable, especially against top teams. Look at many of the best men's teams--Wisconsin, Stanford, Wichita State, even UT men--patient with the ball, make the defense work, get a good look.