McDonald's All American Game

[jwhite9]

Have to say that I was expecting something different from her from all of the praise she's been getting on this board. She's athletic, but she looks very raw.

Westbrook was the clear standout of the incoming class. She already plays with the poise of a college player.

She was playing out of position she's more of a 3 in college. She was thinking unable to showcase her dribbling, 3 point shooting and just all all around player she can be. This is why India like all star games this is just for fun. A lot of UCONN recruits in the past didn't play well but they still go off to the WNBA. LOL. Just a all star game nothing serious.

 

[armchair]

After checking out the game here are my thoughts:

KK: She's a solid rebounder who plays aggressive defense and is always looking to block the shot (nothing like Russell). I think she'll be a nice backup who can focus on defense and rebounding

Westbrook: I love her quick decision making. She gets rid of the ball quickly and doesn't spend valuable time over-dribbling. A clear floor general with great vision. She was also able to finish with contact and has active hands on defense. She had four assists but played a role in more buckets.

Hayes: She's quick, has great vision and is a pesky defender. She's aggressive in the open court and looks to attack. I would love to see her get some time in the backcourt with Westbrook.

Davis: Not her best game but I loved her rebounding and ability to run the floor. She seems to be the type to play better in a typical game.

Most impressive: Chasity Patterson and Rellah Boothe. Patterson has a quick crossover, smooth jumper; and is confident in the open court. Boothe has great range and is an aggressive rebounder. The prototype for inside-outside. She proclaimed Texas would win at least two titles with her and I'm not ready to dispute that.

Most overrated: Dana Evans. Most likely she's not suited for this style of game but I found her to be sloppy often it seemed the game was too fast for her. IMO she holds onto the ball too long. I'm very happy she chose Louisville and we got Hayes.

Congrats to Evina Westbrook for being named the McDonald's High School Girl's Player of the Year.

All four players are extremely talented. I expect Westbrook to start at point guard from Day One. The only one who can mess this up is Holly. As long as the best players get the most minutes, we'll be fine.

plays PG, then what are we doing with Cooper? Sitting her on the bench? I doubt it. What position is Hayes playing? Is she a scorer? We need a 2 guard--a shooting/scoring guard. This has been a problem for us. Who is going to make threes for us? I have to think that Cooper will be PG and Westbrook will play the 2, along with Nared and Russell and either Greene or DD.

 

[Amb3096]

Obviously we watched different games. Anastasia only took one shot from the perimeter so it's not like she was missing a lot. She was beating all of her defenders off the dribble and getting to the rim. Middleton will be on the bench from day 1.

I recall 4 FTs resulting from fouls on open court drives to the basket, 2 FTs at the end of the game trying to get possession back, and 1 basket on a fast break. No creating, no outside shooting, no pull up. She didn't really do much.

I'm sure she's better than she showed, but she didn't do anything special on either end of the court tonight. I've seen better from Middleton playing actual college games.

 

[Pappy]

The soccer and rowing teams have never been the lady vols and why would they want to be saddled with a 1950s name now? I don't think volleyball has been lady vols either. The sooner the diehard women's basketball fans stop obsessing with the past, the better. Then maybe the program can crawl out of the ditch and be relevant again.

yep...their team name is gonna help them win again

 

[Amb3096]

plays PG, then what are we doing with Cooper? Sitting her on the bench? I doubt it. What position is Hayes playing? Is she a scorer? We need a 2 guard--a shooting/scoring guard. This has been a problem for us. Who is going to make threes for us? I have to think that Cooper will be PG and Westbrook will play the 2, along with Nared and Russell and either Greene or DD.

In tonight's game, no threes from the recruits. Anastasia didn't take any perimeter shots, Rennia bricked a pair, and Evina had a wide open three that she passed up to smartly take a few steps in to make a long 2.

I'm not sure where the outside shooting will come from. It doesn't like like either of the guards are natural outside shooters. Maybe Davis will need to improve in this area.

 

[Rickster]

I don't think anything really useful can be learned from these AA games. They have little structure and there is always two or three players on each side that tends to take the most shots. If one is unselfesh or a team player, their stats are not going to look good.

 

[Teejay5952]

I recall 4 FTs resulting from fouls on open court drives to the basket, 2 FTs at the end of the game trying to get possession back, and 1 basket on a fast break. No creating, no outside shooting, no pull up. She didn't really do much.

I'm sure she's better than she showed, but she didn't do anything special on either end of the court tonight. I've seen better from Middleton playing actual college games.

She was creating shots by getting to the rim & getting fouled. The break away layups were from her stealing the ball. If you think Middleton is better than Hayes then you don't know basketball. Middleton is way to slow to have success against the top tier teams.

 

[PRG]

She was creating shots by getting to the rim & getting fouled. The break away layups were from her stealing the ball. If you think Middleton is better than Hayes then you don't know basketball. Middleton is way to slow to have success against the top tier teams.

You are wasting your time using common sense talking to AMB!!!!!! I am just tooooo stubborn to realize the effort is fruitless! No wonder there are so many divorces in the world . 🌎

The only thing we can agree on is we just disagree.👺

 

[Amb3096]

She was creating shots by getting to the rim & getting fouled. The break away layups were from her stealing the ball. If you think Middleton is better than Hayes then you don't know basketball. Middleton is way to slow to have success against the top tier teams.

Alexa averaged 8 ppg for Tennessee, led the team in 3 pt makes, and did fine against the SEC. If you think an inexperienced HS player is going to take over from her on day 1, I'd say that you're the one who doesn't know anything about basketball. Hell, you think minus ATO Te'a Cooper is a good point guard, so...

 

[Amb3096]

You are wasting your time using common sense talking to AMB!!!!!! I am just tooooo stubborn to realize the effort is fruitless! No wonder there are so many divorces in the world . 🌎

The only thing we can agree on is we just disagree.👺

Is that what you call it? "Common sense"? Only in your Bizarro World :crazy:

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[NoBackBoard]

plays PG, then what are we doing with Cooper? Sitting her on the bench? I doubt it. What position is Hayes playing? Is she a scorer? We need a 2 guard--a shooting/scoring guard. This has been a problem for us. Who is going to make threes for us? I have to think that Cooper will be PG and Westbrook will play the 2, along with Nared and Russell and either Greene or DD.

I could see Hayes playing a backup pg or sg and Cooper starting but Westbrook has to be pg. Putting her elsewhere is a waste of her skill set imo.

 

[stubbs9]

I like Hayes. She is quick and likes to play defense.

 

[Teejay5952]

Alexa averaged 8 ppg for Tennessee, led the team in 3 pt makes, and did fine against the SEC. If you think an inexperienced HS player is going to take over from her on day 1, I'd say that you're the one who doesn't know anything about basketball. Hell, you think minus ATO Te'a Cooper is a good point guard, so...

Middleton avg 8 pts as a junior & te'a cooper avg 9 as a freshmen and played less minutes her freshmen season than middleton played this year. If cooper didn't get hurt & draya returned this year Middleton would've been buried on the bench like her first 2 seasons. She will be back on the bench next season mark my words.

 

[therickbol]

After today game Tennessee has 3 point guards. Te'a Cooper, Evina Westbrook and Anastasia Hayes. :thumbsup:

Lots of things go into being an actual PG:

Westbrook has ballhandling, great passer, great court vision, high basketball IQ.

Hayes has ballhandling, good passer, good court vision, high basketball IQ.

Cooper has ballhandling, below average passer, decent court vision, low basektball IQ, BUT she has PG 'size' (aka she is short). She is a scorer that has good handles.

 

[Rickster]

I hope, now that the game has been played, people will adjust their expectations of the freshmen. None of the players in this game, while good, will come in and change the game.

Freshmen need time to adapt to a lot of life changes as well as a game that will pit them against much more talent than they played against in high school. I believe that all our freshmen will develop into really good players over time. Some will contribute early and often but we will not see how good they will become for at least two years.

The damage the recruiting drought has caused will not fully wash out for at least one more year and then only if the freshmen develop faster than usual. JMHO

 

[Prophet1]

I agree but she also spent all of the game at the 4 spot, it is rare that we will see her at that spot at UT therefore I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, she spent most of the game playing on the block/defending the post, she didn't get to room the perimeter like Boothe and Walker was allowed to do! I like that she didn't pout about not getting touches/the ball! On a team where Chassity Patterson, Boothe and Walker were all gunning for POTG, I commend some of the other girls for swallowing their pride and not being selfish (Like the 3 I mentioned seemed to be on several occasions)

Alot of showboating from your three mention. Davis seems laid back and doesn't appear to crave the spotlight. Notice this while watching the Monday Powerade events whenever they showed her on camera. She remind me of Vicki Baugh.

 

[PRG]

Alexa averaged 8 ppg for Tennessee, led the team in 3 pt makes, and did fine against the SEC. If you think an inexperienced HS player is going to take over from her on day 1, I'd say that you're the one who doesn't know anything about basketball. Hell, you think minus ATO Te'a Cooper is a good point guard, so...

Thanks for the stats except you did not complete.
Led the team in threes made.....and led the team in threes taken ! I guess if you shoot more then you should make more (common sense).

What about % of Made?
Team = .339%
Alexa = .389%
That makes her three point shooting % .050 better than the team (wow a whole 5 % better)

The only one close to her is Nared and her three point percentage is .378% which makes her .011% better than Nared. Pretty close when you say she is the leader. But she is the best three point shooter on the team. YEAH way to go Alexa

Since the girls three point shooting is sooo good at .339%! Me thinks you should find another stat to Bragg about because I don't think anyone on this team would be proud of our three point shooting!

Check the games against SEC verses out of conference teams!!!! Then let me know what you find. Maybe you can Bragg about that .

 

[T.J.]

Lots of things go into being an actual PG:

Westbrook has ballhandling, great passer, great court vision, high basketball IQ.

Hayes has ballhandling, good passer, good court vision, high basketball IQ.

Cooper has ballhandling, below average passer, decent court vision, low basektball IQ, BUT she has PG 'size' (aka she is short). She is a scorer that has good handles.

I agree about our future guard situation.

What I witnessed from Anastasia and Evina today they are very good passers and both are quick. Evina's game reminds me that of Jaime's. I believe that both players should contribute next season as they played really well today.

Anastasia had a beautiful take away steal by jumping up in the air to steal the defender's ball to race down the court for an easy layup. She was all by herself after she made that layup. That's how fast she was...

Evina had some spot on passes on the move. Good court vision that girl has she was very impressive!

Rennia and Kasi will give us good rebounders. That use to be Tennessee's mainstay from their post players. I didn't see enough of them to get a better feeling on their games like I did with Hayes and Westbrook, though.

The freshmen will need guidance and a critical thinking coach to put them into a winning situation. We'll have to wait and see if that happens.

GoLadyVols!

A couple of takes from the game..... Chassidy Patterson and Rellah Booth are going to be a force to be reckoned with for The Texas Longhorns. k:

For those of you suggesting that Meghan Walker isn't that good will be in for a big surprise once she puts on that Huskie uniform. I saw glimpses of a very good player. Shots were missing but she made a lot more than she missed and her ball handling and smooth attacking moves to the rim showcased her skill level. Couple that with Geno as her coach and you might as well mark her down as an All American by her Junior year. :thud:

 

[T.J.]

I hope, now that the game has been played, people will adjust their expectations of the freshmen. None of the players in this game, while good, will come in and change the game.

Freshmen need time to adapt to a lot of life changes as well as a game that will pit them against much more talent than they played against in high school. I believe that all our freshmen will develop into really good players over time. Some will contribute early and often but we will not see how good they will become for at least two years.

The damage the recruiting drought has caused will not fully wash out for at least one more year and then only if the freshmen develop faster than usual. JMHO

If the Freshmen games need to be developed faster than usual how is that going to happen? Who's going to make that happen?

 

[Prophet1]

In my opinion, no. They could score on uncontested layups and free throws, but none of them hit any perimeter shots or created any shots off the dribble. I also didn't see any great defense from Anastasia. Certainly nothing to give Holly reason to start them over Alexa, so I guess Alexa better be ready to play next year.

I didn't see none of that, I was busy enjoying the game. The Mickey D is a showcase game , but it's hard to do what you stated with all the ball hogs around them. I enjoyed our girls.

 

[Ladyvol777]

"Ladies" is an outdated term. If you don't get that--and being Southerners I suppose I should understand that you don't--I don't know what to tell you. If the rowing and soccer and volleyball coaches thought Lady Vols was still relevant, they'd have wanted to keep it. It isn't except to a bunch of women's basketball diehards who are still pining for the PS era. We'll see how the next women's basketball coach feels about it; I'm afraid he or she will have no choice as old people in orange sweaters will descend on him or her like locust were a decision to be made to scrap the name. If Lady Vols was adopted in 1976, that makes it more than 40 years old. It's OLD. The logo is likewise OLD and weak-looking. Look at the Power T and look at the Lady Vols logo. Big differernce. One strong, the other weak. Things change in life...A LOT of women's programs put the word Lady in front of their nickname in the 1970s and 1980s--and I'm quite sure a lot of Lady names at other colleges have been phased out. I've never said a word about a nickname having any relevance to a program's performance. It doesn't. It about image and identity in 2017.
....."Ladies" is an outdated term....... the power T is also, can't use the word men anymore it outdated. Can't sing Rocky Top it outdated, might as well shut Tennessee sports down.

 

[Rickster]

Middleton improved a lot from last year to this year. I would like to see similar improvement over the summer and, if it happens, I see her making a more than significant contribution next year. I don't think it will be at the point but rather at SG. This team will need her to consistently score 8-10 ppg game in and game out. Next year the team will also need Dunbar to contribute. I think next year is an important year for her. Getting a consistent 6 ppg out of her will help as the freshmen adjust.

 

[Rickster]

If the Freshmen games need to be developed faster than usual how is that going to happen? Who's going to make that happen?

I expect it will be through rigorous practice aided by instruction. Repetition against much more talented players will help a lot. There is a reason that coaches say the biggest improvement occurs from year one to year two. If the Lady Vols are to return to past greatness next year, they cannot afford to wait the normal amount of time for that improvement to occur. Faster development will be required which means a lot of gym time.

 

[Amb3096]

Thanks for the stats except you did not complete.
Led the team in threes made.....and led the team in threes taken ! I guess if you shoot more then you should make more (common sense).

What about % of Made?
Team = .339%
Alexa = .389%
That makes her three point shooting % .050 better than the team (wow a whole 5 % better)

The only one close to her is Nared and her three point percentage is .378% which makes her .011% better than Nared. Pretty close when you say she is the leader. But she is the best three point shooter on the team. YEAH way to go Alexa

Since the girls three point shooting is sooo good at .339%! Me thinks you should find another stat to Bragg about because I don't think anyone on this team would be proud of our three point shooting!

Check the games against SEC verses out of conference teams!!!! Then let me know what you find. Maybe you can Bragg about that .

Are you kidding me? I suggest that you learn math if you're going to try to look smart by citing numbers. But you know the saying..."Better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." I believe me, there's no doubt here.

Alexa shot 39% from deep. That is a solid number, considering she takes a lot of them. And she shoots more threes because she is statistically more likely to make them than Diamond or Jordan. Duh! Common sense. The rest of the team shot 32% (NOT 34%, because that includes Alexa's statistics). So that's 7 percentage points,, which is an improvement of 21%. THAT is a significant increase.

But sure...Anastasia's 1-3 shooting, 1 assist, 4 turnovers, and 1 steal tonight is definitive proof that she's the PG of the future :crazy:

 

[maxvolfan]

Man if Diamond stays we will have about 4 players with great court vision. DD,Westbrooke,Hayes,and Cooper has superior passing skills. Im glad we have Westbrooke and not Uconn. She has that 'IT' factor. I just pray, pray their game don't regress under Holly. Evina is definitely a future AP All American.