governmentmule
as always Go Lady Vols :clapping:
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is that a good thing ?
When DD decided to leave UNC, there were rumblings on the internet that she was a problem child. Difficult to manage and more individual than team oriented. Just takes "one" in the locker room to make things difficult. It's why I just don't get excited about transfers and JUCO players. They usually have issues/baggage and it's something of a 50/50 deal that it works out. I don't know what to expect from this team next year and certainly don't know if this will open things up for the roster and more importantly, Holly to relax and take a big step forward, but when you have chemistry issues on any roster but especially one as small as a basketball roster, it's extremely hard to succeed. UT may tank this year, but at least things are changing. Maybe Holly needs to adjust her recruiting along the lines Barnes has taken? Skip the 5 star prima donnas and go get kids who love the game, work hard and respond to coaching with a "team first" attitude? Will the LV nation be patient with an approach like that? Should be a very interesting season to watch. Make or break is a cliche, but I think it fits Holly's 2017 season to a...forgive me...T.
When DD decided to leave UNC, there were rumblings on the internet that she was a problem child. Difficult to manage and more individual than team oriented. Just takes "one" in the locker room to make things difficult. It's why I just don't get excited about transfers and JUCO players. They usually have issues/baggage and it's something of a 50/50 deal that it works out. I don't know what to expect from this team next year and certainly don't know if this will open things up for the roster and more importantly, Holly to relax and take a big step forward, but when you have chemistry issues on any roster but especially one as small as a basketball roster, it's extremely hard to succeed. UT may tank this year, but at least things are changing. Maybe Holly needs to adjust her recruiting along the lines Barnes has taken? Skip the 5 star prima donnas and go get kids who love the game, work hard and respond to coaching with a "team first" attitude? Will the LV nation be patient with an approach like that? Should be a very interesting season to watch. Make or break is a cliche, but I think it fits Holly's 2017 season to a...forgive me...T.
First of all, thank you gov'tmule for getting out front and saying this is the time to ask questions--not presume things we don't really know. I think the questions most pertinent to the future of Lady Vol basketball are about the changing world outside of Knoxville.
CAVPUT lays out the terrain well. I'd add a link to http://www.volnation.com/forum/tenn...icle-sally-jenkins-coaching-difficulties.html for the article on how society and the pool of recruits has changed since Pat's/our glory days. Among today's female basketball 4- & 5-stars, "problem child" may be the median rather than the extreme.
Holly understood better than anyone the "secrets" of Pat's successes. Holly was also the one who provided the buffer between Pat's demands and overwhelmed players. She translated Pat to players, explained and personalized those demands for excellence, and soothed the feelings and egos of good players being challenged to become great.
If anyone was able to be the bridge between Pat's proven standards and today's many (but not all) self-esteemed yet character-hollow players, it would be Holly. But is this already a bridge too far? I'm convinced that U Conn's dominant years were more attributable to their ability to attract the ever-fewer coachable elites, leaving other teams to compete for the brilliant-but-problematic, or coachable-but-less-athletic players. Reputation will allow you to do that--for awhile, as Pat's latter years attest.
Here's another question: has South Carolina or Mississippi State actually built a program? Have they established a consistent team brand? Or have they merely accepted and committed to the modern task of juggling players and egos while trying to catch lightning in a bottle for a full season? And if so, at what cost?
Something Holly also witnessed from her years with Pat was her comradery with Fulmer, and their shared challenge of getting beyond just being a top-10 team each year. I expect that Holly has had many conversations with Butch Jones, and has been watching how his efforts are going, building a modern program based on character, responsibility, and team-as-family... then trying to recruit better players based on that.
Is that something that can be achieved in women's basketball with today's pool of talent? Sally Jenkins concluded that in today's world, Pat Summitt would be fired after one season. John Currie soon needs to decide if current and next generation Lady Vol fans will support competitive, team-players they can be proud of in the long pursuit of occasional championships. Otherwise, the Athletic Dept's focus will shift to filling __# of $eat$ with a succession of Bruce Pearls and Layne Kiffins.
DD seems to have a restless spirit. In her high school years, I was aware of her promise. When she went to NC it was obvious she was not satisfied, and I was concerned when she was welcomed at UT. She didn't seem "all in" during the year she had to sit out. Then, 2 years ago it seemed obvious when she was interviewed that her favorite word was "I." It continued, largely, last year, in interviews she gave.
I think her leaving will be a positive for the team, and, I hope, a positive for her. I think until she commits (if she ever does) to being A PART of a team, and not APART FROM the team, she will continue her restless searching. It will be interesting to watch as her after-college life unfolds, and to see if the pattern continues.
I hope our other veterans THROW themselves into the team ethos, and what they bring to the team and the game, without hesitation, instead of playing like they are trying to protect themselves.
I think being chosen to be a LV is one of the best things that can happen to a female basketball player, and those that are need to be totally committed to what that means! It's not punching a time clock!