Practice begins

[Volfan2012]

I can accept 34 percent three point shooting as that is equivalent in points to 52 percent two point shooting. The 39 percent two point shooting is where she needs to make dramatic improvement. Carter is capable of over 45 percent on layup and two point shots hopefully that is where she has improved.

 

[Ladyvol777]

I can accept 34 percent three point shooting as that is equivalent in points to 52 percent two point shooting. The 39 percent two point shooting is where she needs to make dramatic improvement. Carter is capable of over 45 percent on layup and two point shots hopefully that is where she has improved.

As hard as Carter works i'm sure her percent will go up, after her shoulder surgery she said she had to learn how to shoot again, I have a lot of confidence in her and the Lady Vols team this year. The best team they have had since 2008.

 

[LVJeff]

I can accept 34 percent three point shooting as that is equivalent in points to 52 percent two point shooting. The 39 percent two point shooting is where she needs to make dramatic improvement. Carter is capable of over 45 percent on layup and two point shots hopefully that is where she has improved.

If the team's best outside shooter is shooting only 34%, I don't think that is good enough to challenge for a championship. Somebody has to get close to 37-40% to take the pressure off the inside game. Otherwise it will be more of the same - the other team will pack in the defense because the LV's shoot too poorly from the outside.

 

[Amb3096]

If the team's best outside shooter is shooting only 34%, I don't think that is good enough to challenge for a championship. Somebody has to get close to 37-40% to take the pressure off the inside game. Otherwise it will be more of the same - the other team will pack in the defense because the LV's shoot too poorly from the outside.

34% isn't horrible, but Carter is at 34% while making less than 1 outside shot per game and not averaging that many attempts. Someone on this team besides Diamond needs to put up the same volume (and accuracy) as Ariel did last year.

And to be fair to Andraya, Jordan needs to step up as well. She can consistently get in the paint, but misses way too many <10 foot shots.

 

[volcrazy89]

And to be fair to Andraya, Jordan needs to step up as well. She can consistently get in the paint, but misses way too many <10 foot shots.

Completely agree.

Honestly a backcourt of Carter and Reynolds isn't going to get us far unless they can improve, especially given that we lost the only guard last year who 1.) could shoot, 2.) would shoot and 3.) was aggressive offensively -- Ariel.

 

[Voluble2]

If the team's best outside shooter is shooting only 34%, I don't think that is good enough to challenge for a championship. Somebody has to get close to 37-40% to take the pressure off the inside game. Otherwise it will be more of the same - the other team will pack in the defense because the LV's shoot too poorly from the outside.

I checked at one pt last year and UConn was shooting a whole 10% better than we were. The stats were just night and day different.

I think they shot 54% as a team and we shot 43%. From three pt they were 41% and we were 35%. They had 6 players who shot over 50% and we had 2.

Defense isn't going to make up for that sort of discrepancy, especially when their defense is every bit as good as ours.

Dunbar is probably our best returning outside shooter and she will be playing inside because of mobility, ball handling and numbers issues. She can still pop out for a three sometimes but her opportunities will be more limited.

So yeah, a lot will be riding on how well the new girls shoot.

 

[Amb3096]

I checked at one pt last year and UConn was shooting a whole 10% better than we were. The stats were just night and day different.

I think they shot 54% as a team and we shot 43%. From three pt they were 41% and we were 35%. They had 6 players who shot over 50% and we had 2.

Defense isn't going to make up for that sort of discrepancy, especially when their defense is every bit as good as ours.

Dunbar is probably our best returning outside shooter and she will be playing inside because of mobility, ball handling and numbers issues. She can still pop out for a three sometimes but her opportunities will be more limited.

So yeah, a lot will be riding on how well the new girls shoot.

Dunbar can be used as a stretch 4 and it would open up the middle for either Graves/Russell in the low post. It would prevent defense from collapsing in on the paint. Problem is that she's not good enough to get meaningful minutes when Jasmine Jones and Jaime Nared are ahead of her in the rotation.

Where UConn exceeds is that they recruit players that can play offense and defense. None of this "defensive specialist" crap. All of their key players are just as good (if not better) on the defensive end, and they are scoring threats to boot.

So while one hopes the new girls (really only Cooper since I don't have high expectations for Jackson as a freshman and there are better players ahead of her in the rotation), what's more important is that the returning girls (Jordan, Draya, Alexa and Jaime) have significantly improved their shooting.

 

[Teejay5952]

I checked at one pt last year and UConn was shooting a whole 10% better than we were. The stats were just night and day different.

I think they shot 54% as a team and we shot 43%. From three pt they were 41% and we were 35%. They had 6 players who shot over 50% and we had 2.

Defense isn't going to make up for that sort of discrepancy, especially when their defense is every bit as good as ours.

Dunbar is probably our best returning outside shooter and she will be playing inside because of mobility, ball handling and numbers issues. She can still pop out for a three sometimes but her opportunities will be more limited.

So yeah, a lot will be riding on how well the new girls shoot.

Can't compare there shooting percentage to uconn considering the fact that they are in a weak conference & only play a couple of ranked teams, the lady cold had the toughest schedule last year however the shooting percentage should have been better.

 

[Amb3096]

Can't compare there shooting percentage to uconn considering the fact that they are in a weak conference & only play a couple of ranked teams, the lady cold had the toughest schedule last year however the shooting percentage should have been better.

Sure you can. They are the team that dropped 81 points and shot 54% against a Maryland team that held Tennessee to 48 points and 32% a week earlier.

The fact that they demolish ranked teams just as mercilessly as they do conference creampuffs invalidates any excuses that they only look good because of their pitiful conference.

I do think that once Stewart is gone (assuming Samuelson is not the heir apparent and Cox chooses elsewhere), then other teams will surpass them (both SC and Tennessee should be superior teams next season). But they are clearly the gold standard today as they have been for the last 2 seasons.

 

[BengalHuskie]

Draya reminds me of Kelly Faris. When it comes to the defensive end of the court nothing needs to be said, but on offense can always use a little encouragement. & I feel as though once Draya gets confidence in her shooting she will excel much like Kelly did. However, if your coach philosophy is based on defense and rebounding, and not so much on offense what do you expect. Looking at the team from the outside, everyone not named Ariel seemed hesitant to shoot the 3ball last season.

 

[Amb3096]

Draya reminds me of Kelly Faris. When it comes to the defensive end of the court nothing needs to be said, but on offense can always use a little encouragement. & I feel as though once Draya gets confidence in her shooting she will excel much like Kelly did. However, if your coach philosophy is based on defense and rebounding, and not so much on offense what do you expect. Looking at the team from the outside, everyone not named Ariel seemed hesitant to shoot the 3ball last season.

The biggest difference is that Kelly was on a team that was loaded with scoring threats, so there wasn't as much pressure to score. Teams would leave her alone and dare her to shoot, and to her credit, she would take the shot if she was open. More times than not, she would miss horribly, but she showed a willingness to shoot. I think that's one of the reasons that she was a legit scoring threat her senior year.

Tennessee needs Draya to shoot. She needs to get over whatever the mental hurdle is that's holding her back.

 

[gule]

the mental hurdle is a boatload of coaches telling her to "get the ball into the post" and "Don't Shoot the j".

Free up the offense a little and you'll see Tn's girls shooting the ball better. imvvho

 

[LVJeff]

the mental hurdle is a boatload of coaches telling her to "get the ball into the post...

I think you're on to something there. An unbalanced offense.

 

[Amb3096]

I think you're on to something there. An unbalanced offense.

When Tennessee lost to Texas early in the season, there was a point late in the game where on like 3-4 possessions, Draya attacked the basket and Texas could do nothing to slow her down. That's the Draya Tennessee needs game in, game out.

Contrast that to the MD game to close the season where at one point, Tennessee had a 2 on 1 fast break, and Draya kept looking to see where Cierra was so she could pass her the ball (Cierra was the one being guarded). Draya had a clear path to the basket, but hesitated until they lost their advantage and shot an uncontested 15 foot airball while seeing if Cierra was free yet.

Holly was beseeching Draya to shoot more. I don't think she's going to yank her off the court a la Simmons if she takes open shots that come from good ball movement.

 

[volfanIND]

I rather have Carter's defense than Carter's offense. I would rather see other players stepping up on offense rather than her.
Russell/Diamond
I would be happy to see those two carry our scoring load 'on averages' and have good supporting players score when needed.

You guys who haven't seen Russell this summer are in for a HUGE surprise. This girl can legit run now and run the floor. Russell/Graves/Diamond/Carter/Reynolds.
Reynolds has WORKED on her shot this summer legit. We should see improvement.

 

[madtownvol]

I rather have Carter's defense than Carter's offense. I would rather see other players stepping up on offense rather than her.
Russell/Diamond
I would be happy to see those two carry our scoring load 'on averages' and have good supporting players score when needed.

I am so with you on this. Carter is the team's designated defensive stopper and the player who consistently makes the hustle plays-- she reminds me of Alex Hornbuckle whose outside shot was inconsistent but brought a lot of value to the team. I actually think Carter needs to get a little better on the defensive side; she is not quite yet a lock down defender so that is where she can play her role better.

Middleton was supposed to be the extra outside shooting threat; of course, she was just a freshman but she did not deliver that much from outside. So, I am not sure why all the finger pointing is going toward Draya. She is probably the hardest LV on the court game in and game out.

 

[mlindsay]

I am so with you on this. Carter is the team's designated defensive stopper and the player who consistently makes the hustle plays-- she reminds me of Alex Hornbuckle whose outside shot was inconsistent but brought a lot of value to the team. I actually think Carter needs to get a little better on the defensive side; she is not quite yet a lock down defender so that is where she can play her role better.

Middleton was supposed to be the extra outside shooting threat; of course, she was just a freshman but she did not deliver that much from outside. So, I am not sure why all the finger pointing is going toward Draya. She is probably the hardest LV on the court game in and game out.

I agree with you on Middleton (also need the same from MeMe this year as I heard she is also a great outside shooter) I think we need players to shoot the open shot. Russell and Diamond will see a lot of double teams and we need our players to get to the corners/the open spot and take the shot. I think part of the problem is that Holly is so quick with her subs that some players force things instead of playing in the flow of the game. We have the talent we just have to execute.

 

[Amb3096]

I rather have Carter's defense than Carter's offense. I would rather see other players stepping up on offense rather than her.

Draya is the starting SG and will likely be playing 30 mpg on a team where the top 3 scorers have graduated. There's no reason that she can't continue to play defense AND develop a strong offensive game.

I am so with you on this. Carter is the team's designated defensive stopper and the player who consistently makes the hustle plays-- she reminds me of Alex Hornbuckle whose outside shot was inconsistent but brought a lot of value to the team. I actually think Carter needs to get a little better on the defensive side; she is not quite yet a lock down defender so that is where she can play her role better.

Middleton was supposed to be the extra outside shooting threat; of course, she was just a freshman but she did not deliver that much from outside. So, I am not sure why all the finger pointing is going toward Draya. She is probably the hardest LV on the court game in and game out.

Carter is getting the "finger pointing" because she is the starting SG on a team that is looking for scorers. She was a liability on offense last year, and if she hasn't changed her mindset, she will continue to be one this year. Frankly, her defense isn't even that great...certainly not at the level to excuse her lack of offensive contributions. She excels at faceguarding and on the ball pressure, but any half way decent and athletic guard can go right at her because she can't stop dribble penetration. She also doesn't do a good job of fighting around screens.

I don't agree with the Hornbuckle comparison at all. Lex had swagger and was a much better overall player. Her offense was overshadowed by the fact that she played with with a lot of pure shooters in addition to Candace Parker. She was at best the 3rd/4th scoring option on the team, but she still averaged around 10 ppg for her career.

I agree with you on Middleton (also need the same from MeMe this year as I heard she is also a great outside shooter) I think we need players to shoot the open shot. Russell and Diamond will see a lot of double teams and we need our players to get to the corners/the open spot and take the shot. I think part of the problem is that Holly is so quick with her subs that some players force things instead of playing in the flow of the game. We have the talent we just have to execute.

Exactly. Take the open shot. Not catch the ball and wait to pass it back to someone else who is willing to shoot.

The shooting guard needs to be prepared to shoot the ball when the opportunity presents itself. This is 2015. There's no such thing as "defensive specialists'. Those are called "mediocre basketball players".

 

[LVJeff]

When Tennessee lost to Texas early in the season, there was a point late in the game where on like 3-4 possessions, Draya attacked the basket and Texas could do nothing to slow her down. That's the Draya Tennessee needs game in, game out.

Contrast that to the MD game to close the season where at one point, Tennessee had a 2 on 1 fast break, and Draya kept looking to see where Cierra was so she could pass her the ball (Cierra was the one being guarded). Draya had a clear path to the basket, but hesitated until they lost their advantage and shot an uncontested 15 foot airball while seeing if Cierra was free yet.

Holly was beseeching Draya to shoot more. I don't think she's going to yank her off the court a la Simmons if she takes open shots that come from good ball movement.

I remember the play well. But it seemed clear to me at the time that MD was leaving Carter open on purpose - they weren't afraid of her scoring.

 

[LVJeff]

...I am not sure why all the finger pointing is going toward Draya. She is probably the hardest LV on the court game in and game out.

To whom much is given much is expected. Carter has a fantastic physical skill set. Hopefully this season she will use that skill set to play both sides of the ball with a confidence and aggressiveness heretofore unseen.

 

[LVJeff]

...I think part of the problem is that Holly is so quick with her subs that some players force things instead of playing in the flow of the game...

Yet Holly has said she will probably substitute MORE this season due to the rules changes and there are plenty of fans that believe shuttling players in and out allows for fresh players to wear down the opposition. I've seen no evidence that the LV's have been able to wear down top teams. I've seen plenty of evidence that the LV's aren't very cohesive on offense.

I repeat - pick a lineup and stick with it Holly. Let them learn to play with each other.

 

[madtownvol]

Carter is getting the "finger pointing" because she is the starting SG on a team that is looking for scorers. She was a liability on offense last year, and if she hasn't changed her mindset, she will continue to be one this year. Frankly, her defense isn't even that great...certainly not at the level to excuse her lack of offensive contributions. She excels at faceguarding and on the ball pressure, but any half way decent and athletic guard can go right at her because she can't stop dribble penetration. She also doesn't do a good job of fighting around screens.

I don't agree with the Hornbuckle comparison at all. Lex had swagger and was a much better overall player. Her offense was overshadowed by the fact that she played with with a lot of pure shooters in addition to Candace Parker. She was at best the 3rd/4th scoring option on the team, but she still averaged around 10 ppg for her career.....This is 2015. There's no such thing as "defensive specialists'. Those are called "mediocre basketball players".

Generals are always fighting last year's war. DeShields and Russell should greatly change the offensive equation for the LVs (plus we can hope that Reynolds, Middleton, Jones, Nared will made some gains and that the freshman will add some additional offensive spark). Per Hornbuckle, take Candace and Bobbitt out of the equation and then think how Lex would have looked if placed into the position of having to be the stop scorer. I think her swagger would have taken a hit.

I think you also realize that Draya was playing a hybrid position; more often than not she was the de facto point guard and Ariel was the de facto shooting guard. This is 2015-- player positions are much more fluid. As for no defensive specialists, please inform Steve Kerr that he must cut the oh so mediocre Draymond Green.

 

[Amb3096]

Generals are always fighting last year's war. DeShields and Russell should greatly change the offensive equation for the LVs (plus we can hope that Reynolds, Middleton, Jones, Nared will made some gains and that the freshman will add some additional offensive spark). Per Hornbuckle, take Candace and Bobbitt out of the equation and then think how Lex would have looked if placed into the position of having to be the stop scorer. I think her swagger would have taken a hit.

I think you also realize that Draya was playing a hybrid position; more often than not she was the de facto point guard and Ariel was the de facto shooting guard. This is 2015-- player positions are much more fluid. As for no defensive specialists, please inform Steve Kerr that he must cut the oh so mediocre Draymond Green.

I didn't say Lex was good enough to carry the team, but in the role she was needed to play (which is the same as Draya), she was a far superior player.

And Draya wasn't playing the hybrid position; Ariel was. Her and Jordan mostly shared PG duties. 90% of the time, one of the two was bringing the ball down the court. Draya played almost exclusively off the ball.

If you think she's lived up to her potential, then that's your opinion and I respect that. I don't expect to convince you otherwise just as you won't convert me either. The only person that will do that for me is Draya.

PS - Draya is no Green. Not even close. Not on the defensive side and certainly not on the offensive side. He was one of the best college players in the nation and is a solid NBA player. There is no comparison.

 

[Amb3096]

I remember the play well. But it seemed clear to me at the time that MD was leaving Carter open on purpose - they weren't afraid of her scoring.

They weren't. They were daring her to shoot, and she didn't use that as an opportunity to make them pay. I remember she made her first 3 and it looked fantastic. Then she missed badly on her next one and then hit an airball. And it went downhill from there.

The worst part of that play was the fact that there was no one between her and the basket, and she still didn't know what to do. She had a clear path to the basket but was still trying to pass to Cierra (who was covered). Even after she fired up an airball from 12 feet away or so, there was still no one between her and the basket.

 

[madtownvol]

I didn't say Lex was good enough to carry the team, but in the role she was needed to play (which is the same as Draya), she was a far superior player.

And Draya wasn't playing the hybrid position; Ariel was. Her and Jordan mostly shared PG duties. 90% of the time, one of the two was bringing the ball down the court. Draya played almost exclusively off the ball.

If you think she's lived up to her potential, then that's your opinion and I respect that. I don't expect to convince you otherwise just as you won't convert me either. The only person that will do that for me is Draya.

PS - Draya is no Green. Not even close. Not on the defensive side and certainly not on the offensive side. He was one of the best college players in the nation and is a solid NBA player. There is no comparison.

Let's not move the goal posts here. I said earlier that I thought Draya needed to get better on the defensive side and that she is not the lock down defender she needs to be and can be. I ask you, does that statement not imply she has room to improve and is not maxing out her potential?

Also I don't recall saying that Draya is just as good Green. No, I think the point was that even at the highest level of the sport you find players who are intended defensive specialist and for whom points scored are a bonus.

Per Alex and Draya, I am not why we are not communicating. We agree that the two play a similar role (and Lex was also a hybrid who in some shared PG duties with Bobbitt). But, Lex had Candace, the best player in the game at that time by far. Draya had no one on the team who was that kind of force. My point is that it is a lot easier to play that role with a genuine superstar along side you. Draya would look a whole better playing along side Candace and I predict the additions of Russell and DeShields will do wonders for "her game." The quality of players around you, can make you more or less effective.