Pretty bad choke job

[madtownvol]

I hate to say it but choke pretty much sums it up. Down the stretch, when A&M was making their run, the LVs just needed to a hit one or two shots (that is really it) to put the game just out of reach. They could not find a way; bad calls against them, check; Holly probably making mistakes on the rotation, check (I think she went to long down the stretch with Moore and Middleton who were providing no real offensive options) but Reynolds, DeShields, Carter, Nared, and everyone else could not make a shot; they got nervous, lots confidence and panicked. They looked like a team for whom the recent history of failures got in their head; oh no, it is happening again! And so it did.

And so this loss goes beyond this game; you could say, "well Holly should have been able to steady their nerves or get them going down the stretch, if she had the 'stare' or was tougher. But a well coached team has been instilled with that confidence going down the stretch; they know what do to and they know they can do it. If you are trying to get your team to believe with 2:00 left in the game, more often than not, it is already too late.

 

[boxerpupsrcool]

This loss was a huge choke job by holly. A and M didn't even need a three point shot to make their comeback, they just needed holly's incompetence as a head coach and a some horrible calls by the refs to make the comeback. As others have pointed out in this thread, holly made a ton of coaching mistakes in this game, an almost inexcusable action for someone who is the head coach of the most storied program in WCBB history.

Going forward, I hope holly apologizes to Dunbar for sitting her three quarters after getting us back in the game in the first. She should start Dunbar and play her the entire next game against Vandy and since this season is pretty much a bust, she should go ahead and put diamond back in the starting lineup and play her as much as her legs will allow it. We need our best athlete out there scoring points and getting her confidence back if we expect to make any kind of run in the NCAA tournament, that's if we even make it. Bringing diamond off the bench just isn't working. Oh and Middleton, shoot the damn three point shot!!! Girl, you are capable of hitting those shots. Standing around and dribbling the ball and letting the shot clock wind down and passing up wide open three point shots isn't doing you or the team any good!! That stretch where you played most of the fourth quarter, you basically just dribbled the ball around. Please don't turn into carter.

 

[T.J.]

This loss was a huge choke job by holly. A and M didn't even need a three point shot to make their comeback, they just needed holly's incompetence as a head coach and a some horrible calls by the refs to make the comeback. As others have pointed out in this thread, holly made a ton of coaching mistakes in this game, an almost inexcusable action for someone who is the head coach of the most storied program in WCBB history.

Going forward, I hope holly apologizes to Dunbar for sitting her three quarters after getting us back in the game in the first. She should start Dunbar and play her the entire next game against Vandy and since this season is pretty much a bust, she should go ahead and put diamond back in the starting lineup and play her as much as her legs will allow it. We need our best athlete out there scoring points and getting her confidence back if we expect to make any kind of run in the NCAA tournament, that's if we even make it. Bringing diamond off the bench just isn't working. Oh and Middleton, shoot the damn three point shot!!! Girl, you are capable of hitting those shots. Standing around and dribbling the ball and letting the shot clock wind down and passing up wide open three point shots isn't doing you or the team any good!! That stretch where you played most of the fourth quarter, you basically just dribbled the ball around. Please don't turn into carter.

"Please don't turn into carter'?

Too late. For two years now Alexa has been watching Draya dribble the bball with her head down going East to West with a purpose mind you and conviction only to stop dribbling once she gets herself into a corner. It's like Fools Gold. And like Draya, Alexa is scared to shoot the bball, too. You saw it there were at least 3 times Alexa was wide open or had an opportunity to hit that shot but she chose not to.

It's all on the coach to get the players in position for success. It's too late, now. The team is at it's worst and they don't look to get better any time soon. Make a change now with a new coach and Tennessee has a chance to get back to being an elite team. Stay the course? Then we'll go the way of LaTech and Old Dominion.

 

[armchair]

You hit the nail on the head imo. The same blue-wearing protestors and petition-backers are steadfast Holly supporters (or enablers, if you will). They see CHW as the divine extension of Pat Summitt and they'll be right back on Dave Hart's doorstep if he even hints at exploring other coaching options.

There is a ton of irony there - the same crowd carrying signs saying "Save Our Lady Vols" are hell bent on sinking the program.

I don't know how many Warlick supporters are out there, but the number is surely shrinking fast. Any real fan of the program would want us to get a first-rate staff --period.

 

[Linda Lee]

All the previous posts make sense, but where do we begin? There are just too many things going wrong with this team.

It is like we have the go all the way back to square one but how do we even do that?

Our family has loved and supported the Lady Vols for years. We just feel like we are all In a bad dream and we cannot wake up!

I do not think they will fire CHW but she should resign! How can she stand by and watch this program go to the bottom. If she really cared she would step down. I truly think she thinks she does nothing wrong. So clueless. She should listen to the announcers and what they are saying about this team. They know what they are talking about CHW!

There will soon be no one in the stands but I am not sure that will get rid of her!

I never thought I would see this train wreck with our Lady Vols.

 

[Vol 67]

I do not think they will fire CHW but she should resign! How can she stand by and watch this program go to the bottom. If she really cared she would step down. /QUOTE]

It's all about the $$$ with Warlick. No way does she ever come close to making what she is currently being paid.

Warlick was only an average assistant coach at best. Pat Summitt was not in a position to name the choice of whom her successor should be due to her health problems. The staff was covering for PS for a couple of years to protect their jobs. This was a sad situation for all concerned.

The protestors who think they are trying to preserve the stature of women sports at UT are actually in the midst of destroying what they contend they are protecting.

 

[bobkitten]

I'd like to point out when Draya was in high school she did it all--scoring, rebounding, stealing, directing the team. Of course, it was a much smaller pond, but her team won their level championship every year she was there except the last, I think, when she was hurt. I think her junior year she scored over 50 points (combined) during the state level tournament. One thing I have been astounded at is ... where did all that go?

 

[Amb3096]

I'd like to point out when Draya was in high school she did it all--scoring, rebounding, stealing, directing the team. Of course, it was a much smaller pond, but her team won their level championship every year she was there except the last, I think, when she was hurt. I think her junior year she scored over 50 points (combined) during the state level tournament. One thing I have been astounded at is ... where did all that go?

Big fish in a small pond syndrome. Big time.

She's a bad basketball player not because she isn't athletically gifted...she has that in spades. She's bad because she plays scared. Scared to shoot, scared to pass, scared to lose, scared to win.

She needs a mental conditioning coach more than a basketball coach. Every single one of her problems is inside of her head.

 

[bobkitten]

That is my point. She didn't used to be like that. I watched her for several years before she came to UT.

 

[Amb3096]

That is my point. She didn't used to be like that. I watched her for several years before she came to UT.

She's up against stiffer competition instead of being bigger, stronger and more athletic than all of the other players. It's easy to look good against lesser competition. Now, she's up against players just as skilled as she is and is crawling into her shell instead of showing that she's a great college player as well as a great high school player.

 

[Tenacguy50]

fire holly (dooley) warlick now!!!

 

[LVJeff]

I'd like to point out when Draya was in high school she did it all--scoring, rebounding, stealing, directing the team. Of course, it was a much smaller pond, but her team won their level championship every year she was there except the last, I think, when she was hurt. I think her junior year she scored over 50 points (combined) during the state level tournament. One thing I have been astounded at is ... where did all that go?

The entire team folds under pressure - and Carter is exhibit 'A' for that. I don't claim to know why or what she did in high school. I am actually a tiny bit sympathetic for the coaching staff regarding this. You can't instill mental toughness in a team or a player with 5 minutes left in a game. Indeed you may not be able to do it at all ever.

DeShields and Cooper have their flaws, but they aren't afraid to shoot. They need better coaching on how and when. At the end of yesterday's game, the team badly needed a player to step up and nobody would. I know their percentages are low, but who do you want shooting the ball, a 39% shooter that's afraid to shoot or a 39% shooter that's not?

I admit I am biased against Carter and Reynolds (who has been playing much better) who have almost no ability to influence a game, but Cooper and DeShields should have seen more time in the 4th qtr yesterday. If you're going to lose, you might as well lose with players that aren't afraid to lose.

 

[Franklin Pierce]

It was a horrible CHOKE job by Dawn Staley. Staley, the coach of supposedly the second best team in America, CHOKED against UCONN yet again, this time on her home court.

 

[Amb3096]

The entire team folds under pressure - and Carter is exhibit 'A' for that. I don't claim to know why or what she did in high school. I am actually a tiny bit sympathetic for the coaching staff regarding this. You can't instill mental toughness in a team or a player with 5 minutes left in a game. Indeed you may not be able to do it at all ever.

DeShields and Cooper have their flaws, but they aren't afraid to shoot. They need better coaching on how and when. At the end of yesterday's game, the team badly needed a player to step up and nobody would. I know their percentages are low, but who do you want shooting the ball, a 39% shooter that's afraid to shoot or a 39% shooter that's not?

I admit I am biased against Carter and Reynolds (who has been playing much better) who have almost no ability to influence a game, but Cooper and DeShields should have seen more time in the 4th qtr yesterday. If you're going to lose, you might as well lose with players that aren't afraid to lose.

They have plenty ability to influence a game. Although both have had that rare moment where they were the star of a game (Andraya vs. SC 2 years ago; Jordan vs. UK in the SEC tourney same year), more often than not, it's to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Jordan has been playing better as of late, but as in the Miss State game, she stopped looking for her shot when the game was in the waning moments of regulation. Neither of them are winners.

 

[spoton]

Holly and her assistants have ruined these All American players. All of them should ask for a transfer; they deserve better!! Courtney could have probably saved us and Holly just left her on the bench. I feel so sorry for these players. It appears to me that Holly has a lot of favorites that she plays regardless of the score and turnovers. We want be buying season tickets next year unless Holly is fired.

 

[LVJeff]

They have plenty ability to influence a game.

If they had any ability to influence a game, the Texas A&M game would have been a win.

 

[creekdipper]

It was a horrible CHOKE job by Dawn Staley. Staley, the coach of supposedly the second best team in America, CHOKED against UCONN yet again, this time on her home court.

In Dawn's defense, she didn't choke against the likes of Virginia Tech, Arkansas, and Florida.

 

[Volfan2012]

No excuse for not getting Cooper and Diamond in the game for Nared and Moore when they went to the press. We basically had to make two points on the last six possessions and take care of the ball.
I think the way they were pressuring the ball Diamond or Cooper could have got to the rim .
Moore hasn't played all year and then suddenly were going to close out a game with her, Russell, and Nared on the floor with Reynolds and Carter. I call that horrible coaching totally inept without a clue.