Tamari's Out...What Happens Next

[savannahfan]

I just wonder how/why - - it seems that ever season by the end of the year our ladies have lost the key player or maybe more than one. EVERY YEAR - DAMN! If there is any consultation, it seems others are experiencing the same situation (Uconn)..

 

[Majors]

Won't be the "popular answer" but coaches earn their worth and a few lost in the lineup players step up. We have a games to play and conference schedule that has yet to tip off. The loss of Key in regards to points should be overcome by those in the 5pt average (Tess, Marta and Hollingshead) getting 2-4+ points more a game. Players stuck at 3-4 avg. like Striplin and Puckett getting 5-6+ points a game. Defensively more 2-3 zone

 

[Rickster]

Suarez has confidence .....confidence about what .....it is certainly not shooting ,handling the ball ,basketball IQ,defense,screening .I admit she has confidence when she drives out of control like a bull in a china closet ,fumbles the ball out of bounds when has an uncontested layup or throw up a three ball that barely draws iron with the game on the line with less than minute to go.

I was encouraged by the play of the soph posts in the last game.....they were aggressive,had energy ,shot the ball well,played defense .If they can create some chemistry with a reduced rotation then there is some hope for the future this season.....that does not include Suarez....

JMO but I'm glad Marta came. She left her home and traveled to another hemisphere to play for a team that needed players at the time. She stepped up for us. I personally will stand by her appreciative of her contributions and sacrifices. She has not played much because of injuries so she needs minutes just like everyone else. I can see her starting or playing more minutes if she transforms her play like Rae did.

 

[37620VOL]

I can see her starting or playing more minutes if she transforms her play like Rae did.

I don't see the Rae comparison. Rae was off the charts athletic.

I think Suarez can be good. But she needs to transition her game from what worked for her in Europe to what works for her in NCAA and going forward. Right now she is trying to play Luka Doncic style, but I think what would be best for her and the team is if she played more of a Draymond Green style.

 

[djtee]

I think Puckett is faster, stronger, shoots better, and commits fewer turnovers. But Suarez has more confidence and craftiness.

True ! and Puckett do commit fewer turnovers. The reason i think Suarez is such a turnover machine is because she is trying to do to much. KJH will look at the matchup and the team that they are playing to see who starts. Like when they play Stanford i`m pretty sure Suarez 6-3 will get the start because she brings size to match Stanford size in the post.

 

[Rickster]

Team was ranked 5th in the country beginning of season...now struggling at .500 with worst start in decades and people still defending Kelli

So, what's the problem? People are free to support anyone they like. This isn't about the fans unless you want to apply kindergarten logic to the LV difficulties. The thread title is pretty clear.

..and these losses came when we were healthy. Major disappointment imo....and folks saying "wait til March when we turn it on." We might not even make it to the ncaa tourney. That's unacceptable imo.

I don't think you will get an argument that what's happened is not disappointing. I don't think anyone except the Nega population is happy with the outcome but this thread is more about where the team goes from here after terrible news like this. Also, the team was obviously not healthy.

 

[DougVol]

With Tamari's medical situation and all the concerns associated with that, where does Kellie go from here with assembling the lineup? Tamari was a shot blocker extraordinaire. Opposing players both feared and respected her presence inside. Most opposing teams changed the way they played because of her. It was rare that Tamari was allowed to go one-on-one. She always had a couple of players hanging all over her. How does Kellie replace a player like Tamari?

This a sub 500 team. What does it matter?

 

[Jax_Vol]

Suarez has confidence .....confidence about what .....it is certainly not shooting ,handling the ball ,basketball IQ,defense,screening .I admit she has confidence when she drives out of control like a bull in a china closet ,fumbles the ball out of bounds when has an uncontested layup or throw up a three ball that barely draws iron with the game on the line with less than minute to go.

I was encouraged by the play of the soph posts in the last game.....they were aggressive,had energy ,shot the ball well,played defense .If they can create some chemistry with a reduced rotation then there is some hope for the future this season.....that does not include Suarez....

This year, Marta has consistently been the most aggressive, high energy player night-in night-out. At times, Miles brings some of that spirit on defense. However, not every night like last year.

Marta is much more physical this year. She sets hard screens. There was an inbound play this week, where she screened a girl with her arms right in the UTC player's fase. Marta has become rough and tough and our team needed that muscle. Yes, she gets called for overly aggressive on some screens, but that is just part of it.

She is the best passer. Especially on the interior passes. Yes, she throws a few away and sometimes surprises her teammates with the ball. This is really the first time they have played together in 20+ months so I think/hope they will jell.

 

[Jax_Vol]

I don't see the Rae commission. Rae was off the charts athletic.

I think Suarez can be good. But she needs to transition her game from what worked for her in Europe to what works for her in NCAA and going forward. Right now she is trying to play Luka Doncic style, but I think what would be best for her and the team is if she played more of a Draymond Green style.

That is an astute observation. She is moving more and more toward Draymond. Since she arrived in 2020, I'm impressed with her fearlessness. Doesn't have that quickness of feet, or leaping ability. But, definitely is willing to body up and push people around.

She definitely has the Luka flare which makes her stand out as different from American style of play. Luka can obviously just take over a game on the offensive end. We don't need Marta to have the ball in her hands that much; especially when Horston or Jackson are on the court.

 

[Darth_Vol]

Well, it was unusual to have two like Jordan and Pippen on the same team. Then, the Bulls built around that was the various other roles required to have a solid team. But, Jordan and Pippen had to learn to share one basketball. In that case, Pippen become the number two scorer.

We are blessed to have two who are that good in Horston and Jackson. But, until they learn to share one basketball, it works against us. We almost just need to rotate them one for the other.

Sharing the ball? Pippen was never the scorer Jordan was, not even close. That was obvious when Jordan stepped away. Michael was already a superstar when Scottie came into the league, and Pippen gradually grew into the role of de facto point guard and secondary scorer for those teams. "Learning to share the ball" was never an issue.

Just not seeing a comparison here at all, sorry...

 

[Rickster]

This a sub 500 team. What does it matter?

It means a lot to the fans who care about them.

 

[Volfan2012]

JMO the way I see it now certainly may completely different from Coach Harper. In terms of playing time.

Horston, Powell, Hollingshead, Puckett, Franklin, Darby, Striplin, Walker, Suarez, Miles, Pissott, and Wynn. Of course if Jackson comes back which I am beginning to think won't happen she would be right there with Horston.

I'm watching defenders and the best are Horston, Hollingshead, Walker and Franklin. Powell, Striplin and Puckett are good defenders with Darby and Suarez just fair. Suarez is good inside but when she plays on the perimeter guards blow by her like she is standing still. When she decides she is an inside player then we might have a really good player. As long as she is trying to play guard she is just to turnover prone. Justine is going to be a very good player you can see she has played against weak competition and now is needing to catch up with players that are quicker and stronger. Miles is just way down the rotation as is Wynn.

 

[37620VOL]

Sharing the ball? Pippen was never the scorer Jordan was, not even close. That was obvious when Jordan stepped away. Michael was already a superstar when Scottie came into the league, and Pippen gradually grew into the role of de facto point guard and secondary scorer for those teams. "Learning to share the ball" was never an issue.

Just not seeing a comparison here at all, sorry...

Pippin had a dang good year in '93 when Jordan was playing baseball. But he was always going to be a 20 points per game guy and not a 35 points per game guy. Still, it is a strained comparison.

 

[Jax_Vol]

Sharing the ball? Pippen was never the scorer Jordan was, not even close. That was obvious when Jordan stepped away. Michael was already a superstar when Scottie came into the league, and Pippen gradually grew into the role of de facto point guard and secondary scorer for those teams. "Learning to share the ball" was never an issue.

Just not seeing a comparison here at all, sorry...

Among the winning teams, no one scored like Jordan. But, let's look at the numbers:

Scottie's points per game using the season start year

1991 - 21,0
1992 - 18.6
1993 - 22,0
1994 - 21.4
1995 - 19.4
1996 - 20.2
1997 - 19.1

You can say he wasn't a scorer, but getting 20 per game isn't bad.

In our case, I haven't seen enough of Jackson to know. But, Horston is a hoss.

Just throwing out general idea: if Horston can get the 20-22 avg per night and Jackson the 15, then we have offense.

Jill and Kato should get 12-15 between them. I haven;t had time to study Franklin yet to know if she goes here.

But, let's say Franklin / Sara / Marta chip in another 15.

Our point guards, plus Darby, might give us 10.

With our strong defense, if the offense can get us into the 65-70 point range, we'll win 80% of remaining games.

We can be a 22-10 type team even without TK.

 

[Jax_Vol]

JMO the way I see it now certainly may completely different from Coach Harper. In terms of playing time.

Horston, Powell, Hollingshead, Puckett, Franklin, Darby, Striplin, Walker, Suarez, Miles, Pissott, and Wynn. Of course if Jackson comes back which I am beginning to think won't happen she would be right there with Horston.

I'm watching defenders and the best are Horston, Hollingshead, Walker and Franklin. Powell, Striplin and Puckett are good defenders with Darby and Suarez just fair. Suarez is good inside but when she plays on the perimeter guards blow by her like she is standing still. When she decides she is an inside player then we might have a really good player. As long as she is trying to play guard she is just to turnover prone. Justine is going to be a very good player you can see she has played against weak competition and now is needing to catch up with players that are quicker and stronger. Miles is just way down the rotation as is Wynn.

I think that is a really good summary. With us having so many guards, might be a good time to tell Marta to just keep herself more inside to help the team. However, I can't ever remember her posting anyone up. Has she? I know Sara can play both facing and with back to basket.

 

[Vols2015]

This may be a bold prediction, but I’m predicting Tennessee is going to go in a big winning streak, including winning over Stanford. I think now that we don’t have so many players available, it allows us to be more cohesive and allows players to gel more.

 

[Volfan2012]

I think that is a really good summary. With us having so many guards, might be a good time to tell Marta to just keep herself more inside to help the team. However, I can't ever remember her posting anyone up. Has she? I know Sara can play both facing and with back to basket.

Marta is really effective in the post she can rebound and is physical. I hope she recognizes this as she can really help us playing inside at the four.

 

[madtownvol]

JMO but I'm glad Marta came. She left her home and traveled to another hemisphere to play for a team that needed players at the time. She stepped up for us. I personally will stand by her appreciative of her contributions and sacrifices. She has not played much because of injuries so she needs minutes just like everyone else. I can see her starting or playing more minutes if she transforms her play like Rae did.

I concur. Marta has a good skill set. She has been less than great in these early games but her last two outings have shown real improvements and she is finding her role. 36720VOL (that would be a good password!!!) was dead on in his analogy about her playing more like Draymond Green than Luka Donic. She gets into trouble trying to be a play maker. But she is good on the low block. Is a good passer from that spot and I think she has good potential to be an outside scoring threat. Her shot looks great. it just has not been falling consistently. In this regard, the comparison to Rae is a good one. Rae always had a great looking shot but she did not shoot a high % in her first two years. The big difference for her in year 3 was learning to slow it down just a bit and not rush everything. I think Marta is in the same proverbial boat but hopefully she figures it out very soon.

 

[Rickster]

Marta is really effective in the post she can rebound and is physical. I hope she recognizes this as she can really help us playing inside at the four.

Marta is much stronger than when she first arrived. She has played underneath but does not elevate all that well and gets her shot blocked some but she is tough and not afraid of mixing it up underneath. I believe she is doing what she thinks Kellie wants her to do because otherwise, she would be sitting.

 

[Rickster]

I would also like to see her on the high post taking jumpers from the elbow instead of driving into the defense.

 

[chuckiepoo]

I just wonder how/why - - it seems that ever season by the end of the year our ladies have lost the key player or maybe more than one. EVERY YEAR - DAMN! If there is any consultation, it seems others are experiencing the same situation (Uconn)..

No consolation at all. Building depth early is critical as you almost need to expect it. Prepare for the worst.

 

[Volfan2012]

Marta is much stronger than when she first arrived. She has played underneath but does not elevate all that well and gets her shot blocked some but she is tough and not afraid of mixing it up underneath. I believe she is doing what she thinks Kellie wants her to do because otherwise, she would be sitting.

I think she could be just like that Indiana inside player. Girl can't jump two inches off the floor, but she has the moves around the basket to score 20 points per game. I think this where Marta could do the same just work in there she could be huge even this season and certainly next.

 

[chuckiepoo]

This may be a bold prediction, but I’m predicting Tennessee is going to go in a big winning streak, including winning over Stanford. I think now that we don’t have so many players available, it allows us to be more cohesive and allows players to gel more.

That’s mighty bold there Cotton!

 

[Volfan2012]

That’s mighty bold there Cotton!

I could go along with it about 80 to 90 percent. I'm not conceding Stanford but it is going to be an enormous task. Player doesn't miss a free throw they beat SC.

 

[Jax_Vol]

I could go along with it about 80 to 90 percent. I'm not conceding Stanford but it is going to be an enormous task. Player doesn't miss a free throw they beat SC.

Not going to have the height to hang w/Stanford at their place. But, I think we can maybe beat Florida and perhaps Bama. We have to play well, Times have changed.