Te'a Cooper, the Real Deal

[Pat4life]

Still think Reynolds will start over Cooper so she can be the boost coming in off the bench like Ariel did this year but she does have the talent to start. If you start Reynold, Carter, DeShields, Graves, Russell and these guys coming off the bench - Cooper, Jones, Tucker, Nared & Middleton + 3 point specialist Dunbar ... the Lady Vols will be 12 players deep for the first time in 4-5 years ... just have to start healthy

Reynolds better play like an elite point guard, otherwise it will be Reynolds coming off the bench, providing that spark, we are only loyal to those players who get it no matter if they are freshman, soph, junior or senior, and play like they are Lady Vols.

Jordan, should be a polished player next year, she should be able to dominate the court next year, find the best matchup, get her on shot, shot over 40%, and be a physical lock-down defender, an elite guard.

 

[djtee]

We probably need Cooper to take the PG spot, and early, if we hope to maximize our year-end tournament potential. It would mean fewer minutes for Reynolds and/or Carter. We will surely will have a big lineup next year--when Nared, Graves and Russell are on the floor together with Deshields and a point guard--and a smaller lineup when one of Nared, Graves and Russell is replaced by a guard. I doubt Russell plays a ton of minutes; the coaches will want to be prudent with her PT.

We had a mix of talent at guard last year. Reynolds did a pretty good job at PG for someone who is not a bona fida PG but more a hybrid guard with certain PG/shooting guard assets and deficiencies. Good size, physical, decent shot (though she has an old-fashioned push shot from) but not terribly quick and kind of limited offensive game. If he improves her ball-handling and diversifies her offensive game, she could be quite effective next year. Needs to work on her right hand dribbling.

I love Carter's athleticism and defense, but she didn't seem to work at the 2 guard. She's handles the ball well, has got a lovely shot, but it doesn't go in enough, and she's not very aggressive otherwise, which I think was partly the fault of our coaches. She could be a better scorer if she works on her mid-range game. Valuable defensive player.

Middleton did some good things this year. She will be a contributor to this team. Understands the game, good ball handler, has a nice shot. Guard will be the strength of this team. I just don't know if our coaches can build a team and a team offense that is strong and cohesive enough to play well under pressure. Look at what cost us the Maryland game--our offense (or lack thereof).

I agree Carter's athleticism is off the chart, And what i like about her to is that she hit`s the glass. Yes she can become a better shooter, She has a real good looking jump shot. I think the coaching staff should shoulder most of the blame for her lack of offense. Why because they moved her from the 2 to the 1 from the 1 to 2 back and forth.

 

[gule]

imho, playing Carter instead of Dunbar and/or Middleton against the terps in the 2nd half cost Tn the win. She just has no confidence in her outside shot and it rubbed of onto her teammates. $0.02

 

[djtee]

imho, playing Carter instead of Dunbar and/or Middleton against the terps in the 2nd half cost Tn the win. She just has no confidence in her outside shot and it rubbed of onto her teammates. $0.02

Then Holly needs to find a home for her the 1 or 2 ? that will help her on the offensive end of the floor.

 

[Darth_Vol]

Hitting shots is only part of the issue. The team needs to learn how to take shots from open spots on the floor. When you're open take the shot. This team did very little of that outside of Burdick.

Well to do that, you have to actually practice offense....

 

[Darth_Vol]

The Lady Vols finished the season:

FG% .425 #-4 in the SEC

3PT FG% .339 #-3 in the SEC

Assists 14.8 PG #-2 in the SEC

FT% 75% #-2 in the SEC

The NIKE fans are trying to make it sound like the Lady Vols can't make a basket. The stats tell a different story.

Get a grip on yourselves.

We've been over this. The SEC, outside of USC, was an abysmal offensive league this season. Tennessee's defense was good, but overhyped when you take into account the league they play in. It's a big reason the SEC crashed and burned in the postseason. Tennessee shoots 42% and 33% from 3 and ranks near the top of the league, that doesn't tell you something....?

 

[Darth_Vol]

Reynolds better play like an elite point guard, otherwise it will be Reynolds coming off the bench, providing that spark, we are only loyal to those players who get it no matter if they are freshman, soph, junior or senior, and play like they are Lady Vols.

Jordan, should be a polished player next year, she should be able to dominate the court next year, find the best matchup, get her on shot, shot over 40%, and be a physical lock-down defender, an elite guard.

Reynolds should be done playing point guard. Carter should start the season there with Cooper backing her up. Period.

 

[Pat4life]

Reynolds should be done playing point guard. Carter should start the season there with Cooper backing her up. Period.

Carter is not a better point guard than Reynolds.

 

[clkou]

I'm excited about Cooper because of her work ethic more so than because of her talent or if she starts or not. And, we'll know we're ready to compete for a championship when we aren't talking about inserting Freshman into the starting lineup.

 

[JohnStL]

Holdsclaw didn't know defense her freshman year and PHS stated she hid her in the defense. Next year with the depth if the coaches don't believe you are competing and following the game plan etc. the subs will be coming. We all know the defensive weaknesses of certain players but the coaches know them better.
The age ole question is whether a great team can play 40 minutes against weaker opponents and have a halftime lead of 20 that continues in the second half.

The LVs have not had a true penetrating point guard since Kara and even longer when they had a very athletic PG. Carter and Reynolds need to be more offensive finishers - true threats on every offensive position. The game plans devised by other teams need to emphasize the importance of guarding 8 or 9 players equally.

 

[LVJeff]

The LVs have not had a true penetrating point guard since Kara and even longer when they had a very athletic PG.

Loree Moore and Shannon Bobbit could both penetrate and were both pretty athletic, especially Moore. I don't think they were better than Lawson but they were pretty good.

 

[LadyVol1908]

I think Cooper will be our most offensive minded point guard we've had in a while...although she looks to distribute I think she'll be a legit scoring option from the pg spot....besides 3s.

 

[teacherdean]

We can have all the players we want but the coaching staff has to look at their players and themselves. They need to first figure out their weaknesses and devise a way to turn those weaknesses into strengths. One side thinks Holly sucks while the other side thinks she is good as is, but the fact is that she is not, at this time, an elite coach. Can she reach that height, perhaps she can. It will take a lot of work on her part. Yes we had a great season and Holly was a major reason for our success, but it is way too early to place her in the same area code as the top elite coaches. This is not something she cannot improve, she played and coached with the best who was always trying to get better. On Sirus Radio, yesterday, Bruce Pearl said he was highly impressed with Pat, when he was at Tennessee. He said she never stopped trying to improve. She discussed playing strategy and also studied the NBA. He talked about how she flew coaches into Knoxville to pick their brains. I hope that Holly plans to follow the lead set down by her mentor. If she does and successfully put those things in play she will have a legit shot at being an elite coach.

 

[Volfan2012]

The key to next season is improvement of the returning players. Hopefully Diamond and Mercedes will have great seasons. Still hoping Tucker can contribute.

 

[Volfan2012]

Bobbit could really hit the three. I remember the last time we played UConn she hit four in that game and we won on their court haven't played them since.

 

[Voldon18]

i love Coach Pearl talking about how Pat was always finding ways to improve, with studying the NBA being an option. If I had any advice for Holly, first it would be to ignore all naysayers, and second it would be to study the Golden State Warriors' offense.

Indulge me for a second, and if you will, cast T'ea in the role of Steph Curry, Diamond as Thompson and Mercedes and Bashara as Bogut and Barnes. Diamond can fill it up from anywhere (a pure scorer) like Thompson. We don't know for sure if T'ea can develop a handle like Curry's, but we already know she has his flash and long-range capabilities. Mercedes can be an imposing force in the paint if her feet (please!) hold up, and Graves can run the floor like Barnes. She just needs to improve her mid-range game. GS moves and distributes (leading the NBA in assists) the ball so well. Holly and her staff could learn so much from watching some GS footage. If Holly has any weakness at all, ball movement on the offensive side of the ball is it.

Also Holly, it's time to stop being your players' best friend and become their harshest critic, please. Demand excellence and nothing less. You finally have a full roster. Bring home Number Nine! Go Lady Vols.

 

[Orange Maniac]

Our offense would improve greatly if they learn to pass the ball instead of trying to beat the defense by dribbling. You shift defenses with passing and you get open looks especially if they are overplaying with help side defense. See Notre Dame and UCONN. They move the ball with swift, accurate passes. So many times this year we worked the ball and had an open player poised to shoot and the pass would be off 2 OR 3 feet. The defense had time to recover before the player could get reset and take the shot. WORK ON PASSING THE !!#@$*&$% BALL!!

 

[Sandvol]

Our offense would improve greatly if they learn to pass the ball instead of trying to beat the defense by dribbling. You shift defenses with passing and you get open looks especially if they are overplaying with help side defense. See Notre Dame and UCONN. They move the ball with swift, accurate passes. So many times this year we worked the ball and had an open player poised to shoot and the pass would be off 2 OR 3 feet. The defense had time to recover before the player could get reset and take the shot. WORK ON PASSING THE !!#@$*&$% BALL!!

Wish Holly would run some no dribble scrimmages.

 

[Volfan2012]

Keeping the ball moving definitely works the defense. Dribbling on the perimeter gives them a lot of rest and limits our time to get a good shot. I am hoping Cooper will be more of an attacking point guard from the first minute on. Reynolds is a dribbler and so is Massengale for at least 10 seconds or more of the shot clock.

 

[LadyVol1908]

There were a couple of instances where Ariel would have had some wide open attempts for 3, however Jordan's passing skills are subpar.....she threw the ball to Ariel and made her get out if her shooting position and by the time she got set, the defense had collapsed. Jordan has to get better this summer, I see so much potential in her game.

 

[teacherdean]

The key to next season is improvement of the returning players. Hopefully Diamond and Mercedes will have great seasons. Still hoping Tucker can contribute.

Also coaching everyone up and using their skills to put pressure on the other teams' defense. We also need to be more unpredictable on offense. We need that offensive game breaker who can pull a Candance Parker (even if a little less equal to Parker) and take over a game in a mega second. A player that begs for double teams leaving a player open for a feed and hopefully a good shot. Next year we will have the horses for a serious NC race. In the end much will depend upon coaching, game plan and players' ability to carrying out the plan with perfection and lastly, but not least, less brain farts.

 

[armchair]

We can have all the players we want but the coaching staff has to look at their players and themselves. They need to first figure out their weaknesses and devise a way to turn those weaknesses into strengths. One side thinks Holly sucks while the other side thinks she is good as is, but the fact is that she is not, at this time, an elite coach. Can she reach that height, perhaps she can. It will take a lot of work on her part. Yes we had a great season and Holly was a major reason for our success, but it is way too early to place her in the same area code as the top elite coaches. This is not something she cannot improve, she played and coached with the best who was always trying to get better. On Sirus Radio, yesterday, Bruce Pearl said he was highly impressed with Pat, when he was at Tennessee. He said she never stopped trying to improve. She discussed playing strategy and also studied the NBA. He talked about how she flew coaches into Knoxville to pick their brains. I hope that Holly plans to follow the lead set down by her mentor. If she does and successfully put those things in play she will have a legit shot at being an elite coach.

I saw a tiny bit of improvement this year, but not nearly enough. Why did we lose to Maryland? Because ultimately our offense was bad, we couldn't make shots. This has been a problem for a long time--so I have not seen much improvement in offensive coaching.

 

[teacherdean]

I saw a tiny bit of improvement this year, but not nearly enough. Why did we lose to Maryland? Because ultimately our offense was bad, we couldn't make shots. This has been a problem for a long time--so I have not seen much improvement in offensive coaching.

I know that a lot of "Holly is great as is" fans will vote against both of us on this point, but they need to get their heads out of the sand. 30 wins is great, no question, but it has basically been because of our defense and not our offense. At best, and I mean at best, our offense is maybe okay. The reality of the situation is that 75% working on defense has not made us an elite offensive team. There is something wrong with a team that continues to constantly make the same offensive mistakes in most of the games they play. It is up to Holly to come up with a plan to eliminate such mistakes. I hate it when fans place all the fault on the players and very little fault upon the coaching staff. In really, when we are honest, elite teams do not constantly make the same old mistakes, at least not consistently. If we can come up with a solution we will be able to challenge the ND's, Maryland's, Baylor's, USC's and UCONN's on a consistent basis.

 

[Darth_Vol]

Carter is not a better point guard than Reynolds.

Yes she is. Reynolds is a wing being misused at the point. Carter is a point guard being misused at the wing. I can't believe anyone who watched this entire season would deny that....

 

[rizla]

Yes she is. Reynolds is a wing being misused at the point. Carter is a point guard being misused at the wing. I can't believe anyone who watched this entire season would deny that....

Gotta agree, although Carter needs a shot of aggression.
Maybe T'ea will provide that shot.