Te'a Cooper, the Real Deal

#78
#78
Darth_Vol said:
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....
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Glad your not the coach. And Dunbar is the best wing too. smh Carter is a better point guard than Reynolds..wow.
 
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#80
#80
Pat4life said:
well, i guess we will see next season.
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Yep we will. I do like Reynolds as PG tho. She just needs to stop turning it over the first play of the game. I think she was pretty solid tho. I don't necessarily think Carter will be comfortable being the PG even though she played it when Massengale was out.
 
#81
#81
stubbs9 said:
Yep we will. I do like Reynolds as PG tho. She just needs to stop turning it over the first play of the game. I think she was pretty solid tho. I don't necessarily think Carter will be comfortable being the PG even though she played it when Massengale was out.
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I think part of the problem is that offensively, neither Reynolds nor Carter are GREAT PGs...they both have their strengths but both also have weaknesses that they need to effectively mask or improve upon. They both need to improve their pull-up game, their passing skills/ability to dish out assists, and dribbling (tho I for one am a fan of just doing passing drills to eliminate the unnecessary dribbling our guards can do at times). I'm hoping that Cooper can come in and contribute early and perhaps take over full time by season's end. That's if, she's as good as advertised. I like her work ethic.
 
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#82
#82
If Holly would start running some no dribble scrimmages it would greatly improve the passing and ball security of this team. Are there any little birdies on the board? If so, please tell Holly.
 
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#83
#83
boxerpupsrcool said:
If you google this: d1spects 2015 power 50 girls basketball ratings that should take you directly to the right spot. They have cooper first, durr second and kls third.
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Oh ok, never heard of them. I assumed you were talking about the 5 major ones. My bad.
 
#84
#84
The things I like about Te'a is that she shot 42 percent from the three point line as a senior in high school. She shot 52 percent overall from the field and over 80 percent from the line. The best thing about her is that she is very strong physical player that will be ready for college from day one.
She certainly has a lot to learn needs to slow down sometimes and not make a bad play. I expect she will be a huge player for us in the next four seasons.
 
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#85
#85
If you have a competent center in the paint and DeSchelds providing a second defensive problem the question becomes how do you complement those two while they are both in the game? Or to go five athletic tall guards/wings. Offensively lots of match-up issues.

My question is how will next year's team attack zones effectively with less side to side passing. Jones has the athletic ability (as does DeShields) to get into the open 10-12 ft middle of the lane against the zone. She to date has never perfected the soft shot . Perhaps Graves will have more opportunities go move against the zone.
 
#86
#86
What many including our team don't seem to understand is that dribbling slows the offense down. With a pass you can cover the entire floor in a couple of seconds but dribbling takes 3 or 4 times as long. That is the key to UConn's success. They pass so well and dribble so little.
 
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#87
#87
Sandvol said:
What many including our team don't seem to understand is that dribbling slows the offense down. With a pass you can cover the entire floor in a couple of seconds but dribbling takes 3 or 4 times as long. That is the key to UConn's success. They pass so well and dribble so little.
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I'd have to agree to a certain extent. uCONN does pass the ball well but also Moriah Jefferson does wonders with her dribbling! Passing does help the offense run smoother but at some point you do have to dribble. The problem I see with our guards was there was very little dribble penetration. They dribbled with no purpose. This was a HUGE problem.with Carter....she would dribble herself in a circle. It was never to the rim to draw a foul or layup or for a pull up J.
 
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#88
#88
Darth_Vol said:
...Reynolds is a wing being misused at the point. Carter is a point guard being misused at the wing..
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Holly said at the beginning of the season she wanted a longer defender at the point (Reynolds over Massengale or Carter), a better shooter at the 2 (Massengale off the bench), and for Carter to shoot the ball more (she nor Massengale would shoot very much at the point, so Carter ends up starting at the 2).

Starting either Massengale or Carter at the point meant Reynolds was at the 2 (no better at scoring than Carter and no scoring from the point), starting both Massengale and Carter at the 1 and 2, respectively, meant no scoring from either position and no defense on the point.

The only other option was Carter at point and Massengale at the 2 which I might have liked better but I don't recall how often that was run.

I don't know that any of this worked out all that well, but I can see what she was trying to accomplish. Harrison going down nullified all of this.
 
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#89
#89
LVJeff said:
Holly said at the beginning of the season she wanted a longer defender at the point (Reynolds over Massengale or Carter), a better shooter at the 2 (Massengale off the bench), and for Carter to shoot the ball more (she nor Massengale would shoot very much at the point, so Carter ends up starting at the 2).

Starting either Massengale or Carter at the point meant Reynolds was at the 2 (no better at scoring than Carter and no scoring from the point), starting both Massengale and Carter at the 1 and 2, respectively, meant no scoring from either position and no defense on the point.

The only other option was Carter at point and Massengale at the 2 which I might have liked better but I don't recall how often that was run.

I don't know that any of this worked out all that well, but I can see what she was trying to accomplish. Harrison going down nullified all of this.
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I believe that Carter was a better point guard than Massengale. Remember last year when Carter replaced Massengale, there were fewer errors. In my opinion she was not really the senior leader that Holly thought she was.

It is hard to really figure out what Holly's thinking is on offense. I agree we dribble way too much and none of it really puts pressure on the opposing team's defense. Jefferson dribbles with the purpose to find a crack in the defense and to score or to feed others. The same avenue that is taken by Nina Davis and Jewel Lloyd. We are too much of an inside out offensive team, even when it is next to impossible to get the ball down low. Diamond D. is a player who makes plays and take over a game, but for her to be successful we have to give her the leeway to do so. We need to be unpredictable on offense and it is obvious that we need to practice offense. All around the shooting has to improve, we cannot just depend on Russell and Diamond D. If we only throw our eggs in one basket, what happens if Russell or Diamond D. or both are injuried, have foul trouble or need the occasional rest. What happens if Diamond D. is double teamed? Someone must step up to the plate.

Coaches must know how to make in game changes when things are going South. We also need to learn when to take timeouts, there are no carryovers and we left a lot of timeouts in the bank. The girls need tough love coaching if Holly is giving that type of coaching, it sure did not seem that way on the surface. If Holly coached with tough love, apparently the team didn't listen when she got on their butts for unforced errors, taking bad shot, trying to shoot down low when covered by one or two imposing players. They totally ignored the tough love corrections she made on offense, or we just do not have very cerebral players with high basketball offensive IQ's. They sure seem to understand defense.
 
#90
#90
Darth_Vol said:
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....
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She isn't tall enough, doesn't have the explosiveness or offensive game to be a wing. Nared, though she is raw, has got the size and skill set that you want in a wing. Reynolds is definitely a guard, but she isn't really ideal at either PG or shooting guard right now. We don't really have any good all-around guards. The coaches really need to sort out Carter and Reynolds.
 
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#91
#91
I really don't worry about Reynolds, Carter, or Middleton from this point on. They have a lot of competition for playing time next season so if they want to play it is up to all three to get better. JMO I think Cooper will take that point guard position and DeShields will dominate the two. Jackson may be a better option off the bench than Middleton. I like competition for time it makes everybody better.
 
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#92
#92
Volfan2012 said:
I really don't worry about Reynolds, Carter, or Middleton from this point on. They have a lot of competition for playing time next season so if they want to play it is up to all three to get better. JMO I think Cooper will take that point guard position and DeShields will dominate the two. Jackson may be a better option off the bench than Middleton. I like competition for time it makes everybody better.
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A lot of it depends on how Holly sees it. If Reynolds and Carter come back next year with the same deficiencies and are still playing 25+ minutes per game, then Tennessee will not be going to the Final Four...Diamond or no Diamond.

If Jackson has no scoring instinct, then she can work on her offense in the gym next to Kortney working on her defense. Neither should be part of the regular rotation until they are complete basketball players.

Te'a looks like she will be a major upgrade at PG, and I'm hoping that Nared is the answer at the wing (with Diamond playing off-guard).
 
#93
#93
I love Te'a at the PG, she is a game changer like Tennesse has not had in a long time. I thank Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell are also game changers. I believe Jannah Tucker can be one also. Bashaara Graves, Jaime Nared, Jasmine Jones, Andraya Carter, Kortney Dunbar, and others can be great supporting cast. The next two years look so good for the Lady Vols.
 
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#94
#94
Ladyvol777 said:
I love Te'a at the PG, she is a game changer like Tennesse has not had in a long time. I thank Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell are also game changers. I believe Jannah Tucker can be one also. Bashaara Graves, Jaime Nared, Jasmine Jones, Andraya Carter, Kortney Dunbar, and others can be great supporting cast. The next two years look so good for the Lady Vols.
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:) Seeing that group of players gives me chills to think what will be.
 
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#95
#95
We'll get a real treat tonight watching two great passing and screening teams. Two things we don't do very well.
 
#96
#96
LadyVol1908 said:
I'd have to agree to a certain extent. uCONN does pass the ball well but also Moriah Jefferson does wonders with her dribbling! Passing does help the offense run smoother but at some point you do have to dribble. The problem I see with our guards was there was very little dribble penetration. They dribbled with no purpose. This was a HUGE problem.with Carter....she would dribble herself in a circle. It was never to the rim to draw a foul or layup or for a pull up J.
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Dribbling isn't our problem. It is amazing how well we do dribble especially since we are so bad at passing. If we become a better passing team that will elevate the whole offense.
 
#97
#97
Our three graduating seniors were the worst decision makers of all. When your upper classmen are turning the ball over and do not find the bench, then it sets a horrible example for the others. I know that a lot of people do not like it, but we will be better without them. I wish them the best and appreciate their loyalty and passion for UT, but we were never getting to the Final 4 with them. Now Holly has the numbers to be able to use the bench as a weapon. Will she?
 
#98
#98
I hope Holly picks a lineup and sticks with it. I don't care who it is, just pick 5 players with a couple off the bench and play them. Play them over 30 minutes a game until they learn each others moves and get good together. I never liked a "platoon" system and pressing mediocre teams will work but well-drilled teams will beat a press so shuttling players in and out to keep them fresh for a press will eventually not work.
 
#99
#99
JohnStL said:
If you have a competent center in the paint and DeSchelds providing a second defensive problem the question becomes how do you complement those two while they are both in the game?
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Ideally you would like shooters on the court to spread the floor so DeShields and Russell have room to work, but next year's roster doesn't look to have much shooting....
 
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