Tennessee Lady Vol News

[madtownvol]

It was long ago, but I seem to remember "no one cares" as one of the prices of inevitability in WBB. Almost everyone in the universe outside your immediate fan base is hoping you lose every game. Many actively sports hate you, most find you boring. Sad but true. Take it as a compliment.

Combined with the CC phenom, which is complicated on every level, it was bound to happen to SC. Nothing can take away that record and that natty tho and that's what people will remember.

[GLV98 my response below is to the general conversation not to you per se:]

What does it mean to "care" about who won the women's title ? Is there a huge national conversation surrounding the Uconn men who just went back to back? I don't think so.

The NCAA tourney gets a big spotlight in March and then media attention and the national sports conversation moves onto baseball, NBA and NHL playoffs, etc. And more hype around the WNBA than usual due to CC.

Whenever the topic of WCBB does come up in the media, like projections about next year, Dawn and company will be front and center.

It is has only been a couple of years since ESPN abandoned their horrific whip around coverage for the opening rounds. CC benefited from the ESPN deciding to promote the women's game more prominently and then she brought the flair to galvanize an audience.

[Post corrected on edit]

 

[madtownvol]

Jill, Sara… alright, alright!

So, CKC only loses one player to the portal. That is doing really, really well. I figured Sara would be back but after her bff Karo transferred, I was getting a little nervous,. I also wondered how Jillian would respond to the Spearman signing but she is all in.

 

[glv98]

[GLV98 my response below is to the general conversation not to you per se:]

What does it mean to "care" about who won the women's title ? Is there a huge national conversation surrounding the Uconn men who just went back to back? I don't think so.

The NCAA tourney gets a big spotlight in March and then media attention and the national sports conversation moves onto baseball, NBA and NHL playoffs, etc. And more hype around the WNBA than usual due to CC.

Whenever the topic of WCBB does come up in the media, like projections about next year, Dawn and company will be front and center.

Is worth noting that the Caitlin Clark drew a bigger media audience but there have been several women's title games that drew over 10 million viewers. Going to 14 million is a big jump but its not like there was no popularity before CC. Rather, the major networks were not reading the signs of how popular women college ball had become and just let fly under the radar screen.t is has only been a couple of years since ESPN abandoned their horrific whip around coverage for the opening rounds. CC benefited from the ESPN deciding to promote the women's game more prominently and then she brought the flare to galvanize an audience.

Of course "care" is subjective, but it seems to me the undefeated natty team got less coverage than they otherwise would have if not for CC. And also if not for the fact SC by now is inevitable, unsurprising, and therefore a little boring.

 

[madtownvol]

Of course "care" is subjective, but it seems to me the undefeated natty team got less coverage than they otherwise would have if not for CC. And also if not for the fact SC by now is inevitable, unsurprising, and therefore a little boring.

What is the benchmark? Uconn in its back to back undefeated seasons? After they won all that, it was not like you heard a lot about Uconn, except for the players they had going to the W, until the buildup for the next season began. LSU was an unexpected surprise team last season. They go some post-tournament coverage but mainly due to the social media travails of Angel Reese. The original premise from another poster was that SC fans are completely distraught, and who knows pondering suicide, because no one cares about their NC outside of their fan base. I kinda doubt that. Maybe Rooster can chip in with some local insight.

 

[Knoxvol14]

I went to a DII school and each program had their own trainers. For a couple sports there was some crossover. Womens Tennis and Women’s soccer did have the same trainer because seasons were opposite but both basketball teams and the football program had their own.

The article I read said he was part of her staff at Glenville, so I presume he worked directly with WBB.

The article j read didn't mention staff, just they were at Glenville State together which js why I'm trying to figure out if he worked wbb. His bios at WV and gsc don't mention basketball

 

[Knoxvol14]

So, CKC only loses one player to the portal. That is doing really, really well. I figured Sara would be back but after her bff Karo transferred, I was getting a little nervous,. I also wondered how Jillian would respond to the Spearman signing but she is all in.

I think the fact that many are seniors and won't be pro players, helps too. Why leave when you are a year away from graduating if you have no intentions on going pro?

 

[DarkPhoenix]

I think the fact that many are seniors and won't be pro players, helps too. Why leave when you are a year away from graduating if you have no intentions on going pro?

I think that’s the main reason most of them stayed, and the reason Kim didn’t tell them to leave.

 

[glv98]

The original premise from another poster was that SC fans are completely distraught, and who knows pondering suicide, because no one cares about their NC outside of their fan base. I kinda doubt that. Maybe Rooster can chip in with some local insight.

The SC fans on social media are calling out the lack of attention, but they're not really distraught. This stuff is absolutely bread of life for them. They live off of being done wrong and being the disrespected underdog. Even though they've only lost one game in two years. Interesting to see how long the dominant (did I use that right?) force in WBB can continue to position themselves as the underdog.

 

[House|RockyTop]

I think the fact that many are seniors and won't be pro players, helps too. Why leave when you are a year away from graduating if you have no intentions on going pro?

That’s probably not the reason. They could be where they want to be.
I see many seniors across the board in the portal now that are a year away from graduating with no projections of going pro.

 

[glv98]

I think that’s the main reason most of them stayed, and the reason Kim didn’t tell them to leave.

I think CKC is smart enough to know she needs the continuity and leadership those players can bring to the new team. Plus I still think a few of them will contribute on the court.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

I think CKC is smart enough to know she needs the continuity and leadership those players can bring to the new team. Plus I still think a few of them will contribute on the court.

It doesn’t matter at this point, we don’t have a great roster anyway. I’ll just focus on the 2025 class to see if we have hope for the 2025 season.

 

[madtownvol]

I think that’s the main reason most of them stayed, and the reason Kim didn’t tell them to leave.

Plus, players like Sara, Jillian, Kaiya, and Tess have actual value and will contribute to the team next season. I assume you are okay with Jewell and Coop but maybe you want them gone as well???

 

[glv98]

It doesn’t matter at this point, we don’t have a great roster anyway. I’ll just focus on the 2025 class to see if we have hope for the 2025 season.

IMO we were never going to have a great roster this year no matter who the coach. We would have had to pull another Rickea type fm the portal and except for perhaps KiKi, that level player wasn't even in the portal this year.

We could still upgrade considerably with a proven SEC caliber shooter but that hope took a blow when Nye went back to Bama.

IMO, ironically, we'll have a good not great roster to start the build fm good to great DW promised. Like you, I believe 25 high school recruiting will be huge.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Plus, players like Sara, Jillian, Kaiya, and Tess have actual value and will contribute to the team next season. I assume you are okay with Jewell and Coop but maybe you want them gone as well???

I’ve said before I would keep Jewel since she’s our best player and Cooper and Boyd because of the unknown factor. I did think maybe about 4 players could have moved on and we get better players. But that didn’t happen and that’s what we have now.

 

[LV renaissance]

[GLV98 my response below is to the general conversation not to you per se:]

What does it mean to "care" about who won the women's title ? Is there a huge national conversation surrounding the Uconn men who just went back to back? I don't think so.

The NCAA tourney gets a big spotlight in March and then media attention and the national sports conversation moves onto baseball, NBA and NHL playoffs, etc. And more hype around the WNBA than usual due to CC.

Whenever the topic of WCBB does come up in the media, like projections about next year, Dawn and company will be front and center.

Is worth noting that the Caitlin Clark drew a bigger media audience but there have been several women's title games that drew over 10 million viewers. Going to 14 million is a big jump but its not like there was no popularity before CC. Rather, the major networks were not reading the signs of how popular women college ball had become and just let fly under the radar screen.t is has only been a couple of years since ESPN abandoned their horrific whip around coverage for the opening rounds. CC benefited from the ESPN deciding to promote the women's game more prominently and then she brought the flare to galvanize an audience.

I mostly agree with you. As a stat nerd and a person who has always wanted the popularity of WBB to grow, I would like to point out that the Final game rating was 18.9 and there has been no WBB game that has drawn 10,0 million before this to my knowledge. Last years Finals with Iowa drew 9.9, which I think was the record. I looked back through 1996 and all the Finals were below 6 million.

 

[glv98]

I mostly agree with you. As a stat nerd and a person who has always wanted the popularity of WBB to grow, I would like to point out that the Final game rating was 18.9 and there has been no WBB game that has drawn 10,0 million before this to my knowledge. Last years Finals with Iowa drew 9.9, which I think was the record. I looked back through 1996 and all the Finals were below 6 million.

I think SC fans' upset is that most of the post finals coverage was about CC leading up to the draft. I'd probably feel the same way if I were them.

 

[VolBall09]

I think SC fans' upset is that most of the post finals coverage was about CC leading up to the draft. I'd probably feel the same way if I were them.

Several million people less would even know they exist if they had not played Caitlin Clark. South Carolina cries about everything. The constant victimhood is so boring from that camp.

 

[madtownvol]

I mostly agree with you. As a stat nerd and a person who has always wanted the popularity of WBB to grow, I would like to point out that the Final game rating was 18.9 and there has been no WBB game that has drawn 10,0 million before this to my knowledge. Last years Finals with Iowa drew 9.9, which I think was the record. I looked back through 1996 and all the Finals were below 6 million.

Okay, that is what I get for using a Xitter post as an info source!!! Upon further review:

The 14.9 was for the semifinal game and the final did draw that 18.9 million. You are 100% correct on everything else as well.

Interesting historical trend line --Uconn v. Tennessee in April, 1995 drew 7.4 million viewers. The audience for the following championship games did not surpass that number until last year!! And none of the other years, ever came close to 7.4 million.

And that was pre-Meeks and pre-Candace!! The networks missed a huge opportunity to build on that interest and the hot rivalry and the star power that subsequently came along through those programs. Candace's 2 championship games only drew 4 million each.

But it should be noted that the 7 million viewer game was carried by CBS and then ESPN took over coverage in 1996. Particularly in the later 90's and 00's, ESPN had a far more limited reach than a major broadcast network. If WCBB would have continued to be carried by CBS or ABC, or NBC for the next 5 to 10 years, there could have been a real take-off. ESPN is growing the game now but they set it back first.

Women’s College Basketball Championship Game Draws Record-Breaking 18.9 Million Viewers | Nielsen

18.9 million viewers watched the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship on ABC and ESPN

www.nielsen.com

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Several million people less would even know they exist if they had not played Caitlin Clark. South Carolina cries about everything. The constant victimhood is so boring from that camp.

That would depend on if they promoted another player with nonstop coverage. Without the media blitz the viewership would have been normal.

 

[LV renaissance]

IMO we were never going to have a great roster this year no matter who the coach. We would have had to pull another Rickea type fm the portal and except for perhaps KiKi, that level player wasn't even in the portal this year.

We could still upgrade considerably with a proven SEC caliber shooter but that hope took a blow when Nye went back to Bama.

IMO, ironically, we'll have a good not great roster to start the build fm good to great DW promised. Like you, I believe 25 high school recruiting will be huge.

Yes, I think the bar for next year's team has always been to be a good team, not a great team. In other words, to be in the top half of a good conference, make the NCAAs, and win a first round game with the possibility of getting into the Sweet 16. This is because our entire situation of firing a coach, losing a lottery pick, having the least talent of a returning team that I can remember for a LV team, and having an unknown coach with a totally different system would make it almost remarkable to get into the Sweet 16 the first year. Despite the wisdom of this line of thinking, I got pulled onto the excitement train to fantasize beyond this when we were led to believe that we got Latham, Spearman, Nye (per 2 reliable sources) and the news that a POY from a mid-major conference was planning to visit, all within a week's time of having a full staff. I still feel positive, but not getting Nye and to a much lesser extent the POY player committing elsewhere before coming here help me put the brakes on the runaway train that had gathered too much momentum. I still am feeling positive about the future and hope we get one or two more solid transfers. I have reverted back to my original hope of having a good team who is setting the stage for better things to come in the future.

 

[madtownvol]

Yes, I think the bar for next year's team has always been to be a good team, not a great team. In other words, to be in the top half of a good conference, make the NCAAs, and win a first round game with the possibility of getting into the Sweet 16. This is because our entire situation of firing a coach, losing a lottery pick, having the least talent of a returning team that I can remember for a LV team, and having an unknown coach with a totally different system would make it almost remarkable to get into the Sweet 16 the first year. Despite the wisdom of this line of thinking, I got pulled onto the excitement train to fantasize beyond this when we were led to believe that we got Latham, Spearman, Nye (per 2 reliable sources) and the news that a POY from a mid-major conference was planning to visit, all within a week's time of having a full staff. I still feel positive, but not getting Nye and to a much lesser extent the POY player committing elsewhere before coming here help me put the brakes on the runaway train that had gathered too much momentum. I still am feeling positive about the future and hope we get one or two more solid transfers. I have reverted back to my original hope of having a good team who is setting the stage for better things to come in the future.

I think this roster can be better than expected. I look for Jillian to be more of a force. I think a more wide-open, faster paced offense will unlock a lot of players. Though she is not the fastest player in the world, Tess is really good at transition threes. I think Sara will have a much bigger role in the offense and might put up numbers that get her in a conversation for an all conference spot. The big question mark for this team is PG,. Will Destinee be able to go and at what level post ACL. Who else carries the load-- Wynn again, Coooper? If CKC can bring in a capable and experienced PG, this roster does not look bad.

I think a good first season would be a 4th place conference finish which will probably go SC, Texas, LSU. So, 4th means getting ahead of Ole Miss and Oklahoma and staying ahead of Bama and all the other strivers. 4th gets a NCAA bid and probably a decent path to the S16.

 

[1reVOLver]

CC benefited from the ESPN deciding to promote the women's game more prominently and then she brought the flare flair to galvanize an audience.

Unless you meant she smoked 'em or burned their britches or…

 

[madtownvol]

View attachment 636824

Unless you meant she smoked 'em or burned their britches or…

Actually, I take it very literally when TV announcers say that Clark is on fire!!! (but flair works too........)

 

[1reVOLver]

Actually, I take it very literally when TV announcers say that Clark is on fire!!! (but flair works too........)

My apologies. Back in the dark ages, c. 1968-70, I was an impoverished grad student working for scraps as a copy editor for an academic journal. Bad habits linger.

 

[glv98]

Yes, I think the bar for next year's team has always been to be a good team, not a great team. In other words, to be in the top half of a good conference, make the NCAAs, and win a first round game with the possibility of getting into the Sweet 16. This is because our entire situation of firing a coach, losing a lottery pick, having the least talent of a returning team that I can remember for a LV team, and having an unknown coach with a totally different system would make it almost remarkable to get into the Sweet 16 the first year. Despite the wisdom of this line of thinking, I got pulled onto the excitement train to fantasize beyond this when we were led to believe that we got Latham, Spearman, Nye (per 2 reliable sources) and the news that a POY from a mid-major conference was planning to visit, all within a week's time of having a full staff. I still feel positive, but not getting Nye and to a much lesser extent the POY player committing elsewhere before coming here help me put the brakes on the runaway train that had gathered too much momentum. I still am feeling positive about the future and hope we get one or two more solid transfers. I have reverted back to my original hope of having a good team who is setting the stage for better things to come in the future.

In addition to all you listed, there's the fact that the conference in general and everyone above us has gotten so much better. I will be glad to be wrong though.