Tennessee Lady Vol News

[glv98]

Pat never depended on top recruits to win championships. At one point, she had 10 losses still won a championship. That's shows a tough coach who fought had & work with whatever she had and not cry about it. Just like Kellie fighting with wat she got now.

Thank you. I’ve said this many times only to be met with denials. Pat did have some top recruits, but she made what we would consider today 3-star players into championship teams because she was a brilliant coach…..and wonderful person.

Meeting with another denial. Pat said many, many times during the heyday that having the best player was exactly the key to championships. It was Pat's stock answer when asked to explain her success: get the best player. If you could get 2 or 3 of the best players, as in the Meeks era, you could go on a real run. Geno said the same thing; in fact, one year at the FF he bragged endlessly that they would win simply bc they had Taurasi and no one else did. And sadly, he was right, they did win it.

It doesn't diminish Pat's coaching ability at all. She had to successfully build around the superstar and she, and Geno, did. It was just the state of the game at that point. I don't think its true today bc the game has changed and there's alot more good players out there.

 

[LV renaissance]

Meeting with another denial. Pat said many, many times during the heyday that having the best player was exactly the key to championships. It was Pat's stock answer when asked to explain her success: get the best player. If you could get 2 or 3 of the best players, as in the Meeks era, you could go on a real run. Geno said the same thing; in fact one year he said over and over at the FF that they would win simply bc they had Tarausi and no one else did. And they did win it.

I don't think its as true today, there's alot more good players out there. But in the day, it was obvious and Pat said it many times. Doesn't diminish her coaching ability, youental. had to build around the superstar successfully and she, and Geno, did.

Some years there is clearly a dominant player or two in the country and it seems those teams always have an excellent shot at the Final 4 and the championship if they also have good coaching and a few other players who are really good. If you look at our past 5 championships, it is not coincidental that we clearly had the player of the year - three for Holdsclaw and two for Parker. The 10 loss team referenced in this thread also had the freshman Holdsclaw. What I think was more remarkable about Pat is she built this dynasty and didn't initially have the best players. Moreover, she established an unparalleled greatness in being able to be one of the top few teams every single year for over 20 years despite the particular player dynamics. So, our championships were typically aided by having the best player (s), but our dynasty was build on having the coach who was GOAT. She was the reason why the best players wanted to come here.

 

[Bballnut1952]

All this talk about Rutgers. I'm sure their "#1 fan" on this board will chime in with some commentary. Nah, he'll probably just dig up another 20 years worth of UConn statistics

You really wanted me to reply? You all seem to have to have things under control.

 

[NoBackBoard]

The 10 loss team referenced in this thread also had the freshman Holdsclaw.

Holdsclaw was a sophomore that season.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

All this talk about Rutgers. I'm sure their "#1 fan" on this board will chime in with some commentary. Nah, he'll probably just dig up another 20 years worth of UConn statistics

somehow this is so spot on

 

[sisaq]

Thank you. I’ve said this many times only to be met with denials. Pat did have some top recruits, but she made what we would consider today 3-star players into championship teams because she was a brilliant coach…..and wonderful person.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Meeting with another denial. Pat said many, many times during the heyday that having the best player was exactly the key to championships. It was Pat's stock answer when asked to explain her success: get the best player. If you could get 2 or 3 of the best players, as in the Meeks era, you could go on a real run. Geno said the same thing; in fact, one year at the FF he bragged endlessly that they would win simply bc they had Taurasi and no one else did. And sadly, he was right, they did win it.

It doesn't diminish Pat's coaching ability at all. She had to successfully build around the superstar and she, and Geno, did. It was just the state of the game at that point. I don't think its true today bc the game has changed and there's alot more good players out there.

We have Tamari and no one else does

 

[LadyOrange]

Meeting with another denial. Pat said many, many times during the heyday that having the best player was exactly the key to championships. It was Pat's stock answer when asked to explain her success: get the best player. If you could get 2 or 3 of the best players, as in the Meeks era, you could go on a real run. Geno said the same thing; in fact, one year at the FF he bragged endlessly that they would win simply bc they had Taurasi and no one else did. And sadly, he was right, they did win it.

It doesn't diminish Pat's coaching ability at all. She had to successfully build around the superstar and she, and Geno, did. It was just the state of the game at that point. I don't think its true today bc the game has changed and there's alot more good players out there.

Disagree. Pat may have said get the best players of possible, sure. But there are plenty of examples of championship teams that don’t have highly ranked players. Women’s basketball has been around for over 100 years. It didn’t start in the 1990s.

 

[Darth_Vol]

Meeting with another denial. Pat said many, many times during the heyday that having the best player was exactly the key to championships. It was Pat's stock answer when asked to explain her success: get the best player. If you could get 2 or 3 of the best players, as in the Meeks era, you could go on a real run. Geno said the same thing; in fact, one year at the FF he bragged endlessly that they would win simply bc they had Taurasi and no one else did. And sadly, he was right, they did win it.

It doesn't diminish Pat's coaching ability at all. She had to successfully build around the superstar and she, and Geno, did. It was just the state of the game at that point. I don't think its true today bc the game has changed and there's alot more good players out there.

I've seen some ridiculous arguments, but good lord this might take the cake. Pat won championships with "3-star players"???

 

[glv98]

Disagree. Pat may have said get the best players of possible, sure. But there are plenty of examples of championship teams that don’t have highly ranked players. Women’s basketball has been around for over 100 years. It didn’t start in the 1990s.

Pat did say get the best players, first and foremost and period.

There are no doubt plenty of championship teams wo highly ranked players. Just not for Pat Summitt, which was the original subject.

 

[Volfan2012]

Point totals may look good for Dye and Horston but between them they took 37 shots and made 12 for 30.3 percent and only generated 33 points on 37 attempts both these stats says their offense was very bad.

 

[StrangeVol]

Point totals may look good for Dye and Horston but between them they took 37 shots and made 12 for 30.3 percent and only generated 33 points on 37 attempts both these stats says their offense was very bad.

Not only that, but both chose, on numerous occasions, to take a difficult contested shot rather than passing our of the paint to a teammate with a better, open shot. Very selfish conduct in my opinion and not what a team player would do most of the time.

 

[Volfan2012]

Not only that, but both chose, on numerous occasions, to take a difficult contested shot rather than passing our of the paint to a teammate with a better, open shot. Very selfish conduct in my opinion and not what a team player would do most of the time.

True and it needs to stop. Taking better shots should mean a better percentage.

 

[volnationnj]

Without Rae (and occasionally, even with her), this team is offensively challenged.
(Just look at the team's shooting stats)
Against lesser opponents, the defense can force easy scoring opportunities. Against top 10 teams, those opportunities are few and far between. That's when your offensive system comes into play. It is the last obstacle to overcome for this team, in their journey to being a final four participant.

 

[Volfan2012]

What we learned and most of us already knew is were a very good defensive team when Key is on the floor. When she is not then some of the players become vulnerable and easy targets for top ten offenses. Everytime Key went out yesterday we started getting victimized on the back doors and just beating a player for a layup. We made our huge run when she was in then went flat again when she went out. The offense even suffers when she is out of the game, but not as much as the defense. The terrible news is that she has no backup as Emily evidently does not have the ability and the freshmen Striplin evidently is not ready either. When Key goes out in come 6'0" Green and she is very undersized to fill the role that Key plays for us.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

What we learned and most of us already knew is were a very good defensive team when Key is on the floor. When she is not then some of the players become vulnerable and easy targets for top ten offenses. Everytime Key went out yesterday we started getting victimized on the back doors and just beating a player for a layup. We made our huge run when she was in then went flat again when she went out. The offense even suffers when she is out of the game, but not as much as the defense. The terrible news is that she has no backup as Emily evidently does not have the ability and the freshmen Striplin evidently is not ready either. When Key goes out in come 6'0" Green and she is very undersized to fill the role that Key plays for us.

Without Key on the floor, we are a decent team. With her, we are a good team. If Rae returns and is her old self, and if we see continued development of other players, we could be a very good team.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Point totals may look good for Dye and Horston but between them they took 37 shots and made 12 for 30.3 percent and only generated 33 points on 37 attempts both these stats says their offense was very bad.

just think about if they didn't take those shots though never would have been back in the game. Jordan herself said she had nerves so she wasn't playing up to par at first.

They know they need to be better and i have a feeling this is a group that will continue to get in the gym and get up shots. We need to be more efficient most definitely and we should run more plays for Sara IMO.

 

[Volfan2012]

just think about if they didn't take those shots though never would have been back in the game. Jordan herself said she had nerves so she wasn't playing up to par at first.

They know they need to be better and i have a feeling this is a group that will continue to get in the gym and get up shots. We need to be more efficient most definitely and we should run more plays for Sara IMO.

Actually we had several bad offensive possessions while we were making that run or we would've taken the lead. Have no problem with them shooting, but like Coach Harper said less jump shots and more movement toward the basket. No need to have Darby on the floor if they are not going to find her a shot cause she played 29 minutes and score 0 points. Basically it comes down to we should never shoot 30 percent from the floor against anybody. Plus missing 13 free throws where no one guards you is just not going to be a winning formula for success.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

Horston’s shooting average is not just because of the opponent, and is nothing new.

In our last four games, she shot:

TN Tech 4-11
Virginia Tech 3-13
GA ST 4-15
Stanford 5-19

This must change, one way or another, it’s definitely effecting our Offense. Either she makes shots, or someone else needs to shoot more.

 

[VolBall09]

Horston’s shooting average is not just because of the opponent, and is nothing new.

In our last four games, she shot:

TN Tech 4-11
Virginia Tech 3-13
GA ST 4-15
Stanford 5-19

This must change, one way or another, it’s definitely effecting our Offense. Either she makes shots, or someone else needs to shoot more.

Truly believe she’s playing through pain again. Her shot looks off balance and he’s been grimacing a lot when they show her.

Plantar fasciitis is no joke.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

Truly believe she’s playing through pain again. Her shot looks off balance and he’s been grimacing a lot when they show her.

Plantar fasciitis is no joke.

Then she should let someone else shoot, or sit and heal up. Would that also effect her dribbling and passing turnovers?

 

[VolBall09]

Then she should let someone else shoot, or sit and heal up.

Doesn’t work like that. She has to shoot those shots. I’m grateful she’s willing to gut it out. It’s hardly an excuse. She’s playing well altogether even though she has moments that are ugly.

Have a tough time seeing where those shots would go anyway. Once Rae is back, sure, but it’s not honestly feasible to move all those shots to Puckett. She’s a scorer but not a playmaker like Horston.

Darby can’t get open, Miles shot isn’t consistent. Walker needs to step up and get a few more attempts but TBH with our personnel Jordy’s gotta shoot it. Just the way it is right now.

If she’s not aggressive teams can totally collapse in the paint.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

Doesn’t work like that. She has to shoot those shots. I’m grateful she’s willing to gut it out. It’s hardly an excuse. She’s playing well altogether even though she has moments that are ugly.

Have a tough time seeing where those shots would go anyway. Once Rae is back, sure, but it’s not honestly feasible to move all those shots to Puckett. She’s a scorer but not a playmaker like Horston.

Darby can’t get open, Miles shot isn’t consistent. Walker needs to step up and get a few more attempts but TBH with our personnel Jordy’s gotta shoot it. Just the way it is right now.

If she’s not aggressive teams can totally collapse in the paint.

We also have Alexus and Green, but throughout the team a shot or two more by several players is feasible. Seems like often when a player drives to the basket, someone is open outside who never gets the pass. Missed shots are seriously hurting.

 

[VolBall09]

We also have Alexus and Green, but throughout the team a shot or two more by several players is feasible. Seems like often when a player drives to the basket, someone is open outside who never gets the pass. Missed shots are seriously hurting.

My point remains. I don’t think we have anyone else to take those shots. Dye is already taking hers and not hitting a super great % either. Against Stanford Alexus was not a good option most of the time. She struggled with Jones’ defense and length. Got hers in the third quarter playing with a lot of energy and heart.

Green is not a good FG% shooter and does not have any range at this point. Have yet to see her make that elbow jumper.

Burrell will take a ton of pressure off Horston and will give her that release kick out. Right now we’re wishing that was Darby but she just simply can’t get open.

 

[glv98]

Doesn’t work like that. She has to shoot those shots. I’m grateful she’s willing to gut it out. It’s hardly an excuse. She’s playing well altogether even though she has moments that are ugly.

Have a tough time seeing where those shots would go anyway. Once Rae is back, sure, but it’s not honestly feasible to move all those shots to Puckett. She’s a scorer but not a playmaker like Horston.

Darby can’t get open, Miles shot isn’t consistent. Walker needs to step up and get a few more attempts but TBH with our personnel Jordy’s gotta shoot it. Just the way it is right now.

If she’s not aggressive teams can totally collapse in the paint.

Shots to Dye, Key when she's in, and Puckett, Puckett, Puckett (and screen for her).

JH seems to put more and more pressure on herself as missed shots and t.o.s pile up. IMO less shots and less ball handling will help her relax into the game.

We do need JH on the floor just as much though. She is an amazing rebounder.