The Carter Connundrum

[Orange_Mamba]

Jaime's position is 3/4 there is NO way Jaime should see time at the guard spot, her ball handling skill is not good to handle the ball under pressure. You want Jaime to become a guard, Kortney to become a post even though she's softer than Nia, then what's next you want Jas to become our point guard. Why are you trying to move an agressive player like Jaime out post that doesn't make sense. We have the luxury of everyone playing their natural positions next year, but you still want them to play of position. Why?

 

[Pat4life]

Yep no way Carter doesn't start at the 2 spot next year unless Jannah is ready to go full speed, which honestly I hope so. Like Amb said....we need Carter on the floor defensively but she HAS to change her mindset and become an option on offense as well. She can easily blow by any defender and pull up
For a jumper or take it all the way for a lay-up, whatever the defense gives her.

Jordan I hope works on that pull up jumper in the lane. She gets that SO easily and misses it way too much! If she works on consistently making that, she'll be hard to stop!

Yeah, the heat will be on Jordan and Draya next year to make that All American or all league jump.

I thought Draya would be further a head playing with more confidence but her and Reynolds still play the guard spot like lil gurls rather than grown women.

If Jordan, embrace her size, she should be unstoppable, like Dena Head. Remember the time we had all league guards....

 

[LadyVol1908]

Yeah, the heat will be on Jordan and Draya next year to make that All American or all league jump.

I thought Draya would be further a head playing with more confidence but her and Reynolds still play the guard spot like lil gurls rather than grown women.

If Jordan, embrace her size, she should be unstoppable, like Dena Head. Remember the time we had all league guards....

Well I think I may be a little too young to remember Head but I'll take your word that she was a good guard lol. I agree with you 100% about Carter..... she's basically a junior. You would think by now she would have some type of offensive identity by now.
Jordan shows flashes of being an elite pg....all those post plays that were ran for her should help her realize that she can use her size to an advantage at any time. We need solid guard play both defensively and offensively...with these two, its pick your poison and we can't have that next year.

 

[Pat4life]

Well I think I may be a little too young to remember Head but I'll take your word that she was a good guard lol. I agree with you 100% about Carter..... she's basically a junior. You would think by now she would have some type of offensive identity by now.
Jordan shows flashes of being an elite pg....all those post plays that were ran for her should help her realize that she can use her size to an advantage at any time. We need solid guard play both defensively and offensively...with these two, its pick your poison and we can't have that next year.

Nice post. Look up Dena Head,the best pg in Lady Vols history to me, she was a big physical guard who embraced her size and used to her advantage.

Defense, rebounds and good guard play win championships.

 

[Pat4life]

Well I think I may be a little too young to remember Head but I'll take your word that she was a good guard lol. I agree with you 100% about Carter..... she's basically a junior. You would think by now she would have some type of offensive identity by now.
Jordan shows flashes of being an elite pg....all those post plays that were ran for her should help her realize that she can use her size to an advantage at any time. We need solid guard play both defensively and offensively...with these two, its pick your poison and we can't have that next year.

If we had a legitimate scorer, who shoots a high percentage (DD), then we could get by with Carter's play, but being shorthanded, she has to play like she belongs on the court, like a junior rather than a soph.

 

[teacherdean]

To be good next year, I think we need a total mind set change. We pass up too many 10 to 15 foot jumpers either to throw it inside or to put the ball on the floor to dribble closer in. We have to stop being hell bent on passing the ball inside even though there are two or three people guarding the post. We need to stop trying to pass basketballs in holes which were designed for tennis balls. In addition, we need to fine a consistent 3 shooter and perhaps a couple of occasional 3 shooters. Last but not least we need that one player who has the ability to take over a game. I think that we potentially have that person in Diamond D. or maybe Russell. We have a lot to look forward to for next year, however, we are not done this year. This team is special when we think about what they have achieved up to now.

 

[Amb3096]

Jaime's position is 3/4 there is NO way Jaime should see time at the guard spot, her ball handling skill is not good to handle the ball under pressure. You want Jaime to become a guard, Kortney to become a post even though she's softer than Nia, then what's next you want Jas to become our point guard. Why are you trying to move an agressive player like Jaime out post that doesn't make sense. We have the luxury of everyone playing their natural positions next year, but you still want them to play of position. Why?

Jaime is not a 4. She is a natural three, but has more skills suited to okay off guard then power forward. Her ball handling is at least as good as many of Tennessee's previous SGs, so I don't buy that she is not well suited to play that spot IF she improves her jump shot.

Kortney will not get much playing time next year, and with the perimeter depth Tennessee has, she will never crack the rotation there. So yes, she has more of a future at high post then she will have on the perimeter.

As to why you'd play someone out of position when you have other players at the natural position, the answer is simple. Because you can have a player playing out of position that is better than another player who is at their natural position.

Carter was not particularly good as a shooting guard for Tennessee, so the opportunity is there to upgrade at that position.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

I agree; Carter seems reluctant to shoot in general, though I believe she has a pretty good shot. One thing that may hinder her from a midrange game is her height, as you noted, but I think it would be a nice asset to her game. Just in general I want her 3point % to increase, especially after Massengale graduates. Thinking about next year, who will be our three point shooter? Carter? Middleton? Reynolds? (Oh my). I think Middleton has the most potential of all of those options.

One player who REALLY needs a midrange game is Jaime Nared. She continues to get better and better. After a putrid first half, she came back and scored in double figures, including hitting a three. I think she could be our next Burdick. She would be a tough match up for any team because of her size at the wing, though it seems like the coaching staff wants to put her on the block. I think Nared has the most potential of any of the freshman to be a dynamic offensive player...right now though she looks tentative.

They have Carter and most of the perimeter players other than Massengail(sp), playing the role of getting the ball inside. Carter can score formed-range, but that is currently not her role.

 

[Real Info]

Carter will have to play PG for the rest of her career to get minutes. The wing position will be full of players better suited there.

 

[LVJeff]

If those other wing players don't play defense - and I'm not saying they won't - they won't play ahead of Carter, regardless of how good they are offensively.

 

[Amb3096]

If those other wing players don't play defense - and I'm not saying they won't - they won't play ahead of Carter, regardless of how good they are offensively.

Then that's poor coaching, because what Carter brings on defense is not enough to compensate for what she doesn't bring on offense.

In games where Tennessee has struggled, there's usually an opposing guard that is lighting Tennessee up, while Tennessee is struggling to score from their backcourt. Carter is a decent defensive player in terms of forcing turnovers, but she is not so good defensively that she can shut down an opposing team's best guard/wing that it's worth having her on the court if she's not adding points to the scoreboard.

If you have a player like Nared that plays ok if unspectacular defense, but blossoms into a big time offensive threat, then Holly would be insane not to play her over Carter.

 

[LVJeff]

Carter is a decent defensive player in terms of forcing turnovers, but she is not so good defensively that she can shut down an opposing team's best guard/wing...

From the standpoint of who starts, it only matters if Carter is better defensively than the other wing players. If she is - she'll start.

 

[Volicity]

I agree, in high school Carter was a dribble drive nightmare. She can also jump out of the gym. There is so much athleticism in that girl. I wonder some times if we are taking advantage of her offensive possibilities. If you really compare some of our 5 star recruits' high school Utube clips with their play today there are quite a bit of difference. Maybe it is an adjustment situation, who knows.

On another point, Middleton played great yesterday. I think that fans' statements that she should be playing D2 ball is insane. She has the ability to be a potential great contributor for the Lady Vols. To be honest, the only problem I can see with the future of this team, is what type of a recruiting job will they do for the class of 2016. The 2015 class is good when you add Diamond D. to the mix, but we need at least two bigs in the 2016 class. It would not hurt to recruit that one top JUCO player we are after. Florida State has that one JUCO center who has been a major contributor this year.

You're watching with your heart and not seeing what is actually there. I watched the Div II play and she would have a hard time at that. DD will help make everyone better and hopefully we can have a better 2016 class.

 

[Amb3096]

From the standpoint of who starts, it only matters if Carter is better defensively than the other wing players. If she is - she'll start.

I agree that is probably true. And if she hasn't improved her offensive game to the point that she is shooting at a better clip and averaging double figures per game, then I predict that Tennessee's NC drought will most certainly continue next year.

 

[Real Info]

If those other wing players don't play defense - and I'm not saying they won't - they won't play ahead of Carter, regardless of how good they are offensively.

Massengile has played regardless of her defensive effort.

 

[LVJeff]

Massengile has played regardless of her defensive effort.

I've always disagreed with this. The narrative on Massengale has always been she is soft, lazy, doesn't play defense.

I don't see this. I see a short player who has had multiple concussions and as a result doesn't go for a lot of rebounds but is always in the correct spot on the floor and aligns the other LV's defensively. Massengale and Burdick are the two players who communicate to the others where to go on defense.

 

[Amb3096]

Massengile has played regardless of her defensive effort.

I think that's a perfect example. The sum of her offensive and defensive capabilities outweigh Carter's. The gap between Ariel/Andraya's offensive skills is much larger than the gap between their defensive skills.

 

[GameTime]

I have been disappointed in Carter's offensive game.....She misses way too many open shots. To be a top team, you need 5 scorers on the floor at the same time.

She plays good D but at times she is an offensive liability....She is a very likable girl.

 

[gule]

every dog drops a biscuit once in a while. She'll probably hit for 20 next game...... I hope! I hope!

 

[VOLINVONORE]

I have been disappointed in Carter's offensive game.....She misses way too many open shots. To be a top team, you need 5 scorers on the floor at the same time.

She plays good D but at times she is an offensive liability....She is a very likable girl.

I think she has been hesitent to shoot because she has not been given the permission to shoot when open.

 

[Pat4life]

I think she has been hesitent to shoot because she has not been given the permission to shoot when open.

She shot the ball last game but they were bricks, Carter and Graves are juniors and are still inconsistent.

Carter has a green light, she cant be quiet this game. Who ever score 70 wins the game?

 

[Volfan2012]

Carter is a sophomore sit out a season.

 

[Amb3096]

I think she has been hesitent to shoot because she has not been given the permission to shoot when open.

Earlier in the season, Holly was saying in an interview how she was begging Andraya to shoot the ball. I don't think Holly's offensive schemes are the issue at play here.

Andraya is hesitant to shoot because she doesn't have the same confidence in her jump shot that Meighan Simmons had in taking 3 pointers in the corners when off balance, leaning to the right while falling backwards and guarded by 2 players. Simmons still thought that was a good shot.

I don't want Andraya to get crazy, but she needs to not be so selective about her shots that she's afraid to take them.

 

[Volfan2012]

Carter is a career 37 percent three point shooter much higher than Simmons was when she was here. She dropped to 35 percent this season after bombing it as a freshman. Overall she is 42 percent from the field which is as good as any of the guards on the team. She fails to have the mentality of Reynolds who loves to fire up a shot even though she is a career 30 percent three point shooter and 38 percent from the field overall.

 

[Pat4life]

Carter is a sophomore sit out a season.

Yeah we know but academically she is a junior, she has been in the system for three years, but hey but it took Burdick four years to play with confidence.

Carter let's go woman, shake it off and play like a lady vol.