The difference a coach can make

#1
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brassie

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#1
Last night DePaul gave UConn all they could handle - at least for the 1st half.

The reason - Doug Bruno's game plan. While most teams choose to slow the game down against UConn, Bruno went in the opposite direction, nearly running the Huskies into the ground. He used wholesale subs, NHL style 4 or 5 players at a time to keep fresh legs on the court. In the end UConn's superior talent won out but it wasn't a blow out by any means and at the end of 1st half UConn had but a one point lead.

My point - Bruno's team was obviously overmatched but the coach had a game plan and he convinced them to buy into it. UT has talent superior to most of the top teams. Maybe all they need is a more flexible game plan and some serious motivation.
 
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#2
#2
At RIck Barnes age and his years as a head coach, I doudt he changes his philosiphy much.
He probably looks at this job as a way to make a big pay check before he ultimately retires.
Might get a 75% effort from him but not more.
 
#3
#3
Rudy123 said:
At RIck Barnes age and his years as a head coach, I doudt he changes his philosiphy much.
He probably looks at this job as a way to make a big pay check before he ultimately retires.
Might get a 75% effort from him but not more.
Click to expand...

Rick Barnes coaches the Lady Vols now?
 
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#5
#5
Rudy123 said:
At RIck Barnes age and his years as a head coach, I doudt he changes his philosiphy much.
He probably looks at this job as a way to make a big pay check before he ultimately retires.
Might get a 75% effort from him but not more.
Click to expand...

Good post OP. I can't agree with the effort part of this statement. I believe Rick Barnes will
Be successful at Tennessee given time. He doesn't have alot to work with. Give him a few recruiting classes and he will win. I truly believe that.
 
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#8
#8
Rudy123 said:
At RIck Barnes age and his years as a head coach, I doudt he changes his philosiphy much.
He probably looks at this job as a way to make a big pay check before he ultimately retires.
Might get a 75% effort from him but not more.
Click to expand...

Silly.
 
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#9
#9
Pat had a lot of admiration for Bruno and has remarked on occasion that she consulted with him on offensive concepts.
 
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#10
#10
brassie said:
Last night DePaul gave UConn all they could handle - at least for the 1st half.

The reason - Doug Bruno's game plan. While most teams choose to slow the game down against UConn, Bruno went in the opposite direction, nearly running the Huskies into the ground. He used wholesale subs, NHL style 4 or 5 players at a time to keep fresh legs on the court. In the end UConn's superior talent won out but it wasn't a blow out by any means and at the end of 1st half UConn had but a one point lead.

My point - Bruno's team was obviously overmatched but the coach had a game plan and he convinced them to buy into it. UT has talent superior to most of the top teams. Maybe all they need is a more flexible game plan and some serious motivation.
Click to expand...

I don't think Bruno is more inventive than Warlick. DePaul's strength is their fast pace of play and three point shooting. The reason they were close at the half was because they shot 9-16 from behind the arc. if they had shot a more typical 6-16 they would have been down a dozen.

Tenn's forte is pressure defense, not perimeter shooting. And last night they showed how devastating it can be when it works.

Two teams just built differently. You can dislike the style that Holly plays but it's really nothing different than what Tenn has been for decades.
 
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#13
#13
linkster said:
I don't think Bruno is more inventive than Warlick. DePaul's strength is their fast pace of play and three point shooting. The reason they were close at the half was because they shot 9-16 from behind the arc. if they had shot a more typical 6-16 they would have been down a dozen.

Tenn's forte is pressure defense, not perimeter shooting. And last night they showed how devastating it can be when it works.

Two teams just built differently. You can dislike the style that Holly plays but it's really nothing different than what Tenn has been for decades.
Click to expand...

there is a big difference between pressure defense against east tenn. state and pressure defense against texas or uconn. Outside of Carter, our guards are not good enough defensively, don't work hard enough defensively. Reynolds and Cooper (already) play defense like Massengale did for most of her career--half-heartedly, which is why good guards expose them. Middleton works hard but is not the quickest and doesn't play that much. Beyond that, the game of BB caught up with Summitt's pressure defensive/bumbling offense style. It was a very effective style 20 years ago when the game was young and nobody could make a basket. Now a lot of teams can shoot and score--except us, in big games--and this has been a problem for 10 years. You can play pressure defense but you're not going to beat good teams anymore shooting 30 percent and committing 20 turnovers. PS, and now her friend Holly, have been very slow to get that. Bad offense cannot be described as part of your "style of play"--it's just bad basketball.
 
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#14
#14
armchair said:
there is a big difference between pressure defense against east tenn. state and pressure defense against texas or uconn. Outside of Carter, our guards are not good enough defensively, don't work hard enough defensively. Reynolds and Cooper (already) play defense like Massengale did for most of her career--half-heartedly, which is why good guards expose them. Middleton works hard but is not the quickest and doesn't play that much. Beyond that, the game of BB caught up with Summitt's pressure defensive/bumbling offense style. It was a very effective style 20 years ago when the game was young and nobody could make a basket. Now a lot of teams can shoot and score--except us, in big games--and this has been a problem for 10 years. You can play pressure defense but you're not going to beat good teams anymore shooting 30 percent and committing 20 turnovers. PS, and now her friend Holly, have been very slow to get that. Bad offense cannot be described as part of your "style of play"--it's just bad basketball.
Click to expand...

Mitchell and Ky show that teams can still be very effective with a pressure defense. Carter can press; Jones if and when she gets back can press; I disagree about Cooper being a lazy defender; Graves can press; heck Mercedes has good mobility for a gal her size. Throw in Jackson and Middleton (who is an adequate defender) and the LVs have the bodies to play this style.[Pressing might even create some opportunities for Nia]. Our offense may need to look a lot like it did in the Candace parker era -- in this rendition, get the ball to Diamond, let her create, and have everyone else crash the boards on the misses.

I kinda like the team playing 1990's throwback ball; they just need to embrace this identity. Bring on the retro uniforms...
 
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#15
#15
I think Holly needs to scrap two things she says to much. Get the ball inside and don't quick shoot the basketball. I think you get the ball inside when you have the option to get it inside and these girls should know when they see a post open. Thinking to much about getting inside disrupts the entire offense as sometimes it leads to a players forcing a pass because she thinks she must because that was the coaches instructions.
Work for a shot whether that is inside or on the perimeter a shot that is open is a good shot if a player that has the ability to make the shot is taking it.
Quick shoot the basketball is a stupid term as if you got a layup two seconds into the shot clock you quick shoot it you don't pull it back out and wait 20 seconds to shoot it. The first open shot with a reliable shooter should be taken and that is what Diamond does. She has a shot she shoots it five seconds into the shot clock or 20 seconds it doesn't matter.
We put up 74 shots last night. That needs to happen every night we play. We held ETSU to 37 shots and they made 46 percent but if you only get 37 your not going to win very many basketball games. We've been getting a lot less than 74 in the previous games.
 
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#17
#17
I believe that part of our shooting wows is related in part to the offensive mind set of pound it inside. We have to practice that way or we would not play the offensive style we play. It stops motion and a lot of standing in place passing the ball around until we start making turnovers. I believe the players are trying their best to play Holly's pound it inside offense. I think it takes away decision making and the players become more robotic. Holly has created a mindset that is difficult for some of the players to overcome. We past up way too many good jumpers to pass the ball inside. You will also notice that many of our outside shots are desperation shots and look any thing but smooth. Right now Russell is way to tentative for us to have a dominating inside game. Izzy was a lot more aggressive and that is why the offense worked a little better than it is working presently.
 
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#18
#18
The old pound it inside and no quick shot rule, are the 2 reasons this club has looked so bad......Diamond has ignored the quick shot rule and scored many more times than she has missed...As long as you have a rebounder in place and you are in rhythm shoot the damn ball....The throw it inside first is the main reason for all the turnovers....

Holly can't wait to get in front of a camera and say we play inside out, and no quick shots here....So damn dumb.
 
#20
#20
I'm hoping (no, praying) Holly learned a good lesson by being an observer the second half of the ETSU game. Let this team run, pressure and thrive.

Holly's recruiting and offensive philosophy are at odds with each other, plainly. If she truly wants to play Pat's pound-it-inside style, you must recruit the stud mules suited for that mindset. Mercedes may become one when she gets physically stronger, and Bash's face-up game is superior to her post-up. We have a team of guards and versatile forwards (even more so when Nared returns = please be soon) who can run and pressure the ball. Even our 3-point shooting improved when Diamond (love her style of play so much ... how lucky are we as fans to see her play here at Tennessee?) took over in the second half with a faster pace and more defensive pressure.

This shouldn't be a difficult team to coach, which Holly proved with her halftime and second-half revolt against ETSU. Let 'em play, Holly, and take the double-post offense out of your arsenal until you have the studs to run it. Maybe in a couple of years if the big bodies you're recruiting for '17 and '18 do choose to come to Tennessee, you can return to Pat ball.

Go Lady Vols!
 
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#21
#21
Voldon18 said:
I'm hoping (no, praying) Holly learned a good lesson by being an observer the second half of the ETSU game. Let this team run, pressure and thrive.
Click to expand...

Massey has ETSU ranked #258. Teams like ETSU do not have the talent to prevent opponents from imposing their will. The difference between ETSU and a top five team is that the top five teams will not let you play the way you want. They will set up a game plan that forces you to play to your weaknesses, not your strengths. If you want to run, they will slow the game down. If you want to feed the post, they will play zone. If you want one player to take 30 shots, they will play a box-and-one.

What works against ETSU, VA Tech, and Wichita State probably will not work against Notre Dame, UConn, or South Carolina because they will not let you execute your Plan A. So the $64,000 question is "Does Holly have a Plan B and, if necessary, a Plan C?" Can the team execute and win when playing a style other than Plan A?
 
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#25
#25
Hoya Saxa said:
Massey has ETSU ranked #258. Teams like ETSU do not have the talent to prevent opponents from imposing their will. The difference between ETSU and a top five team is that the top five teams will not let you play the way you want. They will set up a game plan that forces you to play to your weaknesses, not your strengths. If you want to run, they will slow the game down. If you want to feed the post, they will play zone. If you want one player to take 30 shots, they will play a box-and-one.

What works against ETSU, VA Tech, and Wichita State probably will not work against Notre Dame, UConn, or South Carolina because they will not let you execute your Plan A. So the $64,000 question is "Does Holly have a Plan B and, if necessary, a Plan C?" Can the team execute and win when playing a style other than Plan A?
Click to expand...

Her A through C plan is A. Throw it inside B. If A does not work, throw it inside some more C. If A and B is not working repeat A and B. Her new D. Plan works much better, when the coach is clueless set down, shut up and let the players coach themselves. Hum, I wonder if Diamond and Te'a can recruit?
 
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