One is not a quitter simply because they dislike bad basketball. Baling or quitting a program is saying I am done with the program and I haven't seen any fan say they were done with the Lady Vol's. Unless one is blind the coaching staff has not placed a consistent good product on the floor. Right now this is a very frustrating product to watch. There is nothing worse than watching a coaching staff that seems clueless as to how they can correct some very glaring issues. I personally want to see the Lady Vols live up to their talent. If this makes me a bailing quitter then so be it.
The gist of my post was directed at someone other than you, but if the shoe fits.
You're right about one thing, the glaring issues. It's a difference of opinion as to what they are.
If you look at the losses, in four of the five, Russell and Graves combined for 10-17 total shot attempts while individually or some combination of Nared, Reynolds and Cooper are throwing up 2 to 3 times the attempts and they aren't going in...it's worse from 3...
Further, in four of the five losses, those players don't get to the line hardly at all and the opposing team has significantly more attempts and points from the line, usually in the second half.
To illustrate my point the 1976-77 team accounts for the fewest made free throws (368) and fewest attempts (556 )in a season by a Lady Vols squad. They played 33 games that season.
So far this year we've made 183 and attempted 256.
In the last game, we had 24 turnovers, the record for team TO's is held by the 1984 team with 32 versus Texas.
I guess to you and most others that reflects on the coaches. I guess the opinion of the masses is that this coaching staff has gone away from wanting the ball to be thrown into the post, that they've forgotten how to help low post players get position and that they are in favor of continuing to take jumpers and threes when it's clear the perimeter players are having an off night. I guess the thinking is that even though the current head coach, who also just happened to be a guard herself is coaching the kids to turn the ball over and that the same person who racked up 141 steals in in 1978-79, still a season record, doesn't know about valuing the ball or give a crap about defensive effort.
Players have off nights, whether it's Michael Jordan, Candace Parker, the young lady at UConn...whoever.
But 99% of the time that I recall watching them play, it's etched on their face, they don't want to simply win they want to humiliate you and they sure as hell will carry the load because they hate to lose.
I don't think Pat Summitt, Geno or Phil Jackson did anything but inherit them, X's and O's taught, for sure, but competitiveness, will to win, overcome adversity...they led by example and the team got on board and the ones who can't hang, they are on the bench or gone.
That's what's missing. Players holding players accountable for their effort or lack there of. Graves, Carter and Deshields are either going to step up and lead or by Lady Vols fans' standards it's going to be a subpar year, maybe it already is, but there is not much the staff can do except keep their heads down and continue to teach.
That's my opinion and I understand yours is different.
It's bad form to call for the head coaches job in the middle of the season, said the same for Fulmer, Pearl, and Martin and it has a negative effect on the team which I know first hand.
Bad as it is, neither the coaches or the players are quitting on you, they'll be there whether you are or not. In the end it's just common courtesy.
