What has changed and what has not

[LVJeff]

I would like other opinions about what has changed - for better or worse - and what has not.

My two cents:

-Carter has stabilized the point. Carter doesn't take chances, which is both a positive and a negative. She'll never be the penetrator Cooper is, but she also doesn't throw the ball away or jack up shots the way Cooper does.

-Cooper is now coming of the bench. I saw some indication in last night's game that she is more patient. She only had one turnover in the lane and she usually has three or four. I still think Cooper is the long-term answer at point because of her aggressive nature and her ability to penetrate. But she has to slow down, stop forcing things, and let the game come to her.

-Nared is back in the rotation. Last night wasn't a good scoring game for her, but she has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. She's good at all aspects of the game. She is also a stabilizing force.

-Dunbar is getting some playing time but I suspect she is nervous. She knows her strength is the three point shot and as soon as she gets the ball she looks to me as if she is hesitating, wondering - do I shoot or not? Play the game and the shots will come.

-Reynolds had a decent game last night. There is no reason she cannot hit the open mid-range jumper. But I still would leave her on the bench. Nothing different from her game.

-Russell is still learning her way around. Passive, often out of place on the floor, basically only has the one offensive move - the turn-around half hook. The team needs a lot more from her.

-DeShields was much more in control on the elbow jumper last night. She hit 4 or 5 of those and looked very smooth. I don't know what was up with her free throws. She missed six in a row and one of them was darn near an air ball barely grazing the left side of the rim.

-The defense was more active yet at the same time more in control last night, especially in the first half. Nobody was wildly out of position. OSU's shooting woes were almost entirely attributable to the LV's defense in the first half.

-The game at Missouri will be another indicator of whether the team is improving or not. Anybody going?

 

[Rickster]

I would like other opinions about what has changed - for better or worse - and what has not.

My two cents:

-Carter has stabilized the point. Carter doesn't take chances, which is both a positive and a negative. She'll never be the penetrator Cooper is, but she also doesn't throw the ball away or jack up shots the way Cooper does.

-Cooper is now coming of the bench. I saw some indication in last night's game that she is more patient. She only had one turnover in the lane and she usually has three or four. I still think Cooper is the long-term answer at point because of her aggressive nature and her ability to penetrate. But she has to slow down, stop forcing things, and let the game come to her.

-Nared is back in the rotation. Last night wasn't a good scoring game for her, but she has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. She's good at all aspects of the game. She is also a stabilizing force.

-Dunbar is getting some playing time but I suspect she is nervous. She knows her strength is the three point shot and as soon as she gets the ball she looks to me as if she is hesitating, wondering - do I shoot or not? Play the game and the shots will come.

-Reynolds had a decent game last night. There is no reason she cannot hit the open mid-range jumper. But I still would leave her on the bench. Nothing different from her game.

-Russell is still learning her way around. Passive, often out of place on the floor, basically only has the one offensive move - the turn-around half hook. The team needs a lot more from her.

-DeShields was much more in control on the elbow jumper last night. She hit 4 or 5 of those and looked very smooth. I don't know what was up with her free throws. She missed six in a row and one of them was darn near an air ball barely grazing the left side of the rim.

-The defense was more active yet at the same time more in control last night, especially in the first half. Nobody was wildly out of position. OSU's shooting woes were almost entirely attributable to the LV's defense in the first half.

-The game at Missouri will be another indicator of whether the team is improving or not. Anybody going?

Very good analysis. It is what I saw as well. There was significant improvement from last game to last night. I hope they continue to trend in this direction and become stronger in making in-game adjustments.

 

[Sandvol]

It's only one game. Let's see if they can build on the momentum. Overwhelming talent will only get you so far. It won't beat the UConn's, Notre Dames, and Maryland's. You have to have coaching too. We'll see.

 

[Sandvol]

I would like other opinions about what has changed - for better or worse - and what has not.

My two cents:

-Carter has stabilized the point. Carter doesn't take chances, which is both a positive and a negative. She'll never be the penetrator Cooper is, but she also doesn't throw the ball away or jack up shots the way Cooper does.

-Cooper is now coming of the bench. I saw some indication in last night's game that she is more patient. She only had one turnover in the lane and she usually has three or four. I still think Cooper is the long-term answer at point because of her aggressive nature and her ability to penetrate. But she has to slow down, stop forcing things, and let the game come to her.

-Nared is back in the rotation. Last night wasn't a good scoring game for her, but she has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. She's good at all aspects of the game. She is also a stabilizing force.

-Dunbar is getting some playing time but I suspect she is nervous. She knows her strength is the three point shot and as soon as she gets the ball she looks to me as if she is hesitating, wondering - do I shoot or not? Play the game and the shots will come.

-Reynolds had a decent game last night. There is no reason she cannot hit the open mid-range jumper. But I still would leave her on the bench. Nothing different from her game.

-Russell is still learning her way around. Passive, often out of place on the floor, basically only has the one offensive move - the turn-around half hook. The team needs a lot more from her.

-DeShields was much more in control on the elbow jumper last night. She hit 4 or 5 of those and looked very smooth. I don't know what was up with her free throws. She missed six in a row and one of them was darn near an air ball barely grazing the left side of the rim.

-The defense was more active yet at the same time more in control last night, especially in the first half. Nobody was wildly out of position. OSU's shooting woes were almost entirely attributable to the LV's defense in the first half.

-The game at Missouri will be another indicator of whether the team is improving or not. Anybody going?

Also, Dunbar got some good rebounds yesterday and the thing about her is she takes care of the basketball and makes good passes. She doesn't turn it over. Smart player. We always need a smart player on the court.

 

[Special Ed]

I believe it was one of the ancient Greek philosophers who said, "The only constant in the universe is change."
Change is good.

 

[armchair]

We beat oregon state on the road and the team acts like it won the national title. That's rather sad, as far as I'm concerned. It shows how far we've fallen, really. It fine to be happy, but jubilant? Tells you a lot about the state of our program and the confidence of the players.

 

[Rickster]

We beat oregon state on the road and the team acts like it won the national title. That's rather sad, as far as I'm concerned. It shows how far we've fallen, really. It fine to be happy, but jubilant? Tells you a lot about the state of our program and the confidence of the players.

Given how they have played this year, I don't blame them for celebrating. It is a good win and should be enjoyed. Teams bond better after a win than a loss.

 

[alexvol]

I would like other opinions about what has changed - for better or worse - and what has not.

My two cents:

-Carter has stabilized the point. Carter doesn't take chances, which is both a positive and a negative. She'll never be the penetrator Cooper is, but she also doesn't throw the ball away or jack up shots the way Cooper does.

-Cooper is now coming of the bench. I saw some indication in last night's game that she is more patient. She only had one turnover in the lane and she usually has three or four. I still think Cooper is the long-term answer at point because of her aggressive nature and her ability to penetrate. But she has to slow down, stop forcing things, and let the game come to her.

-Nared is back in the rotation. Last night wasn't a good scoring game for her, but she has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. She's good at all aspects of the game. She is also a stabilizing force.

-Dunbar is getting some playing time but I suspect she is nervous. She knows her strength is the three point shot and as soon as she gets the ball she looks to me as if she is hesitating, wondering - do I shoot or not? Play the game and the shots will come.

-Reynolds had a decent game last night. There is no reason she cannot hit the open mid-range jumper. But I still would leave her on the bench. Nothing different from her game.

-Russell is still learning her way around. Passive, often out of place on the floor, basically only has the one offensive move - the turn-around half hook. The team needs a lot more from her.

-DeShields was much more in control on the elbow jumper last night. She hit 4 or 5 of those and looked very smooth. I don't know what was up with her free throws. She missed six in a row and one of them was darn near an air ball barely grazing the left side of the rim.

-The defense was more active yet at the same time more in control last night, especially in the first half. Nobody was wildly out of position. OSU's shooting woes were almost entirely attributable to the LV's defense in the first half.

-The game at Missouri will be another indicator of whether the team is improving or not. Anybody going?

Terrific analysis.To me the offense should go thru Deshields in the half court offense but not sure that Holly and crew can develop such an offense since they really have trouble getting the ball in bounds on a simple out under their own basket.

Why did the offense break down so badly in the 3rd and 4th quarters last nite ?

 

[alexvol]

I really believe that Dunbar is still gimpy and trying to recover from that high ankle sprain and it is affecting her play.

 

[508mikey]

I really believe that Dunbar is still gimpy and trying to recover from that high ankle sprain and it is affecting her play.

Once she is 100% she should be starting every game - and doing alot of shooting -

 

[Vols4life]

It was one game and we still only scored 53 points....The Mizzou game and the SEC season going forward will tell a lot

 

[FrozenLVFan]

Carter was a huge improvement at PG last night. Let's see if she can continue in that regard.

I think we're now pinning our hopes on Nared rather excessively, just like we did on Cooper to deserve a starting PG spot and for DD to take charge of the team, back before the season began. Nared got her *** kicked on defense last night and doesn't look ready for primetime yet.

Whether her feet are better or not, overall Mercedes doesn't look much improved over her freshman year. Either she's stubborn/lazy/uncoachable, which I do not believe, or our coaching staff is not getting the job done. It's time for them to reevaluate what they're doing with her.

 

[teacherdean]

I would like other opinions about what has changed - for better or worse - and what has not.

My two cents:

-Carter has stabilized the point. Carter doesn't take chances, which is both a positive and a negative. She'll never be the penetrator Cooper is, but she also doesn't throw the ball away or jack up shots the way Cooper does.

-Cooper is now coming of the bench. I saw some indication in last night's game that she is more patient. She only had one turnover in the lane and she usually has three or four. I still think Cooper is the long-term answer at point because of her aggressive nature and her ability to penetrate. But she has to slow down, stop forcing things, and let the game come to her.

-Nared is back in the rotation. Last night wasn't a good scoring game for her, but she has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. She's good at all aspects of the game. She is also a stabilizing force.

-Dunbar is getting some playing time but I suspect she is nervous. She knows her strength is the three point shot and as soon as she gets the ball she looks to me as if she is hesitating, wondering - do I shoot or not? Play the game and the shots will come.

-Reynolds had a decent game last night. There is no reason she cannot hit the open mid-range jumper. But I still would leave her on the bench. Nothing different from her game.

-Russell is still learning her way around. Passive, often out of place on the floor, basically only has the one offensive move - the turn-around half hook. The team needs a lot more from her.
G
-DeShields was much more in control on the elbow jumper last night. She hit 4 or 5 of those and looked very smooth. I don't know what was up with her free throws. She missed six in a row and one of them was darn near an air ball barely grazing the left side of the rim.

-The defense was more active yet at the same time more in control last night, especially in the first half. Nobody was wildly out of position. OSU's shooting woes were almost entirely attributable to the LV's defense in the first half.

-The game at Missouri will be another indicator of whether the team is improving or not. Anybody going?

I will be going to the game. I am a season ticket holder, only because I do not live in, or near, Knoxville. The star of the team is freshman Sophia Cunningham. She is no joke, give her a little space and she will make you pay. The team plays very good defense and just about all of them can shoot threes.

I think we have a good chance to win if we start Diamond, Graves, Jones, Carter and Te'a Cooper (under control). I would have Russell come off the bench. She does not give us the advantage that size should have given us. Sometimes she is a liability. You can demand but can not teach aggressiveness and toughness, it has to come from the heart. If Russell had Izzy's qualities, or Akator's, we would perhaps have one of the best college post. If we have a shot for a real run in the NCAA Tournament, she has to become one of the center pieces of our team. We really need Russell to develop during the season and be at her best when The SEC tournament comes around.

 

[LVJeff]

...Why did the offense break down so badly in the 3rd and 4th quarters last nite ?

Mostly because Carter went to the bench with her third foul.

I have been hard on Carter. She has tremendous athletic ability, yet seemingly accomplishes very little on the court. Her inability/refusal to shoot is well known. Confidence? Scheme? I don't know.

But for now she is the "safe" option at point. She protects the ball, doesn't take chances with passes, and only occasionally does something inexplicable. OSU had already started hitting shots on their end of the court immediately beginning the third quarter, so there was pressure for the LV's to respond. None of the LV's handle pressure (mental, not a press) real well and when Carter went out, it went from bad to worse.

 

[feathersax]

:banghead2: :snoring: :mf_surrender:

 

[PineyBluff Vol]

Just read the article about having a "study session" in the Knoxville paper. Just curious what the coaching staff has been doing with these players before this new revelation. I hope this staff wakes up and realizes that they have responsibilities that they need to apply every game, not simply "roll the balls out on the floor".

 

[RollerVol]

Some girls are getting healthy and adding some depth to the lineup. They'll just get better when everyone is ready to go...everyone. As this happens it injects more talent on the floor and more team confidence equaling more wins and less "fahr Holly"...

GO LADY VOLS!

 

[gule]

We beat oregon state on the road and the team acts like it won the national title. That's rather sad, as far as I'm concerned. It shows how far we've fallen, really. It fine to be happy, but jubilant? Tells you a lot about the state of our program and the confidence of the players.

maybe the TN. teams of the past could have steam rolled OSU but the 15/16 version has never had a bigger win. If they want to be happy as hell with the win, let them. Don't be a Debbie Downer.

 

[Martic]

We beat oregon state on the road and the team acts like it won the national title. That's rather sad, as far as I'm concerned. It shows how far we've fallen, really. It fine to be happy, but jubilant? Tells you a lot about the state of our program and the confidence of the players.

Actually I think what you saw was relief to finally play close to what they are capable of. I was glad to see them celebrate. How long did they say it had been since they beat a top ranked team on the road. This dated back to when CPS was there. Give em a break!!!!! Hopefully this is a starting point.

 

[Martic]

Once she is 100% she should be starting every game - and doing alot of shooting -

are you serious ????

 

[Tennman]

I believe it was one of the ancient Greek philosophers who said, "The only constant in the universe is change."
Change is good.

Well 2008 may change that philosophy.

 

[Volfan2012]

Until everyone on the team buys in to the idea of running an efficient and consistent offense there will be no improvement.
The team can play defense when they want to give the effort. They were outsmarted by the Oregon State coach in the second half on defense and Holly evidently was also as they were virtually running the same play and scoring everytime.
Dunbar may never get shots with this team she was standing in the corner several times all alone and no one threw her the ball. When is this team going to get smart enough to drive and kick for shots. Once they drive they are throwing up some kind of shot they are not passing they will force something.
Overall I saw a team play decent offense in the first half good shot selection and the right people shooting where they can make baskets.
In the second half we were back to one on one play and players trying to make something from nothing some very bad shots.
So until everyone buys in to a consistent and efficient offense and play to their strengths and quit taking bad shots there will be no improvement.
53 points want win very many games. We have to score 70 at least.

 

[Linda Lee]

Good analysis. I just hope the team can continue to improve and stop making so many bad plays.

I agree that Russell has to learn how to play her position. Diamond has to be involved in almost every play and she must play under control.

It is hard to predict how the season will turn out. I hope we can at least win the conference or tie with another team.

I do not see Holly leaving at this point but she has to recruit. If things do not get better, Holly will continue to be on the hot seat!

We just gotta believe that we will be ok. Let's just let the season play out. 😎

 

[VollyParton]

Actually I think what you saw was relief to finally play close to what they are capable of. I was glad to see them celebrate. How long did they say it had been since they beat a top ranked team on the road. This dated back to when CPS was there. Give em a break!!!!! Hopefully this is a starting point.

Not to mention relief that they might not get piled on again by "fans"!

Love me some Happy, Celebrating Lady Vols

 

[teacherdean]

For Holly to transcend into a top coach, she needs to improve in theses areas:

1.Recruitment or the team will take a serious nose dive in 3 years or less;
2. Train players to play under control and quit taking B.S. Shots;
3. Learn how to make defensive and offensive changes on the fly;
4. Come up with a lineup which gives us the best chance of winning;
5. Call timely T.O.'s when the team starts looking lost on either side of the ball;
6. Quit saying stupid things during interviews and sound a little more positive; and
7. Coach players on the sideline when they screwup like other successful coaches.

I hope the OSU game turns this team around, if it does not, the players should not be thrown under the bus. Coaches are suppose to control players and not the other way around.

I was proud to see the team happy and celebrating, maybe this will become habit forming.