Who should be the LV scorers

[stllvf]

Below are some basic shooting stats from last year. The threads have many opinions on where the offense should come from for next year. Any observations from last year that will carry over into this Fall?

In 2013-14 the Lady Vols played 35 games and averaged 64 shots a game and made 28.5 field goals.
The number of goals of key players:
Harrison 5+ Massengale 3.5 Graves 3+ Burdick 3+ Carter 2+ Russell 2++
Massengale in her 19 games made 2.5 trays per game and the next is Carter with about .8 per game

The team hit .715 of free throws an average of 22.5+ shots making 16+

The number of shots taken was reduced by the 16.5 TO per game. Harrison had nearly 100 as did Simmons.

 

[Pat4life]

I think we will see a lot more balance and have a team of 4 to five double figure scorers. I still want to say it will change game to game, but Izzy being right there.

Izzy should have the ball as much as possible, she just has to turn it over less.

After that, I don't know. The only other person that can create their own shot is???

And we ran into problems when teams outrebounded us and took away our first, second and third option on offense, then you need a play maker.

Whoever emerges as the playmaker will be the second or leading scorer.

The fact Izzy has to get the ball assisted, she prolly won't be the leading scorer.

The person that can create their own shot, Jordan Reynolds but she's young.

Players who I feel have the ability to get get their own shot:

1. Reynolds
2. J.Jones (she might not make it)
3. Izzy
4. Draya

 

[Sandvol]

We really need some of these newcomers to be able to come in and shoot threes. I suspect Middleton and Dunbar especially but also I think Tucker will fill that role too. Nared will be more of a slash to the basket and pull up jumpers.

 

[Orange_Mamba]

I don't care who they are as long as we win games.

 

[governmentmule]

if it works like Sandvols is thinking,I'm going with Russell and Izzy,as long as Izzy cuts down on the turn overs

that will open up the paint more and give them better looking shots to take

or that is my opinion anyway for what that is worth

 

[Volfan2012]

Somebody will have to take the 14 shots that Simmons took per game hopefully at a higher percentage than 41.6. I expect we will see about 50 more three point attempts this season mainly from Dunbar, Middleton, Carter, and Massengale. I am expecting those four to average about 14 attempts per game from the three point line. That comes out to 490 attempts. We had 444 attempts last season hit 36 percent of them. We need to up that to about 39 percent.

Harrison and Russell need more shots as well. Together they took 473 last season made 276 for 58.3 percent. Simmons shot it 488 times for 41.6 percent so she put up more than these two post players combined. So we need them to get about another 150 shot attempts.
The key will be players hitting some threes to stretch defenses. About half our turnovers were trying to force passes to the post. You have to have confidence to shoot the open shot I think the freshmen will shoot it and hopefully they go in early and often so they can get their confidence.
I expect balanced scoring this season look for Carter to score more. Nared can definitely score and get to the basket. Burdick and Jones don't know what they are gonna do this season hopefully if the same as last season we want see as much of them.

 

[Sandvol]

Somebody will have to take the 14 shots that Simmons took per game hopefully at a higher percentage than 41.6. I expect we will see about 50 more three point attempts this season mainly from Dunbar, Middleton, Carter, and Massengale. I am expecting those four to average about 14 attempts per game from the three point line. That comes out to 490 attempts. We had 444 attempts last season hit 36 percent of them. We need to up that to about 39 percent.

Harrison and Russell need more shots as well. Together they took 473 last season made 276 for 58.3 percent. Simmons shot it 488 times for 41.6 percent so she put up more than these two post players combined. So we need them to get about another 150 shot attempts.
The key will be players hitting some threes to stretch defenses. About half our turnovers were trying to force passes to the post. You have to have confidence to shoot the open shot I think the freshmen will shoot it and hopefully they go in early and often so they can get their confidence.
I expect balanced scoring this season look for Carter to score more. Nared can definitely score and get to the basket. Burdick and Jones don't know what they are gonna do this season hopefully if the same as last season we want see as much of them.

I think we played better when Simmons wasn't putting up so many shots.

 

[stllvf]

Raw statistics in basketball how meaningful

South Carolina took 53+ shots per game and made 14.2 TOs
UNC 64.6 and 17 TOs
Notre Dame 63.7 and 14.5 TO
UConn 62 and 11.8 TO

South Carolina had no outside shooting last year and relied on defense and a strong and large inside presence

UNC when good they were hitting in transition and offense more so than defense kept them in games.

Notre Dame and even though UConn had the easiest schedule until tourney time, they took care of the basketball.

If there were one statistic that would be most meaningful it would be unforced errors. We know the obvious inappropriate long pass and the two players not in communication on a play. We hear about wanting to average less than 15 a game as being meaningful.

Men's team average many less TO's the TN men last year averaged 10.5 for comparison.

We know the mantra - rebounding and defense win games. and taking care of the ball ranks up there as crucial.

 

[gule]

glutton for punishment?

I watched the Maryland game from last season today and m Simmons missed all those shots all over again.....

I love her to death but DANG GURL...you picked a bad time to throw up bricks.... You sure didn't get any help either till too little too late.

1st time I've watched the replay & will be the last.

 

[Amb3096]

glutton for punishment?

I watched the Maryland game from last season today and m Simmons missed all those shots all over again.....

I love her to death but DANG GURL...you picked a bad time to throw up bricks.... You sure didn't get any help either till too little too late.

1st time I've watched the replay & will be the last.

At least Simmons kept Tennessee in the game. While I've never been a huge fan of hers, she did her part to give Tennessee a chance to win this game. The same can't be said for her teammates.

With the exception of Izzy and Jasmine Jones, the rest of the team was useless. Izzy got SMOTHERED because Bashaara and Cierra spent the whole game quivering in their sneakers. While Graves did get 14 rebounds, she was such a liability on offense that it didn't matter if she got 20 rebounds. Carter was a complete no-show on both ends of the floor. She is not starting G material unless she learns how to contribute on the offensive end. Between these three players, Simmons and Izzy were playing 2 on 5 for every offensive possession.

 

[Volfan2012]

Tucker could be a huge scorer for us,but I'm not counting on her until I see if she is healthy or not. If she is the two position on the court is hers she is a solid defender and has a great shot.

 

[Voluble2]

Tucker could be a huge scorer for us,but I'm not counting on her until I see if she is healthy or not. If she is the two position on the court is hers she is a solid defender and has a great shot.

Yes, Nared and Tucker are likely our only hopes for a scorer who can create their own shot.

Does anyone have practice reports on how either of them are doing? That sort of thing always leaks out for the men, and they have a summer league so people know what to expect. But with the women you never know until the season starts.

Of course after this year Diamond will come online and we will have that elite play-maker on offense that we have been looking for. Just in time for when we run out of post players (

 

[Smallvol#1]

At least Simmons kept Tennessee in the game. While I've never been a huge fan of hers, she did her part to give Tennessee a chance to win this game. The same can't be said for her teammates.

With the exception of Izzy and Jasmine Jones, the rest of the team was useless. Izzy got SMOTHERED because Bashaara and Cierra spent the whole game quivering in their sneakers. ... Between these three players, Simmons and Izzy were playing 2 on 5 for every offensive possession.

I 'sort of have to' agree (I hate anything remotely negative about Meghan, Andraya, etc. but as to that game,...truth hurts). Only thing you left out was we kept trying to force the ball inside. Operative words being 'trying' and 'force'.

 

[armchair]

We've got a team full of top national prospects. Therefore, any of them should be capable of making an open shot. And how to you get an open shot? By moving and passing and setting picks and passing and moving until somebody gets open; that's right, running the offense with crispness and patience--and not forcing shots. UT doesn't do this well enough, which is why our average assists and shooting percentage have been too low for most of 20 years and our avg. turnovers have been too high. Yea, it is nice to have players who can create, but good passing is even better.

 

[Sandvol]

We've got a team full of top national prospects. Therefore, any of them should be capable of making an open shot. And how to you get an open shot? By moving and passing and setting picks and passing and moving until somebody gets open; that's right, running the offense with crispness and patience--and not forcing shots. UT doesn't do this well enough, which is why our average assists and shooting percentage have been too low for most of 20 years and our avg. turnovers have been too high. Yea, it is nice to have players who can create, but good passing is even better.

I agree. Notre Dame and UConn both do that very well without making turnovers. We dribble too much.

 

[Amb3096]

I 'sort of have to' agree (I hate anything remotely negative about Meghan, Andraya, etc. but as to that game,...truth hurts). Only thing you left out was we kept trying to force the ball inside. Operative words being 'trying' and 'force'.

True...and I think the main reason for that was the aforementioned three players who proceeded to play hot potato and force the ball to Izzy or throw it to Simmons and pray she bails them out. Next year, they need to step it up and quit playing scared.

 

[CannonVol80]

I'm not sure if it was really a matter of "playing scared". My impression was that, frequently, it was the coaching staff's game plan to get the ball inside to Izzy or Bashaara and, as many have noted, there were too many instances where the attempts were forced despite the fact that no real opening was available or, alternatively, the attempt involved a poor pass or a telegraphed pass (which is, in and of itself, a poor pass) which resulted in a turnover.

I'm not sure if this was a result of a rigidity of the game plan which didn't allow for an alternative approach if Izzy or Bashaara were well covered, which I consider a coaching deficiency,or a lack of experience and/or "basketball iq" on the part of the players. If it was the latter, I can see significant room for, and possibility of, improvement. If it was the former, I'm not sure if I see anything changing in the forseeable future.

Another problem has been what I tend to refer to as playground or circus passes. There was way too much of that kind of thing during the course of the season. And, while that may look good on a highlight tape and may even work regularly against teams that don't ordinarily sniff an invite to the NCAA tournament, it isn't going to work with any regularity at all against teams in the top 25. This team needs to develop a mindset of valuing the ball and making fundamentally sound passes if they ever want to get to the Final Four again.

Jim

 

[Pat4life]

Great posts everyone. Nice read.

And for the most part, most of our guards are too scared dribble {(too scared to shoot) we haven't have guards in a while, that could go and get the shot they wanted or a player in a while that could go and get the shot they wanted.} instead of creating a better angle to make a solid pass in the post, we pick up our dribble, and usually a bad pass was our only option. But freshmen can be scared to dribble a lot, unless they are doing that weave out beyond the three.

Some players can be so literal, rather than being creative and using their talent to get the ball into the post or take it to the basket themselves.

Our guards need to work on their confidence and handles. Tucker if she healthy the leading scorer, her game was a young Maya.

I still think it will be Jasmine or Jordan. Who is the another alpha female out of the guards and wings?

 

[Amb3096]

I'm not sure if it was really a matter of "playing scared". My impression was that, frequently, it was the coaching staff's game plan to get the ball inside to Izzy or Bashaara and, as many have noted, there were too many instances where the attempts were forced despite the fact that no real opening was available or, alternatively, the attempt involved a poor pass or a telegraphed pass (which is, in and of itself, a poor pass) which resulted in a turnover.

I'm not sure if this was a result of a rigidity of the game plan which didn't allow for an alternative approach if Izzy or Bashaara were well covered, which I consider a coaching deficiency,or a lack of experience and/or "basketball iq" on the part of the players. If it was the latter, I can see significant room for, and possibility of, improvement. If it was the former, I'm not sure if I see anything changing in the forseeable future.

Another problem has been what I tend to refer to as playground or circus passes. There was way too much of that kind of thing during the course of the season. And, while that may look good on a highlight tape and may even work regularly against teams that don't ordinarily sniff an invite to the NCAA tournament, it isn't going to work with any regularity at all against teams in the top 25. This team needs to develop a mindset of valuing the ball and making fundamentally sound passes if they ever want to get to the Final Four again.

Jim

The last part of your quote drove me crazy. None of the ballhandlers on the team outside of Ariel and Andraya would pass with simplicity and efficiency. Burdick was particularly bad with her failed attempts to get on the highlight reel with some really careless and low IQ no look passes that the defender could see coming from a mile away. They would lose so much offensive flow having to leap up or sideways to catch passes that you'd almost think they were taught that way.

I'm not sure I'd discount the playing scared theory so quickly. Carter, Burdick and Graves did not want the ball in their hands when the going got tough, and you could see it. Massengale instinctively knew when to feed Izzy or call her own number. Simmons wasn't afraid to shoot if she thought she had a look (admittedly, she thought she was open when she had the ball). The rest of the team? They never looked to create their own shot or attack the basket. That needs to change. If all five players on the court cannot contribute on the offensive end, they shouldn't be starting.

 

[gule]

I think Simmons as a senior was a very good teammate as far as feeding the posts. Problem was the posts couldn't finish the play.


I wish the LA Sparks would pick up Meighan. They need a guard bad!

 

[OrangeDog]

I think we played better when Simmons wasn't putting up so many shots.

Even CPHS said that she never met a shot she didn't like.

 

[Pat4life]

Which one of our guards/wings are a good one on one offensive player? Yeah its hard to choose huh.

Our guards or wings, basketball IQ is short. Cos, if you have a post sealing or posting up, if they beat their defender, the next person they will run into is a lady vol (posting up) cos the next defender is behind em, now if that defender jumps to help, easy pass for a layup, that's why the midrange game and getting to the basket is huge. We haven't had that, until we find that we won't be going back to a Final Four.

If we had Texas A&M guards we're in the Final Four.

As we discuss the Lady Vols, we are finding out we have more holes than what we initially thought, there are so many unknowns, even on a team returning so many players.

Leading scorer next year...jury still out, no one is aggressive.

 

[Amb3096]

I think Simmons as a senior was a very good teammate as far as feeding the posts. Problem was the posts couldn't finish the play.


I wish the LA Sparks would pick up Meighan. They need a guard bad!

Simmons is not WNBA material. She would make things worse by taking bad shots instead of going into Parker, Nneke, and Jantel first. They need guards who can make open shots, and Simmons will want the ball in her hands.

Wiggins and Herrington should be a stronger backcourt. Harding and Tolliver have been disasters this season. They need to go.

 

[Amb3096]

Which one of our guards/wings are a good one on one offensive player? Yeah its hard to choose huh.

Our guards or wings, basketball IQ is short. Cos, if you have a post sealing or posting up, if they beat their defender, the next person they will run into is a lady vol (posting up) cos the next defender is behind em, now if that defender jumps to help, easy pass for a layup, that's why the midrange game and getting to the basket is huge. We haven't had that, until we find that we won't be going back to a Final Four.

If we had Texas A&M guards we're in the Final Four.

As we discuss the Lady Vols, we are finding out we have more holes than what we initially thought, there are so many unknowns, even on a team returning so many players.

Leading scorer next year...jury still out, no one is aggressive.

A healthy Massengale is the answer. She was a reliable scoring option until she got hurt. Carter was too passive, and Burdick is just not a good player.

Tucker, Nared and Middleton should help out greatly in the backcourt next season.

 

[Pat4life]

All, are still unproven on the big stage. You are acting like we can finally, really count on Massengale to deliver this year, each game, each night on the defense and offense. She's too nice. The jury is still out on that one.

We don't know who is going to be the leading scorer. I would like to it be Tucker, knee surgery, I don't know...a player usually don't play aggressive right away and aggressiveness is one of her strengths.

Burdick, I agree three years to show me something, I do love her rebounds but she should be a better player, so reluctant reminds me of Kinna, but Kinna has better range, mental midget.

The Freshman, look at that, we have a team of veteran players and we are clamoring or expecting Freshman to be leading scorers.

I thought this was a great question. The last couple years, we knew it was going to be Meighan, one cos she's a volume shooter.

Cos, really who has the body of work we can trust, besides Izzy, she showed up almost every game, every night, that's Lady Vols basketball, who else?

One reason why, I'm so disappointed in Burdick and Ariel, if they were playing like Izzy, we're in the Final Four, so there last year, we are suppose to expect them to finally get it. They're past body of work says no. Right now, I look at Ariel and Burdick as to what ever they give is me is ok, its a bonus but I'm not expecting to give me what I want, which are two All American players.

If Nared is aggressive, and hit her shots, she's gonna apply a lot of pressure at that spot.

Simply, a lot of people don't trust this team yet, cos they still play when they want too and we have too many players, who play when they want too, when they feel like it...

Who should be our leading scorer? A player who is aggressive and take shots, they know they can make.

South Carolina has an idea.
Texas A&M has an idea.
Kentucky has an idea.