Who Will Step Up?

#1

Vols2015

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#1
With the unknowns of Jordan Horston, who is going to step up?

I expect to see Rae fill in the starting slot, and ramp up her offensive numbers, but she cannot do this alone.

Tamari Key is going to have to be dominant inside to make up for what Horston brought.

Alexus Dye, this is your time to show us why you were such a prolific scorer with Troy. Be active, smart, and play within yourself. Nobody is asking you to be something you’re not. You clearly can play, there’s no questions there.

Jordan Walker will need to be more offensive minded too, and take care of the basketball. She is likely our best option for point.

Does Kaia Wynn make a bigger impact? Does she slide it to the lineup more, be a defensive threat, and penetrate to the basket? She definitely has proven she can do that, but she will need to make her free throws and ensure she makes layups, she has shown to miss a lot around the rim.

Sara Puckett has made great strides this year, but we will need her even more if Horston is out indefinitely.

Tess Darby will also need to be assertive from 3, and be the sharp shooter we will need to keep the paint open.

Brooklyn Miles, I expect to see her numbers of playing go up. She may not be a big offensive threat, but she is going to have to assist in the ball handling. We may even see Walker and her play a lot together, and it’s going to be important for her to play the best role she can. If she is open, she cannot be afraid to shoot it.

To the bench players, you all have a role to play as well. If your name is called, play your role and don’t be intimated. Clearly, you have talent, otherwise Tennessee wouldn’t have recruited you.

All in all, there is not one player alone who is going to win games, it’s going to need to be a team effort, all around, performance. Horston is an amazing player, and is definitely our most consistent and effective player, but we still have a very talented team if they come together, put on their armor, and fight through this adversity, they still can control their destiny.

We’ve seen it in many games this year, no one team is superior to any others. This year has proven that any team, at any given moment can win, despite who’s injured, who’s in foul trouble, or if you have a 6 player rotation. We must not be dismayed by what we can’t control, and focus on what we can.

To Lady Vol Nation, the season isn’t over, and while we’ve lost some games as of late, we still control our destiny. Encourage this team, do not hate. They don’t need us to tell them what they are doing wrong, but rather we encourage them that we support them, through the wins, and through defeat. Go Lady Vols! Beat SC!
 
#3
#3
I think they were done before Jordy went down.

For whatever reason, they just stopped giving maximum effort and they were going to struggle to win any games left on the schedule.

Never seen a team so mentally tough for half the season become so fragile for the other half. I have watched basketball for decades and this is a new one on me.
 
#5
#5
If we had talented players, we wouldn't have lost to bama, the worst team in the conference, in the first place. Horston has been carrying this team offensively all year, as we know.
 
#6
#6
If I were the coach, I would make Kaiya watch film of Kyra Elzy's freshman season until those images are burned in her brain. That season, which ever opponent had a hot hand, they put Kyra on her and no more scoring. Kaiya right now could be that kind of defensive stopper. She played a big role in slowing the Bama guards down in the 4th quarter. So, the phoenix from that game is discovering her role. She does not need to look to score to contribute. If she gets a lay-up here and there in transition, that's gravy.
 
#7
#7
And this is where it would have been nice if Kellie gave more minutes to the seldom-used freshmen in some of those blowouts...
 
#9
#9
It’s interesting that some said the chemistry went off some after Rae came back, since Horston had taken over. So now we have Rae back, at least no one will be standing around waiting to see what Horston will do. We’ll need Tamari, Walker, Alexus, Sara, and Tess looking to score and rebound. Miles can help. 7. That’s really all the ones ready to play in these big games.
 
#11
#11
I think they were done before Jordy went down.

For whatever reason, they just stopped giving maximum effort and they were going to struggle to win any games left on the schedule.

Never seen a team so mentally tough for half the season become so fragile for the other half. I have watched basketball for decades and this is a new one on me.

They are NOW fighting the "here we go again" syndrome. Got to beat that before they can climb out. ANd this can only happen through coaches giving them a different mindset
 
#12
#12
With the unknowns of Jordan Horston, who is going to step up?

I expect to see Rae fill in the starting slot, and ramp up her offensive numbers, but she cannot do this alone.

Tamari Key is going to have to be dominant inside to make up for what Horston brought.

Alexus Dye, this is your time to show us why you were such a prolific scorer with Troy. Be active, smart, and play within yourself. Nobody is asking you to be something you’re not. You clearly can play, there’s no questions there.

Jordan Walker will need to be more offensive minded too, and take care of the basketball. She is likely our best option for point.

Does Kaia Wynn make a bigger impact? Does she slide it to the lineup more, be a defensive threat, and penetrate to the basket? She definitely has proven she can do that, but she will need to make her free throws and ensure she makes layups, she has shown to miss a lot around the rim.

Sara Puckett has made great strides this year, but we will need her even more if Horston is out indefinitely.

Tess Darby will also need to be assertive from 3, and be the sharp shooter we will need to keep the paint open.

Brooklyn Miles, I expect to see her numbers of playing go up. She may not be a big offensive threat, but she is going to have to assist in the ball handling. We may even see Walker and her play a lot together, and it’s going to be important for her to play the best role she can. If she is open, she cannot be afraid to shoot it.

To the bench players, you all have a role to play as well. If your name is called, play your role and don’t be intimated. Clearly, you have talent, otherwise Tennessee wouldn’t have recruited you.

All in all, there is not one player alone who is going to win games, it’s going to need to be a team effort, all around, performance. Horston is an amazing player, and is definitely our most consistent and effective player, but we still have a very talented team if they come together, put on their armor, and fight through this adversity, they still can control their destiny.

We’ve seen it in many games this year, no one team is superior to any others. This year has proven that any team, at any given moment can win, despite who’s injured, who’s in foul trouble, or if you have a 6 player rotation. We must not be dismayed by what we can’t control, and focus on what we can.

To Lady Vol Nation, the season isn’t over, and while we’ve lost some games as of late, we still control our destiny. Encourage this team, do not hate. They don’t need us to tell them what they are doing wrong, but rather we encourage them that we support them, through the wins, and through defeat. Go Lady Vols! Beat SC!

WHO WILL STEP UP??
As this post implies - not any one lady, but many ladies. This meaning the whole damn team!! If all excel at 100% of their ability, then Horston's being out will make little or no difference. What I'm saying is that as a "team" losing one person who has been overly dominate (to me) could show just what has been suppressed in others. Horston was/is a dominating player who's dominance displayed itself as leadership. Now with her absence, leadership may expose itself from other sources. I say again if these ladies give 100% of their abilities, they will be just fine. They are as talented as nearly any other team in the country. It is time for them to show it.
 
#13
#13
WHO WILL STEP UP??
As this post implies - not any one lady, but many ladies. This meaning the whole damn team!! If all excel at 100% of their ability, then Horston's being out will make little or no difference. What I'm saying is that as a "team" losing one person who has been overly dominate (to me) could show just what has been suppressed in others. Horston was/is a dominating player who's dominance displayed itself as leadership. Now with her absence, leadership may expose itself from other sources. I say again if these ladies give 100% of their abilities, they will be just fine. They are as talented as nearly any other team in the country. It is time for them to show it.

Our guards aren’t good shooters and that is a huge talent deficient when you look at other teams in our league and around the country. Shooting is and has been holding us back and we won’t reach the top until it is FIRMLY addressed.
 
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#17
#17
I'd love to be wrong, but I can't figure any way this situation doesn't result in either more turnovers or more shot clock violations.

Offensively, we're now trying to replace points by one of the few who could create her own shot from many places on the court. Short of redesigning our offense, it seems the best way to produce open shots for shooters who don't create their own is faster ball movement, whether around the perimeter or inside-outside.

But the natural instinct when points become more precious and you're trying to protect the ball, is to be more deliberate in your passes (which translates into passing it around more slowly). It's also natural instinct for the PG to spend more time dribbling in less-defended areas of the front court, waiting for "someone to get open" or something to develop.

Also, having different lineup mixes and players assuming slightly different roles, seems likely to add hesitancy to our passing.

Of course, coaching emphasis #1 will be playing our best defense and limiting points by the opponent. I'm not sure our younger players yet have what it takes mentally to bring that much focus and discipline to both ends of the court.

...AND to the foul line!

Points are indeed going to be precious for the rest of this season.
 
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