EricLA
Cronus
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2011
- Messages
- 15,008
- Reaction Score
- 81,767
If you're not interested in anything to do with Tennessee please feel free to skip this. I'm posting it because I think it gives a lot of insight into how Tennessee is currently coached, what strategy they use for games, and how the coaching staff plans to lead the team going forward.
Holly's press conference
Some interesting snippets from her presser after the Texas loss...
"The game is about defense and rebounding and we can't seem to grasp the importance of defending. We need to get down and play in our stance. You can't defend someone when you are standing straight up."
She had a lot of nice things to say about Texas. They played a tough schedule, played hard, hats off to them, and they outplayed Tennessee.
She did not like the shots the team took all game esp in the first half. "We are shooting off balance - don't expect it to go in when you are shooting off balance, shooting quick - this isn't the NBA. You stay within your ability and it's not to hit a shot when you are parallel with the floor. We did not take good shots. At least take make-able ones"
She was asked about the strategy going forward - is the focus going to be on defense, or offense - since she was so unhappy with the shot selection especially in the 1st half. "If you play defense the way it should be played, it will create easy buckets for you. We're just not very good right now and we don't look very well coached. What we've been preaching - defense and rebounds. You gotta be able to stop people. It's a formula we've prided ourselves on for 30 something years, and its' not getting thru out thick skulls. You're not going to shoot 50% every night but what you can control is how you defend the other team.
"I don't care about 3 point shooting. In fact, I don't care if we hit a shot. All I care about is getting down in your stance and playing defense. I really don't care if we go 0-15 from the 3 point line. I care about getting down, getting stops, and getting rebounds. Do that and I'll be a happy coach."
The biggest thing that stood out to me was her comment about what's worked for 30 years. It's clear to almost everyone that in the past, Pat was able to get the most talent, the strongest kids, and the most athletic players. That allowed her to win all the NC's. When you constantly have better players than everyone else, and have kids who are stronger and more athletic, a lack of offense can be overcome by playing tough defense.
This is no longer the case. Tennesee does not land the best players in the nation any longer. They don't have KML, Williams, Stewie, Jefferson, Jones, Loyd, Davis, Wilson, Turner, Atkins, Canada, Samuelson, Durr, etc. I list those players because they are the top 2-4 kids in each class and IMHO players who will have huge impacts on their respective teams. Yes there are other kids in the top 10 and even top 20 who turn out to be great, but not only does Tennessee not land the top kids, they don't develop the other players they get (Izzy Harrison excepted).
Yes they are missing Harrison, Tucker, Russell and Deshields from their team currently. Harrison will help a lot the rest of this year. Tucker maybe not so much this year. Russell and DD next year. BUT this was the season they only lost Simmons to graduation, something some of their fans felt was addition by subtraction. Next year they lose Massengale, Harrison and Burdick, and at least 2 of those kids are full time starters.
With no current offensive game plan, and none on the horizon, it seems that the days of old are all they plan for the future. 3 assists and a slew of one on one play won't get it done. Some of their current and future players may like that, but it's not a recipe for a successful NCAA run. Look at well coached and fundamentally sound teams like Creighton and Wisc GB - I think both of those teams could give Tennessee a good game and they aren't even top 10 teams.
Once Harrison comes back I think Tennessee will be better, but with no game plan other than play defense and rebound, they may not even make the elite 8 never mind the final 4...
Holly's press conference
Some interesting snippets from her presser after the Texas loss...
"The game is about defense and rebounding and we can't seem to grasp the importance of defending. We need to get down and play in our stance. You can't defend someone when you are standing straight up."
She had a lot of nice things to say about Texas. They played a tough schedule, played hard, hats off to them, and they outplayed Tennessee.
She did not like the shots the team took all game esp in the first half. "We are shooting off balance - don't expect it to go in when you are shooting off balance, shooting quick - this isn't the NBA. You stay within your ability and it's not to hit a shot when you are parallel with the floor. We did not take good shots. At least take make-able ones"
She was asked about the strategy going forward - is the focus going to be on defense, or offense - since she was so unhappy with the shot selection especially in the 1st half. "If you play defense the way it should be played, it will create easy buckets for you. We're just not very good right now and we don't look very well coached. What we've been preaching - defense and rebounds. You gotta be able to stop people. It's a formula we've prided ourselves on for 30 something years, and its' not getting thru out thick skulls. You're not going to shoot 50% every night but what you can control is how you defend the other team.
"I don't care about 3 point shooting. In fact, I don't care if we hit a shot. All I care about is getting down in your stance and playing defense. I really don't care if we go 0-15 from the 3 point line. I care about getting down, getting stops, and getting rebounds. Do that and I'll be a happy coach."
The biggest thing that stood out to me was her comment about what's worked for 30 years. It's clear to almost everyone that in the past, Pat was able to get the most talent, the strongest kids, and the most athletic players. That allowed her to win all the NC's. When you constantly have better players than everyone else, and have kids who are stronger and more athletic, a lack of offense can be overcome by playing tough defense.
This is no longer the case. Tennesee does not land the best players in the nation any longer. They don't have KML, Williams, Stewie, Jefferson, Jones, Loyd, Davis, Wilson, Turner, Atkins, Canada, Samuelson, Durr, etc. I list those players because they are the top 2-4 kids in each class and IMHO players who will have huge impacts on their respective teams. Yes there are other kids in the top 10 and even top 20 who turn out to be great, but not only does Tennessee not land the top kids, they don't develop the other players they get (Izzy Harrison excepted).
Yes they are missing Harrison, Tucker, Russell and Deshields from their team currently. Harrison will help a lot the rest of this year. Tucker maybe not so much this year. Russell and DD next year. BUT this was the season they only lost Simmons to graduation, something some of their fans felt was addition by subtraction. Next year they lose Massengale, Harrison and Burdick, and at least 2 of those kids are full time starters.
With no current offensive game plan, and none on the horizon, it seems that the days of old are all they plan for the future. 3 assists and a slew of one on one play won't get it done. Some of their current and future players may like that, but it's not a recipe for a successful NCAA run. Look at well coached and fundamentally sound teams like Creighton and Wisc GB - I think both of those teams could give Tennessee a good game and they aren't even top 10 teams.
Once Harrison comes back I think Tennessee will be better, but with no game plan other than play defense and rebound, they may not even make the elite 8 never mind the final 4...