Tennessee topics (merged threads)

[EricLA]

Tenn has a ton of cash and he would be the new kingpin in the SEC....He can coach, recruit and develop talent..Tenn has and needs all of the above ASAP....Funny, UCONN and Tenn might be closer than we think...Move Uof L off the schedule and move in Tenn.....Is this Christmas?

HUH? Tenn has a ton of cash? By all accounts, the AD Hart is mostly interested in returning the football team to it's former glory. They just gave Holly an extension and she has a pretty hefty buyout if they were to fire her. Tennessee women's fans may want him big time, but they have little pull with the administration...

 

[Carnac]

We' ll since you asked I've been compiling a list:

Geno's salty language
Dawn Staley's "crabapple" demeanor and teaching her team to disrespect the referees
The 4th Quarter of South Carolina game
Our MOV vs ND, MD and DePaul was too close and come to think of it USF was too close also. What happens when/if we have to play them again. We should have sent them a message.
Our 3Pt shooting defense
Our free throw defense on occasion
My favorite player is not getting enough burn because Geno hates her & and why would he play her out of position anyway? Who does that?
I know Geno hates my favorite player because he calls her by her last, first/nick name.
Geno got out coached at Stanford by Tara
UCONN students were rude enough to say "oink, oink, oink when the other team was dribbling the ball
Our freshmen are not developing fast enough, none of them can play a lick of defense anyway.
This darn AAC is going to be the death of UCONN basketball.
Recruiting
-Why can't we sign a post player.
-Why can't we sign a player from Texas since Moriah.
-Why is our 2016 class so lowly ranked.
-Shouldn't Geno be out recruiting and give the Olympic team to someone else.
-That player did not come to UCONN because they do not want to be great and win a NC
All officiating and Dee Kanter specifically because we can't name any other official.
All announcers except (Kara, Kevin and Rebecca) Doris hate UCONN, Peck is a SEC homer and we can prove it.
Transfers are going to be the death of this program.
Other teams allow their players to customizing their uniforms (The Wilson rule )
Geno is clearly pushing Morgan out the door.
Shea Ralph never smiles
Geno is going to retire soon anyway and then the party will definitely be over
Is a coaching staff appropriately dressed?
Geno with no tie again- come one. Geno has time to put in a perfectly coordinated pocket square but you can't find a matching tie?
Does CD, Marissa, or Shea own a pair of flats between then?


...

Well Coco, It looks like you've provided enough "fodder" to whet the creative juices of an aspiring wanna-be UConn Margo all summer. Are you sure you didn't forget anything?

If nothing else, you should feel much better now having gotten all of those concerns off your chest.
You know we're going to run out of things to talk about and chew on over the summer. We can start at the top of the list and go from there.

 

[CTyankee]

Alright everyone. I just had an epiphany. Margo has become a internet sensation in WCBB on a limited scale because of her love and outrageous devotion to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. That's nice.

Why can't UConn have their own version of "Margo"? A better question is why don't we? I don't know everything, but I do know that somewhere out there in the (UConn) Nation, There is a knowledgeable, articulate and personable lady (ladies) with the same if not more enthusiasm, that could very easily become UConn's version of Margo.

I think it would be nice if she would step up and be recognized, while at all times keeping it classy and real , while never losing sight of the big picture. The only problem would be their contrast in subject matter (fodder). Because of Tennessee's current surplus of woes that Margo has to choose from, she could go on for hours about the discord and troubling times, and fan dissention in their kingdom.

Our Margo would not have much (if anything) to complain about other than the WCBB season goes by too quickly. Or how nice it would have been to get that highly coveted prospect we were hoping to get. The more I think about it, the more I'm beginning to think maybe having out own Margo is not such a good idea. We really don't have anything to whine about. Do We?

Well... We have Tonyc, and they don't.

 

[kat0189]

I won't even touch the idea of Walz going to Tennessee b/c I don't think it's realistic enough to even entertain.

I think the most promising youngish coach in the country is Oregon State's Scott Rueck. He started off with walk-ons, DIII transfers, girls who had quit the sport, JuCo's just to fill his first rosters. Of his starting lineup, I believe only 2 were top 100 coming out of HS (#80 Wiese and #41 Weisner). In the Pac-12, he has routinely destroyed more "name brand" teams with players those very teams did not even bother to recruit.

Corvallis, Oregon is basically tied with Pullman, Washington as the least glamorous location in the Pac-12. I don't know Oregon State's academics that well, but they are certainly well below UCLA, USC, Cal, Stanford, UW, and Colorado. Yet he just signed his best class which includes three top 75 players, for whom he beat out Stanford for 1, Cal for another, and South Carolina for another. And he's in Sabrina Ionescu's final three.

He would have to tackle a completely new region for recruiting at Tennessee, but with this last class, I think he's proven that he would be able to figure it out.

Anyway, I don't know WHAT ON EARTH happened with Nikki Caldwell. She is the most bizarre coach. I thought she was an excellent coach at UCLA. And you would think her being young would make recruiting the easy part. But I have heard the most BIZARRE things about her recruiting. At UCLA alone, she managed to find unknown reasons not to recruit/offer at least two McDonald's All-Americans who were very interested in UCLA. At the same time, she was handing out offers to "project players" left and right. You would've thought she'd be a great hire for Tennessee, but the current situation is that LSU is 8-16 yet paying her a huge salary.

 

[j66kicker]

What about Stephanie White for UT? She sort of has an ideal situation at Indy - in her home state and all. But surely the TN job is a much bigger job. They could probably offer her 3-4 times what the Fever pay her without breaking the bank. ??

 

[Gus Mahler]

Tango to Tennessee. Conga to Connecticut. Waltz to Washington.

Seriously, how do you dance around a big buy-out of a women's basketball coach who, going into this season, had won 80% percent of her games and was right there with conference championships?

 

[MilfordHusky]

Margo now in the title. And speaking of the title, my only other
comment is that it's prospective when it should be retrospective.

Exactly! Margo needs to take her sunglasses off. The wheels fell off miles ago on the way to Wally World.

 

[EricLA]

Anyway, I don't know WHAT ON EARTH happened with Nikki Caldwell. She is the most bizarre coach. I thought she was an excellent coach at UCLA. And you would think her being young would make recruiting the easy part. But I have heard the most BIZARRE things about her recruiting. At UCLA alone, she managed to find unknown reasons not to recruit/offer at least two McDonald's All-Americans who were very interested in UCLA. At the same time, she was handing out offers to "project players" left and right. You would've thought she'd be a great hire for Tennessee, but the current situation is that LSU is 8-16 yet paying her a huge salary.

I liked the first part of your post, but what on earth makes you think Caldwell is anything but an average coach and an average recruiter? When she got to UCLA, she inherited some good players, recruited like crap, and left the program in shambles. She was at UCLA from 2008 to 2011.

She inherited Markel Walker who had already committed before she became the HC. In 2010 she got no one in the top 100. in 2011, she landed #25 Swain, and then on one else in the top 100. She took the team to the NCAA's in her 2nd and 3rd years, but only lasted 3 years at UCLA, and in her 3rd year, she still had kids who were seniors recruited by the previous coach.

She leaves UCLA and the new coach promptly lands #12 Nirra Fields, #60'is Holliday, and Korver. UCLA goes on a recruiting roll, and look where they are today.

Now she's at LSU starting in 2012. She lands #25 Danielle Ballard, and #97 Baker. In 2013, it's #18 Moncrief, and no one else in the top 100. For 2014, it's literally no one in the top 100, and she ended up with a pair of 3-star kids rated 90 on HG...In 2015, she got 1 kid - #63 Mitchell.

Her first 3 years at LSU (with other coaches players) she won over 20 games. in years 2 and 3 she went to the sweet 16. Then the wheels fell off. With all her own kids, in 2014 she miraculously made the NCAA"s with a 17-13 record and lost in the first round. This year she's dead last in her league and 8-16 overall. She's a dreadful recruiter and a poor coach.

BTW i'm not trying to argue with you, but back several years ago when Tenn fans were talking about her taking over for Pat, and lauding her as a great coach, I went thru the history then. She's just awful. If anyone really argues that she's a good coach, it's an optical illusion perpetuated by delusional Tennessee fans...

 

[Zorro]

Understudying PHS does not seem to have been a dynamite preperation for head coaching. At all.

 

[bags27]

Walz said "that's news to me," adding that Tennessee's athletic department has not directly reached out to him.

"I wouldn't even worry about it," Walz, 44, said of rumors surrounding himself. He said added that "I'm focused on Pitt," U of L's opponent Thursday night as the No. 12-ranked Cardinals continue their trek through Atlantic Coast Conference play.

JW stops WAY short of denying he has any interest in UT job, huh?

The key to both denials (by Walz and UTenn) is that there is huge wiggle room for informal, indirect discussion. That's how high level recruiting is done. An important UTenn alum might ask a confident of Walz whether he'd be enthusiastic about an offer if one were extended. They can still deny direct contact and have confidence of a good result once it does become public:
Walz said "that's news to me," adding that Tennessee's athletic department has not directly reached out to him. A Tennessee athletics spokesman also confirmed it's "absolutely false" to think university officials have contacted Walz.

 

[CTtransplant]

There are a lot of Volnation posters who are advocating Tyler Summitt as the anointed savior for the program. This is as delusional as Nickki Caldwell.

 

[Vowelguy]

Understudying PHS does not seem to have been a dynamite preperation for head coaching. At all.

Great coaches are as unique as great players. Hard to imitate.
Few know Geno's coaching style better than Jamelle and Tonya, and yet neither have been able to turn that in to great success.

 

[Vowelguy]

JW stops WAY short of denying he has any interest in UT job, huh?

Why on earth would he outright deny it?
Having your current employer worried about losing you can be lucrative.

 

[bballnut90]

Caldwell and Tyler Summitt aren't the answer at this point. Caldwell did a very good job at UCLA but has really struggled at LSU.

I like Walz, but I don't like that he's been consistently owned by Geno and UCONN over his career. He's a good coach, but I'd rather see Tennessee target a coach like Rueck who has really built Oregon State from the ground up and has turned them into a west coast powerhouse.

Kind of outside the box, I'd be thrilled if Gail Goestenkors or Stephanie White got a look. Goestenkors was an amazing coach at Duke but struggled recruiting top talent at Texas. Put her at Tennessee, I think she can haul in some really great players and make them play well together. Her deer in headlight look is well documented, but I think she could bring Tennessee back to being a consistent Final Four presence.

White is another option who I think would do quite well. She is younger and a relatively new head coach, but she did a great job at Indiana this year. She stays composed and was able to take one of the least talented WNBA teams to a near title this year. Perhaps most importantly, it appeared every player on the Fever truly bought into her philosophy and she was able make Indiana one of the best teams in the league. College basketball is different, but she is a big name that could bring in a lot of talent (she broadcasts, coached in the W, is one of the best Big Ten players ever and played several years in the W) and it seems she has a great head on her shoulders.

 

[ochoopsfan]

I glanced at the topic subject and thought Walz was going to UTah.
I thought Lynne Roberts has done a good job in her first year there.

 

[Zorro]

Re the "Kibitzer rule". Does the NCAA now have a rule against 1) indoor blimps and 2) t-shirts with baby pictures? Jus wondrin.

 

[j66kicker]

How about Walz goes to LadyVol and Stephanie White backfills at Louisville. That way she can stay a lot closer to home.

 

[Gus Mahler]

To my old, tired eyes tonight, violation looked at first like vol nation.

 

[kat0189]

I liked the first part of your post, but what on earth makes you think Caldwell is anything but an average coach and an average recruiter? When she got to UCLA, she inherited some good players, recruited like crap, and left the program in shambles. She was at UCLA from 2008 to 2011.

She inherited Markel Walker who had already committed before she became the HC. In 2010 she got no one in the top 100. in 2011, she landed #25 Swain, and then on one else in the top 100. She took the team to the NCAA's in her 2nd and 3rd years, but only lasted 3 years at UCLA, and in her 3rd year, she still had kids who were seniors recruited by the previous coach.

She leaves UCLA and the new coach promptly lands #12 Nirra Fields, #60'is Holliday, and Korver. UCLA goes on a recruiting roll, and look where they are today.

Now she's at LSU starting in 2012. She lands #25 Danielle Ballard, and #97 Baker. In 2013, it's #18 Moncrief, and no one else in the top 100. For 2014, it's literally no one in the top 100, and she ended up with a pair of 3-star kids rated 90 on HG...In 2015, she got 1 kid - #63 Mitchell.

Her first 3 years at LSU (with other coaches players) she won over 20 games. in years 2 and 3 she went to the sweet 16. Then the wheels fell off. With all her own kids, in 2014 she miraculously made the NCAA"s with a 17-13 record and lost in the first round. This year she's dead last in her league and 8-16 overall. She's a dreadful recruiter and a poor coach.

BTW i'm not trying to argue with you, but back several years ago when Tenn fans were talking about her taking over for Pat, and lauding her as a great coach, I went thru the history then. She's just awful. If anyone really argues that she's a good coach, it's an optical illusion perpetuated by delusional Tennessee fans...

I think still Nikki was a solid coach. She inherited a very good, balanced, and deep group from KO, but there's no way KO would have gotten the results Nikki did with that group. Her final year's team played very well but ran into Vandersloot @ Spokane in the 2d round of NCAA's. And I was actually saying that she was indeed a horrible recruiter, which we seem to agree on. You're actually incorrect about Walker, Nikki was the one who scored the commitment from Markel Walker right out the gate, not KO, but after that all her recruiting has been questionable.

It's been a long time, but she actually seemed normal early one: she had the inside track for Cassie Harberts at one point as well as Shoni Schimmel. In the end, she missed out on both, and wound up with Thea, Gardner (whose older sister was already at UCLA), and Corrine Costa.

There were solid players after Harberts and Schimmel but no indication that she recruited them. Costa was one of a few "project players" she offered that year. Costa turned out to be not that bad, but she was actually the lowest ranked player in the history of NorCalPreps's girls rankings to ever land in the Pac-10.

In that class with Swain is where I'm saying she seemed to turn her nose up at TWO McD's AA's who very very good and very interested in UCLA. Apparently she really went hard after Erica Payne, which didn't seem too smart since she had Stanford as an option, thus a low-percentage target, plus there were equal or better players available.

Ballard was a controversial recruit. It seemed odd that she signed her yet didn't go for the two McD's AA's the year before while at UCLA who did not have the baggage. I was surprised Nikki never made a dent in the region while recruiting for LSU. Van Chancellor did just fine recruiting. And she was only 3 years removed from recruiting in the region for Tennessee. And not keeping Bob Starkey as an assistant was flat out stupidity.

 

[Blueballer]

"The assistant coach was prohibited from calling any student athlete for 14 days"

Boy that's a stiff penalty. Why bother?

 

[DaddyChoc]

 

[jdubct]

Tennessee will owe a significant buyout for the current coach who is under contract through the end of the 2018-19 season. In addition to the buyout, how much would Tennessee be willing to pay Walz for him to leave Louisville? What if they had to offer him upwards to $1.5 million/year. Would Louisville match the salary. I would guess they would. Would Walz leave if the offer were matched? No.

 

[vtcwbuff]

"The assistant coach was prohibited from calling any student athlete for 14 days"

Boy that's a stiff penalty. Why bother?

You missed the 2nd part -
" . . . and Tennessee is prohibited from calling the 2018 recruit for the first 60 days following Sept. 1, the first permissible day for phone calls."

How stiff should a penalty be for a self reported minor violation?

 

[Hoopz]

The TN AD's track record with the LV program isn't a good one. I think it's a big assumption that he would want to invest a lot of money in a new coach.

 

[bballnut90]

Tennessee will owe a significant buyout for the current coach who is under contract through the end of the 2018-19 season. In addition to the buyout, how much would Tennessee be willing to pay Walz for him to leave Louisville? What if they had to offer him upwards to $1.5 million/year. Would Louisville match the salary. I would guess they would. Would Walz leave if the offer were matched? No.

Outside of money and the chance to take over a program with a ton of resources, I don't see any reason for him to leave . Walz has really picked up his recruiting at Louisville and has the horses to put together a potential championship squad in the next few years with MHA, Moore, Durr and others. I think he could definitely put Louisville in a great spot to win it all come 2017-18.