Another Example of SEC Mediocrity/Tenn loss

[MilfordHusky]

This is Diamond's 3rd year of college. Maybe she's just not that good? Not every top recruit pans out or lives up to the hype.

She's very athletic, but is she a good basketball player?

 

[Bgillon]

Damn, Bgillon, who constructed this team? She didn't inherit it.

I should have expounded a little more on my point. I meant to say there are 2 problems; Holly's coaching of the team and how Holly constructed the team. The second problem may be making the first one worse. Thanks for the prodding!

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Warlick is probably running the same program that Summitt ran just maybe not as forcibly. It's quite possible Warlick may indeed be coaching (granted the only way she knows) but all it takes is one or two uncoachable players to infect the whole team if left to do so.

Sometimes you have to tell those players, "thanks, but no thanks; maybe you need to transfer".

 

[Carnac]

After losing to Arkansas last night the LV board is blowing up and things aren't going to get any
better in the near future. They go on the road to:

1/18 @#3 Notre Dame
1/25 @#9 @Kentucky
1/28 @#7 Miss St

They could have 8 losses by the end of the month. They have a total of ZERO recruits coming in
next year. They may have to bring in some JUCO's and hope they don't have any transfers.

I peeked in on their board also. The natives are restless. The ones that aren't calling for holly's resignation or firing, want her head on a stick. They are baffled at the ineptitude in leadership, lack of any discernable team direction or orientation and lack of control she seems to have at this time. In a word, they're not happy.

 

[johnnyc]

Oh point well taken..... but i do not think it matters..... because i think Holly demands nothing of them..... there are no consequences for disobeying her wishes.....

I think of a woman from our old neighborhood who would take her 6 year old to the town pool, and when it was time for dinner..... and she called her daughter out of the pool, Melissa wouldn't come out. 20 minutes later it was " Please Melissa time to get out of the pool!!" and over and over. If the mother were Holly she would say "I tell her what to do but she doesn't want to do it"

Well that is a discipline issue which I agree is part of coaching but separate from x's and o's so I'm not sure what you mean when you say the players were sold a bill of goods.

 

[Roundball fan]

Good or bad?

Very good ones, miss my daughter being little.

 

[Ron and Vida]

Sometimes you have to tell those players, "thanks, but no thanks; maybe you need to transfer".

But she already did....

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

But she already did....

Who transferred from Tennessee?

 

[Ron and Vida]

Who transferred from Tennessee?

DD has already transferred once

 

[EricLA]

She's very athletic, but is she a good basketball player?

Great question Mil... Well, Margo almost bit off her tongue, she was so excited when it was reported Diamond was transferring to Tennessee. And all last year leading up to the start of this year, whenever DD was mentioned, Tennessee fans ALWAYS told us how she was the NFOY and that Tennessee was getting the next great player in the elite line of Holdsclaw, Catchings, and Parker.

Problem is, kids still need to be coached. Stewie likely would be a NPOY candidate had Geno left her alone to do whatever she wanted because she's naturally gifted. But watch Stewie every possession of every game. Same went for Maya and Dee and Moriah and Nykesha and any other former UCONN great - they gave 100% effort every minute they were on the court.

Those kids LEARNED as freshmen that less than your best is not good enough and maybe with the exception of Maya and Nykesha, Geno sat every single one of his stars for at least 1 game in their careers for lack of effort in practices. Just watch DD in a game and her effort comes in waves. Disinterested in defense, often only going 100% on offense when she has the ball. THAT is lack of coaching and accountability. But still, the question needs to be asked - why was DD such a superstar at UNC, while performing solidly but unspectacularly at Tennessee? It does seem she's regressed. Maybe she's saving it for the NCAA's...

 

[Carnac]

DD has already transferred once

.....and she may transfer again. Her bags ae still setting by the door. She never unpacked.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

DD has already transferred once

Gotcha; I thought you meant someone left Rocky Top.

 

[Rocket009]

DD has already transferred once

You have to wonder if some of the UNC transfers (and there have been a lot) were driven by a lack of chemistry, which seems to have carried over to TN. Maybe we'll see a similar flood of transfers out of Knoxville at the end of this year.

 

[UcMiami]

But still, the question needs to be asked - why was DD such a superstar at UNC, while performing solidly but unspectacularly at Tennessee? It does seem she's regressed. Maybe she's saving it for the NCAA's...

Because people raved about those moments of great effort and incredible athleticism and didn't look 'under the hood' her freshman year. Diamond shot more than any other player at UNC (220 more shots that the #2 player) and shot more threes than any other player and she was shooting similar percentages to this year (.424/.279). The rest of the UNC team shot .450/.336 and there were 5 players shooting significantly better and five players shooting threes better than Diamond on that team. She had the third highest number of assists on the team, but she was the only one of the three to have more turnovers than assists - her A/TO of 0.75 - the rest of the wings/guards had an A/TO of 1.19 and the team had an A/TO of 0.89 All of her percentage statistics were below the team average for those statistics. She had a gaudy scoring average but she was a very inefficient shooter. UNC was a free flowing offensive team, TN is not, so what you see looks worse this year, but it really is a continuation of what came before.
In a freshman you look at all the excitement and forgive the other stuff, as a third year player you are happy for her that she is able to play 'her style' of basketball, and thankful it is for someone else's team!

On Edit - she is actually shooting a higher percentage than the rest of the team this year at TN so comparatively she is doing better this year than her freshman year. (That does not say much for the rest of the TN team!)

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I should have expounded a little more on my point. I meant to say there are 2 problems; Holly's coaching of the team and how Holly constructed the team. The second problem may be making the first one worse. Thanks for the prodding!

And now there is a substantial, not unfounded fear among the Orange Nation that word is out among the recruits and the 2016 draught will not be an anomaly. They are hoping Holly scoops up a couple of JUCOs and maybe can swipe a few mid-major players, otherwise they will be down to conscripting volleyball players. I feel it is not an unreasonable fear of some fans that a transfer or two may come absent a dramatic turn around.

 

[CBus13]

Gotcha; I thought you meant someone left Rocky Top.

Under Warlick:

Jasmine Phillips was a JC Transfer in and Warlick's first signee as a head coach but after one year she transferred out (to ECU) and then Jannah Tucker transferred to Villanova.

 

[HuskyNan]

You have to wonder if some of the UNC transfers (and there have been a lot) were driven by a lack of chemistry, which seems to have carried over to TN. Maybe we'll see a similar flood of transfers out of Knoxville at the end of this year.

I think it was the NCAA investigation and apparent pending sanctions that spurred the transfers.

 

[trb123]

Because people raved about those moments of great effort and incredible athleticism and didn't look 'under the hood' her freshman year. Diamond shot more than any other player at UNC (220 more shots that the #2 player) and shot more threes than any other player and she was shooting similar percentages to this year (.424/.279). The rest of the UNC team shot .450/.336 and there were 5 players shooting significantly better and five players shooting threes better than Diamond on that team. She had the third highest number of assists on the team, but she was the only one of the three to have more turnovers than assists - her A/TO of 0.75 - the rest of the wings/guards had an A/TO of 1.19 and the team had an A/TO of 0.89 All of her percentage statistics were below the team average for those statistics. She had a gaudy scoring average but she was a very inefficient shooter. UNC was a free flowing offensive team, TN is not, so what you see looks worse this year, but it really is a continuation of what came before.
In a freshman you look at all the excitement and forgive the other stuff, as a third year player you are happy for her that she is able to play 'her style' of basketball, and thankful it is for someone else's team!

On Edit - she is actually shooting a higher percentage than the rest of the team this year at TN so comparatively she is doing better this year than her freshman year. (That does not say much for the rest of the TN team!)

What are the chances that DD left UNC because Hatchell was coming back? Perhaps Hatchell does not tolerate grandstanding.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

What are the chances that DD left UNC because Hatchell was coming back? Perhaps Hatchell does not tolerate grandstanding.

Sylvia doesn't really strike me as much of a disciplinarian, to be honest. I'm sure the transfers were due to the potential probation. The NCAA sure has been dragging their feet.

 

[j66kicker]

What are the chances that DD left UNC because Hatchell was coming back? Perhaps Hatchell does not tolerate grandstanding.

Prolly nuthin', but I was wondering if Sylvia may have just told her main players that UNC WBB was going to get more than their fair share of the blame for the academic scandal, and suggested they get the h--- outta Dodge. ??

 

[trb123]

I think the Lady Vol problem is greatly overblown. After all, Tennessee has her Mercedes and Diamond has her Benz.

 

[rugbymate]

Oh point well taken..... but i do not think it matters..... because i think Holly demands nothing of them..... there are no consequences for disobeying her wishes.....

I think of a woman from our old neighborhood who would take her 6 year old to the town pool, and when it was time for dinner..... and she called her daughter out of the pool, Melissa wouldn't come out. 20 minutes later it was " Please Melissa time to get out of the pool!!" and over and over. If the mother were Holly she would say "I tell her what to do but she doesn't want to do it"

Holly has to say to DD....if you aren't willing to get in a defensive stance then your butt is on the bench. Period. No debate. .....Geno benches anyone who isn't with the program...once you allow the players to dictate standards you are lost...Holly needs the confidence to bech All-Americans and she isn't there yet

 

[iri10]

This is Diamond's 3rd year of college. Maybe she's just not that good? Not every top recruit pans out or lives up to the hype.

To be fair, she hasn't really been coached by anyone decent in that time. She went from questionable coaching at UNC (Hatchell not present with her medical issues, and not really known for running a tight ship anyway) to questionable coaching at Tennessee, playing her first year under Warlick in a year when Warlick has clearly lost control of her team. Who knows what she might have been like if she had a coach strong enough to tell her that she's not playing intelligently (and bench her until that sinks in), and smart enough to teach her to play intelligently?

And yet on the other hand, it has to be pointed out that perhaps the loose coaching environment was what drew her to UNC (I seem to recall quotes suggesting that). If that was the case, is she now at the point where she's willing to learn? Not that she'll learn anything this year even if she wants to...again, Holly Warlick is coach.

 

[StarMan]

Prolly nuthin', but I was wondering if Sylvia may have just told her main players that UNC WBB was going to get more than their fair share of the blame for the academic scandal, and suggested they get the h--- outta Dodge. ??

There's a chance that Sylvia Hatchell sees little wrong with what her team had been doing...

UNC’s Sylvia Hatchell: ‘There are no allegations’ against women’s basketball

 

[Goodgood]

This is what Geno said of DD:

"There was never any doubt she was the kind of talent coming out of high school that could have kind of a Maya [Moore] impact on a program," Auriemma said. "It was managing all the other stuff that went along with it that was going to be an issue for wherever she went. Now that she's at a place that's used to that, they know how to do that somewhat".

in this article: http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...-espn-jacobs-column-1104-20151103-column.html

Maybe "all the stuff" are not being well managed by CHW and are detected by Linea Harper on her visit.