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Arkansas-Lady Vols

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The truth is Glory is coming pouring her heart out every game in what is a very difficult situation.
 
doggydaddy said:
Gotta love her energy. If she can improve that shot, she will be an impact player in the WNBA. She does have to learn to keep those elbows lower.
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I like the elbow high, keeps defenders away as long as she's not swinging or making intentional contact.
 
DaddyChoc said:
I like the elbow high, keeps defenders away as long as she's not swinging or making intentional contact.
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Ask the Arkansas player how she liked it.

Johnson has a reputation for swinging her elbows. Well deserved from what I've observed.
 
msf22b said:
I didn't see the game, was on the bus to Vermont, but I am not happy to see the Vols having such a difficult season.
This has been a difficult group to coach,
the Staff is struggling with finding their roles and the girl's play is inconsistent and unpredictable.
As I've said many times: it could happen to anyone, even us!
Please friends, no gloating!
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Well we may not gloat, but we can be happy. :)

Any day TN loses is a good day.
 
Icebear said:
I feel very much for this bunch of kids. I, also, feel they have unfairly received the brunt of frustration for awhile noe that really is about the deterioration of the management of the coaching staff. They have had a tremendous amount of blame heaped on them by both fans and staff. I am not sure either of those groups are right.
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And a second Amen.
I just think they have had a really tough road the whole way - they come in at the end of the CP era as the next stars - have some injuries, some over hyped expectations, and a deteriorating coaching situation - and then this year get hit with a bomb shell before they even take the court. Everything but the coaching issue played out in a similar fashion in CT after Diana left. I like to think the CT fans were a little more realistic, and a little more supportive (or rather we had fewer vocal 'trashers' of the players.)
 
I do feel for the LV players. I’ve never been a fan of coaches putting the weight of the losses solely on their players. You can be out-played and out-coached. The team concept includes the coaches. We all win or we all lose… period.
 
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well, to me it's just been the perfect storm for disaster. the older players are passive, the coaching by committee is not working, and the program has had many injuries over the last couple of years. pat's illness was the final straw. that being said, every program has a down turn....keep in mind that UT is THE top sports priority in the state. the governor and many of the board of trustees and donors are very close family friends of Pat. they will fix this with money and a top notch coach. this will pass and us LV fans will be a bit more humbled than we have been in the past.
 
msf22b said:
I disagree. dynasty's are caused by great coaches who can get more from their players than they thought they had to give, are great technical teachers and shrewd judges of talent. Will these qualities not surface again. Consider: The two Red's in Pro BB: Auerbach and Holzman, Toe Blake, Don Shula, Bela Karolyi; many sports, same characteristic. One might complain that my list is decades old. Ok, add Geno and Pat to the list.

Great coaches=great teams and dynasty's.
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I kind of agree with you that there will be teams that stay near the top for a number of years because the coaches have the abilities you mention. But the differences now are 1. Coaches will probably be older when they start out as head coach giving them fewer years to work their magic. 2. Higher salaries will attract more people like Pat & Geno, thereby making it tougher for a coach to be head-and-shoulders above the competition. 3. When a Pat or Geno leaves, what are the odds that the replacement will have equal skills? Not very high in my estimation. 4. If another dynasty comes along, the odds say it will not be in Storrs or Knoxville. Looking at the list of examples above, when the coach left, so did the domination. Plus in pro sports, it's perhaps easier to maintain superiority because there are a limited number of teams and the players don't turn over every four years.

One of Pat's failings seems to have been that she hasn't developed a successor. This seems apparent give what is going on at TN. Chris D seems to be more ready to take over at Uconn, but she's about Geno's age and her run would not be a long one.

Although it's great as a fan to be able to bask in the glory of TN or Uconn's long run of success, I was touched by the sheer joy on the faces of the St. Johns players when they defeated Uconn. It gives others hope for the future and is a good thing for women's basketball.
 
doggydaddy said:
Gotta love her energy. If she can improve that shot, she will be an impact player in the WNBA. She does have to learn to keep those elbows lower.
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As a TN fan once said, "That's not a foul, the opposition has to learn to keep their faces where they shouldn't be".
 
UcMiami said:
And a second Amen.
I just think they have had a really tough road the whole way - they come in at the end of the CP era as the next stars - have some injuries, some over hyped expectations, and a deteriorating coaching situation - and then this year get hit with a bomb shell before they even take the court. Everything but the coaching issue played out in a similar fashion in CT after Diana left. I like to think the CT fans were a little more realistic, and a little more supportive (or rather we had fewer vocal 'trashers' of the players.)
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Consider - how long has the coaching situation been bad? How long has what has been going on been kept under wraps? Just thinking out loud. I feel for the kids and especially Glory.
 
Icebear said:
The truth is Glory is coming pouring her heart out every game in what is a very difficult situation.
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It will be interesting to see if she is available for the Lynx - a player like that would be tough to pass up. With Swin gone, I'm not sure how Seattle is set at the forward spot, so they might grab her first.
 
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BigO said:
well, to me it's just been the perfect storm for disaster. the older players are passive, the coaching by committee is not working, and the program has had many injuries over the last couple of years. pat's illness was the final straw. that being said, every program has a down turn....keep in mind that UT is THE top sports priority in the state. the governor and many of the board of trustees and donors are very close family friends of Pat. they will fix this with money and a top notch coach. this will pass and us LV fans will be a bit more humbled than we have been in the past.
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I admire your optimism, BigO. I do agree that Tennessee is sports minded and focused on UT. But interest isn't everything. For example, Connecticut is not at all sports minded and what sports interest there is, is divided many ways. There's the Boston contingent, the New York team fans, and a large percentage of college grads go to school out of state and retain loyalty to their alma mata. I rarely hear people talking about sport from day-to-day. Despite this, the Uconn women have been consistently the best for a long time now.

Also, money is not as big a factor as one might expect. Of the top six conferences, the The Big East spends the least amount of money on recruiting. The SEC spends more than twice what the Big East spends. This isn't reflected in how the teams are doing. Also, there are perhaps 60 schools who have endowments that are larger than UTs, some much larger. Plus, UT has to overcome some obstacles to attract recruits. Some students don't like hot and stickey weather or want to be near a large city, etc. I've noticed recently recruits are from TN or surrounding states. Could this be an indication that widespread appeal on UT is dwindling? I guess Simmons is from TX, so perhaps I might be reaching here.

You're right, every program has a downturn. The invincible UCLA's downturn after Wooden left was 20 years then 11 years after that. Patience is a virtue.
 
I too gloat over every UTenn loss. However, I have zero animosity towards the players and I never have had any "hate" when it came to the players - well maybe just a teensy bit for Parker. ;)

I gloat because I dislike the program and I really dislike the head coach and her staff, but mostly I gloat because I absolutely detest most of the orange crowd that hangs out over there. It makes me feel good to see them miserable.

Does that make me a bad person? :p
 
vtcwbuff said:
I too gloat over every UTenn loss. However, I have zero animosity towards the players and I never have had any "hate" when it came to the players - well maybe just a teensy bit for Parker. ;)

I gloat because I dislike the program and I really dislike the head coach and her staff, but mostly I gloat because I absolutely detest most of the orange crowd that hangs out over there. It makes me feel good to see them miserable.

Does that make me a bad person? :p
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In my estimation (not that anybody cares) that makes you a good person !!
 
I have always disliked Pat Summit and Tennessee - while still having a great deal of respect for what the coach and program has accomplished. Pat's (oops, the SEC's) shenanigans over ESPNgate-FrenchFrygate-Boneyardgate-postergate sealed the deal for me. Seeing Tennessee struggle always brought a smile to my face. No more.

The emotional burden those players must face day in and day out going to practice and playing in games and seeing their coach, substitute parent and mentor slowly decline and be less involved, what the coaching staff - and yes, Pat herself - must be going through is simply heartbreaking. I take no joy in their struggles and losses. I have almost begun - on some level - to see them as an underdog, and I usually root for the underdog all things being equal. Never did I ever think I would wish Tennessee well. But these are extraordinary times, and I find my attitude mellowing.

Don't get me wrong....I am not going so far as to say that if UConn can't win the NC that Tennessee does. I haven't gone that far over to the dark side. But the Tennessee players have faced a truly difficult season on many fronts. I can't help but wish them well in their remaining games.

For the sake of the UT program, I hope someone in the Athletic Department has the courage to sit down with Pat and gently tell her if she truly loves the program, it is time she steps down so the program can regain its footing and move forward. The longer that is prolonged, the longer Tennessee's struggles will continue. Pat deserves better, the players deserve better and yes, I'll go there, the fans deserve better.
 
vtcwbuff said:
I too gloat over every UTenn loss. However, I have zero animosity towards the players and I never have had any "hate" when it came to the players - well maybe just a teensy bit for Parker. ;)

I gloat because I dislike the program and I really dislike the head coach and her staff, but mostly I gloat because I absolutely detest most of the orange crowd that hangs out over there. It makes me feel good to see them miserable.

Does that make me a bad person? :p
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Yes, it does. But I agree with everything you wrote and am pleased to be bad also.
 
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BigO said:
well, to me it's just been the perfect storm for disaster. the older players are passive, the coaching by committee is not working, and the program has had many injuries over the last couple of years. pat's illness was the final straw. that being said, every program has a down turn....keep in mind that UT is THE top sports priority in the state. the governor and many of the board of trustees and donors are very close family friends of Pat. they will fix this with money and a top notch coach. this will pass and us LV fans will be a bit more humbled than we have been in the past.
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- Good points, once again. Except I entirely disagree about blaming senior players as passive.
- Of course, coaches, not players, are the senior leaders in WCBB. I base my assessment of coaches on their effectiveness in fulfilling the fundamental responsibilities of every leader, in every vocation: to Lead, Teach, Correct, Care for, and Motivate every day.
-And while assessing and critiquing things like motivation is an everyday activity for leaders, ultimately , the coaching leadership either effectively corrects such a basic issue in short order, or they fail to.
- I happen to think there has never been a problem with the potential, or demonstrated motivation of the present senior players – just as there never was with similar exemplary young women last year like Bjorklund.
- As fans, half the fun is honesty disagreeing on nuances in a game. But as a leader, when I continue hearing the mantra that senior team members show inadequate motivation… I think coaches, and now fans alike are looking in the wrong place for the root cause of any motivation issues (real or not). Senior team members? Young women of their caliber? No, and I do not even accept they have shared responsibility there. Not for any percieved problem lasting this long.I think their experienced coaching staff remains off target in using that throw-away line about motivation way too often.
Hey, I really enjoy watching rivals/ former rivals lose. But it’s never fun watching young players/players reputations getting hammered over and over for something they do not deserve. They’ve looked plenty motivated to me.
 
I think that she is a good get. She certainly has proved her heart and determination
 
If you have watched the UT program long enough, then you know it is a fascinating case study in stubborness in game strategy and ball movement. Candace Parker and a certain JUCO guard transferee hid the worst of these issues for a time, but they have both surfaced and deepened over the last two years. There is, to me, a certain sad similarity to Tennessee's and Rutger's plight. This year we struggle with youth and a missing piece, but talent and sound coaching philosophy keep us relevant. I would like to see both RU and Tennessee more relevant. I'll still "hate them" in the childish fan way we relish, but I'd still like the programs to get back to where they were.
 
Time was when LVol players would have an asterisk against their names because they never own a national championship.

Time is when LVol players would have an asterisk against their names because they never went to a Final four. It is a little too early to talk about that. This bunch of HS All Americans at UTN may go all the way.
 
I would not rule it out trb123 ... look at the UConn men last year as proof of that!
 
trb123 said:
Time was when LVol players would have an asterisk against their names because they never own a national championship.

Time is when LVol players would have an asterisk against their names because they never went to a Final four. It is a little too early to talk about that. This bunch of HS All Americans at UTN may go all the way.
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They would be lucky to get to the Sweet 16 IMO. They are a bad defensive team and their guard play is poor overall, so they are missing two of the ingredients required for success in the NCAA tournament and they cannot fix those problems.
 
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speedoo said:
They would be lucky to get to the Sweet 16 IMO. They are a bad defensive team and their guard play is poor overall, so they are missing two of the ingredients required for success in the NCAA tournament and they cannot fix those problems.
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Unlike 1997 when the fixes were the return of Holdsclaw and Jolie there are no All-Americans returning to the line up for them.
 
So there can be no Cinderella run for the Lady Vols? There are no miracles Braer Bear? Just sayin' mojo is a Big Lady with a Bad Temper.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
So there can be no Cinderella run for the Lady Vols? There are no miracles Braer Bear? Just sayin' mojo is a Big Lady with a Bad Temper.
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I do not perceive any mojo fixes big enough to bail out this years situation for TN. I see then as an Elite Eight team at best. I have been persistent in that expectation since the beginning of the season. No mojo involved.
 
RockyMTblue2 said:
I would like to see both RU and Tennessee more relevant. I'll still "hate them" in the childish fan way we relish, but I'd still like the programs to get back to where they were.
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Why? I think it would be more fun if a team like Pitt rose to prominence, similar to what Delaware is doing.
 
Delaware will slip beneath the waves of the Atlantic as EDD departs. But I do agree in principle with the notion that new entrants to a clan of consistently competitive programs are a good thing. Suspect you were not following WCBB in the delicious era of "who do you hate more" as a Husky Fan RU or UT. It was great fun.
 
speedoo said:
They would be lucky to get to the Sweet 16 IMO. They are a bad defensive team and their guard play is poor overall, so they are missing two of the ingredients required for success in the NCAA tournament and they cannot fix those problems.
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Who are you that dare cast aspersion on the LVols?

Don't you know that you may be reported to the FBI?
 
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