Asia Durr Narrows list; topic morph circa p. 4 to Tennessee's status/outlook

[tennparker3]

Really? Not really close. Next year the gap is closer when DD is available, but still it's UCONN by a lot. Whether you go class by class or position by position. Tennessee fans always talk about how much talent they have, but it's really all on paper. Last year you guys lost to Maryland in the elite 8. Simmons had 31 and no one else but Jones had double figures (she had 11). Doesn't really make one feel warm and fuzzy launching into 2014...

I get that all your returning players will be better, but so will every other teams' players who weren't seniors.

KML, Stokes vs. Burdick, Massengale, Harrison - I'd call this one close. KML is better than any of those 3, but Tenn has a really solid senior class.

Stewie, Jefferson vs. Graves, Jones, Moore - HUGE advantage to UCONN. Like, gargantuan.

Chong, Tuck vs. Carter, Reynolds, Russell - Big advantage Tennessee. Let's be honest - the jury is out big time on Russell, Reynolds is a role player, and Carter a potential starter. But we all know Tuck is coming off a big injury and Chong was inconsistent at beast last year. I believe Russell will be more Kelsey Bone than Tina Charles, but we will see.

Ekmark, Edwards, Williams, Nurse vs. Dunbar, Middleton, Nared, Tucker - Big advantage UCONN. 2 of UCONN's freshmen are legit top 10 kids, one is a Canadian - but the starting guard on their national team (at 17), and one is consensus top 25. Tucker was a consensus top 10, Nared consensus top 20, Middleton consensus top 30, and Dunbar outside the top 50. Next year you can add Butler for UCONN and Deshields for Tennessee to that class. But as good as DD is, UCONN still has the advantage.

Even worse for Tennessee is your 2015 class

Collier, Samuleson, and Boykin vs. Jackson, Cooper. I think UCONN is done. Recently, by the way, both Blue Star and Hoopgurlz moved Samuelson up to #1, in spite of some Tennessee fans who think they are delusional. Probably the same fans who thought Bjorkland was as good as Moore, or Robinson was as good as Taruasi.

Tennessee has a shot at Kalani Brown, but at the moment she doesn't list Tennessee per HG. Do you think you have a legit shot at her? At any rate, I know some Tennessee fans think Cooper is the #1 kid in the class, but no one else seems to think so. She's a great defender, really good at getting to the basket (like Ogunbowale), but doesn't have much of a long range shot. HG has her at 12. BS has her at 19. PN has her at #3. She recently played an EYBL Nike event and the word was she was not impressive. Now I haven't read much confirmation on that but... Regardless, even if she's a top 10 kid, still a huge advantage in that class for UCONN...

I totally understand Tennessee fans' enthusiasm. But the talent gap between Tennessee and UCONN is still somewhat cavernous...

Us Tennessee fans have only heard how impressive Te'a has been this summer. Her stock has continued to rise even with a commitment and it being her last AAU season. She was considered the standout player at almost every tournament she was in. Many of us believe Te'a, Asia, and KLS are the top 3. Physically, Te'a is probably the most ready for the college game and could have the biggest impact from the get go, or soon after. I have watched her play since her freshman year and I can honestly say she is one of the best point guards I've seen on the high school level. She would have also been the starting point guard for the U17 World Championship team this summer if it weren't for illness.

The talent gap is not huge... the system that is in place right now is what separates the two programs at the moment. We Tennessee fans are all hoping for improvement with our system and have good reason to be optimistic considering Holly is going into her 3rd year and has been clear about making big changes in their approach to the game. Our 2015 class is a perfect fit for us as well. It may not be the highest ranked class, but it does give us 2 outstanding perimeter shooters and a great all around/top 10 talent player in Nared. Tucker will play a big part as well, maybe bigger than anyone is anticipating but of course she is coming in with injuries and she has been away from game play for a long time.

Brown, Fuehring, McCowan, and DeGrate are all still targets that are considering Tennessee and 3 of them have Tennessee in their final lists.

 

[mhshuskies]

That's a significant loss...Asia is a very high quality individual in the Maya Moore mold...and she has the athletic talent to go as far as she cares to. I hope we get to see a lot of her wherever she winds up...

Not in the Maya mold or she would be going to UCONN where she could have the opportunity to be the best player she can be. Maya didn't throw away the opportunity to win national titles, Asia has.

 

[mhshuskies]

That would not be pleasant. A hypothetical trio of the freshman Durr, the Sophomore Turner, and the senior LLoyd, might just be NC-worthy.

Except the coaching staff doesn't know how to win the big one!

 

[baggerbob]

UConn has Moriah for 2 more years, and Kia Nurse probably will surprise everyone.

 

[Tonyc]

The biggest difference is Geno has built a team and Pat and Holly havent. Tenn gets great players, throws them on the floor and lets them play. Geno disciples teaches trains and develops his kids through endless repetition to execute his system so that everybody is on the same page. Tenn doesnt have a system as evidenced when Pat contacted Harry to teach her a motion offense. I guess she trashed it when she couldnt get it to work. So think back to how long ago that was and Tenn hasnt gotten much better and look where UConn is. Now ask yourself how long will it take for Tenn and many of the other teams to catch up to UConn. A team like Marist or Green Bay who have had some success in the NCAAs dont have the talent that Tenn has and look at what theyve accomplished compared to Tenn. Can you imagine how good those two teams would be with Tenns talent.

Tenn will not be a threat to UConn this season or next. UConn is a very disciplined team that executes and believes in what they do. No other team in WCBB has that. Plus UConn has the top 2 players in WCBB in Stewart and KML. Next season Katie Lou will put on a show and imo Butler will be a huge force.

In this day and age in WCBB you cant out talent UConn. You can out talent weaker teams, teams that arent top 10. Tenn has a schedule full of them this season. Stanford and ND arent what they were last season. ND will still be very good but no where as good as last season because of graduation and untested freshman. So yes Tenn should win alot of games and maybe a top 4 team but they are not even close to UConn and either is any other team in WCBB.

 

[Kibitzer]

Tony, may we assume that you like our chances?

 

[OneTrickPony]

Not in the Maya mold or she would be going to UCONN where she could have the opportunity to be the best player she can be. Maya didn't throw away the opportunity to win national titles, Asia has.

You be can a high quality person in the Maya mold without the singular dedication to basketball, in my view. But, I'm not sure her decision not to come to UCONN can really just be chalked up to a flinch.

 

[uconnfan68]

And yet, she could barely get on the floor as a fifth year senior.

Geno says a lot of stuff.

And she would have started for about 300+ other schools. She was the only player I saw that could play Griner one-on-one.

 

[meyers7]

Not in the Maya mold or she would be going to UCONN where she could have the opportunity to be the best player she can be. Maya didn't throw away the opportunity to win national titles, Asia has.

Eh, you are underestimating Durr. She's has the potential to be a great one. (like many years as a USA basketball guard great). Wherever she goes, her team will have the opportunity to win national championships. Whether they do or not, who knows. But that's down the road a bit anyway, lot's of things can change.

Durr's gonna be a fun one to watch. Too bad we won't get to cheer FOR her.

 

[intlzncster]

And she would have started for about 300+ other schools. She was the only player I saw that could play Griner one-on-one.

I watched what you watched, and while she played well defensively against Griner (which also had to do with Geno's/UCONN's defense), she was a black hole offensively.

Butler is in the conversation for one of the best centers in America right NOW. She did things as a freshman that no one else has done.

Heather's ceiling, in retrospect, was a much much lesser Kelly Schumacher. It's not difficult to start on 300+ women's teams if you are 6'4 and relatively athletic.

As Meyer's said above, you go to UCONN to be the best player you can be, even if you are not in games. Heather had 5 years going against the best every single day. Kelly probably reached her ceiling at UCONN.

 

[rvwsleep]

Us Tennessee fans have only heard how impressive Te'a has been this summer. Her stock has continued to rise even with a commitment and it being her last AAU season. She was considered the standout player at almost every tournament she was in. Many of us believe Te'a, Asia, and KLS are the top 3. Physically, Te'a is probably the most ready for the college game and could have the biggest impact from the get go, or soon after. I have watched her play since her freshman year and I can honestly say she is one of the best point guards I've seen on the high school level. She would have also been the starting point guard for the U17 World Championship team this summer if it weren't for illness.

The talent gap is not huge... the system that is in place right now is what separates the two programs at the moment. We Tennessee fans are all hoping for improvement with our system and have good reason to be optimistic considering Holly is going into her 3rd year and has been clear about making big changes in their approach to the game. Our 2015 class is a perfect fit for us as well. It may not be the highest ranked class, but it does give us 2 outstanding perimeter shooters and a great all around/top 10 talent player in Nared. Tucker will play a big part as well, maybe bigger than anyone is anticipating but of course she is coming in with injuries and she has been away from game play for a long time.

Brown, Fuehring, McCowan, and DeGrate are all still targets that are considering Tennessee and 3 of them have Tennessee in their final lists.

Cooper is very good. No doubt about it. But in the interest in expanding your exposure to Cooper's play in the recent EYBL tournament, I've supplied a link to the Central Florida Elite - Cal Storm Team Taurasi box score. http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?a=1&id=56746.
Tennessee has a lot of questions to answer this year. Russell recovering from surgery on both of her feet is not practicing the entire summer, Tucker is recovering from knee surgery and hasn't really played in two years, Massengale's ability to play a full season with her history of multiple concussions. These situations may turn out well for Tennessee. But, if they don't, they would be major problems for the Lady Vols . Even if only Russell had a setback in her recovery (And I certainly hope she doesn't have a setback and she fully recovers) how would Tennessee defend against a team like South Carolina ?

 

[AnotherVolFan]

Ugh...I just cant wait until the season starts..Idk why Pat is being brought up, Holly is the coach...Pat won 8 National Championships with her bad "offense"....how many have you won TonyC?!...Ridiculous

 

[intlzncster]

Ugh...I just cant wait until the season starts..Idk why Pat is being brought up, Holly is the coach...Pat won 8 National Championships with her bad "offense"...how many have you won TonyC?!...Ridiculous

Well since hall of fame coaches don't post on the Boneyard, you'll just have to let us proles battle it out. So "we" have won nine. And counting.

 

[Vowelguy]

Ugh...I just cant wait until the season starts..Idk why Pat is being brought up, Holly is the coach...Pat won 8 National Championships with her bad "offense"...how many have you won TonyC?!...Ridiculous

TonyC has won 37 national championships, thank you for asking.

 

[Bestiarius]

.Idk why Pat is being brought up, Holly is the coach...

Are you sure about that?
Signed,
Pat Summitt
HEAD COACH Emeritus

 

[bballnut90]

The talent gap will still be there until Stewart/Jefferson graduate, but Tennessee is landing top players who should get Tennessee back into the Final Four and be a title threat. DeShields was far and away the best freshman this year and would have been on everybody's preseason All-American team going into this season. Cooper may seem a tad diva-esque (might be a major understatement...) but she is immensely talented. Mercedes Russell was the #1 incoming recruit who still has great upside after a disappointing freshman season, Nared and Tucker are 2 top 10 recruits that were not on the roster last year, and Carter has experience in big games and did a good job for the Lady Vols as a freshman. Not to mention Bashaara Graves who was arguably the best freshman in the nation in 2012-13 even though she pulled a disappearing act in 2013-14. Lots of good talent, over the next few seasons Tennessee will have its deepest roster since Holly took over and has the talent to be in the national spotlight once again.

 

[Bestiarius]

The talent gap will still be there until Stewart/Jefferson graduate, but Tennessee is landing top players who should get Tennessee back into the Final Four and be a title threat. DeShields was far and away the best freshman this year and would have been on everybody's preseason All-American team going into this season. Cooper may seem a tad diva-esque (might be a major understatement...) but she is immensely talented. Mercedes Russell was the #1 incoming recruit who still has great upside after a disappointing freshman season, Nared and Tucker are 2 top 10 recruits that were not on the roster last year, and Carter has experience in big games and did a good job for the Lady Vols as a freshman. Not to mention Bashaara Graves who was arguably the best freshman in the nation in 2012-13 even though she pulled a disappearing act in 2013-14. Lots of good talent, over the next few seasons Tennessee will have its deepest roster since Holly took over and has the talent to be in the national spotlight once again.

Can't argue with you. Every year, in August, Tennessee has the best team.

 

[BlueDevils]

Looks like Coach P is trying to create a Gray Alexis jones 2.0. If only she could coa... nvm.

 

[Dove]

At least will be spared hearing announcers yell, "DURRRRRRRRR!!!" when she nails big shots.

 

[AnotherVolFan]

Are you sure about that?
Signed,
Pat Summitt
HEAD COACH Emeritus

POSITIVE!

 

[AnotherVolFan]

Can't argue with you. Every year, in August, Tennessee has the best team.

Yea we havent been ranked pre season ranked #1 in idk how many years...so idk where you're getting that notion from...just bc Tenn fans say we have Talent doesn't mean we think we have the BEST team...My goodness..we give UCONN their due when its necessary...

 

[j66kicker]

Yea we havent been ranked pre season ranked #1 in idk how many years...so idk where you're getting that notion from...just bc Tenn fans say we have Talent doesn't mean we think we have the BEST team...My goodness..we give UCONN their due when its necessary...!

I think the fact that UT generates so much angst, bitterness, concern - whatever - on the BY is evidence that we still take you seriously. Just wish we could actually play each other

 

[rvwsleep]

I think the fact that UT generates so much angst, bitterness, concern - whatever - on the BY is evidence that we still take you seriously. Just wish we could actually play each other

You forgot annoyance. Every year it's the same thing: "No excuses this year", "We have as much talent as anyone", etc... And how about "Now that we have___"
(You fill in the blank) Russell, Graves, Burdick, Massengale, "we'll be back where we belong". BTW, none of the aforementioned have seen the final four except on TV or with a ticket.

 

[j66kicker]

You forgot annoyance. Every year it's the same thing: "No excuses this year", "We have as much talent as anyone", etc... And how about "Now that we have___"
(You fill in the blank) Russell, Graves, Burdick, Massengale, "we'll be back where we belong". BTW, none of the aforementioned have seen the final four except on TV or with a ticket.

Ahh yes, annoyance. My bad.

But if they're so irrelevant, why do we even care?

 

[HuskyNan]

Once again, people are being rude to the LV fans for no reason than the fact they're LV fans. No one seems to mind the Baylor, Duke, or Rutgers fans talking about their teams in a positive light be if some LV fan dares to do the same, they must be sneered at for some strange reason.

Knock it off, please. Unless the LV fans are insulting or obnoxious, there's no need to be insulting or obnoxious towards them.