Baylor @ Tennessee, Sun. 2:00 pm ET

[meyers7]

Geno sat them against a conference team... there's no way he'd try that against a Top 5 team

Well that was kind of the point of sitting them. They were not playing to the same level as they would against at Top 5 team.

 

[Bretski]

Tennessee showed last year that it could raise its game (sometimes) against superior competition. Can they do it this year?

Meanwhile, any fan of WCBB will enjoy this conversation, from Knoxville, between Doris Burke and Kim Mulkey:

have to agree with other posters...that interview was nothing but good for her. i try to like Kim...she has her moments where I want to shake her, but she actually seems fun, at least when she's unguarded.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Watching Holly's post-game press conference, it was impossible for me not to feel pretty badly for her. In every such conference after an embarrassing loss, and, of course, there have been many, the words she repeats again and again are, "I dunno!" Two things are obvious: 1. She desperately wants to make things better, to transmit to her players the same fire-in-the-belly with which she once played, and 2. She hasn't a clue as to how to do it and is in hopelessly over her head. I really do feel for her. I wish they'd bring in the kind of coaching talent that would return that program to relevance...would be great for the game.

 

[cferraro04]

Holly sounds like she is on the cusp of handing DD a benching...something that can only produce positive results. It will send the right message, it will motivate and improve morale for the rest of the team. This team is talented enough to win without DD. If DD has any chance of becoming the player she is capable of becoming she will react correctly to a benching and she will refocus herself to understanding that the universe doesn't revolve around her.

Kim Mulkey on the other hand is just a good ole' Southern mom who seems to a fun person. It is no wonder why Geno really likes her.

 

[Vowelguy]

I couldn't decide whether vowelguy intended in the original post to be taken at face value - DD isn't going to leave because at the moment her 'market value' is too low and therefore Vol fans can relax, or if he was being subtle/ironic and implying that her decision to leave for pro ranks would be the classic addition by subtraction. I decided to play it safe and just ponder the beautiful ambiguity of the post.
rvwsleep - you jumped right in with the assumption that he was playing it straight up.

So ... vowelguy - are you insulted by rvwsleep's assumption that you are not a subtle kind of guy, or did they read you right? (Yeah, there is no good answer to that question!)

Both.
That she wouldnt have good options to leave. But whether that would actually be good or bad for Vols is unclear.

 

[CocoHusky]

Holly sounds like she is on the cusp of handing DD a benching...something that can only produce positive results. It will send the right message, it will motivate and improve morale for the rest of the team. This team is talented enough to win without DD. If DD has any chance of becoming the player she is capable of becoming she will react correctly to a benching and she will refocus herself to understanding that the universe doesn't revolve around her.

The last benching of DD by Holly did not produce lasting or immediate positive results complete with Nasty tweets from Helicopter parents.

"She (Diamond) has started only 12 of 25 games and come off the bench for the past six games."

Delino DeShields apologizes for Twitter critique of Warlick

 

[UcMiami]

Watching Holly's post-game press conference, it was impossible for me not to feel pretty badly for her. In every such conference after an embarrassing loss, and, of course, there have been many, the words she repeats again and again are, "I dunno!" Two things are obvious: 1. She desperately wants to make things better, to transmit to her players the same fire-in-the-belly with which she once played, and 2. She hasn't a clue as to how to do it and is in hopelessly over her head. I really do feel for her. I wish they'd bring in the kind of coaching talent that would return that program to relevance...would be great for the game.

This will probably sound condescending but when I watch Holly after a loss it just reminds me of reality shows and Springer style talk show participants - the person in the dock who is a nice and pleasant person, and just does not have a clue about the realities of life around them, or the person on Springer or talking to Suzy Ormand whose life is a train wreck and you know doesn't have the skills or sense to make the necessary changes to get off the tracks before the next express comes through. It has that same pathos or bathos feeling.
I do think she is a good person, I suspect she was a good administrator for Pat, but ... you don't ask the office manager to run the company. I understand the initial hiring, but I have not understood the three or four raises and extensions she has received.

 

[LadyVols9]

someone needs to send Holly a mirror so she can look in it. I am so tired of her blaming players and not TRULY taking any responsibility for poor results. She needs to go. Period. End of story. I would rather take a hit for a couple of years than watch this train wreck.

holly loved pat and is a true lady vol but she is simply not a head coach.

 

[Bayareahusky]

well said LV9 program could take a deep breath and reset

 

[Zorro]

It may be just a coincidence, but were not the LV doing much better before the arrival of DD? It could just be a coincidence, and I may be entirely wrong, because I do not follow them closely, but it certainly seems that the total disorganization of the team began with her arrival. Without a doubt, she has physical skills galore, but....

 

[LadyVols9]

I do think DD is a FABULOUS player but she is her own worst enemy. Nared and Russell have been outstanding this year overall. Very proud of Russell. She was by far the best post player on the floor yesterday even with Baylor's post players swarming all over her. She is having a superb year.

 

[Plebe]

I do think DD is a FABULOUS player but she is her own worst enemy. Nared and Russell have been outstanding this year overall. Very proud of Russell. She was by far the best post player on the floor yesterday even with Baylor's post players swarming all over her. She is having a superb year.

Russell is one of the most improved players in the country I've seen so far this year. She was just outstanding on defense against Baylor's bigs. Her play was a real bright spot for TN amid an otherwise bleak scenario.

 

[Bayareahusky]

yes kudos to Russell.... didnt expect that prolonged effort from her..... good going...... now the rest of team should follow suit

 

[LadyVols9]

thanks ya'll. I will take a silver lining in this current team. DD gets a lot of attention but Russell is really the guts of the team. Nared is right up there too. she is fearless.

 

[Plebe]

thanks ya'll. I will take a silver lining in this current team. DD gets a lot of attention but Russell is really the guts of the team. Nared is right up there too. she is fearless.

Holly said exactly that, in her otherwise depressing press conference. Someone asked her if Jackson was going to be a "mainstay" in the starting lineup, and she said all she knows is that Russell and Nared are gonna start, and after that it's all up in the air. She made it very clear that she was very happy with those two (and less happy with everyone else).

 

[CocoHusky]

It may be just a coincidence, but were not the LV doing much better before the arrival of DD? It could just be a coincidence, and I may be entirely wrong, because I do not follow them closely, but it certainly seems that the total disorganization of the team began with her arrival. Without a doubt, she has physical skills galore, but....

That depends on your perspective. Many people forget that The Lady Vols beat a UNC DD led team in 2013 in Chapel Hill.
It's been mostly down hill since that season and what has become Holly albatross are two things not characteristic of TN teams under Pat. The first was the yearly loss(s) to unranked teams and the second lack of player development and control. Poor Megan Simmons left Knoxville so confused and who could blame her. She was either shooting too much or not enough. Mercedes grabbed the moniker of highest under achieving #1. Bashara Graves was wonder woman =Morgan Tuck in a USA basketball uniform. In an Orange she was more like superman with Kryptonite always at her feet. Izzy and Sierra Burdick never improved while in Knoxville, and both are now serviceable pro's that should/could have been WNBA starters. The most glaring thing when watching Lady Vols is the lack of a consistent offensive scheme that results in easy baskets or high percentage shots. Doris was spot on in her observation when TN was getting steam rolled by Baylor yesterday. Her point was 7 or 8 TN possessions into the game she wanted to know on how many of those TN possessions had the ball actually changed sides of the floor. The answer was zero. Seems like a simple thing, because it is, but if UCONN goes 2 possession without the ball changing sides of the floor Geno is benching someone, maybe everyone.
DD came on board with her own set of issues, the most of which is being anointed a star/savior before she had really accomplished anything. It's a toxic mix and TN is probably best served by parting ways with Diamond by simply not renewing her scholarship IMO. But according to Holly "We are glad to have her ( Diamond) on the team"

 

[LadyVols9]

That depends on your perspective. Many people forget that The Lady Vols beat a UNC DD led team in 2013 in Chapel Hill.
It's been mostly down hill since that season and what has become Holly albatross are two things not characteristic of TN teams under Pat. The first was the yearly loss(s) to unranked teams and the second lack of player development and control. Poor Megan Simmons left Knoxville so confused and who could blame her. She was either shooting too much or not enough. Mercedes grabbed the moniker of highest under achieving #1. Bashara Graves was wonder woman =Morgan Tuck in a USA basketball uniform. In an Orange she was more like superman with Kryptonite always at her feet. Izzy and Sierra Burdick never improved while in Knoxville, and both are now serviceable pro's that should/could have been WNBA starters. The most glaring thing when watching Lady Vols is the lack of a consistent offensive scheme that results in easy baskets or high percentage shots. Doris was spot on in her observation when TN was getting steam rolled by Baylor yesterday. Her point was 7 or 8 TN possessions into the game she wanted to know on how many of those TN possessions had the ball actually changed sides of the floor. The answer was zero. Seems like a simple thing, because it is, but if UCONN goes 2 possession without the ball changing sides of the floor Geno is benching someone, maybe everyone.
DD came on board with her own set of issues, the most of which is being anointed a star/savior before she had really accomplished anything. It's a toxic mix and TN is probably best served by parting ways with Diamond by simply not renewing her scholarship IMO. But according to Holly "We are glad to have her ( Diamond) on the team"

Izzy was the most improved player from freshman to senior year that I can ever remember at TN. she was projected by some to be the #1 draft pick until she went down with the ACL injury. I agree totally with your comments about ball movement and offense---such a total disaster.

 

[baylorprof]

[QUOTE
Kim Mulkey on the other hand is just a good ole' Southern mom who seems to a fun person. It is no wonder why Geno really likes her.[/QUOTE]

Kim is known nationally for her courtside coaching personnae. Rightly so for the most part, a a young coach she came across as the jacket throwing, wild-woman that all opposing fans loved to hate.

As she ages, like most of us, she mellows. She still has the fire in her belly, and I'm sure we'll see it when big games are on the line, but there has ALWAYS been a decent, caring person deep down inside of Kim. She was NEVER the "Bobby Knight" of wbb. She has too much deep care for the people she coaches and works with. I don't expect many to give that statement much credence simply because the wbb fans across the nation already have their mental imprints of Kim. And more than likely that will never change.

But inside the circle of loyalties of her team and her loyal fans, Kim is EXACTLY what she claimed to be on the video--just a good ole country girl who's finally decided to forego a lot of the makeup and glitz that so many young women coaches feel like they have to have. She's still going to "say it the way she sees it" and when she feels her team has been dissed by fans or stripes she'll take her shots. And one of the reason she and Geno get along is because she's got that same "I don't give a ____ what people think of me as long as my players and my family know I care about them."

So, I'm not here to try to change anybody's mind. You guys have too much fun loving to hate on her. And that's OK. She's a pro. She'll tell you to your face--"Don't be criticizing the players; they're students. But us pros (coaches and stripes) we're fair game; yell at us all you want."

I just wish there was a way that more people could get a little more of that tiny clip and a little less of the young coach who let herself get out of control a few too many times.

Sorry for the excursus, but the thread opened up for it.

 

[easttexastrash]

Two comments about the topics being discussed in this thread.

Mercedes Russell was awesome yesterday and is one heck of a post player. I can't help but like her and I get a sense of her personality that she is a very nice young lady. I get a good "vibe" from her.

I like that the video clip revealed a side of Mulkey that opposing fans seldom get to see. I watch a lot of her press conferences and that is what you typically get from her. She is honest and "tells it like it is." She is a loving mother and deeply loyal. I think that she tried very hard to walk a perilous line when it came to Griner vs Baylor, but she was always the first to take up for BG when it came to they way that she was treated by fans, opponents and the press. I have a feeling that the day will come when BG realizes this and attempts to mend their relationship. And I hope Mulkey is open to that, but once you burn her it is hard to regain her trust, if you can at all.

 

[Bestiarius]

someone needs to send Holly a mirror so she can look in it. I am so tired of her blaming players and not TRULY taking any responsibility for poor results. She needs to go. Period. End of story. I would rather take a hit for a couple of years than watch this train wreck.

holly loved pat and is a true lady vol but she is simply not a head coach.

Yes, the problems so obvious to us outsiders. LV land but blinded by love of Pat and the resulting nepotism.

Holly is truly between a Rocky Top and a hard place. What do the fans expect her to see in that mirror? She seemed to have great support from the fans at the beginning. Some spoke against her, but most gave justification for her to be chosen.

Now that she hasn't worked out, its tar and feathers time. As you suggest, the TN administration can simple bite the bullet, fire her and pay off her contract. But no. The tactic seems to be to have the fans pressure her into quitting. That would save the school money.

I applaud Holly's resistance to this. The Admin stupidly renewed her contract, so the ball is now in their court. Not her fault for that. What kind of morality thinks coercing an employee to quit and give up her rightful money, "If she really loves the LVs," is the right way to solve the problem? What a guilt trip!

Now, Holly did recruit a good class after last year's strike out. That gives her some points. Although I think she doesn't know how to pick a recruit that will help the program, so more bad is on the horizon whether she stays or not.

It appears a dozen or so teams have userped Tennessee's prestige in the WBB world. We Boneyarder's know the true reason for this. The reluctance to apologize for a 30 something page bogus attempt to crush UCONN. The answer was so simple - apologize, but no - thus the program's detriment continues.

 

[easttexastrash]

I think the best player on your team is the pg. As you had said one time regarding Prince - she needs to be more. The bigs from Baylor don't impress too much. They're just big. I'm seeing another E8 unless Cox finders her groove or Prince really steps up or Jones becomes a beast. IMO Nina Davis seems to get smothered in a low post - non-speed game. Good luck. Maybe the two teams will meet again.

Some very good observations. I think the Baylor bigs are better than you have probably seen but that game yesterday and the game against UCONN were not sterling examples of their capabilities.

 

[easttexastrash]

It appears a dozen or so teams have userped Tennessee's prestige in the WBB world. We Boneyarder's know the true reason for this. The reluctance to apologize for a 30 something page bogus attempt to crush UCONN. The answer was so simple - apologize, but no - thus the program's detriment continues.

Wait, several programs have usurped Tennessee because they wrote a nasty complaint about UCONN and never apologized? So they have some voodoo curse hanging over them and that is why other programs have surpassed them?

 

[Bestiarius]

Wait, several programs have usurped Tennessee because they wrote a nasty complaint about UCONN and never apologized? So they have some voodoo curse hanging over them and that is why other programs have surpassed them?

Yes. But, admittedly, I do have a flawed personality.

 

[skilz]

I do think DD is a FABULOUS player but she is her own worst enemy. Nared and Russell have been outstanding this year overall. Very proud of Russell. She was by far the best post player on the floor yesterday even with Baylor's post players swarming all over her. She is having a superb year.

DD is a great player but a great player doesn't always make a great teammate. Issues within the team will not put a complete product on the court. Holly should bench her for a game or two....

 

[skilz]

[QUOTE
Kim Mulkey on the other hand is just a good ole' Southern mom who seems to a fun person. It is no wonder why Geno really likes her.

Kim is known nationally for her courtside coaching personnae. Rightly so for the most part, a a young coach she came across as the jacket throwing, wild-woman that all opposing fans loved to hate.

As she ages, like most of us, she mellows. She still has the fire in her belly, and I'm sure we'll see it when big games are on the line, but there has ALWAYS been a decent, caring person deep down inside of Kim. She was NEVER the "Bobby Knight" of wbb. She has too much deep care for the people she coaches and works with. I don't expect many to give that statement much credence simply because the wbb fans across the nation already have their mental imprints of Kim. And more than likely that will never change.

But inside the circle of loyalties of her team and her loyal fans, Kim is EXACTLY what she claimed to be on the video--just a good ole country girl who's finally decided to forego a lot of the makeup and glitz that so many young women coaches feel like they have to have. She's still going to "say it the way she sees it" and when she feels her team has been dissed by fans or stripes she'll take her shots. And one of the reason she and Geno get along is because she's got that same "I don't give a ____ what people think of me as long as my players and my family know I care about them."

So, I'm not here to try to change anybody's mind. You guys have too much fun loving to hate on her. And that's OK. She's a pro. She'll tell you to your face--"Don't be criticizing the players; they're students. But us pros (coaches and stripes) we're fair game; yell at us all you want."

I just wish there was a way that more people could get a little more of that tiny clip and a little less of the young coach who let herself get out of control a few too many times.

Sorry for the excursus, but the thread opened up for it.[/QUOTE]

Baylorprof - thanks for the input. There is a video out there from a few years back of Kim talking (singing) to the media. She had the whole room laughing, which is what she normally does. I wish more people could see that side of her as well. She deserves more respect than she receives. I would think more Husky fans would like her just because Geno does. We know he has a good eye for talent and good people!