Coach Warlick feels her team is very sensitive..

[jsloanjr]

IMO, its coaching and players buying in to the plan set by Coach Warlick....Tenn does not respond well to pressure.....Is it player development in practice or is it the players they have?...The coach is waiting for them to turn it on and March will be here before you know it........
"It feels like this team is very sensitive," Tennessee coach Holly Warlick said. "We want it so much that it's almost detrimental to us. We want it so badly. I would love to see how we'd play when everybody's clicking on all cylinders. It would really be a lot of fun, but that's up to me, to put them in positions and to get them ready for the next game."

 

[DobbsRover2]

That's not an unusual thing for a coach to say. Geno has often said that a certain player is sensitive to the fact that she needs to run the court better, or that she's sensitive to fact that she can't make stupid passes if she wants to get some playing time, or that she's sensitive to the fact that she needs to show a lot better effort on defense if she wants to stay on the court. Husky players are very sensitive.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The way they play defense--or used to--I thought they were touchy-feely.

 

[jsloanjr]

I agree with both your points. Does Tenn baby their players or are they not have it in them to play 40 minutes.....Tenn has a ton of talent.....My favorite players are #20 and Massinggale..They could play for UCONN........IMO, the rest are selfish and are not elite players.......

 

[Wonkster]

Coach Warlick feels her team is very senitive...

The Voles may be senitive, but we've got Saniya!

 

[VAMike23]

Actually, Geno has made similar--albeit general--comments about Husky teams of recent years. The 'old' teams of the 90s and early 2000s would give it back to him in equal measure.

Recent teams have been more sensitive and do not respond as well overall to the same schtick. I could go fishing for articles and quotes from the Horde with Google, but I think enough BYers know what I mean.

Having said that, the Huskies are continually challenged in ways that make them mentally tough despite their greater 'sensitivity' compared to teams past. That's the key difference between the programs.

 

[UConnCat]

Throughout her 1+ years as Tennessee's head coach I haven't found Holly's post-game comments to be particularly insightful and her comments last night were no different.

I thought the best and smartest comments were from Burdick:

(On the team's struggles in the second half)
"I just think we have to come out and play a full forty, it is what it comes down to. Great basketball teams are going to switch their defenses, they are going to play us differently from half to half. That is what halftime is for. You go back to the drawing boards and you readjust. It is just a matter of us coming out and accepting whatever they throw at us and contining to take punches and fight back. I think we got hit in the mouth a couple times today and we just let them keep hitting us instead of pounding back. We have to play a full forty and we will get it right."

With Loyd and Allen in foul trouble ND played a lot of zone in the first half and then played strictly man defense in the 2nd half. Tenn was much more aggressive attacking the zone than attacking ND's man defense, which was very surprising. In the 2nd half, Massengale became passive, Tenn couldn't get the ball inside, the turnovers piled up and ND became the aggressor. ND was by far the smarter and more poised team and had the look of a team accustomed to playing at a high level in big games. Tennessee, not so much.

 

[earl the pearl]

If memory serves me correctly, during the recruiting process, didn't Massengale's father insist that see be a starting PG immediately as a freshman? And didn't Coach Summitt agree...and didn't Geno stop recruiting her at that point?

 

[Icebear]

If memory serves me correctly, during the recruiting process, didn't Massengale's father insist that see be a starting PG immediately as a freshman? And didn't Coach Summitt agree...and didn't Geno stop recruiting her at that point?

Summitt, also, stopped recruiting her for quite awhile.

 

[msf22b]

But there was also this Massengale will be the saviour of this team fantasy that was alluded to throughout the summer following her recruitment and she settled into becoming the decent point that she is.

But think of those underachieving: Burdick, having a god-awful season and Graves, perhaps injured seems so listless at times.

 

[VAMike23]

But there was also this Massengale will be the saviour of this team fantasy that was alluded to throughout the summer following her recruitment and she settled into becoming the decent point that she is.

But think of those underachieving: Burdick, having a god-awful season and Graves, perhaps injured seems so listless at times.

I have a feeling Graves is still somewhat hobbled. I think she's a very strong player when healthy.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Yes, UConnCat, Burdick put her finger on it didn't she? Now, can the coaches execute on this idea? But this sensitivity thing..... it seems that they only are in sync when they are hitting all their shots and are playing out of their minds...... as announcers pointed out last night..... consistency is badly kneeded in Knoxville..... there is a lack of heart .... where LVs do not play with passion ..... such as last year's NCAAs in LVille game.... LVille had good team, but UT should have taken them..... signs of disjointedness are all over the place..... Ariel being promised the starting PG spot..... and advertised in the press...... the LV lack of assists.... it seems the LVs are a collection of good athletes..... and seldom a team.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Holly did note after the game, "We'll watch tape and hopefully we can point out some good things."

That's a start. Maybe they can find some good things to focus their attention on and lift everyone's spirits. That would be the sensitive thing to do.

 

[Phil]

I have a feeling Graves is still somewhat hobbled. I think she's a very strong player when healthy.

She was definitely more impressive in USA Basketball.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Mechelle on ND win over Lady Vols: http://espn.go.com/womens-college-b...dame-fighting-irish-rally-tennessee-lady-vols

 

[VAMike23]

Another 'quality loss' for the LVs.

 

[UConnCat]

I have a feeling Graves is still somewhat hobbled. I think she's a very strong player when healthy.

Recent reports are that she is healthy. Graves is a ferocious offensive rebounder and scorer but she needs to work on developing her face-up game which right now is limited and fairly predictable. BTW, Graves had zero offensive rebounds last night.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Graves was great in all star play because, IMHO, she was part of team..... What provision has HW made for on-court leadership? That is a big problem...... Simmons, the only senior, is a loose, undisciplined cannon..... the junior class..... I do not know them personally.... but Burdick doesn't seem to have leadership tendencies..... Izzy and Ariel should corral this team and will them into playing consistently and having heart...... Pat, does she have a role? I know she has a title, but does she have a role? Maybe they could carve out a niche for her..... like "Leadership Development" like Deadre Charles had "Character Development" a couple of years back..... If the LVs had one person step up and lead the others by example .... and get in their faces.... perhaps the team would not be guilty of jogging the floor like they did Monday night..... Maybe leadership is a role for you, BG, even though you are a soph.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Another 'quality loss' for the LVs.

Well there was a tremendous amount of quality stuff if you add up all the positives:

Meighan Simmons shot an incredible 71%.
Ariel Massengale had a 2.0 A\TO ratio.
Isabelle Harrison yanked down 16 rebounds.
Jasmine Jones, Cierra Burdick, and Andraya Carter all committed 0 TOs.
Baashaara Graves and Mercedes Russell committed 0 personal fouls.

Actually sounds like a great game for the Vols, and I'm thinking they may even have won with those stats.

 

[dtbtbtb]

Graves was great in all star play because, IMHO, she was part of team..... What provision has HW made for on-court leadership? That is a big problem. Simmons, the only senior, is a loose, undisciplined cannon..... the junior class..... I do not know them personally.... but Burdick doesn't seem to have leadership tendencies..... Izzy and Ariel should corral this team and will them into playing consistently and having heart. Pat, does she have a role? I know she has a title, but does she have a role? Maybe they could carve out a niche for her..... like "Leadership Development" like Deadre Charles had "Character Development" a couple of years back..... If the LVs had one person step up and lead the others by example .... and get in their faces.... perhaps the team would not be guilty of jogging the floor like they did Monday night..... Maybe leadership is a role for you, BG, even though you are a soph.

I would have loved to have graves in UConn as she would fit perfectly as a complimentary player like she did on the U-19. I like carter as well as a real good defensive player. There is a LOT of talent on this TN team but it just doesn't click for some reason.

 

[RadyLady]

I wonder if the wunderkind's arrival may have also affected Graves' game. She is no where near the same player as last year IMO.

 

[meyers7]

Another 'quality loss' for the LVs.

I hope they keep racking them up.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Another 'quality loss' for the LVs.

Keep 'em coming!

 

[doggydaddy]

I would have loved to have graves in UConn as she would fit perfectly as a complimentary player like she did on the U-19. I like carter as well as a real good defensive player. There is a LOT of talent on this TN team but it just doesn't click for some reason.

Carter is good when pressuring the ball, but watch the ND game again and see who missed her assignments in the half court defense allowing those open threes by Mabrey or Cable.

 

[DobbsRover2]

I hope they keep racking them up.

You are just encouraging the Vols in their sordid attempt to win yet another RPI SOS title.

At this point however they are only in 5th, with Ohio State on top with a slate that has included 14 home games so far and 6 road games. Maybe Oklahoma St. should really be on top of the SOS rankings as they've only played two road games this year.