I can't help myself (Tenn, merged thread)

[choochoo]

On the other hand, there’s a lot of good coaches doing some really great things at mid-majors who would jump at the TN job, including the coach that Geno will be up against later today.

Imagine what FLJ the Buffalo head coach could do with the current Lady Vols loaded roster. It is mind boggling!!!! Go and get her, she is going to be a superstar!

 

[oldude]

Imagine what FLJ the Buffalo head coach could do with the current Lady Vols loaded roster. It is mind boggling!!!! Go and get her, she is going to be a superstar!

I would really be concerned if Coach Legette-Jack showed up at Gamble next year with the talent that TN has coming back.

 

[msf22b]

vtcwbuff said:
My favorite is "they don't do what I tell them to do." And you're supposed to be the coach? If you can't fix that then maybe you should be looking for a different profession.

I would not be surprised if Geno is more sympathetic to that argument, this evening.

 

[CocoHusky]

Imagine what FLJ the Buffalo head coach could do with the current Lady Vols loaded roster. It is mind boggling!!!! Go and get her, she is going to be a superstar!

I would really be concerned if Coach Legette-Jack showed up at Gamble next year with the talent that TN has coming back.

Buffalo is Legette-Jack 's third HC position. Her first two stops at Hofstra and Indiana were pretty unremarkable.

 

[Zanzman]

Buffalo is Legette-Jack 's third HC position. Her first two stops at Hofstra and Indiana were pretty unremarkable.

Joe Torres has several stops before he had success with the evil empire

 

[CocoHusky]

Joe Torres has several stops before he had success with the evil empire

I think TN will look for someone in the family and bring home Kellie Jolly Harper.
They should also give Melanie Balcomb a call based entirely on what she did for the South Carolina offense in one year.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I think TN will look for someone in the family and bring home Kellie Jolly Harper.
The should also give Melanie Balcomb a call based entirely on what she did for the South Carolina offense in one year.

I think you're right, and I think it will be a mistake. Harper did well at Western Carolina but had a very mediocre stint at NC State before her current gig at Missouri St. I think they really need to look outside their family tree and just get the best candidate they can. Their options within the family are fairly limited and probably will not be the right answer.

 

[VA Huskie]

Been there and had that reaction from UT fans. Didn't really notice when PS was the HC. Have experienced it since UT demise. It's not subtle either.

Actually my wife and I were at a FF and saw Tennessee fans react very professionally. They were like any other fans.

 

[Alibi Ike]

I think TN will look for someone in the family and bring home Kellie Jolly Harper.
They should also give Melanie Balcomb a call based entirely on what she did for the South Carolina offense in one year.

You mean the offense that had the best player in all of women's college basketball?

 

[UConnNick]

Kids are kids. Parents and coaches have the influence to "steer" them in a direction they maybe should be headed. Some kids have their minds made up, if recruited by a program they have rooted for or are infatuated with. Then, there is little opportunity to persuade them elsewhere. I find it very difficult to blame these players for their situation. If they are unhappy, they have the transfer card they can play. We (UConn) have seen our kids play that card because the program isn't what they thought it was. So, I have no words of wisdom for these players. They have options. For me, I think HW is a fine coach for UT and should be given another raise/extension.

I'd go even further. I think Phil Fulmer should announce that Holly has been named coach for life. He may reprise his role in the movie "The Blind Side" by showing up at LadyVol practices and saying, "Coach, do you think we could all see some drills?"

 

[UConnNick]

I have to give Westbrook a pass on her postgame comments. Some folks rated her as the top HS player in the country, ahead of Megan, when she came to TN. She is still young, and immediately following a frustrating game, after a frustrating season, several reporters stuck microphones in front of her asking difficult questions that she answered.

As for HW, she’s an adult, who’s been at this job for enough years to know better. I continue to be baffled by her post game comments. Once again she tossed her team under the bus citing her typical refrain after a loss, that her team needs to, “play harder.”

The only thing that was different about this postgame presser is that the media directly asked HW about her future in Knoxville. She responded with a lengthy ramble about how much she loved the university, the administration and her job there. She then went into a long diatribe about how TN values women. If she had a daughter she would send her to TN even if she didn’t play basketball, etc. I actually thought it was sad in a way, as she appeared to be saying, “Don’t fire me because I’m a woman.”

Holly learned that whole throwing the players under the bus after a loss thing from Summitt. Pat did that all the time.

 

[UConnNick]

Actually, I specifically reference the assumption that UConn will hire “someone with a reasonable understanding of how to develop talent and a team basketball strategy.” I agree fully that Geno will be asked to provide input into the decision by the AD, and it is virtually unthinkable that UConn would hire anyone based solely on emotion and loyalty as TN did when Pat stepped down.

It has happened before. Remember Dom Perno and Kevin Ollie?

 

[JellyBean]

To be honest, I really hope the Lady Vols don't give up on Holly Warlick.

 

[Bayareahusky]

To be honest, I really hope the Lady Vols don't give up on Holly Warlick.

She's just coming into her own.... about to turn the corner

 

[donalddoowop]

Westbrook chose Tennessee over ND, Maryland, Oregon State and USC.

Don't know much about USC's program, but you have to think she would have been better off playing for Rueck, McGraw, or Frese.

Not Frese.

 

[mbr33ct]

She's just coming into her own.... about to turn the corner

The least you could have done was to add an emoji to end your sentence. Anyone of these ( ) would have been good.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Jimmy's blog: Warlick says job status not a distraction

f Warlick is fired after this season, she would be paid close to her one-year salary of $690,000.

Warlick’s salary ranks in the bottom half of the SEC.

 

[CocoHusky]

You mean the offense that had the best player in all of women's college basketball?

SC's offense had arguably more talent in the lineup before the arrival of Balcomb and achieve less. I am specifically thinking of Tiffany Mitchell instead of Tyasha Harris as an example.

 

[CocoHusky]

I'd go even further. I think Phil Fulmer should announce that Holly has been named coach for life. He may reprise his role in the movie "The Blind Side" by showing up at LadyVol practices and saying, "Coach, do you think we could all see some drills?"

ROTFL.

 

[LoTrader]

I have not seen the video you folks are speaking of. If she has already decided to leave, then she no doubt felt free to speak her mind, even though it was not her place to do so. Westbrook won't have a problem finding a landing spot. Most of your top 10 programs would take her in a heat beat. You know Dawn Staley and Jeff Walz would go there personally to pick her up if she would agree to transfer to their respective program. Let's not kid ourselves, Westbrook is a talent. She just needs a new environment (coach/school), a little polish and coaching to bring out her latent talent and potential. She can find both of those in a number of places.

I'm sure Oregon State would gladly welcome Evina Westbrook back home, 40 minutes from where Evina went to High School!

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm sure Oregon State would gladly welcome Evina Westbrook back home, 40 minutes from where Evina went to High School!

But..but.. Evina is under 6'6" what is she going to do on a Oregon State roster?

 

[oldude]

I'm sure Oregon State would gladly welcome Evina Westbrook back home, 40 minutes from where Evina went to High School!

Evina wants to be a pg. Rueck would have to sort out a potential problem with Westbrook and Slocum on the same roster.

 

[LoTrader]

If Evina has to sit out a year, with 2 years of eligibility, Pivec and Tudor will be gone. Destiny & Aleah Goodman will both play point and off-guard. Evina would not play the point, but could...can't have enough back up point guards. First thing Rueck would teach Evina, is how to play 1-on-1 defense, and team defense. Evina is an undeniable talent.

 

[meyers7]

she'd burn the food or drop the dishes

Well as long as she didn't give extra pieces of cake to the basketball players.

 

[meyers7]

If Holly is released, Horston won’t come to UConn. She and her mom were not happy with how UConn fans responded to Jordan committing to Tennessee

Well if you're looking for a steak dinner and you're offered a filet mignon made by a famous NY Chef vs a chopped steak from Golden Corral.....and you choose the Corral...what do you expect people to think/say???

Also not sure if taking into account internet people's opinions when making major life decisions is a good idea.

 

[CocoHusky]

Disagree. The coaching staff is way more selective than that. They also recruit character and commitment.

Disagree. Idc what team a player plays for. If they can improve and help the team, Geno will take them

Much has been made about the current crop of TN players and if Geno would even consider ANY of the current TN players. IMO the failures of TN have been structural, specifically the inability of the TN staff to provide a challenging environment were ANY player can develop and maximize their potential. Lack of structure at TN does not mean lack of hard working players e.g. Mimi Collins.

In the face of all this, one of the freshmen acted more like a senior. First-year player Mimi Collins arranged for male practice players to help her work extra on her defense during the season. She tended to her other skills in a similar fashion. “I just got in the gym and worked hard,” she said. “My thing was coming in and working hard and doing what needed to be done.”

Dan Fleser: Holly Warlick Wants To Keep Coaching, But Her Future At UT Is Uncertain

Mimi Collins is a max effort player, there may be others.

 

[Dillon77]

Much has been made about the current crop of TN players and if Geno would even consider ANY of the current TN players. IMO the failures of TN have been structural, specifically the inability of the TN staff to provide a challenging environment were ANY player can develop and maximize their potential. Lack of structure at TN does not mean lack of hard working players e.g. Mimi Collins.

In the face of all this, one of the freshmen acted more like a senior. First-year player Mimi Collins arranged for male practice players to help her work extra on her defense during the season. She tended to her other skills in a similar fashion. “I just got in the gym and worked hard,” she said. “My thing was coming in and working hard and doing what needed to be done.”

Dan Fleser: Holly Warlick Wants To Keep Coaching, But Her Future At UT Is Uncertain

Mimi Collins is a max effort player, there may be others.

Good pedigree (dad played overseas). If memory is correct, she played at Paul VI in northern Va.. I imagine her practices with (now) ND's Mikayla Vaughn helped both players.
I liked what I saw of her in the Tennessee games I've watched. Persistent, works hard.

 

[Carnac]

Evina wants to be a pg. Rueck would have to sort out a potential problem with Westbrook and Slocum on the same roster.

As an outsider looking in, it appears to me that Slocum is Rueck's pg of choice as long as she’s eligible to play. Westbrook has to get in where she fits in. That may or may not be at Oregon State.

 

[DaBball]

If Evina has to sit out a year, with 2 years of eligibility, Pivec and Tudor will be gone. Destiny & Aleah Goodman will both play point and off-guard. Evina would not play the point, but could...can't have enough back up point guards. First thing Rueck would teach Evina, is how to play 1-on-1 defense, and team defense. Evina is an undeniable talent.

I would love to see Evina at Oregon State coached up by a coach like Scott Rueck. I think she would do much better off the ball, but if she isn’t interested in playing off the ball Oregon State is probably not the best potential landing spot with Slocum and Goodman. She has so much talent, but it isn’t going anywhere.

 

[LoTrader]

I would love to see Evina at Oregon State coached up by a coach like Scott Rueck. I think she would do much better off the ball, but if she isn’t interested in playing off the ball Oregon State is probably not the best potential landing spot with Slocum and Goodman. She has so much talent, but it isn’t going anywhere.

It turns out that both Slocum and Aleah Goodman play point, and 2-guard frequently. I wouldn't envision Evina in a competition for the point guard position in OSU's offense. First and foremost at OSU, you play defense or you sit. On Offense, Evina could play both point and 2-guard.