Kaela Davis Reopens Recruitment

[Phil]

Well, if she really wants to play for a good team and be sure not to play Tennessee...I'm jus' sayin'

 

[VAMike23]

Well, if she really wants to play for a good team and be sure not to play Tennessee...I'm jus' sayin'

Say no more, Phil, say no more....

 

[jdubct]

Was just reading through some recruiting threads on our board... and it mentioned that Davis chose Tenn over UGA, Duke, and UCLA. Then again.. that was in the summer of 2010... no idea if these schools are ones she would consider now.

I wouldn't be surprized if she chooses Duke.

 

[Icebear]

So ND is recruiting her 6'3" teammate named Nelson. Last year they had Bruiser. Now they are recruiting a Full Nelson.

I hear something leaking.... Oh, never mind. It is just the whole board going, "Sssssssssssssssss."

 

[connboy77]

This is a major blow to Tennessee; I know they had high hopes for 2013, maybe landing the #1, #2, and #3 recruits. I can't say for sure that Davis won't eventually still end up at Tennessee, but it doesn't look good.

 

[AboutWeston]

I hear something leaking.... Oh, never mind. It is just the whole board going, "Sssssssssssssssss."

What ever happened to the Russian Stepalloverya??

 

[vtcwbuff]

Why would a coach recruiting Davis even have to mention Summitt's condition?
Yet we are already seeing accusations of coaches "using Pat's condition against Tennessee".

I wonder if the FBI has been informed.

 

[alexrgct]

Why would a coach recruiting Davis even have to mention Summitt's condition?
Yet we are already seeing accusations of coaches "using Pat's condition against Tennessee".

I wonder if the FBI has been informed.

Yeah, the assumption that everyone is negative recruiting against Tennessee is odd to me. At this particular moment, the program is underperforming relative to its lofty historical standards, and Pat's condition is well known. The uncertainty in recruits' minds is going to be there without a coach of another school bringing it up. Not saying that none are, as I'm not sitting in any kid's living room listening to the various pitches, but the notion that it would take negative recruiting for kids to harbor serious concerns is rather silly.

 

[easttexastrash]

well if you listen to their fans, ESPN has it in for Pat and there's a conspiracy afoot. they ONLY show Pat when she's on the sidelines looking confused. they NEVER show her coaching the kids, walking the sidelines, or taking an active role in the game. i'm not kidding - they practically had a whole thread on it.

I actually agree with this. I hadn't seen that thread and this is the first time that I have heard anyone say that, but I thought the same thing when I have watched UT games. They rarely show her up on the sidelines, just when she is sitting there.

I am not saying that it is a conspiracy, but I do think there is some truth to the fact that she is not shown very often doing anything. It gives the impression that she does nothing other than sit there in a fog.

 

[JS]

the notion that it would take negative recruiting for kids to harbor serious concerns is rather silly.

Once a paranoid, always a paranoid. You've gotta have conspirators out there.

Otherwise you become a paranoid with low self-esteem. That's when you think nobody important is out to get you.

 

[UcMiami]

Yeah, the assumption that everyone is negative recruiting against Tennessee is odd to me. At this particular moment, the program is underperforming relative to its lofty historical standards, and Pat's condition is well known. The uncertainty in recruits' minds is going to be there without a coach of another school bringing it up. Not saying that none are, as I'm not sitting in any kid's living room listening to the various pitches, but the notion that it would take negative recruiting for kids to harbor serious concerns is rather silly.

I can't imagine any coach would even talk about TN or Pat. If they did so, I think they would lose the respect of the recruit and their parents. And as others noted - this isn't inuendo, it is a fact that everyone knows. Until a TN recruiter can say ... 'your coach next year will be ___ and at the end of your four years you coach will be ____' with any amount of certainty, they are going to have trouble. There is never absolute certainty in coaching matters, but asking someone to sign a very restrictive 4 year contract, with no certainty at all is nearly impossible.
Just a side note - I wonder if the NCAA in these exceptional circumstances would allow TN to create a modified LOI, that removed the 1/2 year transfer penalty? That might be a solution that would help TN and be acceptable to all the other member institutions?

 

[HuskyNan]

I actually agree with this. I hadn't seen that thread and this is the first time that I have heard anyone say that, but I thought the same thing when I have watched UT games. They rarely show her up on the sidelines, just when she is sitting there.

I am not saying that it is a conspiracy, but I do think there is some truth to the fact that she is not shown very often doing anything. It gives the impression that she does nothing other than sit there in a fog.

It would certainly give some juice to any marketing plans ESPN might have for hyping the "could this be Pat Summit's last NCAA tournament?" campaign that I see as inevitable, unfortunately. I think ESPN will be sacrificing small animals and drawing pentagrams in its basement in Bristol to bring about a UConn-Tennessee game this year.

 

[EricLA]

I actually agree with this. I hadn't seen that thread and this is the first time that I have heard anyone say that, but I thought the same thing when I have watched UT games. They rarely show her up on the sidelines, just when she is sitting there.

I am not saying that it is a conspiracy, but I do think there is some truth to the fact that she is not shown very often doing anything. It gives the impression that she does nothing other than sit there in a fog.

yep it's a conspiracy i tell ya! everyone has it in for tennessee and pat!!

 

[JS]

It would certainly give some juice to any marketing plans ESPN might have for hyping the "could this be Pat Summit's last NCAA tournament?" campaign that I see as inevitable, unfortunately. I think ESPN will be sacrificing small animals and drawing pentagrams in its basement in Bristol to bring about a UConn-Tennessee game this year.

Yep. As a business they're ruthless marketers. They're gonna latch onto a story line that they think will get the attention of viewers. And their camera work will reflect that story line.

"There's more coaching left in Pat than you may think" isn't exactly the drama they're looking for. And reality, if that's it, isn't the point.

 

[easttexastrash]

Yep. As a business they're ruthless marketers. They're gonna latch onto a story line that they think will get the attention of viewers. And their camera work will reflect that story line.

"There's more coaching left in Pat than you may think" isn't exactly the drama they're looking for. And reality, if that's it, isn't the point.

That is how the media works. It is a double-edged sword at this point. Pat went public with her condition to raise awareness and she knew what the consequences would be. And I suspect that she wanted recruits to know the situation so that they could make a decision based on the facts. I have no doubt that she knew how it would affect the university.

However, Pat also has a commitment to her current players who committed to playing for her. How fair would it be to those players to just walk away without trying to fight through her situation. What kind of message does that send to them? That of being a quitter? She made the right decision at the moment and I suspect that she will make the right decisions going forward.

UT is going to feel the effects of this. Pat will eventually have to tell her team that she tried and did her best but that she will have to step down for the good of the university. But at least she has shown that she is a fighter who met this challenge head on. This senior class deserves to have her around until they graduate.

 

[EricLA]

one thing i meant to add to my post was that don't the teams sit opposite where the cameras are? in other words, as the kids play back and forth across the court, the camera follows them and you get an easy view of the team's benches at that time. Every single play as the teams move back and forth, we get a full view of each bench with the coaches and players for each team. whenever i see the UCONN games on CPTV, or nationally televised, you can catch Geno or the other coach pretty much every play. and when the kids are shooting FT's, it's a "still" of the coaches on whatever bench is behind that side of the court.

now it may be that ESPN is manipulative, nefarious, deceitful, has it in for Tennessee and is taking an active part in a conspiracy to destroy Tennessee and their entire program. or it could be that Pat really does spend an overwhelming majority of her time sitting in a chair on the bench. It's really simple to see based on the camera angles and views. you can constantly see the instantaneous reactions of the coaches/players on most every play without needing any special camera angle or close up of a coach.

now i don't doubt that ESPN does only care about itself and promoting whatever is in their best interest, as would be a Tennessee team seeded in UCONN's bracket. but it hasn't happened for years and i'm not sure they have the NCAA's in their back pocket.

 

[MarieM]

one thing i meant to add to my post was that don't the teams sit opposite where the cameras are? in other words, as the kids play back and forth across the court, the camera follows them and you get an easy view of the team's benches at that time. Every single play as the teams move back and forth, we get a full view of each bench with the coaches and players for each team. whenever i see the UCONN games on CPTV, or nationally televised, you can catch Geno or the other coach pretty much every play. and when the kids are shooting FT's, it's a "still" of the coaches on whatever bench is behind that side of the court.

now it may be that ESPN is manipulative, nefarious, deceitful, has it in for Tennessee and is taking an active part in a conspiracy to destroy Tennessee and their entire program. or it could be that Pat really does spend an overwhelming majority of her time sitting in a chair on the bench. It's really simple to see based on the camera angles and views. you can constantly see the instantaneous reactions of the coaches/players on most every play without needing any special camera angle or close up of a coach.

now i don't doubt that ESPN does only care about itself and promoting whatever is in their best interest, as would be a Tennessee team seeded in UCONN's bracket. but it hasn't happened for years and i'm not sure they have the NCAA's in their back pocket.

i wanted Tennessee to play Uconn last season in the final fore but notre dame happened. lol

 

[Tonyc]

This is a huge blow as a top recruit is thinking of leaving which will send a message to all AAU players that things arent well at TN. It will be a domino effect. Trying to play monday morning quarterback youve got to wonder with all the kids who have left TN and didnt go to TN if Pats illness was kept quiet. Dont forget to Micki left TX and GG to come back to TN. Looking back youve got to wonder about that too. I do know coaches who have said how can I support TN with Pat ill and not knowing who will replace her??? Gotta wonder what TN is waiting for.

Gotta wonder about more transfers??? The end will come soon as I expect a Pat Summitt night. She has earned the right to keep her title as head coach forever however someone needs to step in and run the team and pick up the pieces and start the rebuilding.

 

[wallman]

Shocker wel maybe not. I had heard Notre Dame was only looking at bigs 2013 hence Nelson. After watching Buford in AZ I don,t think either would be Uconn type players just my humble opinion.

 

[UConnCat]

now it may be that ESPN is manipulative, nefarious, deceitful, has it in for Tennessee and is taking an active part in a conspiracy to destroy Tennessee and their entire program. or it could be that Pat really does spend an overwhelming majority of her time sitting in a chair on the bench. It's really simple to see based on the camera angles and views. you can constantly see the instantaneous reactions of the coaches/players on most every play without needing any special camera angle or close up of a coach.

eric, the complaints that ESPN was creating a "false narrative" about Pat on the bench occurred after the ND game. I went back and watched the entire 2nd half and focused on Pat every time the game action was at the Tenn end of the court. She sat on the bench with her legs crossed for the entire 2nd half while game action was underway. I'm sure she got up during timeouts, but I saw nothing misleading about ESPN's camera shots, at least during the 2nd half. I think she was up coaching 1 or 2 times during the 1st half but, again, not once during the 2nd half. I don't understand the complaints or why it would be in ESPN's interest to create a false impression about her in-game coaching.

 

[trb123]

I respect coach PHS. I have never said anything against her. I have some questions about her situation.

1. When did she learn that she has Alzheimer?

2. Was she pushed to announce this publicly? If not, why did she decide to do it at the start of the 2011-12 season and not earlier?

 

[easttexastrash]

My understanding is that this was diagnosed over the summer, after last season, but I could be mistaken. I have heard no reports that she was pushed to make this announcement, and even if she were it would probably never have been reported that she was. It sounds as if she made the announcement pretty quickly. I am sure that she really had to give some thought to making the announcement and that she wanted to get as much information as possible before making an announcement.

Anyone who has had a serious medical issue (I've have my share) knows that it is a long process of going to doctors, gathering all information and making decisions about how to handle the situation. Seems to me that she did her due diligence and then made the announcement in a fairly short time frame.

 

[rwdinsalem]

One thought would be for them to give her the title of Head Coach Emeritus and hire a new head coach. She would then still be involved. The only problem would be finding a new coach that would work under that arrangement.

 

[easttexastrash]

I believe that nobody will have to tell Pat what is the right thing to do. I think that she will recognize that the situation is not one that can continue and that she will handle this with grace and due to her love for the university.

We all make it sound so simple. This is a woman who has spent almost her entire post-college life dedicated to this program. How in the world can anyone expect this to be something that she could just one day say "well, time for me to go. So long"? I think that she wanted to do her best to see these seniors thorough to their last game.

 

[doggydaddy]

From Maria -

"I think it is very, very, very unlikely that Tennessee recruits Kaela Davis going forward.

Again, recruiting landscapes do change but I see the Tennessee train rolling down the track.

What transpired was underhanded and unethical based on the phone call I got last night from Georgia from a very credible and longtime source who has no dog in the fight."

Wow...more accusations without naming names.

THAT I believe is unethical.