Mercedes Russell Will Sit out 2014-2015 Season | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Mercedes Russell Will Sit out 2014-2015 Season

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I beat up Mercedes a bit last year..... because I just couldn't understand her loafing up and down the court..... and in a couple of the games I saw, the broadcasters agreed with me.... and didn't have an answer..... then after the season ended, it was one of our LV friends on the BY here who mentioned her extreme foot problems.... I think it was LV9.... seems to know a lot about her injury..... and then I felt badly about criticizing her hustle last year..... I think of playing hoops after foot injury like this.... I think of it akin (though not as potentially serious) to playing football after a neck injury...... have to be very careful in how you proceed.... let's just hope this girl is intact, whether or not she turns into the high-hopes blue chip gal she was out of Oregon..... there are more important things in life than basketball...... now I find myself rooting hard for TWO Lady Vols..... Mercedes and Jannah Tucker....... Again, if you can hear me Mercedes, good luck ......
 
I like SC's chances against Tennessee - especially since I think SC's incoming class is much better than Tennessee's and it's probably that Wilson will play a lot of minutes and contribute right away, while Tennessee has no "game changer" among their freshmen. Will be interesting to see how the teams match up this year...

Side note - I feel badly for Russell and hope she is able to heal and become 100% healthy. Morgan Valley had foot problems, albeit of a different sort - Plantar Fasciitis. But for a big girl with somewhat chronic foot problems, recovery maybe slow and arduous and she may never be the force Tennessee fans hoped for...
 
CLE802A said:
Nia Moore would I guess step up and provide a breather for Harrison,
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Uh, no. That would be a mistake. Which means there's a 50-50 chance they do it.
Moore is probably the 12th best of their 12 players.

The opportunity is there for TN to reorient to a more guard-focused, quicker lineup.
 
vowelguy said:
The opportunity is there for TN to reorient to a more guard-focused, quicker lineup.
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Tenn's guards aren't good enough and Tenn's best available player is still Harrison. Plus, Harrison doesn't pass well enough to run a more guard-oriented lineup. Tenn will still focus on getting the ball inside to Harrison and Graves and crashing the boards. That will be successful against most opponents but, as Maryland showed in the S16 last year, Tenn does not space the floor well at the 3/4 spots and is not that difficult to defend.
 
UConnCat said:
Tenn's guards aren't good enough and Tenn's best available player is still Harrison. Plus, Harrison doesn't pass well enough to run a more guard-oriented lineup. Tenn will still focus on getting the ball inside to Harrison and Graves and crashing the boards. That will be successful against most opponents but, as Maryland showed in the S16 last year, Tenn does not space the floor well at the 3/4 spots and is not that difficult to defend.
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Good comments, thanks.
I agree that Harrison is their best player. My point was only that if she has to come out for rest or fouls, the choice will be to replace her with Moore or to slide Graves over and add another guard. I think the latter is a much better option for them.
 
vowelguy said:
Good comments, thanks.
I agree that Harrison is their best player. My point was only that if she has to come out for rest or fouls, the choice will be to replace her with Moore or to slide Graves over and add another guard. I think the latter is a much better option for them.
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I agree. I expect Moore to play but she won't be an answer in the post. Harrison really needs to avoid foul trouble. I don't see Holly changing "the LadyVol style;" I'm not sure she knows how to do that.
 
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vowelguy said:
Good comments, thanks.
I agree that Harrison is their best player. My point was only that if she has to come out for rest or fouls, the choice will be to replace her with Moore or to slide Graves over and add another guard. I think the latter is a much better option for them.
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Quit trying to improve their staff!:eek:
 
msf22b said:
You know, its worse than that.
This huge talent, looked like and at time performed like a zombie, last season
Bad body language, sad face.
No joy.
I really though she might consider other options (sorry mods if I crossed the line).
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Playing on bad feet can be something of a killjoy...
 
Tough break for Russell and Tennessee. In the grand scheme of things, I don't think it changes/influences Tennessee's team too much this season. Russell was still going to be behind Harrison and she hadn't been practicing all summer. If Russell can return to form in 2015-16 and stay healthy, I think she'll be able to contribute more over the following three seasons--assuming she uses her full eligibility--than she would have this season.

Tennessee will be fine--they have one of the best posts in the nation in Harrison, Graves was a monster as a freshman who could still turn it around and have a great junior season, Burdick is a good role player on the wing, and Massengale is one of the better point guards in the nation. Add in Nared, Tucker (when she's finally healthy), Reynold, and Carter as guards/wings and Tennessee has good depth. Post depth will be lacking if Harrison gets in foul trouble. In the event that does, I'd look for Graves to slide to the 5 defensively and Burdick to help out with the opposing team's 4. They also have Jasmine Jones who can help in the post.
 
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News I hate to hear.

As a UCONN Women's fan, I know only too well the bite of the injury bug, as it has cost the Huskies championships. I just hope that her surgery and recovery are a success, both for the young woman and her family, but also for the competition aspect.

It's always more satisfying to play a team at full strength.
 
As for this year. Tennessee can't afford a injury too Graves or Harrison. I think Nared will be one of the top freshman in the country. If Tucker has no set backs. She could return too form that made her one of the top recruits in the country. This year also I think there are more options for the three point shot. I still think this can be a very good team.
 
LadyVols9 said:
since she started at TN, there have been a gazillion comments on here about how little she impacted TN's team. that she was overrated, etc.
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Kind of like what TN fans said about Breanna Stewart when she struggled out of the gate at UConn, before she turned it on in the postseason...
 
LadyVols9 said:
i think her foot pain was a huge factor. she ran differently than in high school and apparently had all five toes fixed. to answer your question, i think it will hurt us against big teams, but i believe TN can get to FF with its current active roster. i just happy she didn't try to play again and lose another year of eligibility. i can't speak for all TN fans but i didn't think she would come in and replace Izzy at the 5 spot. she needed some time to adjust to being a center in the SEC which is a brutal physical conference. i had hoped to see her have a sophomore bounce. guess i will have to wait on the junior jump. :)
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Was looking at the assist Appeal article on Mercedes and saw a related story headline saying that Holly is/will be suspending some players for missing classes or curfews.

I'm guessing it may just be that the unruly few will be riding the pine for the first exhibition game. As SA pointed out, it sounds like something Pat would do :)

Rest of the linked story is behind a paywall - just wondered if it might be more than just a preseason game or two?
 
I hope Mercedes has a full recovery but I'm skeptical.

It's part of sports, of course, that injuries throw a promising career out of whack. Sometimes, though, it seems crueler than usual. Case in point - Wisconsin's football team just announced that a highly touted tailback named Vonte Jackson and one who hails from the state, is out of the game for good having just suffered his fourth knee injury in three years. His first occured at the start of his senior year in high school. On the positive side, the school will honor his scholarship until he graduates.
 
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Very interesting and engaging thread here, as are most on the boneyard. I feel the loss of mercedes this season will mostly hurt the vols in the event graves or harrison get into foul trouble, which most certainly will happen. Harrison has always been prone to foul trouble anyway. I'm going to be interested to see how holly manages the lineup when that does happen. I happen to think one of holly's weaknesses as a new head coach is her inexperience at managing in game substitutions and personel, a valuable skill we lost with the retirement of pat summit and, I think, one of coach geno's many strong points.

What is important to note here is that Tennessee's big issues last year were poor perimeter defense, turnover issues and not much guard depth after massengale got hurt. With that said, and as someone mentioned earlier, tennessee can absorb the loss of mercedes with the new guards tennessee has coming in. As far as being a final four team, that's hard to say. They have the talent to get there, but do they have the dicipline? also, will coach holly be able to manage in game situations a bit better than she did last year? will the incoming freshman, especially tucker and nared, be able to live up to the hype they have been receiving?? Will last years issues, like the ones I mentioned above be corrected?? These are questions that don't have answers yet.

I do think sc is the team to beat in the sec this year, regardless of whether mercedes plays or not. That team is loaded and they have, I think, one of the best and brightest young coaches in the game today. could sc become the new dynasty team that will follow uconn and Tennessee in wcbb greatness? It could happen and the uconn sc series might just be that stepping stone..

Getting back to uconn, since this is after all a uconn forum..obviously they are the team to beat again this year for the nc. I thought last season that the graduation of faris would be a stumbling block for their 9th championship, and I couldn't have been more off target. I think what they have coming in and adding all Americans kml and stewart, I just don't see anyone stopping their run to a awe inspiring 10th championship. I'd like to say sc or duke might be able to compete, but who knows. I stopped trying to predict who could beat uconn last season..anyhow, should be another great season of wcbb!! Can't wait!!
 
CamrnCrz1974 said:
Kind of like what TN fans said about Breanna Stewart when she struggled out of the gate at UConn, before she turned it on in the postseason...
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Well, doesn't that comment actually prove the point? Mercedes is a very young and talented player. It's too early to judge her worth, especially since she has been injured from day one.

For the record, it's not like Duke fans, or their coach, are known for good sportsmanship. Come on now...;)
 
Tennessee's best chance to get back to the final four this coming season was having a healthy and productive Mercedes Russell at center. And that possibility has gone by the board.
There's a period of adjustment for even the most highly rated high school players and to count on them for significant contributions in the quest of a final four is wishful thinking with very few exceptions. Nared is the only player on this year's roster who didn't play last year that has a chance to see meaningful minutes.
Tucker would have but she is coming off of serious knee surgery and hasn't played in 2 years.
Burdick, Carter, Graves, Harrison, Jones, Massengale, Moore and Reynolds. That's 8 players who are ahead of the incoming freshman and Tucker for playing time. Let's move Nared into that group to make 9 players on a regular rotation. How much time will that leave for anyone else ?
Subtract Simmons and Russell and add Nared and that's the difference between last years Lady Vols and this years version. If Massengale isn't able to play a full season because of her history of concussions that would open up more time for someone else but that would result in weakening the team even further.
I don't see how Tennessee can make it to the final four this year. I don't see them winning either the SEC or their conference playoffs. My prediction would be for South Carolina to win both of those. They lost a lot less to graduation and injury than Tennessee has and they're gaining a lot more. It's far more likely that their freshman will make a meaningful contribution than for Tennessee's freshman.
Logically, I cannot come to any other conclusion.
 
With Mercedes, I am not so sure this is a major hit as some have said...... as noted, she was playing on bad wheels last year, making it hard to determine exactly how good she really is.... as we all know, all players step into the cauldron and get a pretty clear measure of where they are..... and everything....or almost everything with Mercedes is being judged still on her "potential"

To offer a poor example of my point..... we will not get Durr..... very bad thing...... until you start to tink about it..... with Mercedes, terrible to have her out for the season..... and then you think of it..... her development on her injury recovery.... opportunity for someone else to mature in her place..... I think the LVs will be fine, at least on this front.
 
For the LVs not having MR this season is not as big of a loss this season as it will be next season if she cant play along side of DD. Harrison is really good and everything should run through her. She has the experience and height to keep Tenn competitive. Next season the LVs need MR to fill the void left by Harrison and provide height. MR needs experience on the college level. It will be wait and see and the big see is DD wants a NC. Without MR I dont the LVs competing for a NC.
 
rvwsleep said:
Tennessee's best chance to get back to the final four this coming season was having a healthy and productive Mercedes Russell at center. And that possibility has gone by the board.
There's a period of adjustment for even the most highly rated high school players and to count on them for significant contributions in the quest of a final four is wishful thinking with very few exceptions. Nared is the only player on this year's roster who didn't play last year that has a chance to see meaningful minutes.
Tucker would have but she is coming off of serious knee surgery and hasn't played in 2 years.
Burdick, Carter, Graves, Harrison, Jones, Massengale, Moore and Reynolds. That's 8 players who are ahead of the incoming freshman and Tucker for playing time. Let's move Nared into that group to make 9 players on a regular rotation. How much time will that leave for anyone else ?
Subtract Simmons and Russell and add Nared and that's the difference between last years Lady Vols and this years version. If Massengale isn't able to play a full season because of her history of concussions that would open up more time for someone else but that would result in weakening the team even further.
I don't see how Tennessee can make it to the final four this year. I don't see them winning either the SEC or their conference playoffs. My prediction would be for South Carolina to win both of those. They lost a lot less to graduation and injury than Tennessee has and they're gaining a lot more. It's far more likely that their freshman will make a meaningful contribution than for Tennessee's freshman.
Logically, I cannot come to any other conclusion.
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But removing Simmone opens up 90% more shot attempts :oops:
 
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I do think it will be interesting to see how the team plays without Simmons in the line up. She was so hot and cold. She carried the team in many games. Even so, I think the Lady Vols will play better team basketball this year. That's not a slight at Simmons, as she is a super talented player, but I think she put way too much pressure on herself to do everything on the offensive side of the ball.
 
LadyVols9 said:
I do think it will be interesting to see how the team plays without Simmons in the line up. She was so hot and cold. She carried the team in many games. Even so, I think the Lady Vols will play better team basketball this year. That's not a slight at Simmons, as she is a super talented player, but I think she put way too much pressure on herself to do everything on the offensive side of the ball.
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I honestly think that they'll be better this year than they would be if Simmons was coming back.
 
Count me as another who believes TN will be better off without MS in lineup..... Still mystifies me why CHW would accept and endorse MS's style of play..... not getting others involved in offense, and then say in the post game presser so many times....."I dont know what happened, but we will learn from this"

Again,on Mercedes..... a raw fact with me is that I haven't seen her play great at all in the 6-8 games I saw last season..... so I still contend that all the Mercedes plus DD talk is based on potential..... and it is still a big unknown.... Eliz Williams was #1 in country..... and what has she done..... Mercedes may be great, but until i see her be a game canger in some way..... I cannot count on her to lift LVs to post season success as some are suggesting
 
I have to wonder how the LVs will operate. Who's the go to player? Who's going to take the shot? Will the team become a passing team and executing an offense. Not having MS means all these things have to happen and from what I've seen the LVs havent been doing these things. Ball distribution this season is a must. Learning offense is a must and being able to execute that offense is a must. Harrsion appears to me to be the go to player. Will Graves step up and be the player we all thought was the next up and coming star? We will see. This is going to be an interesting season for the Vols as they prepare for DD and the return of MR. Alot of questions.
 
Yeah, Tony, how will they operate..... this is why I have said repeatedly that the LVs will go as far as Holly takes them..... i.e. instituting some sort of cogent cohesive plan designed to hold them tough in games and designed to highlight team's fundamental abilities..... and capitalize on their strengths..... they have great ability..... they need a leader..... not only a leader but one who brings out the best in every other player and their inherent abilities.....
 
Simmons' teammates were very dependent on her. Whenever Tenn really needed a bucket or needed to stage a comeback it was always Simmons leading the way. Against Maryland in the S16 loss last season Simmons seemed to be the only player willing to take shots to try to get back in the game. Who will be that go-to scorer now? I know Tenn fans will say Harrison, but she'll need her teammates to get her the ball in the right spots which won't be so easy to do when good defenses are focusing on her. Harrison isn't the type of player who can score from anywhere on the court. I do wonder which guard/wing is going to get points for Tenn when they really need them. Won't be a problem against most teams; I'm talking about playing against elite teams.
 
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