Tennessee Coach Holly Warlick Says Players Have Lost Passion for the Game

[j66kicker]

Dispassionate lug...

 

[j66kicker]

More unemotional, passionless modern WCBB players...

 

[j66kicker]

Pheesa too - what a robot...

 

[Bestiarius]

Is it not good to have three players score in double figures?

You've been drinking too much of that orange kool-aid. Every school spins the stats to favor their program, but Tennessee outdoes them all.

This is a good example, but not really, because they aren't true stats. It's fake news designed to make TN fans feel good.

It was pretty easy to without much research to find other examples of your premise (as indicated above). If TN's top 3 scorers were able to produce a team that was able to maintain a good ranking, your "pretty good" allegation might mean something. Now, to quote an amazing stat by a TN player, Diamond DeShields, committed 19 turnovers in 2 games. Now, that's something that might be a record.

 

[Checkmate]

Holly and the team need to read;

it is a very good book

 

[Dawson]

The Tennessee trio of Russell, Nared, and DeShields. Are the only trio in the country. That are all averaging 15 points or more.

Listen. Your team has 8 losses, and hasn't been to a final four in 8 years. All the while, recruiting some of the top talent the nation had to offer. It's good they are averaging that amount, but it certainly isn't translating into a quality season.

 

[Phil]

I'm not understanding. It's an untrue statement. How does that make it "good"?

Meet a new generation.

It sounds good, so therefore it is good. What's this nonsense about truth?

 

[Phil]

I read it on Twitter, would they ever lie to me?

 

[Plebe]

I read it on Twitter, would they ever lie to me?

If Maria Cornelius tweeted it, it has to be true. She would never fail to fact-check.

 

[arty155]

I'm the original Holly knocker...

You're a rapper from way back?

 

[Bayareahusky]

Yes 9 yrs since Final 4 is a long time.... but i think they are overjoyed with an Elite 8 finish......

Just wondering out loud..... Holly seems to have a big problem with demanding the best from her players... and demanding effort on an all-the-time basis.... Pat had it inside of her..... she was going to win by sheer will... Holly was and is very pro-player focused..... the rah rah type... will accept whatever her players want to give her.... while Pat was focused strong willed and disciplined.... those are my opinions anyway....

Having said this.... can anyone remember a truly successful coach who was a slave to his/her players..... always there with an atta girl..... and ever present with a pat on the head (double pun not intended) and a cup of juice.

 

[meyers7]

I'm not understanding. It's an untrue statement. How does that make it "good"?

Stat and statement are two different things.

 

[Woof 101]

Is it not good to have three players score in double figures?

It is wonderful and should be a feel good thing. In today's day and age if this was a middle school team they all would get a trophy!

As for NCAA D1 basketball most in this part of the country prefer a team that shares the ball and plays for national championships by doing so.
Individual statistics are not part of playing and winning like a team. It actually saddens me that Tennessee has fallen so far from the top of the game.

 

[Plebe]

Stat and statement are two different things.

The assertion was that no other team in the country had 3 players averaging more than 15 points per game. If the actual statistics belie this assertion, I don't see how that makes it a "good stat."

 

[Bayareahusky]

It is wonderful and should be a feel good thing. In today's day and age if this was a middle school team they all would get a trophy!

As for NCAA D1 basketball most in this part of the country prefer a team that shares the ball and plays for national championships by doing so.
Individual statistics are not part of playing and winning like a team. It actually saddens me that Tennessee has fallen so far from the top of the game.

I am underwhelmed by both Diamond and her turnovers (though mans she has talent) and Mercedes (lazy defender).... Nared though i like her game a lot

 

[Alydar]

Its still pretty good stat.

I it on Twitter this morning. Is there another trio?

Who posted that erroneous tweet? Was it perhaps the LV site?

And does Tenn have 3 starters who are all 50% or better fg shooters?

 

[rvwsleep]

The problem with cherry picking: UConn's top 3 53.8 points per game. Tenn 51. But wait, there is more: Assists UConn 3 219 Tenn. 149. TOs: UConn 115 Tenn 190 Steals UConn 111 Tenn. 77. 4th highest scorer UConn 12.5 Tenn. 7.5 UConn scoring avg. 86.8 Tenn 75.9 Opponents Scg Avg. UConn 53.7 Tenn. 66.6

UConn's 4th highest scorer 12.5 Tenn 7.5.

It's not a complete sweep. Tennessee does lead UCONN in turnovers.

 

[mbr33ct]

The Tennessee trio of Russell, Nared, and DeShields. Are the only trio in the country. That are all averaging 15 points or more.

Stwainfan, wouldn't you rather have 4 or more players averaging double figures than 3 players averaging 15+ a game? What does your post say about the LadyVols team in general? Hint: which team would be tougher to defend against...Team A with 3 players (15+ pts/gm)...or Team B and C with 4 or 5 players (10+ pts/gm)?

Just to get back to Holly, IMO the "passion" starts with head coach. Frankly I lost my passion reading her answers.

 

[cabbie191]

I mean, I think I see what you're getting at, and I'm not questioning that Russell-DeShields-Nared are great players. But the stat is more of a testament to a lack of depth and a huge drop-off between players #3 and #4. How many other teams have three players accounting for 65% of their total scoring?

At least one: Washington Huskies.

Plum and Osahor as the two leading scorers have accounted for 53% (30.5 and 15.5 respectively) of the team's average of 86.3 ppg. There are two tied at third at 9.7 ppg, which all totaled means the top 3 are averaging 64.5%.

Personally, I don't think we should be too hard on our LV guest. Their past several seasons have been disappointing - lots of injuries on top of questionable coaching has caused them to underachieve. Having three players averaging > 15 ppg is something to take as a positive (yeah, I know it means others on the team aren't clicking as well).

I'm guessing that if Kia was averaging a bit more and was above the 15 ppg mark, we'd be proud of having three players averaging that much.

And, anyways, when comparing players scoring ability, it is never a really true comparison because of differences in the abilities of your teammates, the talent level of who you're playing against throughout the season, and how many minutes you average per game.

And to main point of the OP, I like Holly as a person and I enjoyed reading the interview, but man, she does seem to lack the inner fire of Pat.

 

[stwainfan]

Actually of all the returning players from past year. Only Dunbar scoring average isn't more than last year. So all other players have better number than last year. Just not the top three players.

 

[johnnyc]

Typical Holly..all over the place. Funniest part: talking UConn. Says Geno picks kids who can play together. Reporter comes back with: But it's about getting the most talented players, right? Holly picks it up and "of courses" it.

I think Connecticut for the most part has learned how to maintain that.

Lol.....ya think?

 

[Bigboote]

If one of Holly's players lacks passion, that's on the player. If they all do, it's on Holly.

 

[reno tony]

No passion? I offer this as evidence otherwise. Chong's best assist of the year.

 

[Plebe]

At least one: Washington Huskies.

Plum and Osahor as the two leading scorers have accounted for 53% (30.5 and 15.5 respectively) of the team's average of 86.3 ppg. There are two tied at third at 9.7 ppg, which all totaled means the top 3 are averaging 64.5%.

Personally, I don't think we should be too hard on our LV guest. Their past several seasons have been disappointing - lots of injuries on top of questionable coaching has caused them to underachieve. Having three players averaging > 15 ppg is something to take as a positive (yeah, I know it means others on the team aren't clicking as well).

I'm guessing that if Kia was averaging a bit more and was above the 15 ppg mark, we'd be proud of having three players averaging that much.

And, anyways, when comparing players scoring ability, it is never a really true comparison because of differences in the abilities of your teammates, the talent level of who you're playing against throughout the season, and how many minutes you average per game.

And to main point of the OP, I like Holly as a person and I enjoyed reading the interview, but man, she does seem to lack the inner fire of Pat.

You raise many good points, but the fact that we have to reach for a team with a historically prolific scorer further illustrates both the good ("We're scoring points!") and bad (".... but in an unbalanced way") in that type of statistic.

Perhaps a better question for me to ask would've been: On what other team is there an 8-point drop-off between the #3 and #4 scorers?

I never meant to make this a Vol-bashing exercise; as I said earlier, the Vols have three very good players and, obviously, they're relying on them heavily. What I take issue with is the inherent disrespect of saying "We're the only team in the country that has [enter ostensibly positive stat]" without even bothering to check the truth of the statement.

 

[EricSD]

Congratulations to Tennessee for having 3 players who average 15 PPG or more so far this season. What a wonderful statistic and consolation prize. Sort of like that mythical Strength Of Schedule trophy Tenn used to win every year. Problem is that neither of those stats translate to success on the court, never mind NC's.

Tenn had a great history. The name Tenn will always mean something in WCBB. But the game and many other teams have passed them by. In the very near future, several coaches will pass Pat for all time wins. I also would not be surprised to see UCONN double up on Tenn for NC's before Geno is done at UCONN.

 

[BroadwayVa]

The Tennessee trio of Russell, Nared, and DeShields. Are the only trio in the country. That are all averaging 15 points or more.

One out of three ain't bad!! Nared---when she is in the game--she gives you everything she has--and you can count on her.

 

[EricSD]

Not that I really want to defend Holly, but in this case, I was thinking about it and I'll give it a stab.

Passion is not necessarily the same is intensity or fire. Intensity, fire, and other similar adjectives can be seen demonstrably on the court. Passion for the game, IMHO, far exceeds game time intensity. It encompasses players who are students of the game. Those who are truly passionate will spend extra time in the gym working on weaknesses. They will study game tapes, of them hoping to improve, or of others hoping to emulate. They will practice hard 99% of the time, encourage teammates, and be leaders in whatever way is comfortable for them (some are vocal, some lead by example).

Those are just a few examples of types of players who have "passion". Kids in general who love the game so much that they eat, sleep, and live for basketball. Passion also drives them to be better and to push themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of. Of course to get the most out of "passionate" players, you need coaches who "get it". Geno does, Holly does not. But my point was to point out that even Geno, to a degree, agrees with Holly.

Geno has lamented about kids "these day" on numerous occasions. They don't want to work as hard, are more invested in themselves, their style, their online presence (facebook, twitter, instagram, etc etc), have a sense of entitlement, and aren't as easy to coach. If that's what Holly meant (in general), I would say at least Geno probably agrees with her...

 

[BroadwayVa]

Is it not good to have three players score in double figures?

Is that 8 out of 10 games or 30 points one game and nothing the next 5??? What can you depend on in every game they play??
No only with the #90 th in the country..

 

[oldude]

No passion? I offer this as evidence otherwise. Chong's best assist of the year.

I get misty-eyed every time I see that basket.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Not that I really want to defend Holly, but in this case, I was thinking about it and I'll give it a stab.

Passion is not necessarily the same is intensity or fire. Intensity, fire, and other similar adjectives can be seen demonstrably on the court. Passion for the game, IMHO, far exceeds game time intensity. It encompasses players who are students of the game. Those who are truly passionate will spend extra time in the gym working on weaknesses. They will study game tapes, of them hoping to improve, or of others hoping to emulate. They will practice hard 99% of the time, encourage teammates, and be leaders in whatever way is comfortable for them (some are vocal, some lead by example).

Those are just a few examples of types of players who have "passion". Kids in general who love the game so much that they eat, sleep, and live for basketball. Passion also drives them to be better and to push themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of. Of course to get the most out of "passionate" players, you need coaches who "get it". Geno does, Holly does not. But my point was to point out that even Geno, to a degree, agrees with Holly.

Geno has lamented about kids "these day" on numerous occasions. They don't want to work as hard, are more invested in themselves, their style, their online presence (facebook, twitter, instagram, etc etc), have a sense of entitlement, and aren't as easy to coach. If that's what Holly meant (in general), I would say at least Geno probably agrees with her..

You are correct ---Geno has had his low moment's with practices and games--your last paragraph is a truism!! Geno recruits ROLE players Kelly/Molly/Kyla/Doty---they are Gym rats---any time they can bounce a ball they have one---passion--that's why Geno likes them on his team--they infect the others...