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Tennessee topics (merged threads)

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IF Geno had taken over the program immediately after the F4 and no players transferred, it would be a completely different team. He would have had an advantage as the Lady Vols had an overseas trip to Italy in August. That would have enabled him to implement his system before official practice began in the fall. Probably would only have one or two losses, with one of them being the Notre Dame game. Who knows maybe they would be undefeated. If Holly was coaching the UConn team, they probably aren't undefeated. :)
 
I remember that UConn recruited Diamond DeShields back when and that there was a lot of hope on the Boneyard that she would go to UConn. Instead, she went to North Carolina and now resides in Tennessee. Sometimes, there are mixed blessings that she did not to to UConn because her behavior pattern, work ethic, or team playing does not exhibit the behavior of the usual UConn recruit. She may have been highly regarded but all of that potential has not yet been tapped and the track she is on does not indicate that she will become an "outstanding" team player.

I have to believe that had DD come to UConn, there is at least a 50% chance Geno would have molded her into a team-oriented player that he demands.

As we all know and appreciate, the Huskie coaching staff does a superb job analyzing basketball talent, and almost as good a job in analyzing potential recruits for their personality traits.

Since he recruited her, he must have been confident that she had what it takes to succeed at Storrs. So just because she seems off the rail at UNC and UT, that doesn't mean she wouldn't have been a great addition at UConn.
 
I think it would take a couple of months, but yes, he could - most of these players want to be pros, and so they would be stuck with him just like he would be stuck with them for at least the first semester. Graves would be his rock, CD would be spending hours with Russell who would be excited to actually be learning something, and the guards would pretty quickly shake themselves out. Not sure who would be getting minutes, but they would be running his stuff, and really, based on YTD there isn't much differentiating between current effectiveness so if three of them wanted to pout, they could do that for 40 minutes on the bench and he would make do with the ones who wanted to play. A month on the bench and attitudes would change. Running a real offensive system, and an intelligent team defense would show results immediately. Would they beat the current Uconn team, probably not, but they would not be losing to unranked teams.

One of the biggest problems I see with TN is that actions do not seem to have consequences in terms of when and how long players play. And that has nothing to do with making shots or not, it has to do with making the right and smart decisions. Between that, and having antiquated systems and what appears to be really bad teaching is what is killing the TN team.
 
I believe that Geno is actually the type of coach who could get DD to reach her potential (which is enormous). She would not be able to do whatever she wants to do...her pouting would not be acceptable, her careless turnovers would not be tolerated, etc. It probably would have taken few games in which she would have played very little (if any) but it would have been very good for her.
In regard to Geno coaching TN scenario, his base would have been Graves and Carter and he would have build around them a UConn type team...
 
I agree but also think a lot rests on the skill set of the "bigs" on your team. LV fans have been all over Russell for uninspired basketball, and from the little I've seen of their games, I believe they have a legitimate point.

However, that again begs the question - is this the result of poor coaching or is it inherent in Russell?
In Holly's system the bigs do very little. If you watch Russell you see how well she runs the floor and how she has the capability to move without the ball. Why is she being smothered in a system that fails to take advantage of her skill set? In watching UT games this year I have yet to see her take a shot from 5 feet or more. How do we know she can't? If not how will she ever develop such skills? I see DD running around trying to do everything failing at most. If the bigs were more involved, meaning expanding their roles and going to at least a hi-lo offense, they would be less predictable and the guards wouldn't have to do so much But Holly doesn't teach diversity on offense. They teach a very simple one dimensional predictable scheme. Like most of the SEC.
 
In Holly's system the bigs do very little. If you watch Russell you see how well she runs the floor and how she has the capability to move without the ball. Why is she being smothered in a system that fails to take advantage of her skill set? In watching UT games this year I have yet to see her take a shot from 5 feet or more. How do we know she can't? If not how will she ever develop such skills? I see DD running around trying to do everything failing at most. If the bigs were more involved, meaning expanding their roles and going to at least a hi-lo offense, they would be less predictable and the guards wouldn't have to do so much But Holly doesn't teach diversity on offense. They teach a very simple one dimensional predictable scheme. Like most of the SEC.
Holly Warlick should be arrested for coaching malpractice. Mercedes Russell, a 6-6 tall post player and the #1 ranked recruit out of high school, is shooting 55.6% from the floor but she's averaging only 8 shots a game. Bashaara Graves, a vastly underrated and poorly used player, averages only 6.4 shots and she's averaging 60% FG%. Russell and Graves together have taken 268 shots; DeShields alone has taken 277 and she plays fewer minutes than either forward. What Warlick is thinking (if anything) is beyond me.
 
I think at very first, Geno will not accept DD's transfer.
And now I know why UNC let her go even she is the FOY and a score machine.
 
Is the premise of this thread that Geno started coaching the Orange Ones before the 2015-16 season, or that he hypothetically starts at the beginning of next season? It makes a big difference. If we hypothesize that he started in July 2015, when everyone saw that Deshields and Russell would be added to a team that made the Elite 8 last year, then it might have been a struggle. Diamond and Te'a might have figured that they knew how to win, and didn't need no stinkin' coach to tell them. They would probably have wanted to do it their way.

But if the premise is that Geno starts coaching the team in the summer of 2016, after they have all had the experience of losing regularly to less talented teams and basically getting blown out by Notre Dame, then I think the reception would be different. Their experience of losing and their desire to win would overcome any resistance that they (really only those two) might feel towards being coached.

Imagine next year that a Tennessee team coached by Geno has a starting lineup of Russell / Nared / Deshields / Carter / Cooper, and plays a UConn team coached by ... Oh, say Anne Donovan (since we're hypothesizing). UConn's starting lineup is Natalie / Morgan / Lou / Gabby / Kia. Who wins?

If you think I'm stacking the deck by choosing Donovan as coach, then pick your own coach, but exclude CD / Shea / Marisa since (by hypothesis) they've all gone to Knoxville.

I think under that scenario (assuming the game is played in January or February 2017, after Geno and company have had time to teach the system thoroughly), the Orange Ones probably win.
 
Suffice it to say.... if GA coaches that team, there are several players who would get no playing time..... either for mistakes, turnovers, lack of hustle etc......

Who was it who said, "Good coaches can take theirs and beat yours, and could take yours and beat theirs"
 
Imagine next year that a Tennessee team coached by Geno has a starting lineup of Russell / Nared / Deshields / Carter / Cooper, and plays a UConn team coached by ... Oh, say Anne Donovan (since we're hypothesizing). UConn's starting lineup is Natalie / Morgan / Lou / Gabby / Kia. Who wins?

If you think I'm stacking the deck by choosing Donovan as coach, then pick your own coach, but exclude CD / Shea / Marisa since (by hypothesis) they've all gone to Knoxville.

I think under that scenario (assuming the game is played in January or February 2017, after Geno and company have had time to teach the system thoroughly), the Orange Ones probably win.
In 2017 I think it is 50-50. In 2018 it may be different story.
Natalie / Morgan / Lou / Gabby / Kia (plus Chong) are better players than Russell / Nared / Deshields / Carter / Cooper.
 
I think at very first, Geno will not accept DD's transfer.
And now I know why UNC let her go even she is the FOY and a score machine.
Further, DD would never agree to come to UConn, given Geno's clearly stated up front requirements. It's not the environment she was looking for or could cope with.

I recall a question and answer interview a while back where Diamond was asked to name the best ever player to come out of Georgia. Maya Moore's name was mentioned as a possible candidate. Her answer: "Me."

Whether it's true or not isn't the issue. Just isn't a UConn type response, therefore I doubt we'd see DD in a UConn uniform.
 
A real pro, calls the game, controls Caroline.
Game going like the usual Tenn game.
It's early, they have plenty of time to tank.
Mississippi St up a few going into the half.
DeShields somewhat injured, limited minutes

Tied at the half.
 
Do teams in the SEC really never watch tape on their conference mates? It takes an absolute IDIOT to look at TN games and not come to the conclusion that zone defense, even bad zone defense throws TN offense in a tail spin and leads to surprising losses, and man to man defense, unless you have really good athletes, allows TN to play their street ball offense of one player trying to get their own shot for ten seconds, passing to another player who tries for ten seconds passing to a third player who tries for ten seconds.
Of course the other possibility is the players haven't been taught how to play zone I suppose. 'Cause MS ST sure does look like they know how to play offense against one.
 
Strange
Utenn hitting shots.
Guards look good.
Started with the Freshman Cooper 2 games ago
Now Carter and Reynolds have caught the confidence.
 
Mississippi State is a slow offensively challenged team with poor shooters, poor foul shooters and no real offensive scheme. UT is winning by being quicker, more athletic, and running whenever possible. Teams such as ND or UCONN would run them into the ground. Half the team would have fouled out against the Huskies by the middle of the fourth quarter.
 
Coming out of the TO MS looked liked they had no play.
 
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