Tennessee

[CBus13]

I think the worst bit was after the buzzer sounded and the game was over. Rickea Jackson stomped her feet, walked past teammate Tamari Key’s outstretched hand, and went straight off the court to the locker room. No looking at the coach, no high-fiving a teammate, and no sportsmanship of good games to Gonzaga after.

Overall, Horston had a decent game only three turnovers, granted, one turnover was her travel on that inbounds ahead by one with 14.5 seconds left was a bit of a momentum killer.

 

[Geew1992]

I think the worst bit was after the buzzer sounded and the game was over. Rickea Jackson stomped her feet, walked past teammate Tamari Key’s outstretched hand, and went straight off the court to the locker room. No looking at the coach, no high-fiving a teammate, and no sportsmanship of good games to Gonzaga after.

Overall, Horston had a decent game only three turnovers, granted, one turnover was her travel on that inbounds ahead by one with 14.5 seconds left was a bit of a momentum killer.

That’s who it was. I saw that. Wonder if she’s regretting her decision

 

[Bayareahusky]

Pat was all about effort and I recall Holly saying the same thing. During one of Warlick's less press conferences she went on and on about effort. I watched that game and commented then I thought the effort from the players was just fine but they seemed to have no plan on how to produce points and defensive stops. Games require effort, but they also require strategy.

I am someone who still thinks Harper is an upgrade from Warlick on the coaching end but her failure to recruit at the level needed for TN to sustain success is troubling. She's already made staff changes and after going shopping (successfully on paper) in the portal they came up empty again. I truly wonder what is happening there. Also while I do think she's a better game coach, the upgrade isn't that significant overall.

TN has struggled for years with stopping the outside shot when 3s are falling for their opponent and seem to have defensive lapses during games where a talented team can go on a run that has buried them on a few occasions.

i am with you in that Holly tried to mimic Pat and stress effort yet she never demanded it. Didnt sit her players down when they lacked the effort..... KJH is better than Holly agreed but i wonder.... she sure is making herself look bad.... TN defeated by OSU Indiana Gonzaga UCLA all these teams looked fluid they outrebounded TN..... they looked well put together and showed will to win

 

[Mdoggie]

Watching Tennessee makes me think they are not coached at all. Seems they do whatever they want on the court. 1 pass into the set and it breaks down to a 1 on 1 situation. No discipline No correction No continuity. Athletes but no true basketball players. Scrap it all and start over. Starting at the top. Oh and recruiting is horrible!!

 

[SECbbfan24]

I think the worst bit was after the buzzer sounded and the game was over. Rickea Jackson stomped her feet, walked past teammate Tamari Key’s outstretched hand, and went straight off the court to the locker room. No looking at the coach, no high-fiving a teammate, and no sportsmanship of good games to Gonzaga after.

Dang, that isn't good at all. Sadly, as the losses pile up moving forward, there will be more of things like this and a lot of other internal tension fueling internally.

 

[SECbbfan24]

i am with you in that Holly tried to mimic Pat and stress effort yet she never demanded it.

I apologize if this sounds dumb but I can't help but think...

I don't mean this in a bad way but this "mimic Pat" thing is a major turn off for me. I know as I saw this first hand under Nikki Fargas at LSU, all she kept stressing was trying to do things the way Pat did and it simply was NEVER going to work.

These coaches would be better off owning who they are and creating THEIR legacy and system then trying to recreate "Pat" or another coach from the past. You simply cannot recreate that. Similarly, I hope when Geno's successor takes over one day, they don't try to "recreate" Geno, they just aren't going to do that. You can hope to be as successful but I think trying to mimic styles that aren't compatible with who you are as a coach/person is not a successful recipe.

 

[amb3096]

Pat was all about effort and I recall Holly saying the same thing. During one of Warlick's less press conferences she went on and on about effort. I watched that game and commented then I thought the effort from the players was just fine but they seemed to have no plan on how to produce points and defensive stops. Games require effort, but they also require strategy.

I am someone who still thinks Harper is an upgrade from Warlick on the coaching end but her failure to recruit at the level needed for TN to sustain success is troubling. She's already made staff changes and after going shopping (successfully on paper) in the portal they came up empty again. I truly wonder what is happening there. Also while I do think she's a better game coach, the upgrade isn't that significant overall.

TN has struggled for years with stopping the outside shot when 3s are falling for their opponent and seem to have defensive lapses during games where a talented team can go on a run that has buried them on a few occasions.

Ironically, they did a great job of that for Q2-4 today after getting torched in the 1st Q. The problem is they otherwise aren't well coached. They make horrible decisions and go 1-on-3 way too much.

 

[HuskyNan]

Some UConn fans need to dial back the sophomoric humor.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I thought Jackson and Horston played better together. Franklin was taking no prisoners. Darby can shoot, but unfortunately on the defensive end she's a liability. I think Pucket could help if she could get more PT. Overall, they need to work on getting their assists up. It's a gift to the defense when they know you have no intention of passing. You end up with high turnovers and charges. The good news is they have the ingredients.

 

[LoTrader]

Not sure I agree that TN has better athletes than the 4 teams they lost to this season. Also questionable if TN players are more skilled. In any case, it is going to take some great coaching to get TN back to winning ways, and not let this November ruin their season.

 

[SECbbfan24]

I honestly liked what Franklin brought to the table inside. She played tough and actually snagged a bit of rebounds. Key played 20 minutes and only got 1 rebound. How on earth does a 6'6 player have only ONE rebound?

 

[jonson]

Not sure I agree that TN has better athletes than the 4 teams they lost to this season. Also questionable if TN players are more skilled. In any case, it is going to take some great coaching to get TN back to winning ways, and not let this November ruin their season.

I think "more skilled" is the operative phrase here. Athletes, yes, skilled WBB players (and good coaching), not so much.

 

[DefenseBB]

Tennessee is 2-4 and those losses are to #4 Ohio State, #6 Indiana, #20 UCLA and #28 Gonzaga (who beat Louisville) so it is not like they lost to bad teams. The problem is they were over-ranked at #4 in the preseason poll and their Portal additions were and still are over hyped (Powell, Jackson, Hollingshead) and their one recruit was #11 Justine Pissott who has not looked good yet. Those expectations make it seem like they are failing badly. Add in some questionable end of game or even overall coaching and you have a disgruntled group of fans. Whether Kellie can get them to play together is an unknown and the time to gel needs to already be in process which is a "maybe".

Should this team be 2-4, no, they should probably be 3-3 or even 4-2.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Tennessee is 2-4 and those losses are to #4 Ohio State, #6 Indiana, #20 UCLA and #28 Gonzaga (who beat Louisville) so it is not like they lost to bad teams. The problem is they were over-ranked at #4 in the preseason poll and their Portal additions were and still are over hyped (Powell, Jackson, Hollingshead) and their one recruit was #11 Justine Pissott who has not looked good yet. Those expectations make it seem like they are failing badly. Add in some questionable end of game or even overall coaching and you have a disgruntled group of fans. Whether Kellie can get them to play together is an unknown and the time to gel needs to already be in process which is a "maybe".

Should this team be 2-4, no, they should probably be 3-3 or even 4-2.

I agree that they were overranked. Question is...by how much. If losing to #20 and 28 isn't a bad loss, then at best they should have been ranked 16ish or lower. Here's why I see them as bad losses. When it comes to March and seeding, then they will need some good wins. The only ranked teams remaining on their schedule are VT (11), LSU(12) and the current ranked 1-3 teams. They could potentially end up with zero wins against a ranked team. I think they miss the tournament if this happens. They would normally have more games against ranked teams, but the SEC is in a down year.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I'm curious whether

Tennessee is 2-4 and those losses are to #4 Ohio State, #6 Indiana, #20 UCLA and #28 Gonzaga (who beat Louisville) so it is not like they lost to bad teams. The problem is they were over-ranked at #4 in the preseason poll and their Portal additions were and still are over hyped (Powell, Jackson, Hollingshead) and their one recruit was #11 Justine Pissott who has not looked good yet. Those expectations make it seem like they are failing badly. Add in some questionable end of game or even overall coaching and you have a disgruntled group of fans. Whether Kellie can get them to play together is an unknown and the time to gel needs to already be in process which is a "maybe".

Should this team be 2-4, no, they should probably be 3-3 or even 4-2.

I thought Jackson was potentially a good pickup.

Really didn't understand why bringing in Hollingshead was supposed to be a big deal for this year.

 

[TC22]

That’s who it was. I saw that. Wonder if she’s regretting her decision

That’s who she is. She’s a great offensive player but she isn’t interested in defense. Kellie may be the one regretting it.

 

[Coler]

That’s who she is. She’s a great offensive player but she isn’t interested in defense. Kellie may be the one regretting it.

I wonder if that's why she didn't end up elsewhere, like LSU where a coach like Kim wouldn't stand for such things.

 

[Cockygirl]

I’ve always liked Rikea but agree she is only interested in scoring points. I also think that she is super discouraged about her whole career thus far and it is showing. Unfortunate for her to lose the coach she committed to then Mississippi State turned into a dumpster fire. She probably thought this was her chance to make a run in the tournament but it does not look like that will happen (as of now).

 

[HuskyNan]

I apologize if this sounds dumb but I can't help but think...

I don't mean this in a bad way but this "mimic Pat" thing is a major turn off for me. I know as I saw this first hand under Nikki Fargas at LSU, all she kept stressing was trying to do things the way Pat did and it simply was NEVER going to work.

These coaches would be better off owning who they are and creating THEIR legacy and system then trying to recreate "Pat" or another coach from the past. You simply cannot recreate that. Similarly, I hope when Geno's successor takes over one day, they don't try to "recreate" Geno, they just aren't going to do that. You can hope to be as successful but I think trying to mimic styles that aren't compatible with who you are as a coach/person is not a successful recipe.

Ironically, Shea Ralph is channeling Geno at Vandy but since a part of his “system”, if it’s that defined, is learning your players’ strengths and weaknesses and coaching to maximize the first and cover up the second, it’s vey fluid. The “system” is designed around the players rather than forcing the players into a rigid scheme.

Carla Berube did the same thing at Tufts and got them to the D3 Final Four a couple times.

 

[temery]

Some UConn fans need to dial back the sophomoric humor.

'I'll add that the obsession of trashing Tenn by UConn fans is growing very old.

 

[JellyBean]

Not sure I agree that TN has better athletes than the 4 teams they lost to this season. Also questionable if TN players are more skilled. In any case, it is going to take some great coaching to get TN back to winning ways, and not let this November ruin their season.

Interesting view.

 

[amb3096]

I’ve always liked Rikea but agree she is only interested in scoring points. I also think that she is super discouraged about her whole career thus far and it is showing. Unfortunate for her to lose the coach she committed to then Mississippi State turned into a dumpster fire. She probably thought this was her chance to make a run in the tournament but it does not look like that will happen (as of now).

I'm sure a lot of people expected her to reunite with Vic at Texas. I knew she wasn't a defensive-minded player, but I thought that her offense and ability to score at will would fit in perfectly with Horston and Key at Tennessee. The problem is that there hasn't been a game where all three of them have played at peak levels. They can still get it together and make a run, but unless they make a statement and knock off either SC, Stanford or UConn in their OOC matchups, they are going to have to go through a murderer's row in the NCAAT just to make it to the E8. I still think they have the players to take them there, but they all have to get on the same page.

 

[amb3096]

I'm curious whether


I thought Jackson was potentially a good pickup.

Really didn't understand why bringing in Hollingshead was supposed to be a big deal for this year.

Hollingshead was probably the most important of the transfer signings. She provides a big, athletic backup for Key, and (more crucially) a foundation for the future. Once Key leaves, only Striplin remains as a low post presence...and jury's still out if she she's good enough to be an SEC-starter caliber player. Tennessee didn't sign any bigs for '23, so that makes Hollingshead even that much more important.

 

[amb3096]

I agree that they were overranked. Question is...by how much. If losing to #20 and 28 isn't a bad loss, then at best they should have been ranked 16ish or lower. Here's why I see them as bad losses. When it comes to March and seeding, then they will need some good wins. The only ranked teams remaining on their schedule are VT (11), LSU(12) and the current ranked 1-3 teams. They could potentially end up with zero wins against a ranked team. I think they miss the tournament if this happens. They would normally have more games against ranked teams, but the SEC is in a down year.

Unless they implode in the SEC season, they'll make the tournament. Even if they have zero wins against ranked teams, they'll get enough wins against the lower half of the top 50 NET teams that they'll get their #6 or #7 seed. As long as they take care of business and don't have any bad losses, then they'll be fine.

 

[Bone Dog]

There’s still a question mark about pg, but this is a substantial collection of talent. They ought to be able to make a run. Rickea brings one thing they lost last season, a quick big girl. The cost of being so tall across the lineup has always been slow feet, but that’s not true anymore. A healthy Horston and Rickea make a formidable offensive pair.