Tennessee

[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.

 

[dws3665]

Tennessee didn't sign anyONE (yet) for '23, so that makes Hollingshead even that much more important.

FIFY.

 

[amb3096]

FIFY.

Yeah...don't remind me.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

TN really needs to move on from using “the summitt disciple tree” as a criteria for hiring coaches. The sooner they do that, the quicker they have a shot at bettering their program.

Warlick was getting the job when Pat stepped down. Maybe if Pat had been able to retire more on her terms the university would have done some things differently but clearly the options were limited.

I have phrased it like this before: the reaction had Warlick not been hired would have been incredibly negative and felt across the sport due to her loyalty and reputation as a good assistant coach. I am someone who thinks Holly is a good person who appeared to be a natural successor even if she was walking into an incredibly difficult situation.

The Harper hire could have definitely gone another direction but at that time, I didn't see any of the big names in coaching leaving their schools for UT in spite of the history and pedigree. I also didn't see the school hiring a male for various reasons. That left a smaller pool to choose from and perhaps Fulmer did just go make the easiest hire he could, getting a beloved former player who was successful at a lower tier institution.

The next hire, whenever it comes, may or may not come from the Summitt tree but we don't know when that will happen.

 

[amb3096]

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.

Rickea is a slightly taller Alexus Dye with better scoring efficiency but worse defensive/rebounding skills. Her and Jordan make a formidable offensive pair as long as they remember that the other (plus Key) exists and do try to go 1-on-5 all the time.

 

[amb3096]

Warlick was getting the job when Pat stepped down. Maybe if Pat had been able to retire more on her terms the university would have done some things differently but clearly the options were limited.

I have phrased it like this before: the reaction had Warlick not been hired would have been incredibly negative and felt across the sport due to her loyalty and reputation as a good assistant coach. I am someone who thinks Holly is a good person who appeared to be a natural successor even if she was walking into an incredibly difficult situation.

The Harper hire could have definitely gone another direction but at that time, I didn't see any of the big names in coaching leaving their schools for UT in spite of the history and pedigree. I also didn't see the school hiring a male for various reasons. That left a smaller pool to choose from and perhaps Fulmer did just go make the easiest hire he could, getting a beloved former player who was successful at a lower tier institution.

The next hire, whenever it comes, may or may not come from the Summitt tree but we don't know when that will happen.

Warlick was the right hire at the time. I think she deserved the chance for the job. It's too bad that she ended up not being a good fit.

I'm sure I'll get grief from VN for this, but...I was not a fan of hiring Kellie. She was a journeyman coach without a stellar CV. She had that one good run with MoSt to the S16, but that was really the highlight of her career. That accomplishment should have set her up as a candidate for an up-and-coming P5, but not Tennessee. They should have gone big and went for either one of the current coaching greats, or a HC that was on their way to becoming great. And they should have been prepared to pay top dollar for it the way LSU and Texas did.

Whenever the time comes that a new coach is to be hired, I hope that they have "best coach, period." as their top priority.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Rickea is a slightly taller Alexus Dye with better scoring efficiency but worse defensive/rebounding skills. Her and Jordan make a formidable offensive pair as long as they remember that the other (plus Key) exists and do try to go 1-on-5 all the time.

Jackson and Horston did a better job yesterday. You could see the effort, but it didn't come naturally. On one play, Horston made a nice pass to Jackson, who wasn't expecting the pass and blew the layup. But, at least they were trying. In fairness to both of them, the rest of the team needs to move when these two have the ball. They just watch them like spectators. Despite the loss, I thought it was one of their better outings. Shorten that rotation though. Too many pieces to sync when you're trying to work on chemistry.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Warlick was the right hire at the time. I think she deserved the chance for the job. It's too bad that she ended up not being a good fit.

I'm sure I'll get grief from VN for this, but...I was not a fan of hiring Kellie. She was a journeyman coach without a stellar CV. She had that one good run with MoSt to the S16, but that was really the highlight of her career. That accomplishment should have set her up as a candidate for an up-and-coming P5, but not Tennessee. They should have gone big and went for either one of the current coaching greats, or a HC that was on their way to becoming great. And they should have been prepared to pay top dollar for it the way LSU and Texas did.

Whenever the time comes that a new coach is to be hired, I hope that they have "best coach, period." as their top priority.

I actually thought Harper was a good choice given how the school seemed less than willing to put out big $$ for a name coach, and also how when Waltz name came up a lot of people were upset at the idea since the LVs were a brand that had so much tradition with women's excellence. That's just my two cents as an observer of here but also VN but less frequent.

I said at the time of her hire she wasn't a bad choice and I was willing to give her some grace in that maybe her time at NCSU had been a learning experience she could use to her advantage.

Frankly the lack of recruiting success should be more concerning than some of the losses. Holly got rid of Elzy when they LVs didn't get any recruits one year and brought in Reeves, who brought in two very good classes. Harper already made staff changes and brought in two new assistants, one of whom has the recruiting reputation, but that failed to pay off this year.

Harper has painted herself into a corner right now though and I'm not sure how she gets out besides winning. She built a win now team with the portal and honestly their talent level drops significantly after Horston, Jackson, Key and Powell are gone. She will basically be forced to portal shop again, which I am still not convinced is a good way to build a program. I too thought on paper UT would be a top 10/maybe 5 team with this roster but clearly there are problems.

 

[Bone Dog]

Warlick was getting the job when Pat stepped down. Maybe if Pat had been able to retire more on her terms the university would have done some things differently but clearly the options were limited.

I have phrased it like this before: the reaction had Warlick not been hired would have been incredibly negative and felt across the sport due to her loyalty and reputation as a good assistant coach. I am someone who thinks Holly is a good person who appeared to be a natural successor even if she was walking into an incredibly difficult situation.

The Harper hire could have definitely gone another direction but at that time, I didn't see any of the big names in coaching leaving their schools for UT in spite of the history and pedigree. I also didn't see the school hiring a male for various reasons. That left a smaller pool to choose from and perhaps Fulmer did just go make the easiest hire he could, getting a beloved former player who was successful at a lower tier institution.

The next hire, whenever it comes, may or may not come from the Summitt tree but we don't know when that will happen.

Something seems to have gone very wrong under Warlick, as the Evina Westbrook episode suggests, though no details about what it was have surfaced. And perhaps they never will.

 

[bballnut90]

Jackson and Horston did a better job yesterday. You could see the effort, but it didn't come naturally. On one play, Horston made a nice pass to Jackson, who wasn't expecting the pass and blew the layup. But, at least they were trying. In fairness to both of them, the rest of the team needs to move when these two have the ball. They just watch them like spectators. Despite the loss, I thought it was one of their better outings. Shorten that rotation though. Too many pieces to sync when you're trying to work on chemistry.

Agree with this 100%. I actually thought Tennessee put forth great effort yesterday and you could see they really wanted it. Turnovers were better, ball movement was better, defensive intensity was up. Gonzaga is a very well run program and coached team. Tennessee usually struggles against teams that are disciplined and run good sets offensively. A loss is a loss but I think this was a step in the right direction for the team. It was a much better effort yesterday than we saw vs UCLA, Ohio State or Indiana.

 

[bballnut90]

I actually thought Harper was a good choice given how the school seemed less than willing to put out big $$ for a name coach, and also how when Waltz name came up a lot of people were upset at the idea since the LVs were a brand that had so much tradition with women's excellence. That's just my two cents as an observer of here but also VN but less frequent.

I said at the time of her hire she wasn't a bad choice and I was willing to give her some grace in that maybe her time at NCSU had been a learning experience she could use to her advantage.

Frankly the lack of recruiting success should be more concerning than some of the losses. Holly got rid of Elzy when they LVs didn't get any recruits one year and brought in Reeves, who brought in two very good classes. Harper already made staff changes and brought in two new assistants, one of whom has the recruiting reputation, but that failed to pay off this year.

Harper has painted herself into a corner right now though and I'm not sure how she gets out besides winning. She built a win now team with the portal and honestly their talent level drops significantly after Horston, Jackson, Key and Powell are gone. She will basically be forced to portal shop again, which I am still not convinced is a good way to build a program. I too thought on paper UT would be a top 10/maybe 5 team with this roster but clearly there are problems.

Agree with this 100%. Harper wasn't a bad hire considering the AD wasn't going to shell out money to get a top coach, plus I think there would have been an upset fan base if they went with someone outside of Pat's coaching tree.

Recruiting is cause for concern. Harper did a great job of shopping the portal, but like you said, I don't think it's the best way to get a strong team together (see Texas this year as another example).

The season is young, Tennessee can still turn its season around. All things considered, they've faced a brutal schedule so far (Ohio State/Indiana are much better than their preseason ranking, UCLA won the Battle for Atlantis, Gonzaga is always strong and beat Louisville) but the on court cohesion and lack of effort are major red flags. Tennessee has an easier schedule the rest of the way with only VaTech/Stanford as tough non-conference opponents, and the SEC appears to be dreadful this year.

 

[Sifaka]

Tennessee has an easier schedule the rest of the way with only VaTech/Stanford as tough non-conference opponents, and the SEC appears to be dreadful this year.

Uhhh… you seem to be forgetting another tough non-conference opponent.

UConn
Thompson-Boling Arena|Knoxville, TN. Jan 26, 2023. 8pm

 

[bballnut90]

Uhhh… you seem to be forgetting another tough non-conference opponent.

UConn
Thompson-Boling Arena|Knoxville, TN. Jan 26, 2023. 8pm

They're just a mid major

 

[SECbbfan24]

They're just a mid major

Even worse, the mid majors have been beating up on the P5s early on this season.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

They're just a mid major

ok...that was a good one.

 

[amb3096]

Something seems to have gone very wrong under Warlick, as the Evina Westbrook episode suggests, though no details about what it was have surfaced. And perhaps they never will.

Evina also got scapegoated by Tennessee fans as the reason Holly got fired and had a lot of vitriol thrown her way instead of being treated to an ice cold beer. Can’t blame her for leaving after that. She seemed all but checked out. If she hadn’t said what she did, Holly might still be there, so she’ll always have my gratitude.

 

[bballnut90]

Evina also got scapegoated by Tennessee fans as the reason Holly got fired and had a lot of vitriol thrown her way instead of being treated to an ice cold beer. Can’t blame her for leaving after that. She seemed all but checked out. If she hadn’t said what she did, Holly might still be there, so she’ll always have my gratitude.

From what I recall most fans were pleased by her saying that in the moment since everyone wanted her gone. There weren’t (and aren’t) many Holly defenders.

 

[SECbbfan24]

Evina also got scapegoated by Tennessee fans as the reason Holly got fired and had a lot of vitriol thrown her way instead of being treated to an ice cold beer. Can’t blame her for leaving after that. She seemed all but checked out. If she hadn’t said what she did, Holly might still be there, so she’ll always have my gratitude.

What did she say? I’m trying to remember that time but it’s a blur for me

 

[HuskyNan]

A sad turn of events for Holly. She seems like a nice person that was just in over her head.

 

[amb3096]

From what I recall most fans were pleased by her saying that in the moment since everyone wanted her gone. There weren’t (and aren’t) many Holly defenders.

Most Tennesse fans, yes. Holly fans, not so much. Evina was getting abuse on social media. Even on VN, it was evenly split between those of us who wanted Holly gone and those who thought that Evina was out of place in her comments.

 

[amb3096]

What did she say? I’m trying to remember that time but it’s a blur for me

She was interviewed in the locker room after losing to UCLA in the NCAAT and said (paraphrasing) that there was off the court stuff with the players and staff that needed to be taken cared of. Fairly innocuous if you ask me, but that set the wheels in motion with the media and seemed to directly correlate to Holly getting put on the hot seat.

 

[DefenseBB]

As I have written a few times, not too many teams save SC, Stanford, UConn could have played the same schedule as Tenn and done much better than 2-4. I mean tOSU, Indiana and UCLA are all very good. The first 2 are every bit worthy of a top 8 ranking and UCLA is somewhere in 10-16 range. Add in a well-coached Gonzaga team whose own coach will get a P5 job sooner rather than later. As @amb3096 has said, the remaining SEC schedule will allow for Tenn to rack up good Quadrant 1 wins but is also right that to make progress in the NCAAT, they will have to be a few top teams at some point.