Reflections on Tennessee Basketball

Say "Tennessee basketball" and a number of expected images come to mind: the Lady Vols cutting down yet another net, Chris Lofton hitting yet another 3, the Smoky mascot in his orange tux as the band plays yet another repetition of "Rocky Top." Add to those some more recent images, including sell-out crowds for the men's team and Candace Parker showing "8" to the crowd after last year's NC, and you'd understand the excitement and expectations that have always surrounded the women's program, and recently spread to the men's as well. Knoxville was on its way to becoming another Lexington or Louisville, where basketball was more than just the filler between football and spring football.

The success of both programs over the last two seasons only adds to the pain of this season. After a football season so bad that the school fired the coach that won it all in '98, we were all looking forward to a great season of basketball. The women have injury issues? No problem, Pat will figure it out. The men lost both some great shooting and some great leadership? No problem, Bruce is a miracle worker.

Turns out, no one figured it out, and there were no miracles. Just one of the most frustrating and disappointing seasons the Orange faithful have ever experienced. Why did it happen? Make the jump, and I'll give you my I'm-just-a-fan thoughts ...

And as I do so, let me preface all of this by saying that I am just that: a fan. I played some b-ball when I was younger, but I've never coached the game. (Led lots of group efforts, just not b-ball.) I've watched enough games, though, and read enough analysis, to have gone blind twice over, and know a few things about the game. The comments below are mine alone, and are just what I said -- a fan's perspective.

The Men

This year's Vol team started the season with extremely high expectations, ranked in the top ten in almost every poll. Granted, the team had lost Chris Lofton and Dane Bradshaw, but they had a number of potential NBA players coming back, and a strong recruiting class to boot. Most analysts picked them to win the SEC and challenge for a Final Four slot.

Instead, the team backed into winning the SEC East, a division where all the teams played Hot Potato all season with the title. ("I don't want it, you take it!") They then made it to the finals of the SEC tourney, only to lose to a Bama team in the last minute in a game that should never have been close. In the eyes of some, the pre-season Final Four contender was now sweating even making the Big Dance.

Once in the Dance as a 9 seed, they proceeded to show why the selection committee was not wrong with that low seed. They played inconsistently, turned the ball over, let the lead slip away, didn't play enough defense, and let the other team drive for the winning basket with about ten seconds left. A microcosm of much of the season.

So, why? Why does a team with so much apparent talent turn in a 21-13 season and lose games it should seemingly win? Here are some thoughts:

Too much relying on raw talent instead of discipline. There were times when the team looked like a playground team. Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy a run-and-gun game as much as the next fan. But when the other team isn't giving it to you, or when it just isn't working, you've got to be able to bear down, run your sets, and grind out the points. Jacking up 3s at the end of the shot clock because you don't have an answer isn't the way to win the close ones. If we couldn't just out-athlete the other team, we lost.

Not enough desire. The obvious signs of lack of desire are defense and rebounding, two areas that are more about who wants it the most than about physical ability. This team turned on the defense at times, though not like last year. They also got their share of rebounds, just because of their length. But it never seemed to me that they sustained 500% (5 players x 100%) for very long. Having watched this year's Louisville team, I know hungry defense when I see it, and UT didn't show it very often.

Many people commented on the lack of press, and Pearl tried to dismiss it by saying that it "didn't fit this team, as they're too long to do it well." I think's that's BS. The bottom line is that this team didn't have the desire to work that hard. They thought, after the past few years, that all they had to do was put on that jersey and wins would happen automatically.

Coaching and/or distractions. I hesitate to list this one, because frankly I think Bruce Pearl is one of the best coaches in the game right now. He has turned the UT men's program around in four years, and generated excitement where before there was yawns or angst. His past three teams were crazy fun to watch, and the press was amazing.

This year, for whatever reason,  I never felt that CBP had a strong connection with this team. At times, it even appeared that they disrespected him, and even ignored him. If I remember correctly, there was one game where he called a set play in a time out, and the team proceeded to run something completely different and lose the game.

Bruce's divorce may also have played into this year, as well as his new house and his new girlfriend. When your coach's pay package, mansion, and hot girlfriend all get played up in the local paper, perhaps it creates a certain atmosphere among the players. I don't know; I'm not in those practices or in those huddles. I wonder, though, if Bruce has something of a sense of entitlement -- "I've made it, look at me" -- and if so, if that has rubbed off on the players.

Conclusion. There is no doubt this team has talent. Lots of good athletes out there. I wonder, though, if there is enough basketball IQ on the floor. I also wonder if there is a team, or a bunch of individuals. Finally, I wonder if we have all the parts we need to be a Bruce Pearl team. We needed an outside threat all season, and Wayne Chism isn't it. We also needed a better point guard, although Maze looked good at times.

So, from this fan's perspective, the Vols need the following before next fall:

• A point guard
• An outside shooting threat
• Better game plans, and better execution of game plans
• A lot more hunger, including outright anger at any loss -- and at any person not giving their all
• A good look in the mirror for all involved, including the head coach and staff

The Women

Ah me ... the Lady Vols. Plagued by injuries, so young you thought you were watching middle school, inconsistent. And following one of the best teams to ever put on the orange-white-and-blue. Everyone knew it was going to be a rebuilding year. But even rebuilding at Pat Summitt U comes with solid defense, tough-as-nails rebounders, and enough points (barely) to get the job done. Right?

Not this year. In a season that drove coaches, fans, and players to distraction, the "Defending National Champion Lady Vols" ® became the women's basketball version of Backward American Idol and Survivor. A team that at times showed signs of brilliance (see: second half of Georgia at home) also showed, at times, the ability to lose in the most inept and non-Lady Vol ways.

The clincher, of course, was the first-round debacle against Ball State. (Ball State? Ball State?!?) When Cain went down (again) with the knee injury, the LV had no other answers. Ball State was quicker, faster, hungrier, more disciplined, and more prepared. As if the first-round loss wasn't enough, the sports editor of the Knoxville paper said before the game that this team could be remembered as the worst Lady Vols team ever, due to the contrast between their season and all others.

So, what happened? Again, I'm just a fan, albeit a long-time one (1969 and counting). Here, for what it's worth, is my take on this possibly-worst-ever year for the Lady Vols:

Injuries and Losses. These get mentioned, but I just think you can't emphasize them enough. Here's the list of players that could have been on the floor the other night, but weren't:

• Candace Parker -- all-Everything, left early to play in the WNBA (and no one blames her for it; after two national championships and every award in the book, what did she have to come back for except to hurt her body in some way?)
• Vicki Baugh -- forward -- tore her ACL for the second time in as many seasons earlier this year ... was supposed to be a strong presence on the court
• Cait McMahan -- guard -- finally had to give up basketball due to ongoing injury issues.
• Kelly Cain -- center -- went down before halftime, did not return. UT had no post presence after that.

And of course, these don't even mention the other missed games throughout the season that cut into playing time and building team chemistry. Jenny Moshak, the Lady Vols associate athletic director for sports medicine, deserves a Nobel Prize for all the medical miracles she's had to pull this year. Even with the best trainer in the business, though, you can't get back either the days or the players if they're gone. And losing these players led to the next piece of the bad-luck puzzle:

Youth. For whatever reason -- recruiting misses, Parker leaving, others leaving, injuries -- this was an amazingly young Lady Vol team. Take Baugh and McMahan out of the lineup, and here's what you've got:

• Seniors -- 1 -- Alex Fuller
• Juniors -- 0 (as in, none)
• Sophs -- 2 (Bjorklund, Smallbone)
• Frosh -- 7 (everyone else, some redshirt and some right out of high school)

Wow. Just, wow. That's nuts. You've got one upperclassman to lead a team that has never spent a season with Pat, never played at Vandy, never been in the SEC tourney, never played an NCAA game. Without the injuries, this would have been a difficult year. With the injuries, it was impossible.

Some have blamed Pat for the obvious recruiting hole. I'm not so sure. I think she was following the Joe Paterno plan: find a great player or two, build a team around them, make a run for the national championship, graduate them all and do it again. I can buy that -- put the three injured players back in the mix, use this as a learning year, and you're right back in it in 2009-10. Sounds like a plan, but it was defeated by this next piece of the puzzle:

Lack of Coachability -- or, Lack of Correct Coaching. This team did not improve very much as the year went on. In fact, in some ways, it got worse. It was as if the team either couldn't learn from Pat and the staff, or wouldn't. The basketball basics just never seemed to get implanted ... not to mention the scouting report and the game plan.

Some have wondered if Pat's style (do I need to explain that phrase?) is really out-of-style. "Today's teams need encouragement, calm coaching, lots of positive reinforcement," say some. Of course, if this team had won the NC again -- or even made the Sweet 16, which with such a young team would have been comparable -- no one would be asking this question.

And you know what? None of us really know. We're not in the huddle, we're not in practice, and we aren't getting text messages or Tweets from these young ladies. We just don't know what's going on in their heads, or their hearts, or the huddle.

I DO think it is interesting that last year's team, as well as many other former players, still keep in touch with Pat on a regular basis. It's been my experience that you don't call up your former coach unless you think she helped you AND cared for you. So, I'm not sure I'd blame it all on Pat's style. Does she need to look at it? Of course. You have a year like this, you look at everything. And I'm sure she and the staff will discuss it in depth.

While the coaching staff is looking at their coaching style, here's something the players can take a serious look at:

Lack of Effort. This was probably the thing that drove fans like me the craziest. We can forgive you being young, and being basketball-stupid, and making mistakes because you're trying too hard. But to put on that jersey -- a jersey that MEANS something, even to people who don't follow the game -- and not give it your all, all the time, is just not acceptable. Being young doesn't have anything to do with it. Being big and slow doesn't have anything to do with it. Pat's being in your face doesn't have anything to do with it. It's purely a matter of desire, of heart, of want-to.

Tennessee Lady Vol basketball is built on three things, basically:

1. Smothering defense
2. Rebounding, both defensive and offensive
3. Transition points

Anyone familiar with basketball can see that 3 depends on 2, and 2 depends on 1. And what does 1 depend on? Willingness to work harder than the person you're guarding.

We've never had a great half-court offense, but we've made up for it with great athletes and the above three factors. Take away the defense, and the whole thing falls down.

Many times this year, one or more players didn't show up. They didn't get back on defense, didn't crash the boards, didn't move their feet. It was obvious to those of us watching; why wasn't it obvious to those playing?

I've read many theories on the cause of this. Here's my take on it.

Take a roster packed full of High School All-Americans, many of whom have been the star since middle school.

Combine that with a returning team with no vocal upperclass leadership. I love Alex Fuller as a person and a player, but she's just not the type to grab a fellow player by the jersey and get in her grill.

Add to that a sense of entitlement just by being at Tennessee, surrounded by the best facilities, the best fans, and a Hall-of-Fame coach.

I think these young ladies came in thinking they were ready to play at this level, and there was no one ahead of them to tell them -- or SHOW them -- that they were wrong. If you thought you were hot stuff last year, Alexis Hornbuckle would just beat you off the dribble, then beat you in the head when you went for the rebound, then look at you and grin. Once you played one-on-one with Candace, you KNEW you had a lot to learn.

This year, there was no one to tell them they weren't ready except for the coaches. And haven't we ignored our yelling coaches for years already? We know how this game is played. Didn't we win the district playdowns last year?

And by the time they realized they should have been listening harder and working harder since last summer ... it was too late.

Conclusion. Some have said that we need some juco transfers for next year. An experienced point guard would help, certainly, as would another outside shooter. If Cain is going to be injured regularly, we may also need a center. And I have no idea about Smallbone, or Grey, or even some of the starters.

It seemed obvious in the Ball State game that we're not very quick, but perhaps coaching on defense can help with that. I'm not enough of an evaluator of talent to say much more about the talent level on the current team.

That said, there are two things that had better happen between now and November, or we're going to be looking at a repeat of this year, only with players who can no longer be called "young":

This team has to prepare better. They've got to take coaching more seriously, practice more seriously, scouting reports more seriously, individual sessions more seriously. And frankly, I think the staff needs to prepare better as well. You're going to have to take a look at your systems and your preparation, and guide this young team back to success. You may also need to look at your recruiting process, as well as your player evaluation process. As I said above, I'm not qualified to evaluate talent -- but a number of persons have said that most of this year's team might not even make last year's team. Lack of development is one thing; lack of talent to develop is another.

This team has to want it more, both individually and collectively. Angie Bjorklund is quoted in today's LV story as saying that "If no one is motivated right now, the returning players, then they need to leave." Not only that -- if someone isn't getting it done, then perhaps a scholarship needs to be pulled. There have to be players that are so insulted by losing that they will lead by both word and deed until the winning comes back. This team has to win the hustle plays, the heart plays, and above all, get in shape so you can play 40 minutes of Tennessee in-your-shorts defense.

There's a story waiting to be written about this Lady Vols team. It's the "worst to first" script that we're all familiar with. If they take this season to heart -- especially the bad parts -- AND do what needs to be done between now and November, we may be writing an entirely different analysis by next spring: how the youngest and worst of Pat Summitt's teams became one of the most mature and successful.

That's a blog post I look forward to writing.