VTTW Board Index

Seriously. She has recruited and trained (I use that term very loosely) a group of young women that are fragile and the most undisciplined in school history. Her selection of assistants (other than finally hiring a recruiter)  shows she is completely out of touch with the game style now. Completely lacking any focus or offensive skills for more than a couple of games in a row. Granted they have recruited #1 group for next year. But does anyone actually believe she can motivate a team to play together. Because all she appears to be capable of is to assemble and train a group of young women that cannot play defense, can almost be counted on to miss layups, easy shots within 10 ft, and to launch airballs past 3-point line, and to turn the ball over at a higher rate than get offensive rebounds. She has shown zero ability to hire coaches that actually improve a player's skills. The new AD needs to come in, fire Holly, and go out and find a coach that is not living in the past and really understands the way basketball is played today. She cannot motivate the players on this team and you can tell they are just going through the motions of playing. There is no passion or desire. I do not want to hear that tired old tripe about being a VFL, that Pat picked her, and give her a chance. She has had a chance and has failed to improve this team.

 
"Can anyone explain why Holly still has a job?"

To answer the above question.....Go over to 'The Summitt' board and you'll have your answer. It's all about Holly and not about the team. Wins and losses don't matter to most in those circles. There was only around 9,600 there yesterday for a game against UT and Baylor! And many of them left at the end of the 3rd quarter. There was a time that game would have drawn 15,000 plus.

The point is until the fan attendance just keeps dropping....and many more losses keep coming I see no way they get rid of HW. Unless the pressure gets to HW and she steps down I see this program falling further down. So what if the No.1 class is coming in......she still can't coach them. Some will point that HW has gotten her team to the Elite 8...When the season starts every year there is about 16 teams in women's BB that has a chance to get to the Elite 8. Right now we are teetering on not being in those 16 teams

When you have a coach that yesterday....last week.....last season keeps saying....I don't know what's wrong. Then the program is in serious trouble.

My answer....my expectations for the LV are that they make the Final Four. I don't expevt it every single year, but it should have happened by now.

Her best accomplishment is to lose in the quarterfinals. That is what I call barely acceptable, because she is at least close to meeting expectations.

That isn't a situation that can be accepted indefinitely,  but as long as we are one game away it would be hard to pull the trigger.

If performance consistently falls below that mark, then off with her head! But as with any coaching change, there better be a renting really good replacement lined up.

And oh yeah...let's let her bring in that no. 1 class. (-:

Going to Final Four regularly would be nice, but I would just like the Lady Vols to be competitive with top programs soon.  The program is plummeting (not sliding) into mediocrity with Holly in charge. The situation will not get any better as long as she is head coach because it is her choice of assistants and playing style that is the problem. Her admission that she does not know what is wrong or how to fix it says all you need to define the problem. It is Holly. She has had the time and resources. It is obvious she is not a top caliber head coach. She has been at this about 30 years I think. If she cannot figure it out by now, she never will.

Hopefully the Baylor game was a wake up call and the players will at least show some heart - they actually admitted they didn't play with effort, which is very unusual.

Let's see how it goes.  But again, if she brings in that no. 1 class, then the new AD should evaluate her next season.  I doubt the new AD will be hired in time to pass judgement on this season. A year allows more time to develop a plan.

My guess is they were waiting for Pat to pass away before making a move on Holly.  She was Pat's chosen successor, and they didn't want to do anything to break her heart in her final days.  Now they're waiting for the new AD to arrive.

Bandit, the No. 1 class is almost a given since they have already signed their LOIs. All that will happen next year is she will have a full year to further degrade their skills and it will take the next coach longer to rebuild them. So no the new AD does not have to be a member of Mensa to evaluate Holly. If they hire Blackburn, he already knows about Holly because UTC can beat them with lesser talent. Why? Because they have a coach that knows how to win and motivate players. Holly is clueless what is wrong.

All this "Well she makes it to Elite 8" BS is just that. Whenever she goes up against even a marginally better coached team that has 5 players playing together with effort, her teams get waxed. Look at her record against top programs to figure out she is over matched. No another year will just prolong the agony. Rip that bandaid off the healing wound quickly and replace it with a better one. Her players just do not care about playing for her. She has had time to prove she can coach (a failure), recruit (failure until this year), and find good assistants (abject failure). So no another year will prove nothing.

If we don't get an AD until May or June, she won't be replaced this year, period, dot.  If we get one by March, which just might be possible, he or she will likely require some time prior to making a move on Holly. So maybe over the summer, but my guess is any AD worth his or her salt will wait because it gives him or her more discretion.   So for practical reasons it seems unlikely she will be gone this year.  If by some miracle we get a new AD in a month, it might happen. 

As for the players signing, I didn't realize they were already locked in.  That changes things a bit, but we still need a new AD.

Now, having said that, I am a bottom line guy.  You have numerous complaints above about how she seems to get out coached.  You go so far as to say "a marginally better coached team that has 5 players playing together with effort, her teams get waxed".   I think I that is maybe, perhaps, just a slight exaggeration.

But regardless, my point is this...I could give a crap if you or anyone else doesn't like the way they play, or has an opinion that she is outcoached.  The bottom line is Ws and Ls.  And hers overall have not been that bad.

Just last year, we were only seeded 7th, but we upset both the no. 2 and 3 seeds en route to yet another Elite Eight final. 

What is very interesting about that is that some of the self-appointed experts on here predicted  first or second round finish.  I also made a statement that if she made the final four, that would be acceptable to me, and I was told there was no way in hell that was happening.

So here's the deal...she almost made the final four again.  And yes, that is my minimal level of success.  I could GAS about the optics of how it was done (being completely honest I only rarely watch them anyway.   :biggrin:)

Bottom line...we had a winning season and made a deep run into the tournament.  The tourney is the only thing that matters to me.

And neither you nor anyone else can predict how this season will end. This team may end up being so ashamed of their effort against Baylor that it inspires them to start turning around the season. 

Season isn't over....maybe she can finally make the Final Four.

Come on guys, start predicting those first round exits!  It's only December, so that can only add to your credibility.   :dielaughing:

LV should always be the SEC champ. That is a minimum. When do you think that will happen again?