University of Tennessee Athletics
2009-10 University of Tennessee Lady Vol Basketball Season Preview
October 16, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 16, 2009
By Debby Jennings, Assoc. AD for Media Relations
"CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE"
The 2009-10 University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer basketball team realizes that its success in the coming season depends entirely on how it collectively empowers its "Circle of Influence."
Thirteen players are shoulder-to-shoulder, ready to start the task at hand. Central to their success and at the core of their circle they realize the following: the Tennessee Lady Vol basketball program has the richest tradition of any team in the nation. That's a fact. And the players who choose to pull on the orange and white uniform to represent Tennessee know better than most of the privilege and, sometimes burden, it is to be with the nation's elite program. There are the expectations of adding to the eight national championships or the 27 (combined) Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles. Players anticipate their opportunity to excel and join the elite group of 100 percent graduated Lady Vols, or the athletically acclaimed 19 State Farm/Kodak All-America Tennessee players named to 33 different teams, or aspire to add their name among the 12 Olympians or the 58 players who have been crowned as Lady Vol NCAA Basketball Champions.
"Our circle of influence this season will impact a team that appears to be invested, unselfish and committed to unity, togetherness and team work. Because of this, I think we will have an exciting year," said UT coach Pat Summitt, entering her 36th season at the helm of the Lady Vols and the NCAA's all-time winningest coach, starting the campaign with a 1,005-193 overall record.
There is a price to pay to maintain the program's lofty status, and each and every player is expected to contribute in her own individual way. It's not easy being everybody's "BIG" game and walking around with a larger than life invisible bulls-eye on the back of your jersey or enduring the comparisons to other Lady Vol teams and the expectations of a trip to the Final Four every year.
"I can see a big difference with this team over last year," said Summitt. "There's a lot I like about this team. We are much more mature, serious and focused. I think we have learned valuable lessons, and we have invested at a different level as far as our training."
Perhaps better than any other team in the history of Lady Vol basketball, the 2009-10 squad fully understands the expectations of the program. Last year's roller coaster 22-11 season may be in the rear view mirror for the 10 returning players and coaching staff, but it will never be out of sight.
"I try to be realistic now," Summitt said of the 2008-09 team. "It was the youngest group we ever had, and while I think all of our players wanted to come in and hold the tradition high, they were not ready and there was really no way to fast-forward it. As much as we wanted them to commit to our offensive and defensive schemes, be committed to each other and to board play and all that goes into having a great team, they were young and they just weren't ready to handle it.
"They were the youngest team on the biggest stage and at times they were overwhelmed and didn't quite understand what it took to be successful."
Despite the historical negatives - tying the most losses in school history with 11, losing for the first-time ever in an NCAA Tournament First Round game, dropping a program-high five SEC regular season games and turning in the lowest field goal shooting average in UT history at .413 - the 2008-09 team tempered the negatives by helping to deliver Coach Pat Summitt's historical 1000th career NCAA win.
Regardless of the historical highs or lows, in the coming season the returning players understand the positive impact that can be achieved within their circle of influence as they bring three talented rookies into the fold.
"I think this team understands the importance of gaining knowledge and sharing it and getting each other's back on every play like veteran teams do instinctively," Summitt said.
The Lady Vols had one senior last year (6'3" post Alex Fuller, 7.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and enter this season, for the first time ever, with no one in the senior class. Besides losing Fuller to graduation, Tennessee also lost 5'4" junior point guard Cait McMahan (4.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg), who decided to hang-up her career after dealing with chronic knee pain.
"I'm not concerned with not having a senior class. Focusing on what you don't have is disempowering," said Summitt.
"I see leadership across the board in our freshmen, sophomores and juniors this season. Leaders have a way of rising to the top, and several players already have made their voices heard."
Three of those voices belong to the junior class, consisting of shooting guards Angie Bjorklund and Sydney Smallbone and post player Vicki Baugh. As rookies, they garnered invaluable experience playing on the 2008 NCAA Championship team. As sophomores, they tasted the bitter disappointment and experienced the humiliation of a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament.
"This team, especially our junior class, wants to do things the right way," emphasized the head coach. "They are invested in our system both offensively and defensively and they are paying attention to detail to get it right."
At 6'0", Bjorklund (12.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.6 apg) can play at both guard or forward and returns as Tennessee's most prolific three-point scoring threat, connecting on 40.8 percent of her shots last season (62 of 152). Overall, she was the team's second-leading scorer as a sophomore and led the team in scoring eight times, including dropping in a career-high 29 points against Old Dominion.
For all of her scoring ability, the team would benefit if she scored more and passed less. "Angie is a key to our perimeter game," Summitt explained. "A lot of times she tries to be a great teammate and distribute the ball. First and foremost, I want her hunting for shots, opening up our inside game and not being the assist leader.
"Because of her ability to knock down threes, she's also playing well off the dribble when she ducks and darts. This season Angie appears to be more confident in helping us to establish a strong offensive attack."
Another player the Lady Vols hope will establish a strong offensive attack - in the post game - is Baugh (6.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg). A tremendous multi-dimensional talent, the 6'4" Baugh came into her own during the NCAA run her rookie season and was penciled in for a big role as a sophomore coming off of anterior cruciate ligament surgery. A relentless rehabber, she made it back for 10 games early in the 2008-09 season before the knee started talking to her. More rest followed and by the time the Oklahoma game came around on Feb. 2, 2009, Baugh was back on the floor. Then the unthinkable happened in that game, and Baugh suffered another tear to the ACL in her left knee.
"A healthy Vicki Baugh on the floor puts us in the position to play with anybody in the country in the post game," Summitt proclaimed. "I just hate all of the adversity she has gone through with two ACL injuries. But I will tell you this about Vicki...she is a fighter, she has a great optimistic view on life and she outworks everyone around her.
"I've put Vicki in Jenny Moshak's (Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine) hands and told her to let me know when our medical staff thinks she's ready to go."
The third member of the junior class is the 5'10" Smallbone (3.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg), who saw action in 31 games and earned six starting assignments. Once again, the tough three-point shooter is slated to help hold down the two spot in the lineup.
"Syd is much-improved on the defensive end, and she's constantly working on her game," said Summitt. "She's another player who has to help us stretch the defense and hunt for shots. If Syd can become a consistent threat with the three-ball, she'll present some problems for our opponents."
The 2008-09 rookie class certainly had a baptism under fire last season, as five of the seven freshmen were called on to make a total of 89 starting assignments. Not exactly an ideal situation, but injury and attrition necessitated the move.
"After a year of experience, our sophomore class is more mature, equipped with a better skill set and has a better overall understanding and knowledge of what it needs to bring to the court," Summitt said. "We are fortunate to enjoy some outstanding players and quality depth in this class."
A player who will surely present some challenges for the opposition is 6'6" redshirt sophomore post Kelley Cain (8.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 49 blks). Last season she played in 27 games, earned nine starting assignments, and logged 17.4 mpg despite dealing with an on-again, off-again, cranky right knee.
Cain showed glimpses of being a dominant paint prowler late last season. She had the deft touch to hand out five assists against Alabama during the regular season, the stamina to record a career-high double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds versus Mississippi State and the power to block seven shots against Alabama in the SEC Tournament, tying a UT rookie record for rejections.
At 6'6" she ties Vonda Ward (1991-95) as the tallest Lady Vols in the history of the basketball program, and Coach Summitt loves her size and reach.
"A healthy Kelley Cain gives us the size and the length in the post, which is very difficult for people to defend. She plays around the rim and has great composure," she said. "She is our anchor on both ends of the floor.
"Kelley has a great basketball IQ and thinks `execute' on every play," continued Summitt. "She has a great shooting touch and a knack for catching the ball high, keeping it high and scoring. It's hard for one player to defend her - it will take a player and a half to slow her down."
Lady Vol sophomore guard/forward Shekinna Stricklen (13.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.0 apg) didn't have many opponents slowing her down last season. The 6'2" Stricklen earned National Freshman of the Year honors by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to go along with her unanimous selection to the SEC All-Freshman Team and the All-SEC Second Team. She also led her team in scoring (424 points), assists (95) and steals (58) and was the 11th freshman ever to start in her first game as a Lady Vol.
Stricklen started 32 games, typically played three positions and logged an amazing 31.5 minutes per contest, which ranked ninth all-time among all Lady Vol hoopsters and was the highest average ever for a rookie.
"I really like what I see from her game," Summitt said. "Kinna is very confident and can now play multiple positions. Her maturity, aggressiveness and attacking at both ends of the floor are going to be keys for our team.
"I wasn't surprised they named her the 2009 USBWA Freshman of the Year. She had composure offensively for a freshman and was tough on the defensive end. It just showed the respect they had for her game. Hopefully she'll continue to build on it."
Building on their game is the thread that runs through the seven-player sophomore class. Glory Johnson (10.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg), a 6'3" forward, became just the 12th rookie in Lady Vol history to start on opening day and played in all 33 contests. Johnson started out the season on a tear and dropped in double-figure points in her first 10 games in a Lady Vol uniform. That mark was second only to Chamique Holdsclaw, who tallied 14 consecutive extra digit games as a rookie.
The 2009 SEC All-Freshman Team selection tried to be everywhere on the court. She snagged team highs with 105 offensive and 131 defensive rebounds and earned 190 trips to the charity stripe because of her aggressive style of play.
"Glory seems more mature and serious," commented Summitt. "She has gotten in the gym and worked tirelessly on her shooting. She's in great shape and really getting up and down the floor.
"This season I've challenged her to take good shots and not be impatient. At times last season, she did not have as much composure and rushed her shots. On the defensive end, I'm going to put her on the perimeter, which would allow us to play another post player. Glory's length on defense is a real asset for our team."
If Johnson is on the long end of things, then diminutive 5'2" point guard Briana Bass (3.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.1 apg) is certainly on the shorter end of the spectrum. Bass was one of just four Lady Vols who played in all 33 games last season.
Despite her stature and the distinction of being the shortest scholarship player in the history of Lady Vol basketball (along with former UT standout Shannon Bobbitt), Bass is a tough-minded character. More than any single player last season, she was called on to be a leader from her point guard position and at times struggled.
"Bree has become a very vocal leader at point guard for us now," said Summitt. "She worked hard in the off-season on every phase of her game, and knows she has to continue to set the example and not hesitate to have a strong voice for us on both ends of the floor.
"Coming into this season, she has a little more versatility in her game. We are trying to get her to attack off the dribble more, push the tempo, become a consistent three-point shooting threat and to rally and lead this team."
Last season, Bass was spelled at point guard at times by Smallbone, Stricklen and fellow sophomore 6'1" guard/forward Alicia Manning (3.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg). Manning found herself in a starting role seven times as a rookie and had a breakout game against Kentucky with 13 points and six rebounds.
She is a player who is ready to contribute in a big way as a sophomore, and the Lady Vol coach is excited about what she brings to the court. "Alicia Manning came back in great shape," said Summitt.
"She's evolved into a good combo and rebounding guard. I think after last season she now understands the importance of defense and is invested in it. Alicia is a very active player at both ends of the floor. She can definitely help us on the perimeter attacking the paint and will be one of our more aggressive guards."
Summitt would love to unleash a more aggressive Alyssia Brewer (5.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg) in the coming campaign. The 6'3" rangy lefty can mix it up inside with her strength or step out to mid-range. At times last season, Brewer looked like she was ready to break out with eight games in double-digit scoring and three games in extra-digit rebounding. Included were the last two games of the season where Brewer grabbed 15 boards against Auburn in the SEC Tournament and 10 versus Ball State in the NCAAs.
"Lyssi Brewer has got to commit to playing 94-feet up and down, both ways," Summitt emphasized. "She needs to establish her defense and scoring at both ends. If she does that, she could be a great asset for our team. Potentially, we could have a very deep post game, and we are counting on her to bring it all the time."
Unable to participate will be 6'1" sophomore forward Amber Gray (2.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg), who will be cheering for her teammates from the sidelines as she redshirts this season. Gray had surgery on July 2, 2009, to repair her rotator cuff. Post-surgical complications led to the discovery of an unrelated brain aneurysm that began to hemorrhage, causing a stroke. She was flown to University Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, where renowned neurosurgeon Mario Zuccarello, M.D., of the Mayfield Clinic and the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute, performed a 12 1/2 hour procedure to clip the aneurysm. After that, Gray was admitted to the Drake Center in Cincinnati on July 23 for rehabilitation to help build her strength and improve walking and swallowing.
"We are just thankful to still have Amber with us," said Summitt. "She will join us on the bench next semester. After that, we will see what her doctors and medical staff determine the role Amber will play with the Lady Vols. She is anxious to play again, but we are putting her long term health as our first concern and priority."
When Gray was battling for her life, all of her Lady Vol teammates, coaches and staffers were at her bedside. If any experience can cement a team, it's a vigil outside of intensive care for days on end.
Gray's circumstances also drove home how precious and fragile life can be - even to fearless 18 to 22 year olds. "Our team and staff grew so much closer as a result of what Amber went through," Summitt said. "I think it has inspired all of us."
Also inspired and waiting to make their impact on the Lady Vols' circle of influence is a trio of talented freshmen in Faith Dupree, Taber Spani and Kamiko Williams.
"I like what I see from our three newcomers; I see all of them helping us and contributing early," commented Summitt. "Give our upperclassmen credit. From day one they have been encouraging the freshmen, teaching them our system and preparing them for the roles they will be moving into.
"Individually and as a group, the freshmen have been impressive," explained Summitt. "While Kamiko is young and has a lot to learn, she is athletic and skilled. Taber is going to stretch the defense, and the fact that she can play multiple positions is a very good thing for our team. Faith is a very efficient post player. She plays within herself, steps out and shoots the three and also has a solid inside touch and moves."
Spani, a 6'1" left-handed guard, is one of the decorated high school All-America rookies for the Lady Vols. The Lee's Summit, Mo. native was a home schooler who played for Metro Academy (Olathe, Kan.) and tallied an impressive 4,113 career points while playing practically every position on the floor.
"Taber comes in as a very skilled and poised player with a high basketball IQ," said Summitt. "We knew when we saw her in high school that we could play her in the one to four spots in our player rotation. Taber is a player we feel like can make a difference for us on the offensive end with her deep shooting range, her passing skills and her great court vision."
While Spani becomes the first player to join the Lady Vols from the state of Missouri, the other two rookies are home grown talent.
Williams is a 5'11" left-handed whirlwind guard who spent 14 years growing up in Germany before her military family landed back in Clarksville, Tenn.
"Kamiko is a young, talented, athletic guard with great scoring ability," said Summitt. "I like how she can cover 94-feet in a hurry. She can take you off the dribble, she can get to the rim and she has a nice pull-up game. We really like what she's bringing to the court."
A 6'3" power post, Dupree is the eighth Lady Vol basketball player all-time to hail from Knoxville and joins former Webb School teammate Glory Johnson at Tennessee. Both were coached at Webb by the captain of the Lady Vol 1987 NCAA title team, Shelley Sexton Collier.
"You can easily see that Glory and Faith have played together," Summitt explained. "They bring an automatic connection to the floor and anticipate what each other is going to do. It's almost effortless at times.
"Individually, Faith is a very skilled post player from low block to three-point range," the head coach said. "She has a really good feel for the game and great composure as well for a young player."
Composure will come in handy when one peruses the schedule for the 2009-10 season.
In addition to the newly expanded Southeastern Conference slate of 16 games, the Lady Vols will also run the gauntlet of powerhouses, tangling with preseason ranked Baylor, Virginia, Middle Tennessee, Texas, Rutgers, Louisville, Stanford and Oklahoma, as well as San Francisco, Old Dominion, Texas Tech, UCLA and George Washington, on the non-conference side.
The Lady Vols are a hot ticket item for television this season as an unprecedented 26 of the 29 regular season games have already been slated to be aired over ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports Net, SportSouth, Comcast Sports or the SEC Network.
"We've loaded up our schedule again for the coming year," Summitt deadpanned. "This schedule is exciting and challenging and will help to prepare us for post-season play."
In the first month of the season, Tennessee will appear in three "Classics." The Lady Vols will play host to Baylor in the regular season opener in the State Farm Classic on Nov. 15 in Knoxville, travel to San Antonio, Texas, site of the 2010 NCAA Final Four on Nov. 17 to face Texas Tech in the ESPN Classic, and conclude the cavalcade of "Classics" by facing rival Rutgers at the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 13.
"Those are three great tests for our team," said Summitt. "I'm excited to be opening at home against Baylor and look forward to taking our team to San Antonio to face Texas Tech and to the Garden to play Rutgers - great teams and exciting venues." In all, UT will be facing competition from nine different conferences including the Atlantic 10, ACC, Big 12, BIG EAST, Colonial, Pac 10, Southeastern, Sun Belt and West Coast Conferences.
The season gets underway with a pair of exhibition tune-ups in Knoxville as Carson-Newman comes to town on Nov. 5 and an old foe from the AIAW national scene of the 1970's, Delta State University, makes its first appearance at UT in 30 years in a game on Nov. 9. The Lady Vols officially open the season at home on Nov. 15, facing Baylor.
The remainder of the November slate includes a trip to San Antonio to face Texas Tech at the AT&T Center on Nov. 17 and back-to-back road games at Virginia on Nov. 22 and a trip mid-state to face Middle Tennessee on Nov. 25. Former Lady Vol player and assistant coach Nikki Caldwell, now head coach at UCLA, will bring her Bruins to Knoxville on Nov. 28 to round out the month.
Tennessee starts the December portion of its schedule with consecutive home games, facing George Washington on Dec. 1 and Texas on Dec. 6 before taking a break for final exams. The Lady Vols will resume playing hoops on Dec. 13, battling Rutgers in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 13. A new first-time opponent for Tennessee will be Louisville, the 2009 NCAA Championship runner-up, when it visits Thompson-Boling on Dec. 16. The Lady Vols will then hit the road for a pair of games, traveling to Stanford on Dec. 19 and then swinging up to San Francisco to play former Lady Vol Tanya Haave's Dons on Dec. 22. Following a break for the Christmas holidays, Tennessee concludes the 2009 portion of the schedule with a game against Old Dominion in Knoxville on Dec. 30.
In January, the Lady Vols open the 2010 side of the schedule facing their fourth Big 12 team of the season, as Oklahoma comes to Knoxville on Jan. 3 for the final regular season non-conference match-up. Following that game, the SEC portion of the schedule cranks up, as South Carolina comes to town on Jan. 7. This season marks the first time since the 2004-05 campaign that the Lady Vols won't play a non-conference foe in the middle of SEC league play.
January continues with road games at Mississippi State (Jan. 10), Florida (Jan. 14), Georgia (Jan. 21), LSU (Jan. 24) and South Carolina (Jan. 31). Other first month home games include Vanderbilt on Jan. 17 and Auburn on Jan. 28.
To open the month of February, Arkansas visits Knoxville on the fourth. UT then travels for an ESPN2 "Big Monday" meeting at Vanderbilt (Feb. 8) and to Mississippi (Feb. 11). Other February home dates include Florida (Feb. 14), an ESPN2 "Big Monday" meeting with LSU (Feb. 22), Kentucky on Feb. 25 and Mississippi (Feb. 28). The other February road trip is a jaunt to Alabama (Feb. 18).
In the newly expanded 16-game SEC schedule, the Lady Vols play home-and-home games with Florida, LSU, Mississippi and South Carolina this season, to go along with their annual home-and-home traditional rival contests versus Vanderbilt.
"The SEC, from top to bottom, will be as strong and unpredictable as it has ever been," professed Summitt. "Great coaches and some incredible young talent are going to make a tough league even tougher. To be sure, the SEC schedule will be extremely challenging."
In the postseason, the 2010 SEC Tournament will venture back to popular Duluth, Ga., March 4-7. When the height of March Madness begins and the NCAA Tournament is announced on March 15, four teams will be heading to Thompson-Boling Arena, as women's basketball fans will be treated to NCAA First/Second Round action in Knoxville, March 20 & 22. Other NCAA First/Second Round games will be played at 15 additional sites from March 20-23. The NCAA Regional Championships will be contested March 27-30 and the season will culminate with the 2010 NCAA Final Four at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, over April 4 & 6.
By season's end, it will be interesting to see if the youthful 2009-10 Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team benefited from collectively empowering itself in a "Circle of Influence."
