@LadyVol_Hoops Report (11/12/15)

Nov. 12, 2015

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The preseason #4/4-ranked Tennessee women’s basketball team continues preparation for the 2015-16 season, and members of the squad met with the media on Thursday in advance of Sunday’s season opener against Central Arkansas.

On hand to answer questions before practice were head coach Holly Warlick, junior Jordan Reynolds and sophomore Kortney Dunbar. The Lady Vols will host the Sugar Bears at 2 p.m. ET Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena. SECN+ will have the online broadcast with Bob Kesling, Brittany Jackson and Maddy Glab on the call.

The Countdown is On

The Lady Vols have finished their preseason work and exhibition game, and they have scouted their upcoming opponent. Now the team is ready to tip off the 2015-16 season with their season opener on Sunday.

Central Arkansas returns four starters from a team that went 17-14 and 10-8 in the Southland Conference. This will be the first ever meeting between UCA and the Lady Vols.

"We try to take on teams not like the ones we’ll see in the SEC,” Head Coach Holly Warlick said. “Maybe they spread the floor; maybe they have five guards that have a lot of quickness. Central Arkansas plays a little like Carson-Newman, they spread the floor, shoot the three. These are things that sometimes we have difficulties with.”

Central Arkansas averaged 14.8 three-point attempts per game last season, while shooting 33.8 percent from downtown.

"They'll shoot the three,” Warlick continued. “They penetrate, they move the ball, they are scrappy kids, and are we bigger? Yes. Sometimes they will (try to) pull our post outside, away from the paint. It will be a challenge for us."

Central Arkansas only has one player on its roster taller than 6-0, while seven of Tennessee’s 12 players stand at least 6-1.

UT is ready to hit the court, as the team has prepared itself for one of the most difficult schedules in the country. The Lady Vols will play 10 teams ranked in the preseason AP poll and another three who were receiving votes.

“I think our schedule is really tough," Warlick said.

Dunbar’s New Role

Last season, Lady Vol sophomore Kortney Dunbar spent a lot of time around the perimeter, shooting over 70 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc. Head Coach Holly Warlick envisioned a different role for her going into the offseason.

With Dunbar’s size and shooting ability, Warlick saw potential for her as a ‘stretch four’ for the Lady Vols. This position is designed for players that can play down low in the post, but also ‘stretch’ the opposing defense with their perimeter skills.

On Thursday afternoon, Kortney discussed the new role with the media.

“It was about two to three weeks before (the Lady Vols went to) Italy. When [Holly] came in and we got some practices in, she told me, ‘Kortney, this is going to be something that you’re going to have to do … this is a role I think you’ll love, and I think you’ll really excel in.’”

Coming into her sophomore year, Dunbar was excited to have the help of teammates Mercedes Russell and Bashaara Graves, as well as guidance from assistant coach Dean Lockwood.

“I’m learning with some of the best post players in the country. You’re learning from their mistakes and their excellence,” she said of Russell and Graves. “Coming into practice and being able to put up reps with Dean [Lockwood], that’s probably some of the best stuff you can do.”

All of Dunbar’s offseason work was put to the test in the Lady Vols’ exhibition game versus Carson-Newman. Dunbar had an amazing game against the Eagles, putting up 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and three steals in 25 minutes– all career highs. Her shot selection was night-and-day from last season, as she only attempted two shots from beyond the arc, and her post presence was evident throughout the contest. With such an outstanding showing against Carson-Newman, Lady Vol fans are excited to see what Dunbar can do to tip off the season on Sunday.

Lady Vols Learning from Exhibition

The Lady Vols opened the 2015-16 campaign with a 101-59 exhibition game victory over Carson-Newman on Monday. The game was close for the first three quarters, but Tennessee blew out the Eagles 37-11 in the final frame to produce the final margin of victory.

The Lady Vols only played eight players in the contest, but they were able to finish the game strong.

"My biggest thing is playing hard,” Warlick said. “I thought for the most part we played hard. We weren't always in the right spot all the time; we didn't do the right things, but overall with the whole game, we had some very good effort."

UT broke out its full court press late in the game, which helped the Lady Vols force Carson-Newman into 18 turnovers that led to 20 points off turnovers and 18 fast break points for the home team.

"I think our tempo was up,” junior Jordan Reynolds said. “At the end of the game I thought we did a much better job of pressing. We got a lot of points from the press and transition defense. We were moving the ball up the court at a much faster tempo."

Multiple Lady Vols set what would have been career highs against Carson-Newman if the stats were counted for the exhibition. Mercedes Russell recorded a career-best 23 points and her first double-double. Andraya Carter and Kortney Dunbar each tied their high scoring marks of their careers with 19 and 15 points, respectively. Dunbar notched a career-best eight rebounds, while Reynolds tied a career high with seven assists.

The Lady Vols, however, know there is still a lot to work to do if they want to be playing in April.

"We have a lot of learning to do, a lot of things to overcome, still. At the end of the day, we did get a good team win. We did run the score up. We had a lot of ball movement. There were a lot of positives. We are just trying to correct the negatives right now."