Holly Warlick insists she wasn’t calling out fans of the Tennessee women’s basketball team last week.
Instead, the longtime assistant coach and fourth-year head coach of the Lady Volunteers wanted to stand up for her team after a 79-66 loss at No. 3 Notre Dame on Jan. 22.
“We’re hearing a lot of negativity from our fans and from people,” Warlick said. “Hey, guys, give this group a break. They’re playing as hard as they can. Are they playing great? Absolutely not, but they’re putting it all out there.”
Since then, Tennessee has defeated Vanderbilt and lost to Kentucky to move to 12-7 and 3-3 in the Southeastern Conference. It finds itself in a new situation as it prepares to take on Mississippi State (17-4, 4-3) at 8 tonight (SEC Network) at Humphrey Coliseum. Not only is MSU ranked higher than Tennessee (No. 13, No. 19), but it also has a better record and is positioned higher in the league standings.
For a program that is 36-0 against MSU in a series that dates back to 1986, those are eye-opening statistics. But Warlick, who played under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt and then worked as an assistant coach on her staff, is used to the rigors of a challenging schedule and being the team that everyone highlights on their schedule. This season is no different. It’s just that Tennessee, which returned three starters and nine letterwinners from last season, has used seven starting lineups and has had 10 players earn chances to start a game in an effort to find the right mix. Redshirt sophomore center Mercedes Russell, who was injured last season, is the only player to start all of the Lady Volunteers’ games.
Tennessee also has had to adjust to the addition of redshirt sophomore guard Diamond DeShields, who transferred from North Carolina. DeShields is leading the team in scoring (15 points per game), assists (47), steals (38), and turnovers (71).
Injuries also have played an important role in Tennessee’s start. DeShields, Russell, freshman guard Te’a Cooper, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, and Andraya Carter are the only players who have been available for every game. Only six players have seen action in 18 or more games.
When you put all of that together, even a team with seven McDonald’s All-American can have trouble finding its footing.
“We’ve created just an incredible thing here with Pat and the wins, so the expectations here are huge,”said Warlick, who was an assistant coach for all eight of the Lady Volunteers’ national titles. “We get that, and we have always gotten that. When we have lost with Pat in the past, she did the same thing. She said don’t give up on these kids because we’re going to keep working.”
Warlick said she didn’t talk to the players about her comments following the game against Notre Dame. She stressed that the women’s basketball team has had great support from a majority of the Tennessee fans. She said she made the comment because she wanted everyone to know the players are “solid and working hard and are going to get better.
“I wanted them to know we are not throwing in the towel and that we still are going to work and are still going to do the things we know how to do and represent the program to the best of our ability,” Warlick said. “I was not getting on our fans. I was just saying look, we’re going to continue to work and we have the right kids, so just bear with us.”
Tennessee has played another rigorous schedule that has resulted in losses to Texas and Stanford and produced victories against Syracuse and Oregon State. In the SEC, Tennessee has lost to Florida, Arkansas, and Kentucky. The latest setback came Monday in Lexington, Kentucky, when Tennessee nearly rallied in the final minutes to beat No. 12 Kentucky. But Cooper, who made consecutive baskets and had a chance to tie the game with 10.7 seconds left, made 1 of 2 free throws about 20 seconds after Andraya Carter also made 1 of 2 and committed a foul in a scramble for the rebound.
Two missed free throws with four seconds left gave Tennessee another opportunity, but the final horn sounded before Cooper could get off a final shot that hit the rim.
Warlick said Tennessee continues to be a “work in progress” due to all of the injuries. She said the Lady Volunteers have established rotations and have a better understanding of what everyone is supposed to do. She believes the team will use each practice and game to strengthen those bonds and that the players will find their best ways to contribute.
“When you have kids that have been stars on their team and to get them to mesh together, sometimes that can be difficult,” Warlick said. “You have to have a team that is willing to give and tweak a little bit. I think our team has done just that. Our leadership is getting more consistent.”
Warlick said senior forward Bashaara Graves is becoming more of a vocal leader and is working with Carter, a redshirt junior guard, and Jordan Reynolds, a junior guard, to set the tone for the team. Warlick said Carter’s knowledge of the game makes her a strong leader, while Reynolds is the squad’s emotional leader.
Despite not having one outspoken leader, Warlick said the Lady Volunteers’ identity continues to be energy and effort, especially on defense. With nine players 5-foot-11 or taller on the team, Tennessee can use its size and athleticism to create havoc. Warlick said Tennessee is at its best when it is creating turnovers and getting out in transition and scoring. She hopes the Lady Volunteers will have success in that area against an opponent that leads the SEC in turnover margin (+9.0) and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1). If Tennessee can do that, it will help them avoid a defensive struggle like the one MSU lost to No. 2 South Carolina 57-51 on Sunday in Starkville.
“I just know the tradition of Mississippi State women’s basketball and it has always been very athletic and plays hard,” Warlick said. “They have had some unbelievable talent there. There have been a handful of times we have been down there and won or won in the tournament won on a last-second shot. The record (in the series) is not indicative of how good Mississippi State is. I have the utmost respect for Vic Schaefer and what he is doing. I said last year they were sleepers and going to be a team to be reckoned with. This year, they are playing hard and they’re aggressive and they’re defensive minded, so I think Vic is the right person down there for the job, and he has done an unbelievable job to get the kids to buy into his system.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Reports from The Associated Press were included in this report.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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