KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Head Coach Holly Warlick met with members of the media ahead of No. 10/10 Tennessee’s practice on Wednesday. The Lady Vols (16-3, 4-2 SEC) will continue SEC play on Thursday, hosting Ole Miss in Thompson-Boling Arena.
Answering questions from the media, Warlick discussed UM’s offense and how UT has bounced back after a tough four games.
Tennessee will tip off against Ole Miss at 7:02 p.m. Thursday in Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will be available for streaming online via SECN+.
Tennessee Head Coach Holly Warlick
On how many many minutes Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell have been playing:
“We’re going to try to get them a little more rest. I thought it was important in these last couple of games that they be on the court. We’ll try to get some more people in and see how the game goes. We have to make our kids come in and maintain the level that we have on the floor.”
On Jaime Nared being in a shooting slump:
“We’ve talked to Jaime (Nared), and she wants everybody to do well. She has been focusing on making sure everyone gets to where they need to be. I think Jaime is going to be fine. She is putting a lot of pressure on herself for this basketball team. We talked and watched tape. She had a great practice yesterday. Jaime has taken it upon herself to think she has to do everything, and she doesn’t. She has to let her teammates help her now.”
On how she has addressed her team after recent losses:
“It’s been a tough stretch, I will tell you that. It’s been a little brutal, to be honest. To play three teams in the top five has been tough. These kids are resilient and we had to get back on the practice floor. Yesterday, we had a great practice. We had to go back to defending one-on-one, just doing the basic things that we really haven’t been able to practice because we had to get ready for some pretty tough competition.”
On whether the players are down on themselves:
“They aren’t down on themselves; they just know they can do better. Watching tape has been an excellent tool for us. We’ve really taken advantage of that. They understand the emphasis on practice and the tempo and what we need to do better. Yesterday, we watched tape, and it was so good for us to watch it and then get on the practice floor.”
On extending the bench:
“Yeah, we are going to try and do that. I think the kids, especially Jaime (Nared) and Mercedes (Russell), need a little break. It starts in practice and what we see and get confident in. Our plan is to extend the bench.”
On what Holly Warlick has learned about her team from the tough stretch:
“Well, we’re going to get better. We did some really good things. We did some young team things. I think they understand the importance of taking care of the basketball, taking quality shots, being able to defend one-on-one, and how important defense is. And (you can) throw in rebounding, because we have been doing that. Just being consistent with those (things). We are not going to stop someone from scoring every night, but when we really put pressure on someone defensively we’ve been solid. We’ve started out doing it, but we’ve let up on it. They understand it’s a four-quarter game, and we cannot, no matter the score, back off.”
On the primary problem of turning the ball over in games:
“We’re wanting to play fast. Our freshman are understanding the tempo of the game now, and it’s not just freshman, it’s upperclassmen as well. We have to understand the importance of not turning it over, and when to run, when not to run, and not getting in a bind and feeling like we have to get rid of the basketball. I tell them I’d rather them get a five second call then throw it and it lead to a layup. But (they’re) understanding what we need to learn and the importance of possessions and getting a shot. You can’t have 28 possessions and not get a shot off.”
On what Ole Miss does well:
“They penetrate well. They set a lot of ball screens. They have outside shooters. They have a kid that plays inside that can step outside and shoot the three. To me, it is a typical SEC team. They are athletic, physical, and can rebound and run the ball.”
On how the team is quick to learn from mistakes despite being young:
“I think they understand (their mistakes) before we even say it. They know. They are not a team that you cannot say anything to. That is what I think is special about them. They hear it, they listen, they try to correct it, and then we refocus.”
On positives that can be taken from recent games despite losses:
“We, overall, have played hard. We have been competitive. We have been in games. We have played well together. I think we are in great shape. To me, we could even be in better shape, but we still have a comradery that we need. When we lose, we hurt for everybody. When we win, we are excited for everybody. I’m not down on this team at all. We had a couple bumps. We are going to straighten it out. This team is special, and we are going to get back on track.”
-UT Athletics
