KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Kim Caldwell and her Tennessee Lady Vols team took to the court Saturday morning for an open practice. Tennessee continues to get after it in preparation for the season. Oct. 27 will bring the first exhibition against Florida A&M at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Practice had great energy, and that looks to be an identifier for this team this season. The Lady Vols scored 109 points in their scrimmage against the practice squad. According to a team spokesperson, they’ve averaged 102 points over three scrimmages. Caldwell has the depth to sub multiple players at a time, and she’s done that. Below are a few takeaways from Saturday morning stood out to me.
Stats are unofficial, other than the score.
First, something that needs sharpening. Defending the perimeter was a bit flexible at first. They did, however, tighten that up quickly, and the defense overall proved to be effective. The Lady Vols will still press from time to time. That has been Caldwell’s style, and she has players who are bought in to do it at an efficient level.
When the Lady Vols turned up the pressure, they forced turnovers and scored easy buckets off those opportunities. They also played pretty disciplined defense without committing careless fouls. I like the versatility of this squad. I don’t believe there is a player on the floor who can’t guard at different levels.
What is also good is that it doesn’t look like Caldwell has a one-or-the-other type of team. They can score and defend. No, I didn’t say things were perfect, because they never are, but all of the want to and potential is there. They just have to execute.
The Lady Vols have to make the freebies. They went 3 of 8 from the charity stripe. From what I saw Saturday morning, this team will have plenty of opportunities to execute from the line this season. They have to make those count.
Three-point shooting was not great. Some nights will be like that. As long as they identify that before it becomes a problem, this is a team that can attack. Eighty-six of their 109 points came from 2-point range in the scrimmage. There were still a few missed bunnies, but overall the finishing looks good.
Player observations
Aaliyah Moore can get it done at both ends. Her 6-foot-3 frame plays well in and outside the post area. Moore is smart and moves well without the ball to get to the open spot. She is a solid scorer through contact at the rim. On defense, she has good instincts and quick hands to get into passing lanes.
Rylie Theuerkauf moves well without the ball and will, of course, be a shooter from outside, even though she shot just 1 of 4 from deep Saturday. Theuerkauf came here to develop her game for a shot at the next level, and she’s definitely working toward that. Twelve of her 16 points came from attacking and cashing in on second-chance opportunities.
K.K. Smikle is a difference-maker for this team. She is versatile and forces defenses to account for her anywhere on the court. She puts the ball on the floor well, scores through contact and can score from all levels. Smikle scored 30 in Saturday’s scrimmage. One of the most important things about her is that she will crash the boards.
Zhen Craft is 6-foot-2 and doesn’t waste her size. Saturday, she hit 4 of 5 from the field and got to the boards for second-chance opportunities. That is a good trait I noticed from the team in general: heavy emphasis on cleaning up the glass. Those details matter and could be the difference in games.
Jada Eads is another guard who likes to get downhill. Eads scored 10, going 5 of 9 from two point range.
Naomi White is a shooter but hit only 2 of 8 Saturday, with all her shots coming from beyond the arc. White does look to be learning the defensive side of things well.
Harper Peterson flashed and hit a couple of 3-pointers. Depth will be something to watch. Who can score a couple of buckets when needed off the bench?
Fatmata “Fats” Janneh did not scrimmage Saturday. We were told by Tennessee that she turned her left ankle in practice. She had a boot on, but it is not believed to be serious.
Everyone’s waiting to see what her new-look team will bring to the floor this season. There may be some early pains to get through when the season starts. This is a brand new squad and even though they practice with each other daily, the real game always bring challenges. However, I believe this will be a team that gets stronger as time goes on. They have the players. How they handle hard will be what determines their season.
