Holly Warlick says she'd like to coach again ...

[Plebe]

... and if she can just hang on one more year, there might be a plum job opening about 5 hours east on I-40

Former Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick reminisces, reveals she’d like to coach again

Former Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick reminisces, reveals she’d like to coach again, in an interview with LaChina Robinson.

highposthoops.com

She also talks about what she wishes she'd done differently at Tennessee.

 

[DefenseBB]

Awe shucks, you got me this gem of information for Christmas and I didn't get you anything...

Oh where oh where do I start....I think the Baltimore PAL has an opening for the 8-u team?

 

[CL82]

... and if she can just hang on one more year, there might be a plum job opening about 5 hours east on I-40

Former Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick reminisces, reveals she’d like to coach again

Former Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick reminisces, reveals she’d like to coach again, in an interview with LaChina Robinson.

highposthoops.com

She also talks about what she wishes she'd done differently at Tennessee.

I met her while she was still an assistant. She is friendly and charming. She saw my 1999 championship hat and started to talk to me very knowledgeably about the UConn men's team. I wish her well.

 

[triaddukefan]

... and if she can just hang on one more year, there might be a plum job opening about 5 hours east on I-40

 

[willtalk]

People in hell want ice water.

 

[DefenseBB]

People in hell want ice water.

THAT was funny!

 

[eebmg]

I think more accurately, Holly Warlick want's to coach for the first time.

 

[Ozimoto]

I have no doubt that Holly Warlick is a good person, but she was not head coach material, especially for a Division 1 level program.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I have no doubt that Holly Warlick is a good person, but she was not head coach material, especially for a Division 1 level program.

That's a little harsh.

She didn't perform to the previous standard at Tennessee, but there are plenty of coaches who have tanked similar situations a lot worse than she did.

 

[triaddukefan]

... and if she can just hang on one more year, there might be a plum job opening about 5 hours east on I-40

I think. I misinterpreted your remark........ you meant Wake Forest, correct? Though that job might open up this coming March. Their AD would know Warlick from their days together at Tennessee..

 

[Plebe]

I think. I misinterpreted your remark........ you meant Wake Forest, correct? Though that job might open up this coming March. Their AD would know Warlick from their days together at Tennessee..

Nope! You had it right. I meant one more year in addition to this one. She'll have to fight off the suitors this coming spring to hold out for the biggest job opening since ... UNC last year? Bigger than that?

 

[JoePgh]

Reading the article, I thought that Holly had a surprising take on what she would have done differently if she could re-do her experience at Tennessee. She said that she and her assistants were overly obsessed with signing as many 5-star recruits as they could. She now feels that it would be better to sign two 5-stars per class, and then fill the other slots with "3-star recruits who would go through a wall for you". She said that the latter kind of player was hard to find these days.

I have several reactions to this self-diagnosis of her coaching problems at Tennessee:

1. I think she is wrong. Her problem was not that she signed too many 5-start recruits; her problem was that she did not give them 5-star coaching to improve their individual and team basketball skills. And I don't know how she would overcome that problem in a new coaching gig.
2. What she may be implying is that having 5-start recruits with attitude problems is no bargain. It's fairly easy to imagine who she may have in mind, but I think that she also had some talented recruits who are not known to have attitude problems (beyond normal adolescent laziness and lack of focus), and she didn't do much with them either. I think Evina Westbrook may be an example of that.
3. Are 3-star recruits who will go through walls really that hard to find? Those are the Kylas and Mollys of WCBB, and I believe Tennessee has had those kinds of players, some of whom transferred out (e.g., the player who returned to Iowa).
4. But at the same time, I don't think any coach including Geno is going to get to the Final Four on a regular basis if that kind of player is getting major minutes in games against ranked opponents. But the example of Maria Conlon proves that even that is not necessarily true.

Holly's basic problem was that her players (at whatever level of skill they had when they entered) did not get better while they were in Knoxville. Mercedes Russell is the premier example of that. I don't think she has any idea that this was a problem, let alone what she would need to do to fix it.

 

[Mdoggie]

People in hell want ice water.

No they dont! They want graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate.

 

[Mulder]

Would she be content to be an assistance coach?
I'm sure someone would hire her.

 

[Bigboote]

Reading the article, I thought that Holly had a surprising take on what she would have done differently if she could re-do her experience at Tennessee. She said that she and her assistants were overly obsessed with signing as many 5-star recruits as they could. She now feels that it would be better to sign two 5-stars per class, and then fill the other slots with "3-star recruits who would go through a wall for you". She said that the latter kind of player was hard to find these days.

I have several reactions to this self-diagnosis of her coaching problems at Tennessee:

1. I think she is wrong. Her problem was not that she signed too many 5-start recruits; her problem was that she did not give them 5-star coaching to improve their individual and team basketball skills. And I don't know how she would overcome that problem in a new coaching gig.
2. What she may be implying is that having 5-start recruits with attitude problems is no bargain. It's fairly easy to imagine who she may have in mind, but I think that she also had some talented recruits who are not known to have attitude problems (beyond normal adolescent laziness and lack of focus), and she didn't do much with them either. I think Evina Westbrook may be an example of that.
3. Are 3-star recruits who will go through walls really that hard to find? Those are the Kylas and Mollys of WCBB, and I believe Tennessee has had those kinds of players, some of whom transferred out (e.g., the player who returned to Iowa).
4. But at the same time, I don't think any coach including Geno is going to get to the Final Four on a regular basis if that kind of player is getting major minutes in games against ranked opponents. But the example of Maria Conlon proves that even that is not necessarily true.

Holly's basic problem was that her players (at whatever level of skill they had when they entered) did not get better while they were in Knoxville. Mercedes Russell is the premier example of that. I don't think she has any idea that this was a problem, let alone what she would need to do to fix it.

I agree with what you said. I'll add to it:

A modification of point 2: You don't need 5-star recruits, you need the RIGHT 5-star recruits. I think this may be the biggest thing that separates Geno from the other great coaches in WCBB. Not every high-school basketball player wants to play for him, but I think most do. But I think he passes on, what, 70-90% of blue chip high schoolers because they won't fit in his program. One thing I've heard him say specifically is that he won't take anyone who isn't a good and willing passer. CD once said that she noticed Kelly Faris when she took a charge. They don't coach effort, which means they don't want kids who aren't self-motivated. That's certainly harder to evaluate than passing and playing defense (unless your name is Diana, Stewie, Maya, or Paige).

So I think in that area Holly had two problems. I'm not sure she recognized that a kid being a good player didn't necessarily translate into the kid being a good player in Holly's program. The other is that I don't know that Holly really had a vision for just what her system was and how a kid would fit in. So you had kids with different styles trying to mesh into a team coached by someone who may not have had a clear idea of what her team's style was supposed to be. The coach has to make the team fit her, not the other way 'round.

And she clearly WAS trying to coach effort.

 

[willtalk]

No they dont! They want graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate.

They would need the ice water to wash it down.

I think the problem with Holly is the same one some other assistant coaches that move up to head coach positions have. Some make good assistants but rotten head coaches. Those positions require different skill sets. Under a taskmaster like Pat she could be the motherly assistant, but on her own, she didn't possess the personality to command their respect. .

 

[Mdoggie]

They would need the ice water to wash it down.

I think the problem with Holly is the same one some other assistant coaches that move up to head coach positions have. Some make good assistants but rotten head coaches. Those positions require different skill sets. Under a taskmaster like Pat she could be the motherly assistant, but on her own, she didn't possess the personality to command their respect. .

Totally correct. Assistant can play "nice guy" its hard to bring the hammer down after you have been providing the pillows.

 

[DEpup]

At the heart of everything Westbrook has said about her time at TN was a lack of discipline, structure, and accountability..... Geno and CD have that in spades.