Counting on whom? Summitt wants at least eight players

By Dan Fleser
Published Monday, November 2, 2009

Pat Summitt put the number at eight. Tennessee's women's basketball coach is looking for at least that many dependable Lady Vols this season and said so at media day.

"She's added one,'' said Glory Johnson, turning up the wattage on her smile.

The sophomore forward thought the working number was "six or seven."

No, teammate Briana Bass said, those were last year's numbers.

"Lately, it's been eight strong players,'' the sophomore point guard said. (Coach says) I'm looking for eight strong players."

Junior guard Angie Bjorklund figures there's a method to this mathematical madness.

"(Summitt) has to keep us on our toes,'' Bjorklund said, "so she changes it up a little bit."

Whatever the magic number, the Lady Vols have a better grasp of how to be in that number. Summitt said as much with another comment on Monday.

"I have a different comfort level than a year ago,'' she said.

Summitt feels better after an offseason during which the players responded to a 22-11 season by putting in more workouts than any team in strength & conditioning coach Heather Mason's seven-year tenure at UT.

Summitt feels good enough to think her competitive quota is reasonable.

"We may have more than eight,'' she said. "I'm waiting to see if others will put themselves in the hunt."

The Lady Vols play an exhibition game against Carson-Newman College on Thursday night. The season opener is Nov. 15 against Baylor.

A combination of injuries, inexperience and inconsistency last season left the ranks in disarray. Twelve different starting lineups were deployed.

"Last year somebody would be working hard this day, then taking that day off,'' Bjorklund said. "I think that's why it was hard to find that solid five, six or seven (players).

Summitt has Bjorklund and sophomore guard Shekinna Stricklen in mind as starters. Stricklen looks more comfortable playing point guard than she ever did last season.

"I know the position a lot better than I did last season,'' she said. "I feel totally confident about it."

Other than those two, however, uncertainty remains in play. Summitt will put 6-foot-6 center Kelley Cain, who shot 66.3 percent from the floor in 12 SEC games last season, in the starting five, too. But her status is dependent upon her surgically repaired right knee withstanding the rigors of the season.

Bass, who has two surgically repaired knees and packs on the ice after practice, said daily maintenance will be key for Cain.

"As long as she continues to treat her knee and give it what it needs - whatever that might be - I think if she does that I think she's going to be there,'' Bass said.

Johnson wants to be there for the opening tip as well. Her status, though, depends on her playing with more poise and reliability. To her credit, she's been staying after practice lately to work on her shooting and post moves with assistant coach Dean Lockwood.

"I always want to start,'' she said. "I always want to be someone (the coaches) look to to start the team off successfully."

With these personnel issues in mind, Bjorklund thinks there's only one course of action the Lady Vols can count on.

"Everyone really needs to be consistent in their play,'' she said, "then I think our lineup will be consistent."