Midway through the season, with three losses under their belt, the Lady Vols still were searching for an identity.
Then along came Tye’sha Fluker.
Fluker, a 6-foot-5 junior center from California, had shown flashes of potential. Against Connecticut on Jan. 8, she finally showed up, and since then has taken her game to another level.
“Tye has become a much more aggressive player in the paint and is feeling a lot better,” UT coach Pat Summitt said. “She’s being more active defensively and on the boards.”
Fluker’s strong play of late was put on hold Sunday against Kentucky when she scored six points in 14 minutes due to an illness.
The Lady Vols (14-3, 5-0 SEC) will look for a healthier Fluker tonight when they travel to Columbia, S.C., to take on the Gamecocks (6-13, 0-5).
Summitt and her staff have breathed more easily over the last few games knowing opponents are facing much more resistence in the paint.
“We feel much better about her play,” Summitt said.
Fluker is averaging 6.9 points and 6.1 rebounds for the season. In the six games since the trip to Connecticut, she has averaged 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds.
In UT’s 81-71 win at Auburn last Thursday, she took over in the final minutes to erase a late Tiger lead. In that game, she set a career high with 18 points and picked up a double-double by adding 11 rebounds.
Fluker and freshman post Nicky Anosike have given the Lady Vols several options on offense.
“Because of how much more confidence we have in our inside game, our players are much more composed now as a basketball team,” Summitt said. “If one look isn’t open, we don’t have to try and force a shot. We can just move to a different option.”
South Carolina provides a stark contrast to Tennessee’s recent run, coming in 0-for-5 in SEC play and on a three-game losing skid.
Freshman center Ilona Brugrova has provided one of USC’s lone bright spots of the season, scoring in double figures in three of the last four games, including a 16-point performance against Arkansas on Sunday.
After frequent lineup changes in recent games, the Lady Vols will keep the same starting five from the Kentucky game after rushing out to a 22-2 lead against the Wildcats with freshman Alexis Hornbuckle at the starting point guard position.
But changing lineups will continue through the rest of the season with a clear goal — improvement across the board.
“We want to continue to get better,” Summitt said. “March is when it counts.
“I’ll sacrifice play now in order for players to get valuable minutes and be better players then.”
