Where the Lady Vols turn at point guard following Destinee Wells' injury
On a night when Tennessee got the great news of Rickea Jackson's return, it also received a brutal blow.
The Lady Vols were without point guard Destinee Wells in the match and it was later revealed she would miss the remainder of the season due to a lower leg injury.
Head coach Kellie Harper has been through injuries as a player, as well, and has been able to help Wells throughout the beginning of her recovery process.
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"It was a gut punch, I think, for the team and for her,” Harper said. “I know it was tough initially to get the news, but since, she’s bounced back. I did share that I’ve been through that. I’ve been through it twice. Honestly, I think it gave her a little bit of comfort knowing that there are other people that have done it. We've got a great medical staff here that will take great care of her."
This leaves Tennessee thin at point guard. The other obvious option is Jasmine Powell who has been the starter in recent matches prior to the injury.
Powell is currently averaging 10.5 points, 3.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game.
"She played a lot of minutes, obviously," said Harper on Powell. "Did a really nice job rebounding. Did a really nice job getting to the basket. Had a lot of assists. She had a big load defensively, as well. She had a lot on her tonight. She's our ball handler and our best perimeter defender. She's going to get that about every night. We're going to have to have some people step up and take some pressure off of her whether that's on the boards and on the ball or defensively."
While Powell will be asked to play a large number of minutes in the wake of Wells' injury, she can't be on the court for the entire game. Due to this, Tennessee will need to look for a reserve guard to step up.
When asked who this could be, Harper didn't hesitate with her answer. She named both Kaiya Wynn and walk-on Edie Darby while saying the team will need production from both.
"For us, it's Kaiya Wynn and Edie Darby," said Harper. "That's what we've practiced a lot there. They've both got some good minutes there (against Wofford). We'll keep working on what that looks like. I think we'll have to be creative in some things. Those two really practiced hard. Honestly, I thought Kaiya's week of practice was the best week since she got on campus. I thought that was a great week for her. And she plays so hard. She makes a lot of plays when she's in there. But we'll continue to work with them. They both can bring something different than each other but they're going to both have to play."
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Harper was adamant that the team will also rely on Darby, but it's more likely Wynn carries the bulk of the reserve point guard role. For her, this is something new.
While she has experience entering her junior year, she rarely played the point guard position. Now, she is being asked to make a tough change in a short amount of time.
"She got a lot of reps this week," said Harper on Wynn. "I think she handled the ball really well. I think she understands the assignment. She understands what she needs to do. She's a really bright kid. I think sometimes she gets going so fast that she's got to slow down a little bit. I'll tell you, she just plays so hard. She's going to get to the basket, get to the free throw line, she'll get a board, she can guard. The energy that she plays with right now is really what we need as much as anything. We're going to really take advantage of film sessions with her to be able to take her education now and really, she's got to look at it a little bit differently now playing the point."
Tennessee has a bit of a break before returning to action which should assist in the adjustment. The next match is set for New Years Eve against Liberty on the road. Then, SEC play begins.
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