Jordan Reynolds needs good grip on Lady Vols' play

Holly Warlick and Jordan Reynolds meet over a common purpose before every Tennessee women’s basketball game.

Warlick, the Lady Vols coach, convenes these sessions with UT’s point guard to watch video and review everything from the game plan to perhaps two or three specific plays. It’s a meeting of the minds and Reynolds is communing with a former All-American point guard.

The intention is to prepare Reynolds for games like Sunday, when No. 25 Tennessee faces Texas A&M (18-6, 8-3 SEC) at 2 p.m. EST at Thompson-Boling Arena (TV: ESPNU, radio: Lady Vol network). The stakes are high. Tennessee (16-8, 7-4) has a chance to vault from fifth place in the conference standings to a tie for third.

Warlick invests the extra one-on-one time with Reynolds because she fully appreciates the challenge of her role.

“I think sometimes it can be overwhelming for Jordan a little bit, just because I’m asking her to do a lot of things,” Warlick said on Saturday. “Some games she handles it a little better than others.”

One of Reynolds’ better efforts was Thursday against Missouri, when she scored 12 points and recorded eight assists while committing just one turnover. Afterward, Warlick lauded Reynolds by saying she “ran her basketball team.”

“She was a great leader for us,” Warlick said. “We need that all of the time.”

Reynolds understood what her coach was saying, particularly the reference to ownership.

“She’s been emphasizing that because of our ups and downs,” Reynolds said. “She really wants me to take hold of this team and get us on a steady path.”

The responsibility falls to Reynolds largely because there aren’t other options. Fellow point guard Te’a Cooper is out for the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament during the summer. Reynolds’ primary backup is junior Alexa Middleton and she returned to the starting lineup Thursday for added scoring punch.

“Now it’s just me and I’m leading, helping out Lex,” Reynolds said. “So it’s like I’ve got to be that role model.”

Reynolds is fourth in the SEC in assists, averaging 4.5 per game. She’s second to Texas A&M’s Curtyce Knox in assist-to-turnover ratio. Reynolds’ 103 assists and 39 turnovers compute to a 2.6 ratio.

Her per-game scoring average of 6.9 is down slightly from her career high of 7.3, set two seasons ago. The evolution of Diamond DeShields, Mercedes Russell and Jaime Nared as UT’s top three scorers has reduced the importance of Reynolds’ scoring. But she conceded that Thursday’s contribution constituted welcome assistance for the aforementioned trio.

“I have been working on my shot lately with (assistant) coach (Jolette) Law,” Reynolds said. “Just trying to help these guys as much as I can and give the team some relief.”

Reynolds is in charge of the Lady Vols’ team strength. Their per-game scoring average of 75.9 points is more than 10 points better than last season (65.6). Their field goal shooting percentage has improved from a program-worst 40.8 last season to 44.2 at present.

“I’m really pleased with our offense,” Warlick said. “And you know what? I think it can get better.”

She and Reynolds likely have met about that.