Coach Kellie Harper fired

[cobbwebb0710]

I’m only joking! That was a pretty deep response and I like it.

 

[DooleyOrangePants]

Either the coach takes responsibility for his team or he doesn’t. Evidently he is okay with that behavior. Nothing dishonest or lazy about that. Winning doesn’t cover all sins.

Hey, you can have your opinion. If this is a true and honest position, then you do you.

However, eating your own over a perception (a very wrong one, in my opinion) is going to leave you searching a really long time for the "perfect" coach or system. And do yourself a favor and never run into athletes on their own time -they might be listening to AC/DC or Beatles albums backwards.

 

[butchna]

I’ve said many times she’s a bad evaluator of talent, never have I been one of her defenders on here.

Then I can certainly understand your qualms with this decision.

 

[WeAreTheRealUT.]

Truly disappointed with this decision. Kellie deserved at least one more year. She is a class act and brought in a team of exemplary student athletes. I never worried about how Kellie, her staff or the team would represent my alma mater.

DW has shown himself to be weak and subject to which way the wind blows. He brought in a baseball coach that is an embarrassment to the university. That program is now known for vulgarity, poor sportsmanship and generally being a bunch of punks. I am tremendously concerned that the tradition Pat established of a national contender AND a class program is headed for the ash heap.

Just very sorry for a good person, good coach who has been treated unfairly by someone who isn’t even a member of the UT family.

I will continue to support the Lady Vols through thick and thin. I will hope for a new coach we can be proud of but now have significant doubts about DW’s judgment. A very sad day for UT WBB.

DW did not hire TV that would have been John Currie.

 

[glv98]

Wow! I know people on this board like to trash MMC but she would not have published that detail if not verified.

Jon could have done something else and I think the Harper family could have eked by on Kellie's million plus a year salary.

Kellie, sorry, you blew it......

Jon bro...man even if she didn't want you to, you tell her your stepping aside to save her job.

Okay, here is the worrisome thing. If White presumably said, "hey Kellie I want you back as HC but we have to sack Jon" that offer could mean he did not have a "home run" hire waiting in the wings. Maybe he was surprised that Kellie said no and now we have a dumpster fire.

So interesting that we read "staff changeS" immediately as Jon. And that's the big problem with any kind of nepotism - it's an immediate grievance magnet, whether warrented or not. It was long ago decided with zero evidence on this board that if there was a problem w assistants, it must be Jon.

To me, it makes more sense that it was Sam, since we've also already heard that recruiting was the main problem. Seems like the AD would have already known Jon and Kellie were a package deal and never offered that as an option. Also could be more than one change the AD was after.

Whatever, KJH did the right and noble thing by refusing. Shuffling deck chairs again after two years would not have been it.

 

[turbovol]

Those coaches aren't coming to Tennessee. We are no longer the one that gets what we want. She has not had great success, but she has had success. This sends a message to anyone hired - NC within 5 years or you are gone.

National championship? Harper didn't even get to the Elite Eight. Had she gotten us to a Final Four--or maybe even an Elite Eight--she might still have a job.We lost to just about every good team that we played in 5 years. I think that fact and our poor HS recruiting sealed her fate. Didn't we lose to Virginia Tech by 2 points last year without Jackson? Then, we played the Hokies in the Sweet 16 with Jackson--and of course lost. That ultimately was the problem.

 

[volplaya8]

@Proud Army Wife



Lucy said:
Truly disappointed with this decision. Kellie deserved at least one more year. She is a class act and brought in a team of exemplary student athletes. I never worried about how Kellie, her staff or the team would represent my alma mater.

DW has shown himself to be weak and subject to which way the wind blows. He brought in a baseball coach that is an embarrassment to the university. That program is now known for vulgarity, poor sportsmanship and generally being a bunch of punks. I am tremendously concerned that the tradition Pat established of a national contender AND a class program is headed for the ash heap.

Just very sorry for a good person, good coach who has been treated unfairly by someone who isn’t even a member of the UT family.

I will continue to support the Lady Vols through thick and thin. I will hope for a new coach we can be proud of but now have significant doubts about DW’s judgment. A very sad day for UT WBB.




Found the original finally! Even better!

 

[Score50]

I wish CKH and family all the best. I thank her for her time at UT both as a player and a coach.

With that said, I thank Danny White for doing what needed to be done. CKH just couldn’t recruit or coach enough to deserve the UT job. In the big scheme of things, just another colossal mistake by Fulmer. CKH was never good enough for this job. She was fired at NCST and at best a mid major coach. He just was lazy and was hoping she wasn’t a flop and she was. Danny White isn’t in over his head. He will get the best coach available and it doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman or if he/she has ties to UT. He is running a multimillion dollar business and isn’t doing things halfway and hoping. Let’s make a hire that makes us relevant again before none of the future Lady Vols players remember Pat Summit.

 

[AthensVol2007]

If it’s anyone from that list then we might as well kept Kellie.

I think you’re selling Fortier short and she was one of the first 3 names I thought of. She’s won 81% of her games and made the tournament 8 out of 9 opportunities and it would be 9 out of 10 if not for Covid in 2020. Won a conference title 8 out of 10 years. Winners typically win at all levels. It’s all relative, yeah she’s playing weaker competition but she’s fielding weaker talent than she could hopefully field at a P5 school. She beat Stanford this year which is something we haven’t done in a while, beat Bama (who beat us) and beat Utah. Had close losses to Wazzu and UofL; so she’s proven she can hang with what is likely an inferior roster.

 

[Score50]

@Proud Army Wife



Lucy said:
Truly disappointed with this decision. Kellie deserved at least one more year. She is a class act and brought in a team of exemplary student athletes. I never worried about how Kellie, her staff or the team would represent my alma mater.

DW has shown himself to be weak and subject to which way the wind blows. He brought in a baseball coach that is an embarrassment to the university. That program is now known for vulgarity, poor sportsmanship and generally being a bunch of punks. I am tremendously concerned that the tradition Pat established of a national contender AND a class program is headed for the ash heap.

Just very sorry for a good person, good coach who has been treated unfairly by someone who isn’t even a member of the UT family.

I will continue to support the Lady Vols through thick and thin. I will hope for a new coach we can be proud of but now have significant doubts about DW’s judgment. A very sad day for UT WBB.




Found the original finally! Even better!

Lucy is delusional and always has been.

 

[volmanNC]

Good job Danny White.

At least there is some hope now!

 

[volfan102455]

My last post for the day on this topic but I am shocked by MMC's report that Kellie could have stayed if she had agreed to hiring a new assistant (and it is easy to infer who White wanted to replace).

So, Kellie reportedly had the option to stay in her dream job, with a much improved NIL situation on the way, promising recruits in the pipeline, a good core of players returning, the prospect of the portal to buttress the line-up AND the resources to hire a great new assistant.

And she said no!!

That inexplicable decision reflects the way too stubborn, "I don't like change Kellie". It puts this entire situation in a different light. Her stubbornness puts the program in a real bind. White does not make such a conciliatory offer to Kellie if he has a "home run" replacement lined up.

He must be in scramble mode and shaking his head in disbelief over Kellie's response.

It depends upon whom she was asked to fire. Some of you seem to think it would be easy to "fire" your spouse. If you do, you are putting your job over your family. That is why many companies don't hire both and if they do prevent them from being in a position where one has to fire or evaluate the other.

 

[knoxvol52]

That has to be on a poster, hanging on your bedroom wall, right?

Right beside poster of Kylie Jenner.

 

[Jazzy#10]

Please go get Wes Moore!!

Wes waited for them to come calling when he was at UTC for all those years. He's not leaving home to go some place that didn't want him when he wanted them. And....he's not replacing his former assistant again.

 

[WVU05UT09]

So interesting that we read "staff changeS" immediately as Jon. And that's the big problem with any kind of nepotism - it's an immediate grievance magnet, whether warrented or not. It was long ago decided with zero evidence on this board that if there was a problem w assistants, it must be Jon.

To me, it makes more sense that it was Sam, since we've also already heard that recruiting was the main problem. Seems like the AD would have already known Jon and Kellie were a package deal and never offered that as an option. Also could be more than one change the AD was after.

Whatever, KJH did the right and noble thing by refusing. Shuffling deck chairs again after two years would not have been it.

I assume logically it was Jon because the alternative is worse. Sticking your neck out for non-family assistants would have been even dumber. Even more confirmation she isn't cut out for this life.

 

[BigALWiLson]

I am VERY curious about your opinions on Vitello. Please, enlighten me.

Oh shiz get the popcorn

 

[VolBall09]

It depends upon whom she was asked to fire. Some of you seem to think it would be easy to "fire" your spouse. If you do, you are putting your job over your family. That is why many companies don't hire both and if they do prevent them from being in a position where one has to fire or evaluate the other.

Jon did not report to Kellie. He reported to the AD. So the more likely scenario is that Jon was being let go and she did not have a choice in the matter. Rather than move forward with a new assistant she also chose to resign.

That’s how it looks to me at the moment.

 

[turbovol]

I don’t think AD White was a fan of that setup either. I’ve maintained since it started happening the husband and wife coaching duo is ridiculous. I’m not paying two salaries to one household and creating an immediate accountability problem with my coaching staff by hiring a married couple.

And again, give me one MEN’S sport where the wife is an assistant to the husband. I’ll wait.

So blame Fulmer....I'm not a fan of such combos, to be sure, but there are a few of them around--and some succeed. Let's recall that our Top 10 softball program was built by a husband and wife coaching pair. They created a powerhouse program. It eventually became counterproductive with Ralph getting old--but it worked for a long time. South Carolina has been very successful in soccer with a wife and husband team. Some have wanted to scapegoat Harper's husband for the team's mediocrity--but I've never bought that.

 

[Proud Army Wife]

@Proud Army Wife



Lucy said:
Truly disappointed with this decision. Kellie deserved at least one more year. She is a class act and brought in a team of exemplary student athletes. I never worried about how Kellie, her staff or the team would represent my alma mater.

DW has shown himself to be weak and subject to which way the wind blows. He brought in a baseball coach that is an embarrassment to the university. That program is now known for vulgarity, poor sportsmanship and generally being a bunch of punks. I am tremendously concerned that the tradition Pat established of a national contender AND a class program is headed for the ash heap.

Just very sorry for a good person, good coach who has been treated unfairly by someone who isn’t even a member of the UT family.

I will continue to support the Lady Vols through thick and thin. I will hope for a new coach we can be proud of but now have significant doubts about DW’s judgment. A very sad day for UT WBB.




Found the original finally! Even better!

I smelled a boomer after the 2nd paragraph so I stopped reading. No offense to boomers btw.

 

[madtownvol]

So interesting that we read "staff changeS" immediately as Jon. And that's the big problem with any kind of nepotism - it's an immediate grievance magnet, whether warrented or not. It was long ago decided with zero evidence on this board that if there was a problem w assistants, it must be Jon.

To me, it makes more sense that it was Sam, since we've also already heard that recruiting was the main problem. Seems like the AD would have already known Jon and Kellie were a package deal and never offered that as an option. Also could be more than one change the AD was after.

Whatever, KJH did the right and noble thing by refusing. Shuffling deck chairs again after two years would not have been it.

Fair point. We don't know for certain that it is Jon. Complete speculation

On the flipside, head coaches change staff all the time (and Kellie has done so already while at UT). She has to BELIEVE that she could have turned the Titanic around if given another year or two and more NIL $.

I am not sure she would have drawn this noble line in the sand for just any assistant...

 

[cobbwebb0710]

Right beside poster of Kylie Jenner.

I was thinking more like the “hang in there” kitten.

 

[glv98]

I think you’re selling Fortier short and she was one of the first 3 names I thought of. She’s won 81% of her games and made the tournament 8 out of 9 opportunities and it would be 9 out of 10 if not for Covid in 2020. Won a conference title 8 out of 10 years. Winners typically win at all levels. It’s all relative, yeah she’s playing weaker competition but she’s fielding weaker talent than she could hopefully field at a P5 school. She beat Stanford this year which is something we haven’t done in a while, beat Bama (who beat us) and beat Utah. Had close losses to Wazzu and UofL; so she’s proven she can hang with what is likely an inferior roster.

Fortier is out. Her husband is her assistant. This board has decided keeping Jon got Kelly fired. So all the limitations for hiring an LV are now off, except the one that eliminates alot of the best up and coming coaches - thier husbands work for them.

 

[volplaya8]

I smelled a boomer after the 2nd paragraph so I stopped reading. No offense to boomers btw.

That has nothing to do with age…I promise you. Other stuff…yes…but not age

 

[madtownvol]

Jon did not report to Kellie. He reported to the AD. So the more likely scenario is that Jon was being let go and she did not have a choice in the matter. Rather than move forward with a new assistant she also chose to resign.

That’s how it looks to me at the moment.

Edited to reflect new and more accurate information

 

[turbovol]

Jon did not report to Kellie. He reported to the AD. So the more likely scenario is that Jon was being let go and she did not have a choice in the matter. Rather than move forward with a new assistant she also chose to resign.

That’s how it looks to me at the moment.

Intriguing take--and someone with sources in the athletic department should be able to confirm or deny that this was the case.