Coach Kellie Harper

[spojo13]

You don’t have anyone for 4 years with the portal anymore, try your best to win as soon as possible.

IDK, you mentioned Hidalgo at ND, and I don’t see any reason why should we leave there before her four years is over. I think Fulwiley will be at SC all four years. I think if you can get some freshmen in that can make some impact on the team and decent playing time their first year, then they’ll stay. I think the consistent winners will have their rosters built on both high school and portal.

I am not against the portal at all, and I think at this point, we HAVE to raid the portal. But for whatever reason, it takes a little while for them to adjust and play here under Kellie. By the point that they do start to hit their stride, part of the season that determines postseason seeding has already ended. Either we need to schedule light and let them work out their play or Kellie will have to ramp up the learning curve.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

IDK, you mentioned Hidalgo at ND, and I don’t see any reason why should we leave there before her four years is over. I think Fulwiley will be at SC all four years. I think if you can get some freshmen in that can make some impact on the team and decent playing time their first year, then they’ll stay. I think the consistent winners will have their rosters built on both high school and portal.

I am not against the portal at all, and I think at this point, we HAVE to raid the portal. But for whatever reason, it takes a little while for them to adjust and play here under Kellie. By the point that they do start to hit their stride, part of the season that determines postseason seeding has already ended. Either we need to schedule light and let them work out their play or Kellie will have to ramp up the learning curve.

I mentioned her because of her competitiveness and her will to win, yes u can get players for 4 years but it’s not as easy as it was before is all I’m saying. If u strikeout on them u need to move to the next best thing and that’s the portal. And none of us know which players will stay, a coach can leave and the players can move on.

 

[spojo13]

I mentioned her because of her competitiveness and her will to win, yes u can get players for 4 years but it’s not as easy as it was before is all I’m saying. If u strikeout on them u need to move to the next best thing and that’s the portal. And none of us know which players will stay, a coach can leave and the players can move on.

Yeah, I get what you are saying. I think the lack of getting a few of those type players though has put us in being very portal reliant the last few years. Ideally, you only want to be only portal reliant if you are a brand new coach trying to get the basis of winning started.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the portal turns out.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Yeah, I get what you are saying. I think the lack of getting a few of those type players though has put us in being very portal reliant the last few years. Ideally, you only want to be only portal reliant if you are a brand new coach trying to get the basis of winning started.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the portal turns out.

At this point that’s all we have, we need to work on players in the 25 class.

 

[StorrsCentral]

Yes, because true freshman players never have problems adjusting to the college game.....

That is true, but after a year of learning how to play at the high CBB level, you have them for 3 more years. I would take a promising young player over a one year portal player, even if they are good.

 

[Majors]

Personally, I'd like to see Kellie get next year -- IF she hasn't already filled the schedule for next season similarly to how it was filled this season.

A hard lesson was taught this past season, scheduling-wise, and if the staff makes the adjustment to start slow and easy in hopes of building momentum instead of risking another early crash and burn situation, this time next season could be a happier time for the program.

Ideally, to me, she'd also have her first season of fully healthy players from start to finish. I'd sooooo love to see how much difference that could make as well. Of course, regardless of scheduling, a big improvement may not be possible unless both Key and Spear return, if Destinee Wells is 100% ... AND we have good luck with the portal.

I'd just really love her to get one more chance, but this time without so many cards stacked against her from the start.

If that makes me stupid to some here, I really don't care. I just know there won't be anyone on the planet who will love the program more than Kellie, and I'd like to give her one more shot.

Love you, Kellie!

Schedule easy to make her job easier?

 

[1reVOLver]

If the LVs miss the S16, then it becomes a very different conversation but i bet Kellie gets one more season with a very short leash.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

Bottom line is this, we have had a large sample size of what Harper is capable of. I like Harper, she was a great player. She knows the game well. There is no shame in what she has done, I believe she is trying, and I have no doubts she wants to succeed. But as I look I see no real promise that we are headed in the right direction. We are still a turnover riddled team that doesn’t make good decisions with basketball. We are not fundamentally sound or have any offensive flow at all. I hear all The Who we can get out there. Tennessee has the money and fan base to find a solid sound high energy motivator that demands hustle and optimum effort. It’s time to go in another direction and everyone get onboard with getting the Tennessee women back to national competiveness. We need somebody man or woman that wants to coach a team with the resources and fan base of Tennessee has back to national prominence. We can’t just keep going this route, nobody can say Harper hasn’t had the time to show we’re headed in the right direction. It’s time for us to make the move, White has my full support. GBO

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

Schedule easy to make her job easier?

Bingo, folks wanting a easy schedule isn’t the answer. You need to play the best to beat the best. We got a higher seed just because of our schedule with a weaker one we would have been a 10 or 11 seed. You can’t dodge competition in basketball. Playing weaker competition does nothing for you at the end of the day. That some of our fans thought process has turned to this is part of the problem. GBO

 

[madtownvol]

That is true, but after a year of learning how to play at the high CBB level, you have them for 3 more years. I would take a promising young player over a one year portal player, even if they are good.

No guarantees about 3 more seasons. We are in a brave new world...

 

[madtownvol]

LOL! Gail Goestenkors is the perfect example of why there are no 'home run hires'.
She wins a natty at Duke and Texas throws mega money at her and she flops miserably there and gets fired.

Gail G. is the cautionary tale!!! Even with Becky Hammon--everyone's dream hire- there is no guarantee that her special sauce would translate to the college game.
Even Gail G.'s replacement at Duke, McCallie who looked the next great coach, never replicated that level of success (or her own success at Michigan state.)

 

[Deebowbear]

Who?

If Kentucky can get Kenny Brooks surely the heck we can fine someone as good or better. Got to go out and see who on your list would be interested. The job would be interesting now more than later

 

[Deebowbear]

Doesn't matter they still lost but I say the same thing when individuals say well Rickea was injured.

Injuries are part of the game, next player up.

Look at UCONN they’ve been injury prone all year and look where they’re at now

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Gail G. is the cautionary tale!!! Even with Becky Hammonds--everyone's dream hire- there is no guarantee that her special sauce would translate to the college game.
Even Gail G.'s replacement at Duke, McCallie who looked the next great coach, never replicated that level of success (or her own success at Michigan state.)

All I will say about that is the young players know Becky Hammon and that might help with recruiting. But I wasn’t one of the people saying hire her, just giving my opinion on the topic.

 

[Deebowbear]

Kentucky is more about winning than we are and that’s bad

 

[turbovol]

You set firm goals for a coach. If s/he meets or exceeds the goals, great. If s/he fails to meet the goals over a fair period of time, you decide
to replace the coach and look for a replacement. You, the athletic director, never say: "Well, the results haven't been satisfactory but I'm not sure if I should sack him or her because I don't know if the next coach will be good." That is weak, lame thinking--and an athletic director afraid to do his job. If the results have been trending poorly, you'd certainly want to do a lot of early vetting/research and zero in on a small group of promising, potential replacements before making a final decision. Training a close eye on the collegiate coaching landscape should be constant. Every AD should at all times have a short list of potential replacements for any coach. That's a big part of the job.

 

[Voltopia]

Schedule easy to make her job easier?

Worked for LSU.

 

[Majors]

Worked for LSU.

They have a national championship coach.

 

[lfvol]

Or is it, Kellie has a poor record recruiting freshman players, that can play?

This, until you can get a top ten recruit every couple of years, you have little evidence of how freshmen can impact a team. You can be ok against lesser teams with solid, experienced transfers but you need some elite athleticism when you play teams with superior athletes hence our poor record against good teams. Jackson was exceptional. No one that played yesterday is nor would you expect that of talent in the 25-150 range.

 

[Voltopia]

They have a national championship coach.

Adn they won that national championship with a pitiful schedule. So again - it worked for LSU.

 

[VolFuture]

They have a national championship coach.

A terrible one

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Adn they won that national championship with a pitiful schedule. So again - it worked for LSU.

But u need the roster to pull it off

 

[VolFuture]

All i know is that KJH better get some good recruits, or thansfer portal players, because the Lady Vols are losing a lot of players being seniors. R. Jackson is the biggest lost.

We’re only losing 2 for sure

 

[VolFuture]

My criteria to replace Kellie

1. Must have won a regular season and Conference championship in the last 4 years. (Doesn’t have to be in the same year)

2. Made it to a Final Four in the last 4 years

3. Has never missed a Sweet Sixteen in the last 4 years

3. Has had a first round draft pick in that same span… bonus: for multiple draft picks any round who stayed in the league

4. Isn’t a Kim Mulkey… must at least have the same character as a Pat Summit and wants to do good for the game and community

5. Has recruited consistently well out of both high school and the portal.

6. Has always been ranked the last 4 years

7. Has a winning record vs top 25 teams

Bonus for wins over: Mulkey, Dawn, or Geno

 

[Deebowbear]

You set firm goals for a coach. If s/he meets or exceeds the goals, great. If s/he fails to meet the goals over a fair period of time, you decide
to replace the coach and look for a replacement. You, the athletic director, never say: "Well, the results haven't been satisfactory but I'm not sure if I should sack him or her because I don't know if the next coach will be good." That is weak, lame thinking--and an athletic director afraid to do his job. If the results have been trending poorly, you'd certainly want to do a lot of early vetting/research and zero in on a small group of promising, potential replacements before making a final decision. Training a close eye on the collegiate coaching landscape should be constant. Every AD should at all times have a short list of potential replacements for any coach. That's a big part of the job.

And if he don’t, then don’t need him