Coach Kellie Harper

[DarkPhoenix]

Are you saying NIL isn’t the ONLY factor elite recruits weight when choosing a school? Are you saying they also consider the coach and the program? I ask because we’re being told NIL is the MAIN reason elite HS recruits aren’t coming to Knoxville. Apparently they’re not also factoring in the coach and program.

Don’t listen to what people on here say, it’s all speculation. Basically how it works on here is if a kid chooses is that’s means they don’t care about NiL but if they go somewhere else it’s because we couldn’t offer enough NiL.

 

[FormerLadyVolFan]

Every recruit is different...Apparently Coach Sam has found some that $$$$ wasn't the first factor in their recruitment.

Are you saying NIL isn’t the ONLY factor elite recruits weight when choosing a school? Are you saying they also consider the coach and the program? I ask because we’re being told NIL is the MAIN reason elite HS recruits aren’t coming to Knoxville. Apparently they’re not also factoring in the coach and program.

 

[Goladyvols9]

I believe coach Kellie will be terminated tomorrow and Matthew Mitchell will be named new coach. That's the reason he didn't take the KY Job this week even though everybody said he would be their new coach. He went to 3 elite eights at KY and his medical problems are over.

 

[FormerLadyVolFan]

LOL! I hope that you meant to use the BLUE FONT.

I believe coach Kellie will be terminated tomorrow and Matthew Mitchell will be named new coach. That's the reason he didn't take the KY Job this week even though everybody said he would be their new coach.

 

[madtownvol]

Are you saying NIL isn’t the ONLY factor elite recruits weight when choosing a school? Are you saying they also consider the coach and the program? I ask because we’re being told NIL is the MAIN reason elite HS recruits aren’t coming to Knoxville. Apparently they’re not also factoring in the coach and program.

First, let's not forget that Chastain's commitment is non-binding so things could change in the next few years.

The fact that the LVs have gotten some recruits on the rebound indicates how close they have come with past recruits. Those who keep saying NIL is irrelevant keep assuming that 18 year old recruits think like 60 year old fans who are nostalgic over the 1990 LV teams. They don't.

There are lots of really good schools, with good coaches and where NIL can make the difference at the margin.

 

[Raebo]

I would think DW would say something soon if it’s just to let portal players know if Kellie will or won’t be the coach next year.

He could just say “I’m proud of the LVs and have confidence in Kellie as head of the program”.
Or, “It is time for the program to go to the next level and we hope to identifly soon a new HC for the LV program”.

 

[ttharp]

Every recruit is different...Apparently Coach Sam has found some that $$$$ wasn't the first factor in their recruitment.

Hmmm. Many of the top HS recruits that passed on TN now play for winning coaches/programs. Booker, Velez, Shade and Del Rosario come to mind. All of them will finish their 1st year with an Elite 8 or better.

So, if NIL ended up being the deciding factor for them, we can’t say they didn’t also weight the coach and program they’d be playing for because they’re playing for some of the best. Getting an NIL bag plus playing for a winning coach sounds smart to me.

 

[LadyVol1908]

At this point I don’t think anyone knows what the hell is going on!

I just hope whatever happens, we get the players necessary to change the trajectory of the program! With Texas and Oklahoma coming into the fold….I’m concerned. I wasn’t sold on NIL being the culprit for our poor high school recruiting, but apparently that’s being addressed according to our resident “insiders”.

Based on what I’ve been able to read, Kellie should be back next year….and depending on results of 2024-2025….she’ll either be our coach for quite some time, or either we’ll be looking for the next big fish in the pond soon!

And honestly y’all, I’m going to go ahead and put my candidate out there…..Candace Parker…..I know, I know, but I’m only basing it off of recruiting! I think she’s the only person that can out recruit Dawn in the future. Dawn has a stronghold on TOP recruits due to the political climate right now. She knows what she’s doing, and honestly I have no problem with it! The media is the culprit and she’s responding appropriately and it’s resonating with African American recruits. I know her recruiting pitch is “Come play for someone who looks like you”. It’s honestly what I would do.

I want Kellie to succeed, just as I wanted Holly to! I held on to Holly way longer than I should’ve, and learned my lesson, and based on Kellie’s 20 year coaching experience and her 5 years here….it honestly looks SLIGHTLY better than Holly….save the “culture”.

I believe Holly had a lot of bad luck with injuries, as well as Kellie, but at the end of the day….the buck stops with the head coach and recruiting. You have injuries, you have to have someone to come in and be just as productive. That’s where Kellie has lacked. RECRUITING! Hopefully our NIL has been addressed and now we can make some moves! We need the HORSES!

🩵🩵 rant over!

 

[FormerLadyVolFan]

Most of them are winning because of better athletes secured by NIL deals...
“It’s not the X’s and the O’s, but the Jimmys and the Joes that make the difference.”

Hmmm. Many of the top HS recruits that passed on TN now play for winning coaches/programs. Booker, Velez, Shade and Del Rosario come to mind. All of them will finish their 1st year with an Elite 8 or better.

So, if NIL ended up being the deciding factor for them, we can’t say they didn’t also weight the coach and program they’d be playing for because they’re playing for some of the best. Getting an NIL bag plus playing for a winning coach sounds smart to me.

 

[LadyVol1908]

Don’t beat me up yall because I said Parker!

 

[Amb3096]

Don’t beat me up yall because I said Parker!

NO MORE FORMER LV PLAYERS!!!!!!

 

[Volfan2012]

First, let's not forget that Chastain's commitment is non-binding so things could change in the next few years.

The fact that the LVs have gotten some recruits on the rebound indicates how close they have come with past recruits. Those who keep saying NIL is irrelevant keep assuming that 18 year old recruits think like 60 year old fans who are nostalgic over the 1990 LV teams. They don't.

There are lots of really good schools, with good coaches and where NIL can make the difference at the margin.

I think most of we can't recruit because of NIL started with four players Del Rosario, Velez, Shade, and Booker. All four visited a lot, but never committed and the reason was suspected NIL deals at their present schools. Booker came here six times. Makes you think she was waiting for the right deal which never developed.

 

[Volfan2012]

Don’t beat me up yall because I said Parker!

Would be glad to have her.

 

[Majors]

Kellie has shown she can’t win with less. But somehow throwing more “NIL money” makes her a better coach.

 

[ttharp]

Most of them are winning because of better athletes secured by NIL deals...
“It’s not the X’s and the O’s, but the Jimmys and the Joes that make the difference.”

Can you give me an example of a coach in WCBB that wasn’t getting big time recruits (and winning) before NIL who now is because of NIL?

Before NIL, Geno won 11 titles. Kim won 3, Vic went to multiple FFs. Dawn won a title and multiple SEC championships. Tara won 2.

These coaches won big BEFORE NIL.

 

[madtownvol]

Can you give me an example of a coach in WCBB that wasn’t getting big time recruits (and winning) before NIL who now is because of NIL?

Before NIL, Geno won 11 titles. Kim won 3, Vic went to multiple FFs. Dawn won a title and multiple SEC championships. Tara won 2.

These coaches won big BEFORE NIL.

The USC coach with Juju. I am sure there are others.

Since NIL is still relatively new, its ramifications are still emerging though Jeff Walz seems to have gone down since NIL.

 

[spojo13]

I hope you're not referring to me here, because me being skeptical of what a hardcore LV booster and UT staffer say vs. pointing out the obvious holes in the story wouldn't be brainwashed; it's actually the opposite.

Amb, I hope you’ll stay around and not disappear for a while after speaking your mind. You’ve been laying it out there since the ESPN board days, and I like that you bring a difference of opinion from others on this board. It’s tough to find anyone in the middle ground around here who doesn’t immediately jump to hyperbole or whataboutism. There are some obvious people who think Kellie is the worst coach out there, and there are others that will put blame anywhere but on Kellie. It reminds me a LOT of the last Holly years.

 

[glv98]

Kellie has shown she can’t win with less. But somehow throwing more “NIL money” makes her a better coach.

Not a hard thread to follow. Since she can't win with less, if we're going to keep her let's give her money to buy more and see if she can win with more.

I'm not sure why ya'll act like someone wants to rob you're personal piggy bank to get NIL money for the LVs. Why begrudge it? If NIL $ wasn't "it", then ok, fire her and we have a nice bag to start the next guy off well. I'm happy if we're getting more $ whether we ever had any or not. Why is that a big deal?

Can you give me an example of a coach in WCBB that wasn’t getting big time recruits (and winning) before NIL who now is because of NIL?

Before NIL, Geno won 11 titles. Kim won 3, Vic went to multiple FFs. Dawn won a title and multiple SEC championships. Tara won 2.

These coaches won big BEFORE NIL.

One theory would be the already winning coaches with already big time programs were able to easily attract NIL funds when that became necessary to get the best recruits. I think what gets recruits is $$ plus the chance to win big. When someone can offer both of those, they're hard to beat out in recruiting. The rich always get richer.

 

[Volfan2012]

Can you give me an example of a coach in WCBB that wasn’t getting big time recruits (and winning) before NIL who now is because of NIL?

Before NIL, Geno won 11 titles. Kim won 3, Vic went to multiple FFs. Dawn won a title and multiple SEC championships. Tara won 2.

These coaches won big BEFORE NIL.

I think NIL has become part of it now when it wasn't a factor then. USC and UCLA have been helped by NIL. Looks like Maryland and Louisville have been hurt. I guess we could also say Tennessee, but hard to say if that is totally the reason here.

 

[glv98]

At this point I don’t think anyone knows what the hell is going on!

I just hope whatever happens, we get the players necessary to change the trajectory of the program! With Texas and Oklahoma coming into the fold….I’m concerned. I wasn’t sold on NIL being the culprit for our poor high school recruiting, but apparently that’s being addressed according to our resident “insiders”.

Based on what I’ve been able to read, Kellie should be back next year….and depending on results of 2024-2025….she’ll either be our coach for quite some time, or either we’ll be looking for the next big fish in the pond soon!

And honestly y’all, I’m going to go ahead and put my candidate out there…..Candace Parker…..I know, I know, but I’m only basing it off of recruiting! I think she’s the only person that can out recruit Dawn in the future. Dawn has a stronghold on TOP recruits due to the political climate right now. She knows what she’s doing, and honestly I have no problem with it! The media is the culprit and she’s responding appropriately and it’s resonating with African American recruits. I know her recruiting pitch is “Come play for someone who looks like you”. It’s honestly what I would do.

I want Kellie to succeed, just as I wanted Holly to! I held on to Holly way longer than I should’ve, and learned my lesson, and based on Kellie’s 20 year coaching experience and her 5 years here….it honestly looks SLIGHTLY better than Holly….save the “culture”.

I believe Holly had a lot of bad luck with injuries, as well as Kellie, but at the end of the day….the buck stops with the head coach and recruiting. You have injuries, you have to have someone to come in and be just as productive. That’s where Kellie has lacked. RECRUITING! Hopefully our NIL has been addressed and now we can make some moves! We need the HORSES!

🩵🩵 rant over!

Entitled to your opinion, and you certainly have a unique perspective on it I don't have. I'm sure Dawn gets some recruits bc they want someone who looks like them, but honestly I think NIL $ plus a chance to win titles beats that out for most. That's why half the elite eight coaches are old white guys. LOL, no one looks like Wes Moore.

I just want us to hire with ZERO imposed restrictions from any direction. Except no former LVs without successful head coaching experience LOL.

 

[spojo13]

I think NIL has become part of it now when it wasn't a factor then. USC and UCLA have been helped by NIL. Looks like Maryland and Louisville have been hurt. I guess we could also say Tennessee, but hard to say if that is totally the reason here.

I think anyone that isn’t dug in one way or another on Kellie can see that multiple things cam be true. NIL might be less than desirable, and Kellie hasn’t proven herself as a consistent high level winner against ranked teams. I don’t see how improving one without improving the other will change things. Even if they do throw more money at recruits, other coaches can say you can get your coins and win here, not at UT.

 

[Volfan2012]

Geno has huge backing at UConn cause they don't really have to contend much with football. I am sure Tara has all the backing she needs at Stanford. They could probably do better she is very selective of who she recruits. I am sure when Vic went to Texas he went there with all the backing he needed or I don't think he goes there. Watch Kenny Brooks at Kentucky he won't be down long.

 

[ttharp]

The USC coach with Juju. I am sure there are others.

Since NIL is still relatively new, its ramifications are still emerging though Jeff Walz seems to have gone down since NIL.

So are you saying USC outbid other schools Juju considered? Schools like LSU, SC, UConn? She’s a generational talent. If she decided to leave USC, those deals would follow her.

 

[Volfan2012]

I think anyone that isn’t dug in one way or another on Kellie can see that multiple things cam be true. NIL might be less than desirable, and Kellie hasn’t proven herself as a consistent high level winner against ranked teams. I don’t see how improving one without improving the other will change things. Even if they do throw more money at recruits, other coaches can say you can get your coins and win here, not at UT.

JMO I think Kellie is not real good at a couple of things. One is building a roster and two playing to many players and subbing to much. Certainly was hurt this season in a lot of games by not enough rebounding and I said and knew this before we played game one. I felt that in several games subs changed the momentum of some games in which we were doing quite well.
I don't know if she can recruit or not since NIL came into the picture. Were in so many top fives, threes, fours of a players final schools and then we lose. To bad we never learn the reason we lost.

 

[glv98]

So are you saying USC outbid other schools Juju considered? Schools like LSU, SC, UConn? She’s a generational talent. If she decided to leave USC, those deals would follow her.

She wanted to go to school there. She wants to live on the west coast. That helps. Several things can be true. Factors line up and then money is found.

Yes alot of Ju Ju deals would follow her now. Not sure how that is related. If she transferred, schools would still have to come up w big upfront payment of some kind. Might be less a factor for a player like her bc she's making plenty of bank already. She might take a smaller salary if there are other factors she likes. Each case is different.