Coach Kellie Harper

Do you want Coach Harper to return or hire new Coach?


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My exact words when Kellie was hired were “cautiously optimistic.” I thought she was the easy hire for sure and that we could have reached hire but I loved her as a player. Her Mo State teams had been really fun to watch the last couple seasons and she was in the perfect position to move up when the job opened.

I was mostly supportive all the way up until this season. Really expected a lot more this season in year 5, even in the first few games. I was really unimpressed with our loss to FSU and the quality of the defense in that game. Just didn’t look like a prepared team at all. Went downhill from there after Rickea went down. There were some bright spots, but as someone else said, it just feels like we’ve seen her ceiling at this level.
I was absolutely optimistic for Kellie, and I really loved her as a player. It broke my heart to see her and Chamique walk off that court against the Blue Devils. Plus like you said, she was coming off a sweet 16 run with Missouri state. I saw promise in the first few seasons and the culture was/is better. Players seem to really like her, and she didn’t have many transfers. I gave her props for realizing who she had for recruiting for her wasn’t working and hired some new coaches.

However, we’ve been backsliding the last few years in losses and the ranked wins are becoming fewer. We had managed to stay top 3 in the SEC, which was an accomplishment. You just can’t start backsliding in year 5 as a coach. I know there are some extenuating circumstances and context matters, but at the end of the day, you are what your record is. I know there is always the careful what you wish for scenario, but this is a business. If any businesses CEO wasn’t getting results, the board wouldn’t say “what if the next hire is worse” but would look at it as “what if the next hire is better.” I have faith that when the time comes that Danny will look at it the same way. You can’t revive a stagnant business if you are fearful that the worst might happen.
 
Despite her S16 run at Mo St, the reason I didn't love the hire is that because she got fired from NC St, was basically "demoted" to mid-majors, and did Ok there but didn't dominate the way that Courtney Banghart did at Princeton. Kellie only had a 59% winning record at Mo St. You couldn't even call her "up and coming". She was a journeyman coach with limited success at the lower level, and no success at the P5 level. She didn't have a ton of upside or potential, and we're basically seeing that now.
 
Despite her S16 run at Mo St, the reason I didn't love the hire is that because she got fired from NC St, was basically "demoted" to mid-majors, and did Ok there but didn't dominate the way that Courtney Banghart did at Princeton. Kellie only had a 59% winning record at Mo St. You couldn't even call her "up and coming". She was a journeyman coach with limited success at the lower level, and no success at the P5 level. She didn't have a ton of upside or potential, and we're basically seeing that now.
Even with the Tennessee resources and support she struggled. NIL comes along and some want to believe that somehow was the reason for the struggles.
 
This is good and bad at the same time, the good is now players will transfer out that don’t really belong here, the bad is now we won’t get to see Nyla Brooks and Finley Chastain in Orange. I’m looking forward to seeing if most of u we’re right and now with a coaching change we will win the championship next season because that’s what I want, or will we win about 10 games because we didn’t get any good players through the portal.
Just like with Kellie coming back next year, I think we’ll have to wait and see what happens. I don’t think with her winning the championship with her next year anyway. There was no guarantee that Finley would make it here because it was a non-binding decision. Maybe she’ll still come or maybe she won’t. Kellie was able to re-recruit Jordan and Tamari so maybe that can happen again.
 
This is good and bad at the same time, the good is now players will transfer out that don’t really belong here, the bad is now we won’t get to see Nyla Brooks and Finley Chastain in Orange. I’m looking forward to seeing if most of u we’re right and now with a coaching change we will win the championship next season because that’s what I want, or will we win about 10 games because we didn’t get any good players through the portal.
Actually the players you don’t want to go will stay it is the issue of trying to keep the ones you want to stay to actually stay.
 
Explains a bit of the activity on X this morning too. The assistants were very active along with the players. I think they were pulling for their coach which makes it sting just a bit more. This needed to be done though.
 
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Coach Jack is at her Alma Mater don’t think she’s leaving Syracuse, though I wouldn’t be sad to have her. Really like how she coaches, same issue with her is, “can she recruit at a high enough level for Tennessee to be competitive in the SEC and nationally?”
We're 100% getting a coach w issues and questions, another 'sure hope it works'. If it were going to be different, that coach would already be lined up. Just hope the next 'hope it's her' has some good players to bring with.
 
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This is good and bad at the same time, the good is now players will transfer out that don’t really belong here, the bad is now we won’t get to see Nyla Brooks and Finley Chastain in Orange. I’m looking forward to seeing if most of u we’re right and now with a coaching change we will win the championship next season because that’s what I want, or will we win about 10 games because we didn’t get any good players through the portal.
We aren't getting a coach anywhere in the universe with a championship next year.
 
We're 100% getting a coach w issues and questions, another 'sure hope it works'. If it were going to be different, that coach would already be lined up. Just hope the next 'hope it's her' has some good players to bring with.

I’m thinking it might be Scott Rueck who would be considered by most a home run if not for his paltry previous three seasons. Oregon State was a program hit hard by COVID and the first big season of transfers. He has since got them lined out again.
 
We're 100% getting a coach w issues and questions, another 'sure hope it works'. If it were going to be different, that coach would already be lined up. Just hope the next 'hope it's her' has some good players to bring with.
Maybe Danny already has sn idea. Well just have to wait and see. I hate it for Kellie, and I’ll always love her as a player and person, but it seems like with them waiting till 4/1 that he has had a plan in mind, at least to me.
 
I’m thinking it might be Scott Rueck who would be considered by most a home run if not for his paltry previous three seasons. Oregon State was a program hit hard by COVID and the first big season of transfers. He has since got them lined out again.
There was an article about him not being sure about keeping his roster with the move down to the WCC.
 
There was an article about him not being sure about keeping his roster with the move down to the WCC.

Yeah it just sort of all makes sense. He has the experience, he’s a great Xs and Os coach, has been to the Final Four and can recruit.

Also just seems like Danny’s kind of guy based on other people he has hired. Very down to earth. His hiring would make me a bit nervous but I think we would likely be brining players with him due to the conference re-alignment. Including stellar freshman point guard Donovyn Hunter, super sophomore Timea Gardiner and junior Talia von Oelhoeffen.

With Oregon State moving to the WCC you’d expect a coach like him to be looking elsewhere and likely his players too.
 
Even with the Tennessee resources and support she struggled. NIL comes along and some want to believe that somehow was the reason for the struggles.
Laughable......The NIL is now the universal excuse. If we get a recruit folks will say we outbid the others....when we lose a recruit they will say the other team paid more than we offered. It's hilarious.
 
Even with the Tennessee resources and support she struggled. NIL comes along and some want to believe that somehow was the reason for the struggles.

NIL was always bs propagated by a certain poster who is absent. Many bought up that excuse. If NIL was he issue that poster made it out to be, Kellie would never have been let go.
 
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You called it! You called it and was given a hard time for it.

He and I have been put through it since November. I knew from that FSU game this was it. When I turned that off at the half because of the defensive effort I knew her time in Knoxville was short.


Even getting Rickea, the best small forward in the country, back couldn’t save her job.
 
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