Kellie Harper discussion/debate thread [merged]

[Coach Jumper]

Follow up: Somebody mentioned on this thread that Kara Lawson would never be hired by UT, any reason why? She meets all my requirements WNBA, was an All Pro for a year, International experience plus now she has some limited experience as a college coach. I do not know if she could recruit at a high enough level to be successful . Her husband would not take up a slot as a coach, he has a job in broadcasting. I am not pushing for her but I am curious why some think she would never be hired by UT.

you had me until that line

 

[JarFly]

Maybe undermining the university with insulting implications while a member of the Board of Trustees could create a situation like that.

Do tell

 

[GrayWaterCanine]

Do tell

It was a widely told news story just before she took the Duke job. It's no secret.

 

[plumbervol]

I would love to know what is meant as undermining the University with insulting implications. In conservative East TN it could mean anything. Mulkey is 60 yrs old and LSU is her last stop. Staley is going nowhere. JKH does not have the resume of a Lawson as far as international and WNBA experience. Parker has no coaching experience and is still an active player. Catchings the same but has not showed any interest coaching. Shea Raph will always be suspect to leaving for UCONN wherever she is at. Notre Dame snatched up Ivey while they could. Potential HC's like the people I mentioned all fit my list of International, WNBA etc background and they are not old dried up coaches trying to relate to 18 yr olds. Pat HS was young and as I said before had International experience and was the future and ahead of her contemporaries without HC experience.

 

[madtownvol]

I would love to know what is meant as undermining the University with insulting implications. In conservative East TN it could mean anything. Mulkey is 60 yrs old and LSU is her last stop. Staley is going nowhere. JKH does not have the resume of a Lawson as far as international and WNBA experience. Parker has no coaching experience and is still an active player. Catchings the same but has not showed any interest coaching. Shea Raph will always be suspect to leaving for UCONN wherever she is at. Notre Dame snatched up Ivey while they could. Potential HC's like the people I mentioned all fit my list of International, WNBA etc background and they are not old dried up coaches trying to relate to 18 yr olds. Pat HS was young and as I said before had International experience and was the future and ahead of her contemporaries without HC experience.

She had the temerity to note that at the time of her statement, there was not a single African-American coach at UT and that it was lagging behind the rest of the SEC on the diversity front.

It is interesting that some would regard that statement of fact as undermining the university and as a sufficient transgression to warrant a lifetime ban as a coaching candidate.

 

[plumbervol]

She had the temerity to note that at the time of her statement, there was not a single African-American coach at UT and that it was lagging behind the rest of the SEC on the diversity front.

It is interesting that some would regard that statement of fact as undermining the university and as a sufficient transgression to warrant a lifetime ban as a coaching candidate.

That is what I figured. I didn't know but I suspected that.

 

[LasVegasBill23]

I would love to know what is meant as undermining the University with insulting implications. In conservative East TN it could mean anything. Mulkey is 60 yrs old and LSU is her last stop. Staley is going nowhere. JKH does not have the resume of a Lawson as far as international and WNBA experience. Parker has no coaching experience and is still an active player. Catchings the same but has not showed any interest coaching. Shea Raph will always be suspect to leaving for UCONN wherever she is at. Notre Dame snatched up Ivey while they could. Potential HC's like the people I mentioned all fit my list of International, WNBA etc background and they are not old dried up coaches trying to relate to 18 yr olds. Pat HS was young and as I said before had International experience and was the future and ahead of her contemporaries without HC experience.

lot of good candidates out there just have to search for them people on this forum look at the same folks who are not going to move from where they are at who was pat summit before she came to tennessee geno and jeff walz were assistants you just have to conduct a national search if you want to maintain a national brand and do not restrict on being part of the lady vol trree or strictlt female we want the best candidate period

 

[turbovol]

It was a widely told news story just before she took the Duke job. It's no secret.

Why was Lawson even on the Board of Trustees? Talk about a bizarre decision by somebody--or some group of individuals. She didn't have nearly enough life experience or accomplishments for that role. Dumb.

 

[turbovol]

I would love to know what is meant as undermining the University with insulting implications. In conservative East TN it could mean anything. Mulkey is 60 yrs old and LSU is her last stop. Staley is going nowhere. JKH does not have the resume of a Lawson as far as international and WNBA experience. Parker has no coaching experience and is still an active player. Catchings the same but has not showed any interest coaching. Shea Raph will always be suspect to leaving for UCONN wherever she is at. Notre Dame snatched up Ivey while they could. Potential HC's like the people I mentioned all fit my list of International, WNBA etc background and they are not old dried up coaches trying to relate to 18 yr olds. Pat HS was young and as I said before had International experience and was the future and ahead of her contemporaries without HC experience.

Playing basketball should not be confused with coaching basketball. There's a big difference. Playing professionally in know what means that you could be a successful coach. Many if not most of the most successful college and pro coaches did not play their sport professionally--or if they did, they had modest careers. Rick Barnes played basketball at Lenoir-Rhyne college and did not play professionally, to name one example. Auriemma didn't play basketball at all. Staley was a top player--but I attribute her collegiate coaching success more to recruiting than coaching. Coaching is a LOT different from playing.

 

[GrayWaterCanine]

She had the temerity to note that at the time of her statement, there was not a single African-American coach at UT and that it was lagging behind the rest of the SEC on the diversity front.

It is interesting that some would regard that statement of fact as undermining the university and as a sufficient transgression to warrant a lifetime ban as a coaching candidate.

Her facts were correct, and likely needed addressed; but I suspect the assumption that she isn't welcome as a coach is because of the way she went about that as a member of the BOT.

 

[madtownvol]

Her facts were correct, and likely needed addressed; but I suspect the assumption that she isn't welcome as a coach is because of the way she went about that as a member of the BOT.

Oh, so if she had not been on the board, everyone would have been cool with her statement about the UTAD's lack of diversity?

University Board of Trustees make decisions about institutional plans, programs, budgets, policies so she was doing her job by calling out this discrepancy.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Playing basketball should not be confused with coaching basketball. There's a big difference. Playing professionally in know what means that you could be a successful coach. Many if not most of the most successful college and pro coaches did not play their sport professionally--or if they did, they had modest careers. Rick Barnes played basketball at Lenoir-Rhyne college and did not play professionally, to name one example. Auriemma didn't play basketball at all. Staley was a top player--but I attribute her collegiate coaching success more to recruiting than coaching. Coaching is a LOT different from playing.

true
Howard Cossell was "the" sportscaster of his day


Yet he was the eminently knowledgeable lead-sportscaster for several sports
Not a coach, i understand
but a trusted and respected man in all fields of sport

 

[Volfan1000]

true
Howard Cossell was "the" sportscaster of his day
View attachment 620577

Yet he was the eminently knowledgeable lead-sportscaster for several sports
Not a coach, i understand
but a trusted and respected man in all fields of sport

Howard Cosell had some terrific interviews with Cassius Clay and was a fixture on Monday Night Football with Don Meredith and Frank Gifford.

 

[glv98]

Howard Cosell had some terrific interviews with Cassius Clay and was a fixture on Monday Night Football with Don Meredith and Frank Gifford.

Cosell was also the guy who broke the news of John Lennon's death during a Monday Night Football broadcast on a cold December night in 1980. Back then there was no social media and only 3 broadcast networks, so that's how the news got shared. For those of us of a certain age, it was a "remember where you were" moment.

LOL on the Ali interviews, Ali was always mock threatening to punch Cosell and knock his really bad toupee off.

Her facts were correct, and likely needed addressed; but I suspect the assumption that she isn't welcome as a coach is because of the way she went about that as a member of the BOT.

My understanding is that exactly. The board felt ambushed since she had never shared anything like this with them before she left.

Also I don't think it helped that she continually told UT she had no interest in coaching - until she took the coaching job at Duke.

 

[knoxvol52]

Howard Cosell had some terrific interviews with Cassius Clay and was a fixture on Monday Night Football with Don Meredith and Frank Gifford.

Cosell did most every major Sport besides basketball.

In booth for World Series and playoffs in the 70's I still remember him slobbering over Reginald Jackson . During his 3 Homerun game vs my DODGERS.

 

[Volfan2012]

She had the temerity to note that at the time of her statement, there was not a single African-American coach at UT and that it was lagging behind the rest of the SEC on the diversity front.

It is interesting that some would regard that statement of fact as undermining the university and as a sufficient transgression to warrant a lifetime ban as a coaching candidate.

Everything aside why would Kara be a candidate for the job? She is not doing as well in the ACC as Kellie is doing here in the SEC. I can't see that being an upgrade. Most of the names I see people throwing out are not upgrades or slight upgrades. The big names are not moving most are old and ready to retire or already have what they need elsewhere. There are a few up and comers who might be considered an upgrade, but they will need to recruit the main area where Kellie has failed.

 

[GrayWaterCanine]

Oh, so if she had not been on the board, everyone would have been cool with her statement about the UTAD's lack of diversity?

University Board of Trustees make decisions about institutional plans, programs, budgets, policies so she was doing her job by calling out this discrepancy.

Yes, being a board member defined the perception of the situation as it played out at that time.

The BOT has meetings to address those situations. An unexpected, open letter is probably not their preference.

So, my perception is that a former athlete with no official role at the school could have made that statement with little to no backlash. Also, that could have been addressed formally in the BOT and it would be due diligence as a member with no negative reaction from the board or interested parties.

She is likely not seen as a viable candidate because she lost trust. It's pretty simple. Everyone is capable of deciding for themselves if it's appropriate or fair.

 

[Voltopia]

Follow up: Somebody mentioned on this thread that Kara Lawson would never be hired by UT, any reason why? She meets all my requirements WNBA, was an All Pro for a year, International experience plus now she has some limited experience as a college coach. I do not know if she could recruit at a high enough level to be successful . Her husband would not take up a slot as a coach, he has a job in broadcasting. I am not pushing for her but I am curious why some think she would never be hired by UT.

She called out the school and charged it with being racially biased. People are free to agree or disagree with her goals, but she took an adversarial position and made statements that were meant to draw attention to the school in a negative way. Again, agree or disagree, that becomes part of the conversation when you look at who to hire. And I can't imagine many scenarios where an employer would want to hire someone who had shown such a tendency.

While I've never seen any other statement from her after the fact, I also can't really imagine her wanting to come back, either. It felt at the time like a "and one last thing" sort of remark on her way out. The kind of thing you say when you don't care any more about what happens afterward. At least, that's what it felt like at the time.

 

[SGMVols]

Will be interesting to see what Lisa Bruder can do next year without CC.

As crazy as it sounds, I’m not 100% sure Clark goes pro. She has a Covid year if she wants it and she could almost certainly make more in NIL at Iowa next year than she would on a WNBA rookie contract. She could’ve gone pro last year and been the #1 pick, but turned that down.

 

[glv98]

As crazy as it sounds, I’m not 100% sure Clark goes pro. She has a Covid year if she wants it and she could almost certainly make more in NIL at Iowa next year than she would on a WNBA rookie contract. She could’ve gone pro last year and been the #1 pick, but turned that down.

Clark is one of a handful of college players who could carry over enough NIL and get plenty of new endorsements. That's very rare, but Boston has certainly done it. I don't think money comes into play for CC. But how far they go in the tourney might.

 

[Majors]

She called out the school and charged it with being racially biased. People are free to agree or disagree with her goals, but she took an adversarial position and made statements that were meant to draw attention to the school in a negative way. Again, agree or disagree, that becomes part of the conversation when you look at who to hire. And I can't imagine many scenarios where an employer would want to hire someone who had shown such a tendency.

While I've never seen any other statement from her after the fact, I also can't really imagine her wanting to come back, either. It felt at the time like a "and one last thing" sort of remark on her way out. The kind of thing you say when you don't care any more about what happens afterward. At least, that's what it felt like at the time.

Tennessee has been diverse across all sports, Wade Houston/Martin, Malvauex, JJ Clark leading track, now a female leading both programs, Allison Ojeda leading the women’s tennis program. Seems it’s a pick and choose…we had a Jewish coach leading our men’s basketball program in the Bible belt.

 

[Imallvol]

Howard Cosell had some terrific interviews with Cassius Clay and was a fixture on Monday Night Football with Don Meredith and Frank Gifford.

don't forget his interview with John Lennon on MNF, on X can search for it.

 

[turbovol]

As crazy as it sounds, I’m not 100% sure Clark goes pro. She has a Covid year if she wants it and she could almost certainly make more in NIL at Iowa next year than she would on a WNBA rookie contract. She could’ve gone pro last year and been the #1 pick, but turned that down.

WNBA salaries are a joke, especially for rookies. But then /many/ NBA players are ridiculously overpaid relative to their roles and performance.

The only reason for Clark to turn pro would be for endorsement deals....With the publicity she's gotten, she could probably get a shoe contract.

 

[LasVegasBill23]

She had the temerity to note that at the time of her statement, there was not a single African-American coach at UT and that it was lagging behind the rest of the SEC on the diversity front.

It is interesting that some would regard that statement of fact as undermining the university and as a sufficient transgression to warrant a lifetime ban as a coaching candidate.

i respect everyone for speaking the truth as they know it

 

[madtownvol]

Tennessee has been diverse across all sports, Wade Houston/Martin, Malvauex, JJ Clark leading track, now a female leading both programs, Allison Ojeda leading the women’s tennis program. Seems it’s a pick and choose…we had a Jewish coach leading our men’s basketball program in the Bible belt.

She was talking about the current moment. For example, Wade Houston was long gone. J.J. Clarke had left for Stanford a year before Kara's comments and it goes on and on. SMH