Russell Smith reporting Kellie Jolly-Harper has been hired

[TenUhSee]

If she has in fact been hired to coach the Lady Vols, Kellie Jolly Harper should be embraced and have
a fair opportunity to be successful with all the support that LV fans can give her and the team.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

As of now, everyone is staying and recruits are coming. Fulmer reached out to each recruit to inform them of new coach before announcement.

Fulmer doing everything the right way.

 

[Volfaninfl2]

Also, it’s confirmed, Kellie is coming to Tennessee.

Expect announcement tomorrow.

So glad I kept reading to read this!

 

[creekdipper]

I want to hate Tennessee since this is the second coach you've "stolen" from us but I can't because I loved those coaches.

This sucks...

I've followed your team (and your message board), and you guys have class. It's easy to get behind a team like yours, even for "fans from other schools" who adopt them as our own and become fans. Gitzen, Calip, Franklin, and Willard are all gamers. And you had to make do with the loss of one starter (Ealy) early in the season and Lewis down tbe stretch (no pun).

I've seen several names for Kellie's replacement being floated on your board. In addition to Stiles, I've seen Jennifer Sullivan and Mollie Miller mentioned. Any favorites from your standpoint?

Tough, disappointing night for Lady Bear fans, but you've got a great future ahead as long as the culture is maintained and recruiting stays at the same level. Drake returns Hittner and Rhyne and will continue to be tough.

Hope you don't miss a beat and win both Valley reg. season and tournament next year.

Thanks for nurturing Kellie, Jon, Jackson, and Kylie during their tenure. Lady Bear nation surely loved them and have been gracious and understanding about the possibility of their leaving for this opportunity.

 

[spojo13]

These are the same people chirping before when most of us could see after 2 years Holly didn’t learn a thing from Pat and was a lousy coach! Only took how many more years of being fed poop and being told it was something else for them to finally see it was also poop!

I have lurked around on these boards for a while and saw all of the different factions sparing with each other, so believe me I know there are some who think that blind loyalty is all that should be asked of fans no matter the circumstances.

 

[lvocd]

Everyone has the right to either approve or dispprove of any hire.

That said, it seems counterproductive to the idea of “success” if, even before a coach has even met with her future players or even coached them for one game, to just automatically label the hire a failure. What’s the harm in holding off a bit with the ugliness until we get a good look at what she does with our returning players? At that point we’ll be able to give educated opinions based on honest comparisons of consecutive season outcomes.

C’mon, friends! Let’s just give her a chance, and if this time next year you see noimprovement, then come back and tell everyone how right you were and how stupid we were to have given her the chance.

As a native Tennessean I want so very much for her to get a fair shake. Why can’t we just try that for a while?

 

[Volfaninfl2]

I really hope people are more supportive when she and her family are introduced this week. If she's going to keep the team together and not lose recruits, it would be helpful for fans to at least pretend to be willing to give her a chance. Players and recruits will be watching.

I don’t have to pretend, thrilled to have her, and confident in her abilities to teach and motivate our new team.

 

[Bigorangefaninga]

"Support tbe new coach" is crystal clear. You want him/her to succeed even if you didn't support the choice of the coach.

Lots of us didn't agree with ("support") the choice of Holly to succeed Pat, but we didn't actively pull against her from the start. We still attended games, cheered for the team, and, yes, even clapped for Holly when she was introduced. And overlooked her negatives such as poor communication skills as long as the team was winning...even when we felt they could be better.

We sure didn't rant and carry on about the death of the program before the first game was played.

If anything is regarded by the rest of the wbb world as a "laughingstock," it's the gloom and doom crowd...which HAS been described on some othet fan boards as "a bunch of lunatics and psychos."

Regardless, we're all having fun now in our various ways.

No the laughingstock we are getting from the rest of WBB community is the fact that the winningest all time WBB program cannot attract a top notch coach. One in which we first handed the keys with to a coach with absolute no head coaching experience at all AND after that giving the keys to a coach that got fired from a somewhat same level position and coaches at a .578 win %. Sorry women's basketball isn’t all that hard, there are literally about 8 teams maybe that can win it every year, UT hasn’t been one of those in a while(even our last few elite 8’s we got beat pretty convincely! So making a sweet 16 isn’t all that hard. I mean they beat Iowa State and DePaul neither of which I would want their coaches either. If KJH wasn’t a former UT player she wouldn’t be given a sniff at this job, but because she was she will be the head coach and in 4-5 season we will be talking about this same thing again when we have no final 4’s and we continue to lose ground to Ms. States of the SEC. if the program isn’t committed to actually winning put it out of its misery, I mean it has everything, the highest recruiting budget in the country, great facilities for athletes of any gender, we lose millions every year to prop it up hoping to bring back the glory. With this hire I don’t think that is going to happen, again from coaches she has coached against while at NC State and them watching her now they will tell you, her not doing well and getting fired was on her and her coaching ability. Great players don’t usually make very good coaches, Jordan couldn’t coach an AAU club of all stars to wins, Lebron is the same way, itswhy when they put up the rankings of the coaches in the NCAA tourney that not many of the big named ex-players coached the better teams while Barnes wasn’t very good and Pearl was like the worst one out of 68 coaches. I would have rather went with a Sue Semrau or a Katie Meier to see what they could do with our resources considering the job they have done at schools that don’t put half into women’s basketball as we do. Alas that hasn’t happened and if I am wrong I will love the taste of crow!

 

[TenUhSee]

 

[Akneal]

nnnnnnnnnnnnnn

 

[madtownvol]

No the laughingstock we are getting from the rest of WBB community is the fact that the winningest all time WBB program cannot attract a top notch coach. One in which we first handed the keys with to a coach with absolute no head coaching experience at all AND after that giving the keys to a coach that got fired from a somewhat same level position and coaches at a .578 win %. Sorry women's basketball isn’t all that hard, there are literally about 8 teams maybe that can win it every year, UT hasn’t been one of those in a while(even our last few elite 8’s we got beat pretty convincely! So making a sweet 16 isn’t all that hard. I mean they beat Iowa State and DePaul neither of which I would want their coaches either. If KJH wasn’t a former UT player she wouldn’t be given a sniff at this job, but because she was she will be the head coach and in 4-5 season we will be talking about this same thing again when we have no final 4’s and we continue to lose ground to Ms. States of the SEC. if the program isn’t committed to actually winning put it out of its misery, I mean it has everything, the highest recruiting budget in the country, great facilities for athletes of any gender, we lose millions every year to prop it up hoping to bring back the glory. With this hire I don’t think that is going to happen, again from coaches she has coached against while at NC State and them watching her now they will tell you, her not doing well and getting fired was on her and her coaching ability. Great players don’t usually make very good coaches, Jordan couldn’t coach an AAU club of all stars to wins, Lebron is the same way, itswhy when they put up the rankings of the coaches in the NCAA tourney that not many of the big named ex-players coached the better teams while Barnes wasn’t very good and Pearl was like the worst one out of 68 coaches. I would have rather went with a Sue Semrau or a Katie Meier to see what they could do with our resources considering the job they have done at schools that don’t put half into women’s basketball as we do. Alas that hasn’t happened and if I am wrong I will love the taste of crow!

Well, you go to battle with the coach you have not the coach you want. A lot of the top coaches have good gigs and were not going to be lured away. Walz, Mulkey, and McGraw were all pie-in-the-sky fantasy picks. They want to build their own legacy/house not rebuild CPS's house on a floor named the Summitt.

Your points about KJH are all valid concerns but we can hope that she has learned and grown from her NC St experiences.

And lots of players do convert into being good coaches. Phil Jackson was a former Knick. Bill Russell, going back a ways, was successful, as was Lenny Wilkins. And the college coaching ranks are filled with ex-college players who turn coaches, including Tony Bennett.

A fair number of people (not me) were high on Carolyn Peck, former player and so on.

Kellie was the proverbial coach on the floor, much more so than Holly Warlick who played in a very different era.

Railing about KJH's hire, at this point, is just needless negativity. Let's wait and see if she is up to the job or not.

 

[creekdipper]

That is fine for you, but there are a lot of people who will need to see something more than blind faith before they get 100% back on board. Of course, we all wanted Holly to do well, but when it became clear that she wasn’t up to the task, there were still people yelling that she has to be supported no matter what. I mean it’s great for those who have the time and money to throw at something that is no longer enjoyable, but the rest of us plebeians have to pick and choose what brings us joy or not. It got to where a lot of people didn’t find that joy anymore, which in a way is like a death. I think it’s great that Kellie was your chosen one from the beginning, and it is much easier to get on board with her. However, there will be a contingent who wonder if she will be capable of sparking that joy again. iIt doesn’t mean their love for what Pat built and this program is less than yours or the other “true fans.” It also isn’t the opposite of what your definition of support is. It’s just a different kind is all.

Healthy skepticism is fine as long as it doesn't declare the new era a complete disaster before the official announcement has even been made. You have "fans" advising current and incoming players to leave. In what universe can that be called "support?"

You may have people boycott games or sit on their hands until the new staff proves itself sufficiently. Fine, but they shouldn't be surprised if they're viewed as fair-weather fans. Actually, they're worse since they've prejudged the team before they even play. Good thing Kellie's team last year wasn't like that when they started out 1-7.

People have the right to gripe and complain about the hire or even to make bleak predictions. That's just expressing an opinion. And few are saying to give any coach unqualified support regardless of results. But not even being willing to give the coaches and players a chance is a bizarre way to "support" a team. Hoping that the coach fails just to be able to say one was right is a bizarre way for a "fan" to act.

The bright side is that some who vocally opposed the hire and were emphatic, enthusiastic supporters of others (mainly Walz) have said they're willing to give the nrw coach a chance. That's the way most true fans react, IMO, and I think the majority agree. If the choice of a coach is so bitterly offensive, there are hundreds of other schools to support...including those coached by the candidates who weren't hired.

 

[TenUhSee]

The best thing to do now is to actively support KJH. when you get on a plane, don't you
hope and pray that the pilot will be successful ? be kinda stupid not to wouldn't it ?

 

[lvocd]

Well I, for one, am going to go to bed in a few minutes feeling happy and optimistic about the future of the Lady Vols for the first time in many years. I’m so proud of Kellie and can’t wait to be a part of the rush of fans who will be flooding TBA on a more regular basis again.

Welcome home, Kellie! Just wish Mr. Jolly had lived to see it. *sniff*

 

[djohnnyg]

I think alot of disappointment comes from the idea that all during Holly's tenure alot of us just assumed once Holly did go...that this would be a job that the top coaches in womens basketball would give their right arm to be the coach of. Now that we see the reality of the situation...it's kind of a let down. This IS a legendary, storied program..and I don't think anyone expected Geno to jump at it...but just assumed it would be easy to land a top level coach. The reality that all those top coaches would prefer to stay where they are and NOT jump for the HC job at this storied program...quickly became apparent after Holly was fired. So...we move on with Jolly and hope for the best. I think Jolly being a woman factors in. It just does. Also her being a former Lady Vol. Let's hope it works...but it might take some time for some to accept the reality of what was truly the talent pool to choose from.

 

[spojo13]

Healthy skepticism is fine as long as it doesn't declare the new era a complete disaster before the official announcement has even been made. You have "fans" advising current and incoming players to leave. In what universe can that be called "support?"

You may have people boycott games or sit on their hands until the new staff proves itself sufficiently. Fine, but they shouldn't be surprised if they're viewed as fair-weather fans. Actually, they're worse since they've prejudged the team before they even play. Good thing Kellie's team last year wasn't like that when they started out 1-7.

People have the right to gripe and complain about the hire or even to make bleak predictions. That's just expressing an opinion. And few are saying to give any coach unqualified support regardless of results. But not even being willing to give the coaches and players a chance is a bizarre way to "support" a team. Hoping that the coach fails just to be able to say one was right is a bizarre way for a "fan" to act.

The bright side is that some who vocally opposed the hire and were emphatic, enthusiastic supporters of others (mainly Walz) have said they're willing to give the nrw coach a chance. That's the way most true fans react, IMO, and I think the majority agree. If the choice of a coach is so bitterly offensive, there are hundreds of other schools to support...including those coached by the candidates who weren't hired.

On one hand you say healthy skepticism is good, but then on the other, you say that those are worse than fair weather fans to wait and see? A little confusing, but I get what you are saying about not declaring it a train wreck yet. However,
there are people on this message board that paint with a broad brush both ways. Here are the facts we know: we know nothing of how this hire will turn out. To say jump on board now or else, I think willfully ignores the fact that humans in general, and even moreso fanatics, are very complex individuals who approach things in different ways.

Do I hope she does well? Sure, I think we all do since we are invested enough to come here and try to persuade others into believing our opinions about the Lady Vold are the appropriate ones. However, I do take an exception to saying support is simple. It never really is.

 

[creekdipper]

On one hand you say healthy skepticism is good, but then on the other, you say that those are worse than fair weather fans to wait and see? A little confusing, but I get what you are saying about not declaring it a train wreck yet. However,
there are people on this message board that paint with a broad brush both ways. Here are the facts we know: we know nothing of how this hire will turn out. To say jump on board now or else, I think willfully ignores the fact that humans in general, and even moreso fanatics, are very complex individuals who approach things in different ways.

Do I hope she does well? Sure, I think we all do since we are invested enough to come here and try to persuade others into believing our opinions about the Lady Vold are the appropriate ones. However, I do take an exception to saying support is simple. It never really is.

That's fair, so please allow me to clarify.

When i say "healthy skepticism," I mean it's okay to take a wait-and-see approach before proclaiming the new era a success. And everyone has different opinions re: timetable allowed to demonstrate success, both with wins and losses and passing the "eye test."

To me, support is simple when defined as wanting the coach to succeed and tbe team to win. As mentioned earlier, that doesn't mean that unqualified support is required regardless of results. If Summitt, Auriemma, or any legendary coach had a long string of losing seasons, even they would eventually have been forced to resign to avoid being fired. When a program declines, that happens. It happened to Fulmer, Majors, and other coaches who had been successful.

When I said "sit on tbeir hands," I'm talking about any fans who would just sit stone-faced and refuse to acknowledge progress while just looking to nit-pick and criticize. Fans who would rather sulk than cheer even when the hire is paying off...just because their candidate didn't win.

I think we're in general agreement on most things. We should want the team to succeed (general support) while requiring measurable success (qualified support). Everyone ought to be on board with that.

 

[Vol Main]

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason Western Carolina (Southern Conference) (2004–2009) 2004–05 Western Carolina 18–14 10–10 T-5th NCAA First Round 2005–06 Western Carolina 9–20 8–10 5th 2006–07 Western Carolina 24–10 15–3 1st WNIT Second Round 2007–08 Western Carolina 25–9 15–3 2nd WNIT First Round 2008–09 Western Carolina 21–12 14–6 T-3rd NCAA First RoundWestern Carolina: 97–65 (.599) 62–32 (.660) NC State (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2009–2012) 2009–10 NC State 20–14 7–7 T-5th NCAA First Round 2010–11 NC State 14–17 4–10 10th 2011–12 NC State 19–16 5–11 9th WNIT Second Round 2012–13 NC State 17–17 7–11 7th WNIT Second RoundNC State: 70–64 (.522) 23–39 (.442) Missouri State (Missouri Valley Conference) (2013–present) 2013–14 Missouri State 14–17 8–10 T-6th 2014–15 Missouri State 18–15 13–5 3rd WNIT First Round 2015–16 Missouri State 24–10 14–4 T-2nd NCAA First Round 2016–17 Missouri State 16–15 12–6 3rd WNIT First Round 2017–18 Missouri State 21–12 15–3 2nd WNIT Second round 2018–19 Missouri State 25–10 16–2 2nd NCAA Sweet SixteenMissouri State: 118–79 (.599) 78–30 (.722) Total: 285–208 (.578)

 

[peddi631]

Good hire.

 

[feathersax]

Good hire.

I concur.

 

[leejoek]

No the laughingstock we are getting from the rest of WBB community is the fact that the winningest all time WBB program cannot attract a top notch coach. One in which we first handed the keys with to a coach with absolute no head coaching experience at all AND after that giving the keys to a coach that got fired from a somewhat same level position and coaches at a .578 win %. Sorry women's basketball isn’t all that hard, there are literally about 8 teams maybe that can win it every year, UT hasn’t been one of those in a while(even our last few elite 8’s we got beat pretty convincely! So making a sweet 16 isn’t all that hard. I mean they beat Iowa State and DePaul neither of which I would want their coaches either. If KJH wasn’t a former UT player she wouldn’t be given a sniff at this job, but because she was she will be the head coach and in 4-5 season we will be talking about this same thing again when we have no final 4’s and we continue to lose ground to Ms. States of the SEC. if the program isn’t committed to actually winning put it out of its misery, I mean it has everything, the highest recruiting budget in the country, great facilities for athletes of any gender, we lose millions every year to prop it up hoping to bring back the glory. With this hire I don’t think that is going to happen, again from coaches she has coached against while at NC State and them watching her now they will tell you, her not doing well and getting fired was on her and her coaching ability. Great players don’t usually make very good coaches, Jordan couldn’t coach an AAU club of all stars to wins, Lebron is the same way, itswhy when they put up the rankings of the coaches in the NCAA tourney that not many of the big named ex-players coached the better teams while Barnes wasn’t very good and Pearl was like the worst one out of 68 coaches. I would have rather went with a Sue Semrau or a Katie Meier to see what they could do with our resources considering the job they have done at schools that don’t put half into women’s basketball as we do. Alas that hasn’t happened and if I am wrong I will love the taste of crow!

Is Holly a great player to you? Jolly? The notion that great players don't usually make good coaches is debatable. Do lousy players make good coaches?

 

[TnRiverRat]

Cracks me up all the Armchair AD's with the powers of Nostradamus having KJH a bust before she's ever coached her first game at the University of Tennessee.SMH

 

[PineyBluff Vol]

GOOD!

Yeah, I figured as much. I guess I'll hollaback in 4 years. I'm out!!!!

 

[Bigorangefaninga]

Is Holly a great player to you? Jolly? The notion that great players don't usually make good coaches is debatable. Do lousy players make good coaches?

Yes, sometimes guys that didn’t even play the sport end up being really good coaches, but the very best of players do not. Again Pearl never even played basketball in college and he has now taken 2 different teams to the elite 8 and truthfully got screwed out of the finals this year. Barnes barely even played out of high school and he is a pretty damn good coach. Popovich might be the best coach in the NBA and he was about average as a player and the Tony Bennett you speak about was a mid major player and one of only 3 former NBA players to ever win a national title. That isn’t very good odds on a great player actually being one of the best coaches.

Ranking 2019 NCAA tournament coaches as players, 1-68

 

[DeerPark12]

Hire Balcomb, keep Reeves, get a 3rd assistant.

Hubby can stay home and watch the kids. The hubby/wifey thing on the sidelines actually is one of the things that has me worried the most. It works for the Weeklys but softball isn't basketball. And this is TN not Missouri State.

I don’t believe Balbomb is hirable as a full-time assistant at this point. Here or anywhere else.