What Grade Would You Give The 2019-2020 LadyVols And Coach Harper?

[VolFuture2k22]

Texas was a bad team, and we should of crushed them, we didn't look prepared one bit. We were out coached that is almost impossible to be done by texas.

They beat Stanford that same week so...

 

[Magherr]

Not sold in theory, or in practice in the case of the Harpers? Because I've found it interesting how many people, even those who go to games, had no idea the male asst is her hubby. I've been to or watched every game I believe, and I've never seen the slightest indication of that relationship during the games or any public appearance If not for a few little feature videos about their kids, etc. it seems almost forgotten, not an issue.

I'm aware some disagree, but IMO Jon Harper is a role model. She is clearly the boss, has been for years, and he seems fine with it. Works for them, doesn't seem to effect their jobs, keeps a young family where both parents want a career that involves constant travel together.

Regarding recruiting, in spite of the reverence for the one on the last staff, according to the wisdom on this site she excelled at either landing overrated stars and/or athletes with low bball skills who couldn't be successfully developed. So I'm not sure we've actually had high level recruiting in a while. I'll give the current staff a shot, see how their first recruits fit in and develop.

I agree with Chitown above. I go to the games and I watch on tv. Make your own observations. It has gotten worse as the year goes on, as has the team. He does not join in the coaching chats, talks to individual members of the team while Coach Kellie is coaching the whole group. He always sits next to her on the bench, talking to her the whole time. And once it appeared that he got mad at her during the game. She can do the job. She needs the freedom to do it.

 

[sisaq]

First of all, don't tell me how I grade. I grade them what I see. Not what I want to see. I post and I coach for what I want to see, I grade for what I actually saw. I saw Improvement in winning games we were supposed to win, reaching expectations with the loss of two key players , and in team chemistry. ... I saw a need for improvement in signature wins, in in-game coaching, and turnovers, and passing and receiving those passes. All Things Considered I think a b is a perfect grade. C is too minimal and grade of a is too high.

U did a great job!

 

[glv98]

I agree with Chitown above. I go to the games and I watch on tv. Make your own observations. It has gotten worse as the year goes on, as has the team. He does not join in the coaching chats, talks to individual members of the team while Coach Kellie is coaching the whole group. He always sits next to her on the bench, talking to her the whole time. And once it appeared that he got mad at her during the game. She can do the job. She needs the freedom to do it.

Certainly we have our right to our own observations and obviously we haven't made the same ones. Overall, I find it diminishing and unfair to KJH to think she would put up for one second, let alone 15 yrs, with a situation that did not allow her freedom to do her job. I have trouble seeing her as a long-suffering dominated wife or head coach. She seems a stronger woman than that.

 

[volnationnj]

First of all, don't tell me how I grade. I grade them what I see. Not what I want to see. I post and I coach for what I want to see, I grade for what I actually saw. I saw Improvement in winning games we were supposed to win, reaching expectations with the loss of two key players , and in team chemistry. ... I saw a need for improvement in signature wins, in in-game coaching, and turnovers, and passing and receiving those passes. All Things Considered I think a b is a perfect grade. C is too minimal and grade of a is too high.

I never told you how to grade. Why you would make that statement is completely baffling. I never mentioned the grade you gave the team. As a matter of fact, I would give them the same B grade that you did !
I questioned your statement that we would have gone on a run in the NCAAT, if it had not been canceled. You thought we were peaking, I didn't, and mentioned our desultory wins over the dregs of the SEC (the last 4 wins against teams with a combined 13-51 SEC conference record). Then the blowout 21 point loss to Kentucky.
I'm happy to defend positions that I've posted. Defending positions that only occur in someone else's imagination, not so much.

 

[Coach Jumper]

I never told you how to grade. Why you would make that statement is completely baffling. I never mentioned the grade you gave the team. As a matter of fact, I would give them the same B grade that you did !
I questioned your statement that we would have gone on a run in the NCAAT, if it had not been canceled. You thought we were peaking, I didn't, and mentioned our desultory wins over the dregs of the SEC (the last 4 wins against teams with a combined 13-51 SEC conference record). Then the blowout 21 point loss to Kentucky.
I'm happy to defend positions that I've posted. Defending positions that only occur in someone else's imagination, not so much.

Bored?

 

[volnationnj]

Bored?

The type of response that I've come to expect from you. One that has nothing to do with what was previously discussed.
You are consistent.

 

[Coach Jumper]

The type of response that I've come to expect from you. One that has nothing to do with what was previously discussed.
You are consistent.

You got a like from Garth ;o)
yay?

My response was B, the majority was B. We all come to that conclusion in our own ways, but it is the majority and therefor the right call. I don't know why my B triggered such a response except out of your boredom, thus my response.

I choose my battles and this was not worthy of one of them. Thus my one word response to you.

I am not here out of boredom, I am here out of obligation to my chosen team,
A team I would like to see get better and headed by a coach I would like to see grow into a legendary status,
They and she got a B. Both she and the team had growths and deficiencies.
B, to me is average.
I say that because growing up, a C got me in trouble and an A got me a congratulation.
A "B" garnered nothing
It is a grade of "you could've done better and you could've done worse"

This battle is over.
for me

 

[MsSportsGuy]

Harper and the LVs were a B team this year. Kellie stopped some of the bleeding. Sure some games were less than impressive but they didn't look bad most of the time.

Recruiting will have to pick up somewhat if she wants to get them back to elite status. I tend to agree with an earlier posted that said the recruiting hadn't really been as high level as some thought for several years. This roster had one player who would have started on the LVs teams of old and that's Davis.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Harper and the LVs were a B team this year. Kellie stopped some of the bleeding. Sure some games were less than impressive but they didn't look bad most of the time.

Recruiting will have to pick up somewhat if she wants to get them back to elite status. I tend to agree with an earlier posted that said the recruiting hadn't really been as high level as some thought for several years. This roster had one player who would have started on the LVs teams of old and that's Davis.

This team had more than one that CPS would have taken.
It had several Pat would have loved to have, but they would have been further along
But you are correct, Davis is the only one game ready for Pat

 

[volnationnj]

You got a like from Garth ;o)
yay?

My response was B, the majority was B. We all come to that conclusion in our own ways, but it is the majority and therefor the right call. I don't know why my B triggered such a response except out of your boredom, thus my response.

I choose my battles and this was not worthy of one of them. Thus my one word response to you.

I am not here out of boredom, I am here out of obligation to my chosen team,
A team I would like to see get better and headed by a coach I would like to see grow into a legendary status,
They and she got a B. Both she and the team had growths and deficiencies.
B, to me is average.
I say that because growing up, a C got me in trouble and an A got me a congratulation.
A "B" garnered nothing
It is a grade of "you could've done better and you could've done worse"

This battle is over.
for me

You have me in a quandary. Are you being deliberately obtuse or did you respond to my post without comprehending it ?
Why you would state "I don't know why my B triggered such a response...", when it wasn't your grade that I questioned at all. To say otherwise is a complete non sequitur.
I never criticized the grade you gave the team, and as previously mentioned, I actually agree with it.
I disagreed with your idea that the team was peaking and ready to go on a run, if the NCAAT hadn't been canceled.
Hmmm...

 

[gymmlover]

I had high hopes for KJH but I saw very poor in game coaching. I also was disappointed by the lack of an effective offense which would set hard screens and do pick and rolls with Key. Key should have been deadly and used more effective. I am very disappointed in player development as shown by the second time around game performances againist Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Missouri. The team looked tired and lost at time. KJH did not coach mismatches with all of the height she had.

However KJH can turn it around by simply recruiting quick offensive and ball handling skilled players. I am so tired of the athletic player who cannot dribble or shoot a layup. I would go after quick and smart 3 point shooters. History has shown there are plenty of these young ladies in the South.

 

[Darth_Vol]

I agree with Chitown above. I go to the games and I watch on tv. Make your own observations. It has gotten worse as the year goes on, as has the team. He does not join in the coaching chats, talks to individual members of the team while Coach Kellie is coaching the whole group. He always sits next to her on the bench, talking to her the whole time. And once it appeared that he got mad at her during the game. She can do the job. She needs the freedom to do it.

The post players were woefully inconsistent and didn't improve at all over the season, despite having four upperclassmen in the rotation. As far as I can tell, Jon adds little to recruiting. Why is he on the staff again (rhetorical question)? This is the blind spot Kellie better figure out if she wants to be here long term because she's obviously stuck with him now.

And this is why we have nepotism laws kids....

 

[Coach Jumper]

You have me in a quandary. Are you being deliberately obtuse or did you respond to my post without comprehending it ?
Why you would state "I don't know why my B triggered such a response...", when it wasn't your grade that I questioned at all. To say otherwise is a complete non sequitur.
I never criticized the grade you gave the team, and as previously mentioned, I actually agree with it.
I disagreed with your idea that the team was peaking and ready to go on a run, if the NCAAT hadn't been canceled.
Hmmm...

non sequitur....Hmmm

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

I had high hopes for KJH but I saw very poor in game coaching. I also was disappointed by the lack of an effective offense which would set hard screens and do pick and rolls with Key. Key should have been deadly and used more effective. I am very disappointed in player development as shown by the second time around game performances againist Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Missouri. The team looked tired and lost at time. KJH did not coach mismatches with all of the height she had.

However KJH can turn it around by simply recruiting quick offensive and ball handling skilled players. I am so tired of the athletic player who cannot dribble or shoot a layup. I would go after quick and smart 3 point shooters. History has shown there are plenty of these young ladies in the South.

Welcome back ... where ya been

 

[volnationnj]

non sequitur....Hmmm

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".

 

[NeedOrange]

B

This team is right on target. Get ready because next year you are going to have some heartbreaking losses. You will see your team take higher ranked teams down to the wire only to lose close. Many posters will be saying, "Kellie can't close the game" and "Kellie is a choker". These posts will be full of instructions on what a "good" coach would have done and what "Pat would have done". Live through it and at the end of the year you will begin to see the future. Two years from now, you will be consistent top 15 in the country. After that it is all about recruiting. You hear it here, this was a good year for the process and you are right on schedule. All you NEGA-VOLS be ready to repent.

 

[Amb3096]

B

This team is right on target. Get ready because next year you are going to have some heartbreaking losses. You will see your team take higher ranked teams down to the wire only to lose close. Many posters will be saying, "Kellie can't close the game" and "Kellie is a choker". These posts will be full of instructions on what a "good" coach would have done and what "Pat would have done". Live through it and at the end of the year you will begin to see the future. Two years from now, you will be consistent top 15 in the country. After that it is all about recruiting. You hear it here, this was a good year for the process and you are right on schedule. All you NEGA-VOLS be ready to repent.

I think they will be a better team next year. They get Zaay Green back, will have some more guard depth, and hopefully some development of the young posts. They don't lose much, other than Brown...whose production can be made up for by other players. Will they be good enough to get back to the top of the SEC? Probably not, but I think they will be a consistent top 20 team by the time SEC play starts. It's the following year that's important, since they lose their best player to graduation and need to have a succession plan in place.

 

[NeedOrange]

I have read quotes referencing poor ingame coaching from a few. Is it possible that because of the new systems and approaches being taught the coach is limited in her options?
First year coaches are working on the fundamentals of the defense and offense. The intricacies of a zone defense have to become second nature. for example if you want to double down on a ball going into the low post, who doubles? You have 3 options, weak side forward, pass side guard, off side guard. Now the zone is overloaded, how to you rotate out to cover the outlet pass, then recover for pass to a second shooter. The dance of running a defence takes months to become intuitive and five players to work as a unit and for some players who are used to physically dominating, it never comes. If you are the coach and your team isn't intuitive on the full defense, you can't change to that defense. You have to run vanilla and take your lumps until the players get it. I watched one of the top 3 teams have to scramble like mad to cover up for a senior great shooter who doesn't know where to be on D. After a couple of years you get seniors and juniors who can run the offense and defense to the fullest extent. Once again I ask you NEG-VOLS to give Kellie time

 

[Roustabout]

Incomplete. I admit, my interest in LVs stuff was never high, but it's at an all-time low after the last decade. I think she'll do better than Holly, but I don't see her bringing the LVs back to elite status. For one, there is more parity in the league and in the game. You have two dominant programs in SC and MSU in the league. She would have to change the recruiting profile. She'll get time, but no more than three years is necessary to see how she'll do. This year was meh, but she had a key injury and it really isn't her squad yet. I'd encourage her to clean out anyone that isn't 100%.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

Incomplete. I admit, my interest in LVs stuff was never high, but it's at an all-time low after the last decade. I think she'll do better than Holly, but I don't see her bringing the LVs back to elite status. For one, there is more parity in the league and in the game. You have two dominant programs in SC and MSU in the league. She would have to change the recruiting profile. She'll get time, but no more than three years is necessary to see how she'll do. This year was meh, but she had a key injury and it really isn't her squad yet. I'd encourage her to clean out anyone that isn't 100%.

100% what? Healthy? Well that might get rid of Zaay green. She might be a little more delayed in her return or progression from surgery. I say this because she isn’t going to have access to rehab of the UT staff full time because she isn’t on campus... With this virus I don’t even know if she is able to get to rehab like she wants or needs to OR she could have a fully competent team there in Texas and everything will meet or even exceed expectations. Summer classes begin in May but her being able to get back on campus even then is up in the air.

Now if anyone on the team isn’t 100% committed I would tell them that transferring may be there best option after a sit down talk.

 

[Roustabout]

100% what? Healthy? Well that might get rid of Zaay green. She might be a little more delayed in her return or progression from surgery. I say this because she isn’t going to have access to rehab of the UT staff full time because she isn’t on campus... With this virus I don’t even know if she is able to get to rehab like she wants or needs to OR she could have a fully competent team there in Texas and everything will meet or even exceed expectations. Summer classes begin in May but her being able to get back on campus even then is up in the air.

Now if anyone on the team isn’t 100% committed I would tell them that transferring may be there best option after a sit down talk.

100% bought in is what I meant. Apologies for not clarifying.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

100% bought in is what I meant. Apologies for not clarifying.

That’s what I thought for sure. But I just wanted clarification which is why I was asking