The Lady Vols held their first official basketball practice of the 2023-24 season on Wednesday, and fifth-year head coach Kellie Harper put her 13-player squad through a spirited two-hour workout in Pratt Pavilion.
The team has been in the midst of preseason on-court activities and strength and conditioning workouts, but Wednesday’s gathering had a different feel. Coaches and players know that they’ll be competing in games in just over a month, so the intensity and sense of urgency are more magnified and attention to detail is at a premium. Tennessee must first work on readying itself before later turning its focus toward the opponents it will face.
UT returns nine players, including six who started games a year ago, from a squad that advanced to its first SEC Tournament title game since 2015 and its 41st-consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols are one of only seven women’s programs to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in each of the past two seasons.
Harper welcomes back the SEC’s 2022-23 third-leading scorer in forward Rickea Jackson, a first-team All-SEC and All-America Honorable Mention selection, as well as center Tamari Key, who sat out most of last season due to a medical issue. Key, the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots and triple-doubles, was a 2022 All-SEC performer and is a two-time SEC All-Defensive Team member.
Other 2022-23 contributors returning with extensive experience include guard/forward Tess Darby, forward Jillian Hollingshead, guard Jasmine Powell, forward Sara Puckett, forward Karoline Striplin and guard Kaiya Wynn.
The Lady Vols added the No. 6-ranked NCAA Transfer Portal class nationally, according to 247Sports analyst Brandon Clay. Three players who will see action this season include multi-time all-conference guards Jewel Spear from Wake Forest and Destinee Wells from Belmont, and guard/forward Avery Strickland from Pitt. Spear and Wells were ranked No. 7 and No. 19 by 247Sports among top transfers, and the trio made a combined 197 three-pointers last season.
Harper must account for the losses of three departed contributors. Two-time All-SEC and All-America Honorable Mention choice Jordan Horston (15.6 ppg., 6.1 rpg., 3.3 apg.) was the No. 9 pick in the WNBA Draft. Point guard Jordan Walker (5.7 ppg., 3.2 apg.) graduated with two master’s degrees after starting 77 games over her three seasons in Knoxville, while reserve Jasmine Franklin exhausted her eligibility after one season at UT, putting up 4.5 ppg. and 3.8 rpg. while shooting 49 pct. in 35 games.
The Lady Vols, who are ranked No. 12 in ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” Top 25, will make their debut at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Oct. 30, as they host Carson-Newman in an exhibition game. That matchup will be streamed on SECN+.
Tennessee opens the regular season at home on Nov. 7, as LVFL and first-year Florida A&M head coach Bridgette Gordon leads her squad to Knoxville for a 6:30 p.m. battle on SECN+.