Kellie Harper Pre UConn Game Press Conference | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Kellie Harper Pre UConn Game Press Conference

DefenseBB said:
Kelli is very well spoken and logical. I think she has done a very nice job at Tennessee considering what a mess they were under Holly. She needs to up her recruiting to truly make them Top 10 relevant again. So UConn is down Paige, Azzi, Carolyn and front court depth Ice Brady and yet we are still a 6.5 point favorite by Massey at Tennessee who will have 14,000 fanatics at the game. I never would have thought that at the beginning of the year. Wow, just wow and I am looking forward to this game.
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Worth noting, Tennessee is also likely without 2 of their 3 best players in Key/Horston and lost another former starter/role player in Marta Suarez who left the team a few weeks ago. A shame both teams wont be at full strength but regardless it should be a good game to watch.
 
Alibi Ike said:
The Gamecocks, on the road, beat UCONN by 20 points. Too much of a talent differential, even if fully healthy,
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That was then, this is now. UCONN is a much better team than in the beginning of the season. UCONN's 5 star players are at the top of the game and SC is in for a surprise. GO HUSKIES!!!
 
bballnut90 said:
Worth noting, Tennessee is also likely without 2 of their 3 best players in Key/Horston and lost another former starter/role player in Marta Suarez who left the team a few weeks ago. A shame both teams wont be at full strength but regardless it should be a good game to watch.
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Have you guys been watching Key during any of her playing time at Tennessee? She is tall. Nothing more nothing less. If she is one of their best, that program is in a sorry state. Suarez? Good grief!! Keep reaching for straws. Horston is an athlete. Basketball player for now. She will go top 10 in the draft but like Davis her game will suffer at the pro level. Too much iso ball.
 
Mdoggie said:
Have you guys been watching Key during any of her playing time at Tennessee? She is tall. Nothing more nothing less. If she is one of their best, that program is in a sorry state. Suarez? Good grief!! Keep reaching for straws. Horston is an athlete. Basketball player for now. She will go top 10 in the draft but like Davis her game will suffer at the pro level. Too much iso ball.
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Geez, dial it back. There was no need to take a shot at Key

www.knoxnews.com

Lady Vols basketball center Tamari Key out for season due to blood clots in lungs

Lady Vols basketball center Tamari Key is out for the season due to blood clots found in her lungs, Tennessee coach Kellie Harper announced Thursday.
www.knoxnews.com www.knoxnews.com
 
Mdoggie said:
Have you guys been watching Key during any of her playing time at Tennessee? She is tall. Nothing more nothing less. If she is one of their best, that program is in a sorry state. Suarez? Good grief!! Keep reaching for straws. Horston is an athlete. Basketball player for now. She will go top 10 in the draft but like Davis her game will suffer at the pro level. Too much iso ball.
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Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here. All I stated is that Tennessee will also be far from full strength tomorrow.
 
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HuskyNan said:
You’re always welcome here. You’ve been on the Boneyard a lot longer and have a track record as a respectful and respected poster. Unfortunately, we still have some haters
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Thanks Nan, much appreciated!
 
bballnut90 said:
Worth noting, Tennessee is also likely without 2 of their 3 best players in Key/Horston and lost another former starter/role player in Marta Suarez who left the team a few weeks ago. A shame both teams wont be at full strength but regardless it should be a good game to watch.
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No one has said officially that Horston is not playing, have they?
 
I liked that Harper said that she wants the rivalry to continue.
It motivates everyone on both sides to play their best & it helps to draw national attention to both programs.
I'm glad that Harper isn't backing off continuing the rivalry and it says a lot about her desire to grow the game whether Tennessee wins or loses.
She's carrying the torch for Pat into another new era.
Times change but she's helping to maintain a tradition.
It's a good lesson to teach kids & her own fan base that there's nothing wrong with being an underdog.
Win or lose you root for the team that you like, and attend the school that you like because not everyone can play or root for UConn.
It's the same all over, high school kids pick a school, they learn, they bond and they play.
The game is bigger than either program.
It's about the spirit of competition.
Kudos to her.
 
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bballnut90 said:
Worth noting, Tennessee is also likely without 2 of their 3 best players in Key/Horston and lost another former starter/role player in Marta Suarez who left the team a few weeks ago. A shame both teams wont be at full strength but regardless it should be a good game to watch.
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When they jump ball they will both have five players on the court ..... both teams will be at full strength.
 
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bballnut90 said:
Worth noting, Tennessee is also likely without 2 of their 3 best players in Key/Horston and lost another former starter/role player in Marta Suarez who left the team a few weeks ago. A shame both teams wont be at full strength but regardless it should be a good game to watch.
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no way whatever GIF


Oh, they have two players out due to injury?
 
HuskyNan said:
Geez, dial it back. There was no need to take a shot at Key

www.knoxnews.com

Lady Vols basketball center Tamari Key out for season due to blood clots in lungs

Lady Vols basketball center Tamari Key is out for the season due to blood clots found in her lungs, Tennessee coach Kellie Harper announced Thursday.
www.knoxnews.com www.knoxnews.com
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I think a dose of objectivity is needed. I understand there is no love for UT, but Kellie Harper is in a tough spot. Think back to any sport and the track record of replacing a legend is an almost impossible challenge. This will apply one day to UConn whenever Geno decides to step down.

Fans want to relive the "glory" days and fail to adjust their expectations. It may be that UT will never reach the lofty perch again - things end, situations change. For long-term success, recruiting is and will be the tried-and-true formula that works. Gene's approach to the transfer portal differs in that it is not wholesale, but for a specific need. Also, similar to HS recruits, he looks for the right "character."

In the presser, I thought Harper was magnanimous. She and the rest of the BY's see that despite a limited bench, our starting five is as good as anyone in the country, if not better. Teams will try to wear UConn down, but by the time it happens, UConn will be ahead by double digits.

I feel the team is ready for the hostile environment, poised to handle UT's opening salvo, and overall, has better talent and chemistry. Of course, it would be more reassuring to have more reserves, but the starting five is a seasoned, smart group that is up for the challenge.

SC presents more obstacles. They are the one team that can send in waves of players without a discernible drop in talent that could eventually expose UConn's lack of depth. However, if the starting five can avoid foul trouble, they can take the game down to the wire.
 
In past years UConn being physical with Tenn has resulted in fouls on UConn. In past seasons Tenn being physical with UConn doesnt necessarily result in fouls on Tenn. Im hoping thats not the case Thursday. This is a different Tenn era and I would like to see a game where UConn is not in foul trouble and no more injuries.

As far as Tenn recruiting. Tenn is not listed on Hoopgurlz as having any recruits in 2023. Thats a problem. I would think the transfer portal and transfers would be the way Tenn would get replacements for those roster players graduating. Perhaps some players stay for their covid year.

Im hoping for a good fair game with no injuries.
 
The big gorilla in the room is foul trouble. I am not convinced yet that AE, Lou, and Nika as a collective unit can stay out of foul trouble. I am not worried about Dorka and Aubrey. They are not foul factories. These two teams will have a physical game and our limited bench better be ready to perform well. I can't pick a winner cause I don't know how the fouls will fall. I really hope I am wrong! Worried over here in Denver :confused:
 
Carnac said:
Yeah................conference games. Hard to tell right now which one is going to give them the BIGGEST beat down. My $$ is on the Gamecocks. :rolleyes:
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In my "best of all possible worlds," we give Tennessee a beatdown tomorrow, they give LSU a beatdown, and then SC gives them both serious beatdowns. As they used to say in the English civil wars, "This is the proper order of things."
 
Tonyc said:
In past years UConn being physical with Tenn has resulted in fouls on UConn. In past seasons Tenn being physical with UConn doesnt necessarily result in fouls on Tenn.
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Now, to return to more civil patterns of thought: I cringe when I hear coaches say they want their players to be "more physical." This never seems to mean playing with good energy and intensity, with athleticism. What it tends to mean in practice is lots of pushing and shoving in the paint -- that's ok, as long as it doesn't go to far -- and lots of bumping cutters, and lots of slapping at the ball, the arms, the hands. If the slapping and reach-ins go too far this is how we get concussions, eye-pokes, etc. One thing Tennessee is not known for is flopping. That at least doesn't appear to be the style of play Kellie coaches.

The topper, is when opposing coaches say UConn is physical. Yes, we push back, but that's about it. We don't do bump cutters, we don't slap at a ball handler's face. We pick pockets and jump passing lanes, not slap opponents silly.
 
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Brewski said:
The big gorilla in the room is foul trouble. I am not convinced yet that AE, Lou, and Nika as a collective unit can stay out of foul trouble. I am not worried about Dorka and Aubrey. They are not foul factories. These two teams will have a physical game and our limited bench better be ready to perform well. I can't pick a winner cause I don't know how the fouls will fall. I really hope I am wrong! Worried over here in Denver :confused:
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Aaliyah has been fine this year, and Nika has matured enough to know when she can be aggressive and when to dial it back just enough to avoid foul trouble. Plus we'll have 8 solid players.
 
"No doubt the girls will be briefed on the cat calls and foul language they may encounter from the fans during warm up and during the course of the game."

And the mooing!
 
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visitingcock said:
Not really. It’s all in their heads. When you ask them what dirty recruiting is, they cite to some bs a Bama fan posted about them on some website and don’t understand that it’s not recruiting.

It’s all in their heads.
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Negative “recruiting” isn’t working. They just got a verbal from an 8th grader. Unless she is the second coming of a Stewie like player, that’s too dang early in my opinion.
 
bballnut90 said:
Worth noting, Tennessee is also likely without 2 of their 3 best players in Key/Horston and lost another former starter/role player in Marta Suarez who left the team a few weeks ago. A shame both teams wont be at full strength but regardless it should be a good game to watch.
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What's the story on Suarez? She seemed like a real player two years ago before losing last season to injury.
 
Gus Mahler said:
What's the story on Suarez? She seemed like a real player two years ago before losing last season to injury.
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As mentioned in another thread, Suarez returned home to Spain to be with her cancer-stricken mother :(
 
Brewski said:
The big gorilla in the room is foul trouble. I am not convinced yet that AE, Lou, and Nika as a collective unit can stay out of foul trouble. I am not worried about Dorka and Aubrey. They are not foul factories. These two teams will have a physical game and our limited bench better be ready to perform well. I can't pick a winner cause I don't know how the fouls will fall. I really hope I am wrong! Worried over here in Denver :confused:
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Muhl and Griffin average exactly the same foul per minutes, 1 foul every 18 minutes; Edwards and Senechal one every 14 minutes; Dorka one every 30 minutes. That means no current Uconn starter averages 3 fouls per 40, ergo, statistically none of them are remotely “foul factories”.
Does the Uconn lack of depth make them susceptible to foul trouble? Of course, but the only game I can remember foul trouble hurting them was the quick 2 Senechal got in the Maryland game with Muhl and Fudd out with injuries. They have played great defense and rebounded well all year without fouling.
 
Littlemin said:
Muhl and Griffin average exactly the same foul per minutes, 1 foul every 18 minutes; Edwards and Senechal one every 14 minutes; Dorka one every 30 minutes. That means no current Uconn starter averages 3 fouls per 40, ergo, statistically none of them are remotely “foul factories”.
Does the Uconn lack of depth make them susceptible to foul trouble? Of course, but the only game I can remember foul trouble hurting them was the quick 2 Senechal got in the Maryland game with Muhl and Fudd out with injuries. They have played great defense and rebounded well all year without fouling.
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UConn is 21st in the country in (least) fouls per game

875FAEB0-F997-4A11-B923-77C5D1005B75.jpeg
 
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