Let's be clear: the S&C coach is the most important position a head coach can source because s/he's the one person who is able to work with your kids throughout the year. I think at Tennessee, it was a combination of Pat having less control over her program and the S&C coach being incompetent. One look at Taber Spani, Shekina Stricklen, or Alicia Manning should have been enough to get that woman fired. Sounds like Holly made it happen as soon as she took the reins, and good on her. For the record, Taber looked much fitter this year. Some of it may have been that she was healthier, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a better S&C program in play. You can't rely on all your kids being like Glory Johnson, ie self-motivated to work out. Let's be real- most people, even elite student-athletes, will avoid going as hard as possible if you let them. For every Shea Ralph or Kelly Faris, I can promise you we've had 30 kids come through UConn who had to learn what it meant to push it hard enough on the track/weight room/etc to compete at the level Geno requires on the court.
No one likes an employment suit, but I'm inclined to believe this termination was richly deserved.