Tennessee parts ways with Kellie (Jolly) Harper [merged thread]

[Zonepress]

Actually she’s coached 4 wnba draft players. Counting Rickea, Rennia, Rae, and Jordan and in that span she’s gone 12 and 37 against ranked opponents. I don’t know if you guys caught many games but man they were hard to watch sometimes. Fundamentals were not present. Offensive sets non-existent. Defense they played whenever they felt like it. Hardly any adjustments after halftime. When her team is getting ran out the gym, Kellie is on the sideline squatting looking lost. Didn’t help that she went home with 3 timeouts most nights either.

Great post!! Felt the same way when watching
Tenn games

 

[LwrcasefaN]

As my avatar title states "I may not be the sharpest...", so how did Harper come to be known as Jolly?
Reading the thread title, I had no idea who was let go.

Maiden was Jolly.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Just waded through 25 pages of VolNation shock over this firing.

Most seemed to feel that though Kellie is a good person, it was time for a change in coach. Many also want to get away from hiring anyone that would be considered part of the "Summitt tree," and go after ("poach") a "big-time" hire.

This article has a suggested list of coaches that might consider the job:

Lady Vols basketball coaching candidates: 11 options to replace Kellie Harper

According to those 25 pages of VolNation, these are the people who should be considered for the job (a few of them are listed in the above article, which is why I listed it first). Reasons pro/con and availability will vary! In alphabetical order:

• Courtney Banghart
• Carla Berube
• Bart Brooks
• Kenny Brooks
• Kim Caldwell
• Cori Close
• Nicki Collen
• Megan Duffy
• Lisa Fortier
• Lindsay Gottlieb
• Niele Ivey
• Carolyn Kieger
• Tina Langley
• Lindy La Rocque
• Jolette Law
• Kara Lawson
• Kevin McGuff
• Yolett McPhee-McCuin
• Molly Miller
• Wes Moore
• Teri Moren
• Candace Parker
• JR Payne
• Tomeika Reed
• Lynne Roberts
• Scott Rueck
• Vic Schaeffer
• Karl Smesko
• Dawn Staley
• Kim Stephens
• Jeff Walz
• Brooke Wyckoff

For your discussion pleasure.....

There are quite a few names on that list that would probably not change the result much from what they got under Harper...and Warlick. Just can't see most of those as being serious candidates for the job.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

In my next life "fired coach" will be my dream job. I'm tough skinned and if I weren't I'd just spend that check on some therapy. Her next stop... Analyst.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

There are quite a few names on that list that would probably not change the result much from what they got under Harper...and Warlick. Just can't see most of those as being serious candidates for the job.

No Geno?

 

[nwhoopfan]

No Geno?

Umm...why would he leave to take on a rebuilding project at this point? Tara's not on the list either. I have no idea how much longer either will coach, but they aren't spring chickens. When you hire a new coach, at least the ideal is that they will be around for a while. It would be hilarious, but I imagine a good portion of Tennessee's fan base would revolt if they tried to bring Geno on board. I think the dislike for him just runs too deep.

 

[hoopsfan22]

No Geno?

Their search is filtering out septuagenarians.

 

[ConnMotors]

It's trending that if the AD throws money at Dawn, she'll leave SC.

Doesn’t Dawn have statue at South Carolina. If she leaves does she get to take it with her.

 

[Vowelguy]

Doesn’t Dawn have statue at South Carolina. If she leaves does she get to take it with her.

If she went to another SEC school, the fans might take care of that for her.

 

[JellyBean]

Dang! Not a huge shocker but still this hits different. You know it is the nature of the coaching job but still, it hits different. I wish the Lady Vols all the best on their next coaching hire and the same with Coach Harper all the best on her next coaching gig.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Umm...why would he leave to take on a rebuilding project at this point? Tara's not on the list either. I have no idea how much longer either will coach, but they aren't spring chickens. When you hire a new coach, at least the ideal is that they will be around for a while. It would be hilarious, but I imagine a good portion of Tennessee's fan base would revolt if they tried to bring Geno on board. I think the dislike for him just runs too deep.

um...joke? My bad.

 

[Ladeeeeda]

What Strategy? Oh, you mean the one where 16 different players come and go via the portal to play for her in 4 years? That Strategy? Yeah, it's worked out great so far. Year 1, quite the season after 4 games, year 2-didn't qualify for any postseason play, Year 3 had a great regular season but lost in round 2 AT HOME to Colorado as a #3 seed, finally year 4, finished 7th in conference and made to the Sweet 16 with no signs of an offense or scheme. Keep in mind we don't know who will leave this year's team yet but my guess is at least 2.

So, keep whistling past the grave yard if you want to but I am full Ghostbusters gear!

When you have a standard, have zero experience, but inherit a dumpster fire, this is what happens in the portal era. People leave and you have to take players that don't fit your vision to fill a roster. Lawson finally has a team of kids that mostly fit her vision. Every single one that left, didn't really fit it. And leaving has worked out so well for all of them by the way...lol, not.

When you are starting out, you can compromise your standards and win more initially, but in the end the compromise will never get you where you want to go. Lawson had to compromise on her recruiting standard to get players. She isn't going to compromise on her expectations, so the offense will be as it is until she gets enough players who can learn and meet her standard. Every year she gets closer to having the players she needs.

There is a very short list of coaches that have made the sweet sixteen in their 1st 4yrs being a college head coach. Even fewer who have done it without starting out as an asst. coach. Glad Lawson is one of them and glad she is at Duke.

I would love to see Geno's offense with Lawson's roster. He has Paige and that is the difference. He doesn't play players that don't meet the standard. He has that luxury because he has an established and extremely successful program with high level talent. He has absolutely earned it!

Having two players leave after any given year is pretty pedestrian these days. It is part of doing business in the portal and NIL era.

Now, no way Tenn is going to hire a coach that has done less than Kelly has, so Kara isn't even in the conversation in the AD office over there. Good news for us at Duke!

Keeping wasting time busting ghosts and we'll keep operating in reality over here!

 

[nwhoopfan]

um...joke? My bad.

I've gotten most of the way thru the day without April Fool's jokes. My guard was down.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Kara or maybe Jeff.

 

[CAbballfan2]

What Strategy? Oh, you mean the one where 16 different players come and go via the portal to play for her in 4 years? That Strategy? Yeah, it's worked out great so far. Year 1, quite the season after 4 games, year 2-didn't qualify for any postseason play, Year 3 had a great regular season but lost in round 2 AT HOME to Colorado as a #3 seed, finally year 4, finished 7th in conference and made to the Sweet 16 with no signs of an offense or scheme. Keep in mind we don't know who will leave this year's team yet but my guess is at least 2.

So, keep whistling past the grave yard if you want to but I am full Ghostbusters gear!

From your posts about her, she could win a national championship and you would still think it wasn’t good enough! LOL! What did she do to hurt you? Lol

 

[Urshurak]

Wonder if Lawson May jump at it from Duke….

 

[Bone Dog]

Is TN a "good" coaching job? I've heard rumors (probably groundless) that the school doesn't give the WBB team much support.

 

[Ladeeeeda]

Is TN a "good" coaching job? I've heard rumors (probably groundless) that the school doesn't give the WBB team much support.

I think the money, I mean "support", is about to start flowing......

 

[DEFCONN1]

Just waded through 25 pages of VolNation shock over this firing.

Most seemed to feel that though Kellie is a good person, it was time for a change in coach. Many also want to get away from hiring anyone that would be considered part of the "Summitt tree," and go after ("poach") a "big-time" hire.

This article has a suggested list of coaches that might consider the job:

Lady Vols basketball coaching candidates: 11 options to replace Kellie Harper

According to those 25 pages of VolNation, these are the people who should be considered for the job (a few of them are listed in the above article, which is why I listed it first). Reasons pro/con and availability will vary! In alphabetical order:

• Courtney Banghart
• Carla Berube
• Bart Brooks
• Kenny Brooks
• Kim Caldwell
• Cori Close
• Nicki Collen
• Megan Duffy
• Lisa Fortier
• Lindsay Gottlieb
• Niele Ivey
• Carolyn Kieger
• Tina Langley
• Lindy La Rocque
• Jolette Law
• Kara Lawson
• Kevin McGuff
• Yolett McPhee-McCuin
• Molly Miller
• Wes Moore
• Teri Moren
• Candace Parker
• JR Payne
• Tomeika Reed
• Lynne Roberts
• Scott Rueck
• Vic Schaeffer
• Karl Smesko
• Dawn Staley
• Kim Stephens
• Jeff Walz
• Brooke Wyckoff

For your discussion pleasure.....

Has anyone mentioned Tomekia Reed Of Jackson State. She would be an outstanding hire !

 

[WLT1717]

I'll try to put this as delicately as I can. Lawson has a very promising core returning, and a great freshman class coming in. She needs a certain type of player to play for her... and that type of player isn't going to go to TN. She would have to change her whole recruiting strategy if she decided to leave Duke for TN.

Would her style work in the SEC as well as it does in the SEC?

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I think she would have if they would’ve gotten pass NC STATE. That bracket was so favorable for UT.

We can disagree on that one. NCSU is playing lights out and Stanford and Texas are pretty darned good teams. The LVs probably made it as far as they could this year even with a player like Jackson.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

I posted on VN yesterday and a couple of months ago I thought Harper was safe but unless there was a major portal haul she was destined for termination next year because the roster they have just isn't able to win at the level the fans and apparently leadership expect. Harper was clearly a poor recruiter as even staff changes didn't see any difference in results. I didn't think her in game coaching was great, not terrible but certainly not destined for NCs or but "the shot" probably drew the ire of the AD and put negative attention on her coaching and program.

Some of the list of coaching prospects is laughable as few of them would probably leave their current situations for Knoxville. Walz name is tainted now but I think he's a good coach. Lawson could be very good with some more time at Duke but I just don't see her making them a consistent S16, E8, FF program which is what TN wants. The jury is out on her to be any sort of upgrade from Harper. This likely won't be a splash hire like the fans are hoping to see but rather another mid major success or long time assistant in a top flight program. It almost certainly won't be a member of the LV family.

UT isn't ODU or La Tech yet and probably won't ever be since it's in the SEC but 2008 was a lifetime ago and the current basketball landscape isn't even comparable to when Pat last coached. We have watched the program truly decline the last decade and it may not get back to a highly competitive level in the next either.

 

[Ninjaneer]

I wonder what is going through Talaysia Cooper's mind now.

 

[Geew1992]

I posted on VN yesterday and a couple of months ago I thought Harper was safe but unless there was a major portal haul she was destined for termination next year because the roster they have just isn't able to win at the level the fans and apparently leadership expect. Harper was clearly a poor recruiter as even staff changes didn't see any difference in results. I didn't think her in game coaching was great, not terrible but certainly not destined for NCs or but "the shot" probably drew the ire of the AD and put negative attention on her coaching and program.

Some of the list of coaching prospects is laughable as few of them would probably leave their current situations for Knoxville. Walz name is tainted now but I think he's a good coach. Lawson could be very good with some more time at Duke but I just don't see her making them a consistent S16, E8, FF program which is what TN wants. The jury is out on her to be any sort of upgrade from Harper. This likely won't be a splash hire like the fans are hoping to see but rather another mid major success or long time assistant in a top flight program. It almost certainly won't be a member of the LV family.

UT isn't ODU or La Tech yet and probably won't ever be since it's in the SEC but 2008 was a lifetime ago and the current basketball landscape isn't even comparable to when Pat last coached. We have watched the program truly decline the last decade and it may not get back to a highly competitive level in the next either.

She could've saved her job. She just had to fire her husband

 

[LwrcasefaN]

She could've saved her job. She just had to fire her husband

So wait. He's staying? lol