John Adams doesn’t hold back

[Ladyvol777]

Kellie Jolly Harper will make him eat his words. As always go Lady Vol's.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

I'm more sold on the Harper hire now since Adams hates it.....

 

[Zues1]

But wait...he hate Adams right?

 

[orangefloyd]

I don’t like Adams but he is right on this. If you are going to call yourself elite you should be reaching a little higher than this. This is another cheap hope it works out hire. That being said I certainly hope it works.

 

[stllvf]

I wish that Fleenor had survived as a reporter for his knowledge of LVs day-to-day provided a perspective that is missed.

 

[Putbacks]

A lot of that is a no-brainer.

If Adams were local in 1974, he probably would have mocked the hiring of Pat Head.

The ball is in Harper’s court now. Here is her chance.

 

[pasadenavol]

How is he wrong?
You fire a coach with a record of 172–67 and hire a coach who's one stop at a power 5 job had a 70–64 record.
You don't do that, period. Kellie gives the blue hairs the feel goods and thats great but heres the truth, UNTIL THIS PROGRAM IS READY TO MOVE ON AND STOP LIVING ON PAT SUMMITT'S NAME IT WILL ONLY BE MEDIOCRE. This USED to be a great program but it turned into a museum for Pat, now I have nothing for respect for Pat and what she did here but it's time to move on. This place is so set in it's ways its disgusting, the fact that you have a few women running around saying they will never stand for a man coaching the womens game but preaching equality in sports. Do you hear yourselves? The older part of the Lady Vol fan base is the most arrogant, delusional collective group of people in sports today. Move on and let the program grow, you guys act like some weird a$$ gate keepers for the shrine of Pat, so again MOVE ON.

THIS x1000000

 

[YankeeVol]

Adams would have written a negative article no matter who was hired.

You're not wrong lol

 

[FormerLadyVolFan]

Feel better now? If the 'fan base' you refer to 'moves on', average game attendance moves from the thousands to the hundreds, like most other WBB programs.

May I ask if you have season tickets? Do you regularly attend games?

How is he wrong?
You fire a coach with a record of 172–67 and hire a coach who's one stop at a power 5 job had a 70–64 record.
You don't do that, period. Kellie gives the blue hairs the feel goods and thats great but heres the truth, UNTIL THIS PROGRAM IS READY TO MOVE ON AND STOP LIVING ON PAT SUMMITT'S NAME IT WILL ONLY BE MEDIOCRE. This USED to be a great program but it turned into a museum for Pat, now I have nothing for respect for Pat and what she did here but it's time to move on. This place is so set in it's ways its disgusting, the fact that you have a few women running around saying they will never stand for a man coaching the womens game but preaching equality in sports. Do you hear yourselves? The older part of the Lady Vol fan base is the most arrogant, delusional collective group of people in sports today. Move on and let the program grow, you guys act like some weird a$$ gate keepers for the shrine of Pat, so again MOVE ON.

 

[Big Orange Rob]

How is he wrong?
You fire a coach with a record of 172–67 and hire a coach who's one stop at a power 5 job had a 70–64 record.
You don't do that, period. Kellie gives the blue hairs the feel goods and thats great but heres the truth, UNTIL THIS PROGRAM IS READY TO MOVE ON AND STOP LIVING ON PAT SUMMITT'S NAME IT WILL ONLY BE MEDIOCRE. This USED to be a great program but it turned into a museum for Pat, now I have nothing for respect for Pat and what she did here but it's time to move on. This place is so set in it's ways its disgusting, the fact that you have a few women running around saying they will never stand for a man coaching the womens game but preaching equality in sports. Do you hear yourselves? The older part of the Lady Vol fan base is the most arrogant, delusional collective group of people in sports today. Move on and let the program grow, you guys act like some weird a$$ gate keepers for the shrine of Pat, so again MOVE ON.

Facts:

1) Holly had to go. As much as everyone likes her, her program was dying a slow death. A change had to be made.
2) Phil could not pay 3+ million dollars to lure away a top tier coach from another top 5 program. There is only so much money to go around and the majority is being spent on football and men's bball (as it should be). Kellie has a lot of the attributes of a great coach, but only time will tell. The same could be said of most candidates. Instead of being positive and getting behind the program, some have chosen to be negative and whine like spoiled kids. Since the decision has been made and there's nothing we as fans can do about it, which approach will help move the program forward? As far as Adams, he will always spin everything negatively. Always has, always will.

 

[rocketskates]

Some people were upset about the hiring of Rick Barnes as well and look what happened. Give her a chance before you burn her at the stake.

 

[lvocd]

Without even waiting until the ink has dried on her contract, he's making sure that no-one is so silly as to possibly feel a bit of optimism and excitement for the future as one of our own comes home to do her dead-level best to right the ship.

Yeah. Thanks, Adams. For a moment there, people were almost happy. So glad you swooped in before the unthinkable happened.

*ahem*

I don't know. Maybe you could just go jump in the Tennessee River, John Adams? That'd be grrreeeeat. Thanks.

 

[volman128]

I love how when Adams says something Vol fans agree with (like when he talked about Holly needing to be fired), he's the next coming of Christ. When he says something people don't agree with he's a negative hack. Y'all gotta make up your mind.

Bottom line is people don't like Adams because he doesn't tow the line and kiss UT's ass 24/7 like people are accustomed to around here. He's not employed by UT like Mickey Dearstone and others. He's always been willing to call it how he sees it. Do I agree with everything he says? No, not by a long shot, but he's an actual honest reporter who doesn't care what UT or UT fans think of him. And that's why UT fans don't like him. He doesn't sugarcoat everything like UT fans have been accustomed to for the longest time.

Also, UT didn't put winning as a priority with this hire. They just didn't. Kellie may very well be successful here and I certainly hope she is, but given who they hired, her resume and her pay, it's clear they don't care if the program is elite ever again. I personally don't feel any better about this hire than I did when Holly was hired, but we will see. Just like with Holly as a LV legend, I would love nothing more than to see Kellie take us back to elite status.

 

[i2amavol]

Holly loved the Lady Vol program as much as anyone could. She needed to learn offensive sets, which you would have thought would have been obvious to her, and needed a tougher approach as a coach, which doesn't seem to be her nature. The development of the players wasn't there, the chemistry wasn't there, and without a doubt, the program was making way to many firsts in negative ways to allow Holly to be retained. Hate it for her, but that's the way it is in big time college athletics. AD Fulmer knows what it takes to compete in the SEC. I trust his judgement in his coaching hires. Look at the physical development of the football team. They are getting bigger and stronger, Pruitt has put together what seems to be a great staff and I think we will see the results soon. KJH was just named the Kay Yow Women's Basketball Coach of the Year. Let's give her and Fulmer the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. Let's quit bashing and start supporting as we should.

I guess my biggest concern is her in-game coaching. Has anyone on this board watch her teams play? Does she make good in-game/after half-time adjustments? Do her players give full effort? Do they appear to be organized, and know what they are doing on the court?

I am sorry, I am a Lady Vols fan, but not necessarily a big women's basketball fan.

 

[Jcarter]

John Adams writes facts since when?

 

[Volsfaninva917]

Feel better now? If the 'fan base' you refer to 'moves on', average game attendance moves from the thousands to the hundreds, like most other WBB programs.

May I ask if you have season tickets? Do you regularly attend games?

Attendance is down across america in all sports, most due to TV and rising ticket prices. You want to put butts in the seats, then put a superior product on the floor. I'm not telling them to stop supporting the team, I'm telling the to loosen their grip on the program, these girls entering college today dont even remember that 2008 National title and outside of Parker probably couldn't name another girl on that roster. You know exactly who I'm eluding to, its the same fan base that says a man has no place in the womens game but if I told them women have no place in the NBA, NFL, NHL or any men's sport they would raise holy hell. We live in Virginia and only have football season tickets, however we do attend about 3 games a year and I'm sorry but the last few years that place is no louder than a library. There's no excitement surrounding this program anymore , the days of riding Pat's coat tail is over and I'm afraid Harper is going to be the final nail in the coffin for this program. Again I'm telling them to drop their support, I'm telling them to close their mouths and pass the torch.

 

[Volsfaninva917]

John Adams writes facts since when?

Fact you don't fire a coach with a 72% win percentage to hire a coach with a .53% win percentage ( Power 5 schools only )

 

[ShoalCreekVol]

About that "her one stop at a Power 5 school she got fired" POV, allow me to offer another consideration:

Coach Harper has been HC at 3 schools. 2 mid-major, 1 P5. Her first job she took the school to new heights and by all accounts overachieved there. She did the same in her 3rd job, culminating in this year's Kay Yow award. Perhaps the one P5 job in the middle is the outlier? Maybe the problem was that PARTICULAR job at that particular time?

At NC State she immediately followed their Summitt, at a time when that whole athletic department was a complete dumpster fire. Think UT between Dickey and Fulmer, that bad. Everything there was a mess, the AD that hired her was pushed out so she had to work for an AD that didn't hire her, and we know how that goes. We UT fans lived the nightmare of a screwed up administration affecting our sports for years, so we of all people should offer grace here. I'm willing to presume that the NC State job may not reflect her actual abilities.

At UT, she will have the best facilities and a top-2 all-time WBB brand. She will be given everything she needs to be successful. She's shown she can get it done at places with few to no resources for WBB, and now we'll see if she has what it takes to become elite at an elite program.

 

[Sugaray13]

Fact you don't fire a coach with a 72% win percentage to hire a coach with a .53% win percentage ( Power 5 schools only )

The fact is everyone needs to get behind Kelly and the program. Just because something didn't turn out the way you want it to at one place doesn't mean the second time around you will get the same results. People learn from their mistakes. She needs to be given a chance. Rick Barnes was fired, Tennessee hired him, and now it looks like the right move but when you look at it we pick up what Texas didn't want. There are always underlying circumstance around each situation. We are not behind the screens. She wasn't at the top of my list and probably not in my top 10 but Coach Fulmer hasn't let us down yet. Always means more when you come home.

 

[k-town_king]

For the people who thinks she will do well, can you say why without mentioning her being like Pat?

 

[FlyFishnVol]

And he’s right

Kellie Harper is likeable, but Lady Vols should have made winning more of a priority

John who? I know JA has an extensive background in coaching in multiple sports, and his experience as a AD is well documented =\ John has done nothing here but point out the obvious, Holly was given 7 years to show progression, Kellie will expect the same no non-sense expectations from fans and administration. How many football coaches did we go through? ok, then John........shut the _________up you pompous dirt bag. John reports nothing original, he didn't get to break the hiring of Kellie news, if any of you think JA is being neutral in his assessment........you better look harder. His ego has been deflated and he has a big issue with UT, all because he no longer has the "inside man" info. Once again, he is butt hurt over the announcement...........so, true to form, he craps all over the hire. Other than that..............he is a great guy =\

 

[I4Vols]

That's not his job, he writes columns based on the facts he's gathered and his opinion.

And you know what they say about opinions...

 

[madtownvol]

Facts:

1) Holly had to go. As much as everyone likes her, her program was dying a slow death. A change had to be made.
2) Phil could not pay 3+ million dollars to lure away a top tier coach from another top 5 program. There is only so much money to go around and the majority is being spent on football and men's bball (as it should be). Kellie has a lot of the attributes of a great coach, but only time will tell. The same could be said of most candidates. Instead of being positive and getting behind the program, some have chosen to be negative and whine like spoiled kids. Since the decision has been made and there's nothing we as fans can do about it, which approach will help move the program forward? As far as Adams, he will always spin everything negatively. Always has, always will.

Don't confuse us with the facts! Instead, let's pretend that Fulmer had UNLIMITED resources to make this hire and that every coach from the top ten programs all expressed a burning desire to become the LVs coach and that Fulmer had a bag of magical fairy dust that would have guaranteed ten straight undefeated seasons in row (but which he used to instead to get a free Chik-fil-a meal).

Under those conditions, would you not agree that Fulmer could have done better?

Gotta go to work on my next column,

Yours truly,

John Adams

 

[NCSULadyVol]

About that "her one stop at a Power 5 school she got fired" POV, allow me to offer another consideration:

Coach Harper has been HC at 3 schools. 2 mid-major, 1 P5. Her first job she took the school to new heights and by all accounts overachieved there. She did the same in her 3rd job, culminating in this year's Kay Yow award. Perhaps the one P5 job in the middle is the outlier? Maybe the problem was that PARTICULAR job at that particular time?

At NC State she immediately followed their Summitt, at a time when that whole athletic department was a complete dumpster fire. Think UT between Dickey and Fulmer, that bad. Everything there was a mess, the AD that hired her was pushed out so she had to work for an AD that didn't hire her, and we know how that goes. We UT fans lived the nightmare of a screwed up administration affecting our sports for years, so we of all people should offer grace here. I'm willing to presume that the NC State job may not reflect her actual abilities.

At UT, she will have the best facilities and a top-2 all-time WBB brand. She will be given everything she needs to be successful. She's shown she can get it done at places with few to no resources for WBB, and now we'll see if she has what it takes to become elite at an elite program.

As a NC State fan, I agree with your assessment. I think Kellie is a better coach than her record here might suggest. I still wish she was given more time but can not complain about the success Wes Moore has had. The Wolfpack Women have had their best result in many years. I have taken an interest in the Lady Vol program now because I am looking forward to seeing what she can do.

 

[SD189]

Fact you don't fire a coach with a 72% win percentage to hire a coach with a .53% win percentage ( Power 5 schools only )

Holly was doing fine the first 3 years, then it got sh*tty
1st 3 seasons 86-20
Last 4 seasons 86-47