Congrats to Kelly Jolly-Harper and the Missouri State Lady Bears

#2
#2
Congrats to Coach Jolly-Harper and the Missouri State Lady Bears for their upset of DePaul 89 to 78. I wish you well against Iowa State and Alexa Middleton.
Agree and proud to see AM having a good time at ISU after what she went through at UT. More proud of Kellie and her pat like coaching at Mo St. Took a no name team with a no name resume further than our big name team and AAs all over the floor went.
 
#4
#4
Agree and proud to see AM having a good time at ISU after what she went through at UT. More proud of Kellie and her pat like coaching at Mo St. Took a no name team with a no name resume further than our big name team and AAs all over the floor went.

Missouri State (formerly SW Missouri State) is not a no-name team. They are pretty rich in women's basketball tradition and history for a mid-major school. Two final four appearances and regular appearances in the NCAA tournament (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2016, 2019). Harper has done a very nice job of rekindling that tradition.
 
#5
#5
Congrats to Coach Jolly-Harper and the Missouri State Lady Bears for their upset of DePaul 89 to 78. I wish you well against Iowa State and Alexa Middleton.

Kelly Jolly Harper has the credentials to become a replacement for Holly Warlick. She was the point guard for Pat Summit on three national champions teams. She learned plenty as an assistant under Joe Campi at Augurn, then Wes Moore at Chattanooga. As a head coach she was very successful at Western Carolina. She has totally turned the Missouri State program into a winner in a very short time....bring her home to Tennessee. With the material recruited and her coaching ability, the Lady Vols would be back in the winners category again. We need a former LV to be a winner again.
 
#6
#6
Kelly Jolly Harper has the credentials to become a replacement for Holly Warlick. She was the point guard for Pat Summit on three national champions teams. She learned plenty as an assistant under Joe Campi at Augurn, then Wes Moore at Chattanooga. As a head coach she was very successful at Western Carolina. She has totally turned the Missouri State program into a winner in a very short time....bring her home to Tennessee. With the material recruited and her coaching ability, the Lady Vols would be back in the winners category again. We need a former LV to be a winner again.

I do agree that we need to go into a different direction, however, we seriously need to consider all options. I also believe that Jolly-Harper needs to be in consideration.
 
#7
#7
Missouri State (formerly SW Missouri State) is not a no-name team. They are pretty rich in women's basketball tradition and history for a mid-major school. Two final four appearances and regular appearances in the NCAA tournament (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2016, 2019). Harper has done a very nice job of rekindling that tradition.
Talking about her players!!!!
 
#9
#9
Hope this video will post...watching Kellie try to awkwardly dance post-game in the locker room is a hoot (and the players love it).

(Apparently, I have an adblocker that is preventing my posting it, but the URL is https://t**itter.com/i/status/1109589282564571136] if anyone else cares to post)

Also love the comments she makes to the team about confidence.
 
#11
#11
We have become big Lady Bear fans this season. It has taken some of the sting out of our miserable season to listen to tune in on the radio and listen to MoSt games and get to know the Lady Bears by name: Danielle, Alexa, Brice, Jazz, Elle, Emily, Mya, Stacy, etc. Took me back to the days when my dad and I would listen to my high school team's games in the state tournament. Also took us back to Lady Vols glory years.

Same with watching Alexa Middleton's success at Iowa State (less so for Te'a Cooper considering that they are our rivals and the cloud under which she left the team). At any rate, tonight should be fun.

Hoping Kellie's young team will pull off another upset while Alexa has a great final game in her college career.
 
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#13
#13
Middleton wasn't a great player at Iowa State but she was far better than she ever was here her best season by far. Cooper improved dramatically as a team player over what she was here. Players that have transferred have improved their games that says something about the present state of our program.
 
#14
#14
We have become big Lady Bear fans this season. It has taken some of the sting out of our miserable season to listen to tune in on the radio and listen to MoSt games and get to know the Lady Bears by name: Danielle, Alexa, Brice, Elle, Emily, Mya, etc. Took me back to the days when my dad and I would listen to my high school team's games in the state tournament. Also took us back to Lady Vols glory years.

Same with watching Alexa Middleton's success at Iowa State (less so for Te'a Cooper considering that they are our rivals and the cloud under which she left the team). At any rate, tonight should be fun.

Hoping Kellie's young team will pull off another upset while Alexa has a great final game in her college career.


I love Middleton, however, it would be nice to see Missouri State take down Iowa State and make it to the sweet 16. They have played very well against D1 competition. Coach Jolly-Harper is building quite a program.
 
#15
#15
Middleton wasn't a great player at Iowa State but she was far better than she ever was here her best season by far. Cooper improved dramatically as a team player over what she was here. Players that have transferred have improved their games that says something about the present state of our program.
Alexa is playing at a whole different level right now, even if her season #'s weren't that impressive. She is clearly very confident, and it's showing in her play. I guess that's what happens when you have a coach and not just someone on the sideline wondering what she's gonna get for dinner while the opposing team is on a 10-0 run.
 
#16
#16
Middleton wasn't a great player at Iowa State but she was far better than she ever was here her best season by far. Cooper improved dramatically as a team player over what she was here. Players that have transferred have improved their games that says something about the present state of our program.
No and she would not have been if she stayed at UT but she looks and acts happier any time since leaving. It seems like every year we have nothing but drama. I am thinking maybe Cooper came in with a chip on her shoulder and teaming with her best friend made it bigger.
 
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#17
#17
Wouldn't it be great if a new culture could be established so that our current players (and incoming recruits) could leave UT with the same feeling of happiness and the reward of knowing they had improved?

I'd wager that Holly would even be happier after being removed from the situation for a while. She's been raised not to be a "quitter," but she might actually feel relieved to have the monkey off her back. She has to be one of the most miserable people in college sports right now. Best-case scenario would be a resignation (can her coaching friends have an intervention?) and have Lady Vol fans treat her decently for her contributions and just not even bring up the past 7 years when she is around.

Fulmer has to do something now that a player(s) has more or less openly mutinied. You simply cannot call yourself an athletic director and allow this situation to go on. Doing so would be an admission that some programs just don't matter...and when you have an 8-time national championship program with your basketball court named after the legendary Pat Summit, you cannot allow the women's basketball program to disappear.
 
#18
#18
Alexa is playing at a whole different level right now, even if her season #'s weren't that impressive. She is clearly very confident, and it's showing in her play. I guess that's what happens when you have a coach and not just someone on the sideline wondering what she's gonna get for dinner while the opposing team is on a 10-0 run.
Iowa State plays above their talent level. They have a very demanding coach who gets the best from their players. Their last game against Baylor in the Big 12 tournament, they pushed Baylor very hard for 3 and a 1/2 quarters before tiring out. Middleton was a big part of that game, assisting and scoring.
I will say that she isn't the quickest player ever, however she can score from anywhere, and really grew into her role as PG this year. UT may have been light years better, I believe, if Middleton played point here, allowing for Westbrook to move to SG. I think CHW always saw her as a defensive liability (which she is sometimes) but her offensive presence makes up for it. Iowa State allows her to play through some mistakes (maybe because they have no other choice at the PG position), and it pays off for their team as a whole. Now they have a good shot to make the Elite 8.
 
#19
#19
Iowa State plays above their talent level. They have a very demanding coach who gets the best from their players. Their last game against Baylor in the Big 12 tournament, they pushed Baylor very hard for 3 and a 1/2 quarters before tiring out. Middleton was a big part of that game, assisting and scoring.
I will say that she isn't the quickest player ever, however she can score from anywhere, and really grew into her role as PG this year. UT may have been light years better, I believe, if Middleton played point here, allowing for Westbrook to move to SG. I think CHW always saw her as a defensive liability (which she is sometimes) but her offensive presence makes up for it. Iowa State allows her to play through some mistakes (maybe because they have no other choice at the PG position), and it pays off for their team as a whole. Now they have a good shot to make the Elite 8.

Only under a different coach. It's clear that Holly has zero clue what to do. Middleton would have been wasted on the bench behind Westbrook, Hayes and Jackson, and would have looked like the same out of control player she was her first 3 years. To me, that's what looks so different about her. She is not the most athletic player, but she plays very much in command now. She wasn't like that at Tennessee.
 
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#20
#20
Fennelly is a very demanding coach. That's what Middleton wanted...and she got it. She said that she just wanted to go somewhere where she wasn't an afterthought and would be given the coaching she needed.

Haven't visited the Iowa State board but bet it's hopping with excitement. The Lady Bear board usually gets very little activity (almost none compared to VolNation). Lately, though, it's gotten inspired. Posters are making the sorts of analysis we used to read here (before the Plague of Locusts descended).

It's taken some of the bitter taste of this season away to find another team to pull for and vicariously enjoy their excitement.

Here's an example from a poster named PawBaller:

Mar 24, 1:33 AM


Some other things that got my attention after going back and viewing portions of the game, esp second half:
Kellie and staff developed and the team executed a great game plan on how to deal with DePaul's pressure D. Can't say enough good things about that.
Wilson did a job on the defensive boards...6 of them!.... and looks way more comfortable out there than just 2 months ago.
We weathered a turnover barrage in second quarter, one thing after another, but thankfully DePaul didn't shoot well in that 2 minute "spell."
Gitzen played 32 minutes with 0 turnovers against that constant full-court pressure. As stats go, damn amazing.
Abby was 4-5 from the floor, including a nifty left-handed spin-move lay-in off a nice feed from Wilson and a 3 pter! When it's going good, it's going good.
Mya's trey late in 2nd quarter....a big pumper-upper.
As much as everyone admires Elle, and she was hot as can be from the 3pt line, she did make 5 of our 19 turnovers, sometimes by trying to dribble through more than what's feasible, sometimes by allowing herself to get trapped. Being just 5'3, she has little room for error when doubled and probably needs to be more extra aware than others of when she's moving into trouble that way. Easy to say from the outside.
Seems like we take teams by surprise with how we get out and run.
Three different times Danielle tapped out an offensive type board that resulted in 5 points. Smart, smart plays.
Bad D led to 5 pts for DePaul late in 3rd Q: a 3 pter plus a foul on the same play!
We held down #10, Held, to 7 pts. She's their best 3 pt shooter. Again, good game planning.
Some kind of effort from everyone, but the "unsung" hero is: Brice Calip: 8-9 from the FT line, unflappable bringing the ball upcourt.
My final quarter Rant:
Ahead 80-59 with 5:33 left in game, we begin to have problems. A quick missed 3, taken just 5 secs into shot clock, FT's followed by a 3 by DePaul, a missed fast break layup and boom, a turnover and DePaul bucket takes the lead down to 13, just like that, with 4:39 left. In less than one minute, we gave up 8 pts. This is where we seem to have some difficulty, late in a game with clock management. We miss a short shot with 15 sec on shot clock, just 2;15 on game clock, then they make a 3, we have problems after inbounding. Alexa doesn't recognize that she could immediately give the ball back to Brice, who had inbounded the ball. My question is, why isn't either Brice or Danielle receiving the inbounds pass? Maybe we don't have confidence in someone besides Brice to make the inbound pass? At this point I also have to ask: why don't we have Mya Bhinhar, who is stronger and faster than Elle, in the game in this situation? She may be younger, but she is taller, faster, quicker. Then, with a 13 pt lead and just 1:34 left in it, we take a shot with 15 secs left on shot clock!! Are we loco?? No understanding of what a clock is? Me no know. And finally, coaching staff, why the heck do you still have Elle in there in these last two mintues? Do you not realize how many turnovers she was responsible for in the final 5 minutes?
That's my rant on the kind of things that could kill us in a really close end-game. Giving away a big lead in the 4th quarter has happened in both the Drake game and now this one. Don't get me wrong: Elle was big-time responsible for helping to build that lead up, but when we have the lead near the end, I'd prefer someone else in there to protect the ball.
Again, late in game, Brice and Danielle are so strong. Makes bringing the ball up against pressure look easy when it's not. Those two are my MVP's.
 
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#21
#21
Fennelly is a very demanding coach. That's what Middleton wanted...and she got it. She said that she just wanted to go somewhere where she wasn't an afterthought and would be given the coaching she needed.

Just as importantly, Fennelly trusts Alexa. During the Texas game, he said he has confidence in Bridget and Alexa running the offense and lets them do their thing. Of course, I'm assuming this is after he taught them his offensive playbook and not just said, "Playbook? Uh. Read and react. Inside out. No quick shooting. I'll be taking a nap. Lock the gym when practice is over."
 
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#23
#23
Talked to Kelly a few weeks ago as I went to the Missouri State-Indiana State game. Asked her about the current state of the LV and she just said it's a tough job. Asked her if she would be interested in the job if open and she said that's out of her control. Her and her husband (who is the Asst Coach) were very friendly and down to Earth. Talked to them for about 10 minutes before the game and ended up sitting by their young (I'd say about 5 yrs old) son in the stands. Would love to see her get the chance here!!
 
#25
#25
Talked to Kelly a few weeks ago as I went to the Missouri State-Indiana State game. Asked her about the current state of the LV and she just said it's a tough job. Asked her if she would be interested in the job if open and she said that's out of her control. Her and her husband (who is the Asst Coach) were very friendly and down to Earth. Talked to them for about 10 minutes before the game and ended up sitting by their young (I'd say about 5 yrs old) son in the stands. Would love to see her get the chance here!!

No she failed at NC State
 

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