First few years she went to the E8 as well as followed the legend in the women’s game, so that is that grace or pressure? Kellie is entering year 5 and year 20 overall as a coach. Holly was a head coach in total 7 years. So how much grace is needed to not be hypocritical?
Agree that Holly faced the typical pressure that any coach encounters when folowing a legend. And Kellie had nowhere to go but up.
The flipside of that coin is that Holly was a longstanding part of the championship infrastructure that was there when she took over. TN was still getting the elite recruits coveted by everyone else. Holly knew and had recruited tge players. And in Pat's fibal year, Holly did the bulk of the in-game coaching in what was essentially an audition for the head job.
Kellue inherited some talented young players, but the program was in total disarray. She had to re-recruit the pkayers who weren't already out the door and rebuild a culture that was shot.
Both coaches had tough although different challenges. But one telling factor is that this was Holly's one and only gig as a head coach, and that will likely remain the case. Maybe Holly is one of that rare, one-school breed of athlete who can only be loyal to one school. Maybe she turned down offers to leave Tennessee and take on a head job as Mickie DeMoss did. Maybe she's had offers since leaving the UT job. Regardless, it seems Harper has more head coach DNA in her than Warlick, which is not meant to take away from Holly's attributes as contributions as a fine assistant coach.
Kellie has to prove that she can close the deal on some game-changers until more elite help arrives while keeping younger and role players satisfied. A lot of coaches are discovering how difficult that is these days, as Auriemma lamented about in his viral video address about the cutrent "me" generation of players.
