Jolly hired as the next LV HC

#76
#76
I think KJH was the candidate from the minute Holly Warlick was fired and nobody else was interviewed
aQL6y7P.jpg
 
#77
#77
Well good bye current roster and incoming recruits. This is going to get ugly, very ugly.

No need for such gloom and doom. Maria Cornelius has reported that all incoming recruits have affirmed their commitments.

No official word on transfer but I am guessing it would none to one and far fewer than if Holly had stayed in charge.
 
#79
#79
She’s gone

While I wanted a better hire, as it relates to Evina, in all honesty, I think Kelly could have really helped Evina evolve her game as a point guard. There’s nothing like having experience from a player’s perspective. It’s the same reason why point guards “get” Dawn Staley and why she can understand what they see and do (or don’t do) on the court.

I know she’s probably gone but if Kelly could have at least had a conversation with her before the decision is final, I think she could have convinced Evina to stay and it would’ve been really beneficial for Evina to completely transform from a shooting guard trying to play point guard into a real point guard before she leaves for the WNBA. Sure she can develop at a few other top programs, too..but I think Kelly could’ve helped her in that respect.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stlvolsfan
#84
#84
If that is true (and I trust nothing from Vol social media) then they were either swinging for the fence or bunting. Nothing in between. This was a bunt hire.
Phil Fulmer wanted to spend all the money to keep men's head basketball coach Rick Barnes and didn't want to spend much on the women's head basketball coach hire. I hope Coach Harper is successful as the new Tennessee women's head basketball coach however.
 
#85
#85
Phil Fulmer wanted to spend all the money to keep men's head basketball coach Rick Barnes and didn't want to spend much on the women's head basketball coach hire. I hope Coach Harper is successful as the new Tennessee women's head basketball coach however.
The Barnes interest from UCLA only started to develop over the weekend. I think this decision had already been made... but I understand that Fulmer was in a tough spot. He has his priorities and women's basketball is not near the top. I get it. Lady Vol fans just need to learn to accept mediocrity. We will make the NCAA Tournament - but that is all.
 
#86
#86
You will wait forever then - because "everyone" will not blame Phil if Kellie fails. I will never blame him.
Any choice is a crap shoot. Recall how great Gail G was at Duke - such a can't miss hire for Texas right? Well no - it didn't work out for Texas or Gail.
There is no safe choice - it's a fantasy, but Kellie has a lot going for her. This will be her fourth HC gig - she had great success at two of three stints as a head coach.
She has a lot more going for her here at home. I hope and pray she succeeds but I will never blame Phil for this choice no matter what happens.
Go Kellie - Go Lady Vols. We now have a head coach who knows what it takes to be a head coach.
Hell we had people on here yesterday blaming Phill for losing coach Barnes. I doubt I have to wait long. My question was more about the volnation and less about the hire.
 
#88
#88
People seem to forget that this is a big gamble for Kellie, too.

She's leaving behind a team she loved and had recruited in her mold. A team and fan base who loved and embraced her and her family. A program on the cusp of being a conference power for years to come and a perennial NCAA invitee. A place where her children were born. A chance to leave a legacy similar to Cheryl Burnett at the university.

I think your premise is faulty. I think people are aware this is a gamble for her, they just don't care that much. They are more interested in how her success or failure affects the basketball team than how it affects her legacy or her future career opportunities. I wish her great success, partly because I generally wish happiness in life for most people, but mainly because it will improve my enjoyment of basketball season.
 
#92
#92
Kellie Harper was not one of my top choices and there a lot of naysayers right now. If she can do these three things quickly I think a lot of the negative talk will quieten down. 1) Keep all three recruits on board. (Apparently going to happen.) 2) Keep our current roster intact. (Including Evina) 3) Sound knowledgeable and confident during the press conference. (The complete opposite of Holly.). Get those three things this week and I think it will calm some people down.
 
#93
#93
Harper is walking into a hornets nest no honeymoon for her. Of course if a lot of the players leave she will get some sympathy but almost every Tennessee fan will expect her to win more games than Holly did and certainly more in the SEC. With all returnees except Westbrook and all three recruits she has to raise the bar to around 25 wins I would think unless she decides to play a non-conference schedule that is unduly harsh. If you have all the same players with another year of experience and two five star players joining them along with Brown not gonna be to happy with 7 and 9 SEC and 19 wins that would mean she hadn't done anything to make this team better. No reason to lose to Vandy. Bama, Florida, probably Missouri will be way down next season, Auburn no better, and Georgia down some as well. Miss St losing almost every starter, Kentucky about the same but we have to play them on the road, Arkansas will be better, Texas A&M far better, SC far better, Ole Miss want be much better and LSU will be about the same.
 
  • Like
Reactions: spojo13
#94
#94
Wish Harper nothing but the best. I hope we don't supply her with every excuse under the sun the same way some did for Holly just because she's a former lady vol. Holly has left the cupboard full, can't say the talent isn't there.
 
#96
#96
UT is a WBB blue blood, not that far removed from being THE top program in the game. Again, the UTAD has a 140 mil budget - we should have interviewed everyone this side of Geno. KJH is an orange-dyed-in-the-wool VFL but she is NOT a top 25 wbb coach, even if her salary puts her barely in the top 25. There was hope that Fulmer's decision on Holly meant the university would reignite our storied program, but that apparently was a pipe dream.

Harper's body of work speaks for itself. 15 years as HC, one sweet sixteen. CHW blows that away - 3 Elite 8s in 7 years and a much higher winning pct. AND was a better LV athlete (notice the banner in TBA?)

My pointing out the obvious - that on paper the Harper hire is NOT an upgrade - is not contrarian, it's merely a fact. If rumors are correct that Fulmer is a short-timer, then a new AD may treat Lady Vol basketball with the respect it so sorely deserves.
And the head coach of The Lady Vols should get the respect from its fans and not booed out of the arena before she even coaches one game there. Give it a rest, man!!
 
#97
#97
how similar do you think NCState is to the LadyVols?

I think not very!

What she did there is no indicator of what she might be able to do in Knoxville!
 
#98
#98
Why? I expect her to be contending for the SEC right now and have a shot at a FF run with some breaks. Holly at least didn't leave the cupboard empty. This ain't a total rebuild.

Since we've had this conversation over and over and over, I'll just repost what I said elsewhere:
"The problem I have is that Holly's worst years, let's call them the "fireable years" gave us an 86-47 record (65% in the SEC), but Kellie's best four year period is 90-45 (67%), which was the last three seasons with Western Carolina and the first with NC State. In fact, Holly' was 25-8 last year, which is better than any season Kellie has yet had.

Traditionally, folks that are hired because of one run in the tournament tend to mediocrity at their next stop, while folks that have great success (not marginal or "yeah, but" situations) at less prestigious places (like, for instance, Pearl) tend to be pretty successful when they move up."

Every hire is a gamble, but there are several coaches who are way more successful at mid-majors who would be way less risky.

I hope Kelly is the exception, but I don't expect it.
 

VN Store



Back
Top