After the Lady Volunteers were knocked out by North Carolina State early in the NCAA tournament, the University of Tennessee have made the difficult decision to part ways with head coach Kellie Harper.
The fifth year coach had spent five seasons in charge of the prestigious program but it was always going to be difficult to match the previous heights of former head coach Pat Summitt.
“After a thorough review of our women’s basketball program, I have informed Kellie we are making a change in leadership,” said the school’s Athletic Director Danny White per ESPN. “Decisions like these are never easy to make, especially with someone who has done so much for the Lady Vols as a three-time national champion student-athlete.”
BREAKING: Kellie Harper is OUT at Tennessee after 5 seasons pic.twitter.com/JdSXYestie
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) April 1, 2024
As a player, Harper was a three-time national champion with the Vols winning with tournament in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
“It has been an honor to serve at my alma mater and to coach a Lady Vol program I love so dearly,” said Harper.
As a coach, she finished with a respectable 108-52 record and a 53-24 record in the South East Conference. While those numbers are impressive for most programs, Tennessee fans have been spoiled and expect more from their basketball teams. The fact that Harper never won an SEC title during her reign did not help her case.
There should be plenty of demand for one of only two coaches that have taken four different colleges to the NCAA tournament.
Tennessee, meanwhile, will be on the look out for an established coach that can bring them back to their glory days.
