KNOXVILLE – Kellie Harper has spent the early portion of her first season as head coach of the Tennessee women’s basketball team gathering information.
In recent years, it was obvious the Lady Volunteers had players with potential that was not always fulfilled. The program’s brand name and history of success – including eight national titles won from 1987 to 2008 – always help them have a seat at the table when it comes to recruiting some of the most talented high school players in the country.
Those signees’ recruiting ratings and accolades from lower levels of basketball, though, did not and will not help the Lady Vols win games.
So when Harper took over at her alma mater, she walked into a situation filled with players brimming with potential but perhaps not on par where their basketball knowledge was concerned. Simply put: Tennessee had a number of players who were good enough to dominate lesser teams on a basketball court but unable to do so against those of the caliber in the Southeastern Conference.
Harper has talked a lot about focusing on the process of the game and not necessarily the results. Tennessee has quite possibly the tallest basketball team in the country, so the Lady Vols should dominate on the glass. Better athletes? No reason they shouldn’t force a ton of turnovers.