KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Kellie Harper took questions from the media on Tuesday evening in a Zoom interview session that covered the Lady Vols’ upcoming home games vs. No. 3/5 UConn (7-0/6-0 BIG EAST) and No. 12/12 Kentucky (10-3/3-2 SEC).
No. 25/RV UT (9-2/3-1 SEC) will play host to UConn in the second installment of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Revival Series at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday (ESPN2) at Thompson-Boling Arena. After welcoming the Huskies to Rocky Top, the Lady Vols will play host to the Wildcats at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday on The Summitt. ESPN2 will televise that SEC border-rival game.
Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper
On how the team might be more prepared to play UConn this year than they were last year:
“I think we are a better basketball team, overall. I think we have grown; everybody is a year older and a little bit more mature. I think we have had some pretty good games this year that we have been excited about. So, I am hoping that the experience that we have had in the last year will help us.”
On Auriemma‘s comments about the rivalry:
“Obviously, I can not speak to his opinion, but we are really excited about Thursday and are really looking forward to the game. And I think a lot of people are. I think people are looking at this as a big game, and it should be a lot of fun. I think a lot of people worked hard to make this a big game for women’s basketball nationwide. And to have those games in our sport, I think is really good because people tune in and people watch, and hopefully, they will do so on Thursday.”
On how this year’s UConn team compares to those she faced as a player:
“I think that they are so similar because they are just so sharp and fundamentally sound on both ends of the court at every position. And to me, when you see their team play, they are identified by those characteristics. That has not changed.”
On her memories of playing against UConn:
“I think that, for me, some of the biggest memories are just the fans and how passionate both sides are and how much they enjoyed not liking the other team. They loved that part. Both sides could really have a lot of passion and a lot of emotion in that game. And obviously, just some specifics of talented players on both ends and some fantastic games with big plays made, because there were some good ones.”
On Pat Summitt‘s impact on this game:
“Well, this is a really important week for women’s basketball and for us to remember Pat’s legacy and to honor her legacy and to continue to raise awareness for the (Pat Summitt) Foundation. And to have this game for nationwide viewership really enhances that. People are going to tune in, and hopefully, the Foundation can benefit from that. She meant so much to women’s basketball, period, and across the nation even beyond women’s basketball, she meant so much to so many people, and it is really important, in my opinion, to educate. Because we are about to get to a point where we have to educate young people on the history of our game. As one of her former players, she did that so well for us, and we want to make sure we do that well for the next generation.”
On what Coach Harper is focusing on for scouting UConn for Thursday’s game:
“We haven’t yet gotten into too much detail with our team, but I think the first thing is to guard the entire court with them. They are so fundamentally sound, so you have to be able to guard all people on the court all the time. Offensively for us, it’s taking care of the basketball. Making sure we get good looks, I think, is going to be really important. So, for us, we are just going out to be the best team we can be and be as prepared as we can be to walk out there, and we are excited about competing.”
On how her relationship with Jordan Horston is evolving:
“Jordan has really stepped her game up. She had really taken a big (leap) from last year to this year, and I’m so excited for her. One thing she does well that I really enjoy is that she communicates well. She’ll be on the court, and she’ll come over and ask me what I’m seeing. I enjoy that communication, and I think you have to have that. She’s calling a lot of shots out there when she’s on the court, and she needs to know how I’m thinking and what I’m thinking. We’ve been in practice a few times recently and in the middle of a drill, she is saying what we say. She is repeating the language that we have. It’s a simple drill. She’s saying, ‘Grab the ball with two hands.’ It’s a very simple drill, but now we’re starting to hear our coaching points come out of the players’ mouths. That’s when you know you’ve taken a big step forward when we’re all trying to do the little things together.”
On having four consecutive home games after the reschedule with Kentucky:
“Any time you can stay home and play, I think it’s good. When you’re on the road, you have a lot of control over your players. You know where they’re at, they’re in the hotel. It’s just different, but I do like a homestand. You get maybe a little bit more rehab in and do some different things at home. It will be nice because we’re starting classes up as well, so they can really be here and use the resources here on campus for their classes. On the flip side, at some point we will have some road games down the stretch. If that’s the next game up, it’s the next game up.”
On the team posting the second-highest GPA in program history:
“Our staff did an unbelievable job. Our staff in the Thornton Center that really monitors things academically and keeps our players on track, I’m really proud of their effort, because these are tough times with COVID, online classes and how you have to stay up to date and current. The players have to communicate, so I’m really proud of them. I’m also proud of my staff because our players know that we emphasize the academic piece. Our players know that’s really important. We talk about it. We’re there to support our academic staff as much as possible. I’m really proud of the Thornton Center, our staff, but extremely proud of our team. I am so proud of them. We saw some players be really competitive in the classroom. They fought hard for some grades. They were focused during a really tough time, so hats off to them. I’m really pleased.”
On if she sees UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma potentially passing Pat Summitt’s career win total with a win on Tuesday night as another chance to celebrate Summitt’s legacy:
“I do. She set the bar really high. It’s taken coaches a long time to get there, some really talented coaches. Congratulations to them. Two things: one, it’s a reminder how much we miss her being out there and how much we wish she was still coaching. We all do. I can’t imagine if she were still coaching. What was that number (of wins) going to be if she were still coaching and had that opportunity? She already set the bar so high. How could she put it even higher? But, she would have. That’s something I think of a lot. Also, anybody passing her doesn’t diminish what she did. It doesn’t take anything away from her and what she was able to do. It wasn’t about the numbers. It was about her legacy. It was about who she was as a person and how she uplifted all of us to be better and gave us an opportunity that we have. That’s what she was all about. She won a lot of games in the process, but her legacy is so much more than numbers.”
-UT Athletics
