Where the Lady Vols fall in ESPN's early 2023-24 top 25 rankings
Kellie Harper will enter a pivotal fifth season as the Lady Vols' head coach in 2023-24. Since taking over for Holly Warlick in 2019, Harper has guided Tennessee to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two straight runs to the Sweet 16 (there was no tourney in her first season due to the COVID-19 pandemic). […]
Kellie Harper will enter a pivotal fifth season as the Lady Vols' head coach in 2023-24.
Since taking over for Holly Warlick in 2019, Harper has guided Tennessee to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two straight runs to the Sweet 16 (there was no tourney in her first season due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Despite the solid seasons, it's still a far cry from where the Lady Vols program used to be under Pat Summitt. And while three will never be another Summitt, Harper is hoping to return the program to national relevancy.
The end of the 2022-23 season showed us that the Lady Vols aren't far away from being a contender.
A win over LSU in the SEC Tournament showed flashes of what the Lady Vols can be under Harper (LSU just won the national championship after taking down Iowa on Sunday).
The win over the Tigers showed that Harper has what it takes to win big games. She just has to find a way to consistently lead the Lady Vols to those big wins.
ESPN apparently likes what they saw at the end of the season as they've placed Tennessee at No. 11 in their early 2023-24 top 25 rankings.
From ESPN: Some questions remain for the Lady Vols, but the personnel is there to make a run at LSU and South Carolina in the SEC. Rickea Jackson is the centerpiece after electing to stay one more season. After missing most of 2022-23 with blood clots in her lungs, 6-6 center Tamari Key is also giving it another go in Knoxville. With 6-5 Jillian Hollingshead also back, size will again be a strength for Tennessee. Belmont transfer Destinee Wells will be relied on to get them the ball and should provide much-needed backcourt scoring. She averaged career highs with 19.5 points, 4.9 assists and 45.5% 3-point shooting this season with the Bruins.
The 2023-24 season will be Harper's best chance so far for a special season on Rocky Top. If the Lady Vols don't take a big step forward next season, Harper could start facing questions about whether or not she's reached her ceiling at Tennessee. A deep tournament run could prevent those questions from ever surfacing.
