Danny White may soon have to make his first really tough decision as Tennessee's athletic director
It's been mostly smooth sailing for Tennessee Vols athletic director Danny White since joining the program in early 2021 (outside of an NCAA recruiting investigation, which was an issue he inherited when he took the job). But the popular athletic director could soon have to make his first really tough decision since arriving in Knoxville. […]
It's been mostly smooth sailing for Tennessee Vols athletic director Danny White since joining the program in early 2021 (outside of an NCAA recruiting investigation, which was an issue he inherited when he took the job).
But the popular athletic director could soon have to make his first really tough decision since arriving in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols basketball program doesn't appear to be making any progress under Kellie Harper, a former Tennessee basketball player who was hired by previous athletic director Phillip Fulmer in in 2019.
Harper, who was fired as the head coach at NC State before rejuvenating her coaching career at Missouri State, hasn't made it past the Sweet 16 since taking over at UT in 2019. And the program seems to be trending in the wrong direction.
Under Harper's guidance, the Lady Vols haven't finished higher than third in the conference. They lost 12 games last season, the highest total so far under Harper, and their record this season is 4-5 after a disappointing loss to Middle Tennessee on Wednesday night.
Holly Warlick, also a former Tennessee basketball player, was fired as the Lady Vols' head coach in 2019 after going 172-67 over seven seasons (a .720 winning percentage).
Harper, who is in her fifth season as UT's head coach, is 91-44 so far (a .674 winning percentage). It hasn't been terrible, but it hasn't been any better than it was under Warlick. And it certainly isn't up to the Lady Vols standard that was set under the legendary Pat Summitt.
It's doubtful that anyone will ever live up to Summitt's success, but the Lady Vols haven't seriously been in the mix for a national championship in a decade. And that obviously needs to change.
White may soon have to make the tough decision to move on from Harper, a beloved former Vol who won three championships as a player in the late 90s.
And if White eventually makes that decision, and it feels inevitable at this point that he'll have to make a change, he should keep an open mind toward all candidates, not just those from the Lady Vols family (former UT player Kara Lawson will likely be a popular option, but she's in her fourth year at Duke with the Blue Devils currently at 5-3, and with only one NCAA Tournament appearance as a coach under her belt….I'm not saying she can't be an option, but White should cast a wide net).
The Lady Vols' program has been a non-factor for far too long. It's time for that to change. And it's up to White to see that it changes. If that means moving on from Harper, then it's a tough move he'll have to make.
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