The top 5 coaches with the best odds to become the Lady Vols' new head coach
The Tennessee Vols announced earlier this week that Kellie Harper won't return next season as the head coach of the Lady Vols. Tennessee athletic director Danny White said in a statement that he'll immediately begin an "aggressive" search for a new head coach, while also noting that fans won't hear from him until the conclusion […]
The Tennessee Vols announced earlier this week that Kellie Harper won't return next season as the head coach of the Lady Vols.
Tennessee athletic director Danny White said in a statement that he'll immediately begin an "aggressive" search for a new head coach, while also noting that fans won't hear from him until the conclusion of the search.
“After seeking input from our student-athletes, I will begin an aggressive search process to find the next leader for our iconic women’s basketball program,” said White. “To protect the integrity of this process, you will not hear from me until we are ready to announce our new head coach.”
There aren't expected to be many leaks, if any, during Tennessee's search for a new head coach. But that won't stop fans and media from speculating (and chasing down rumors) about who the next head coach of the Lady Vols could be.
With that in mind, here are the top five coaches with the best odds to become the Lady Vols' new head coach (according to BetTennessee.com).
Kara Lawson — Duke head coach — +300
Kara Lawson played for the Lady Vols from 1999-2003, which is a big reason why she's the favorite according to BetTennessee.com. Lawson spent one season as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics before landing the head coaching job at Duke in 2020. Lawson has taken the Blue Devils to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Duke was eliminated in the second round in 2022-23. The Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16 this season. Lawson is 68-33 in her four seasons at Duke.
Lindsay Gottlieb — USC head coach — +600
Lindsay Gottlieb compiled a 29-6 record at USC this past season while taking the Trojans to the Elite Eight. Gottlieb previously served as the head coach at California from 2011 to 2019 before taking a job as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gottlieb spent one season in Cleveland before taking the head coaching job at USC in 2021. She took California to a Final Four in 2013.
Wes Moore — NC State head coach — +800
Wes Moore is an obvious choice because he's a Tennessee graduate. And he has NC State in the Final Four this season. The big downside to hiring Moore would be his age as he'll turn 67 later this month. Still, he has a solid résumé and he has plenty of connections in East Tennessee (he also previously coached at Chattanooga and Maryville).
Teri Moren — Indiana head coach — +900
This one would be a bit of a surprise. Teri Moren is an Indiana native who played at Purdue. She's spent the majority of her coaching career in the state of Indiana. Moren led Indiana to a Big 10 regular season championship in 2023. And she took the program to the Elite Eight in 2021. Indiana made it to the Sweet 16 this season.
Carla Berube — Princeton head coach — +1250
Carla Berube played at UConn from 1993 to 1997 so she knows all about the Lady Vols. Berube's final college game, in fact, was a loss to Tennessee in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. Berube has taken Princeton to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons, though she's never advanced past the second round. Berube, however, has an impressive record as the head coach at Princeton, going 100-17 since getting hired in 2019.
