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Tennessee Lady Vols: Five key storylines ahead of 2019-2020 season

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 21: Tennessee Volunteers fans hold up a cardboard photo of women's basketball coach Pat Summitt during the game against the Connecticut Huskies at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 21, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Connecticut 60-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 21: Tennessee Volunteers fans hold up a cardboard photo of women's basketball coach Pat Summitt during the game against the Connecticut Huskies at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 21, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Connecticut 60-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images /

1. Kellie Harper takes over as head coach.

While restoring the rivalry with the UConn Huskies breaths much-needed life into the program, the Tennessee Lady Vols beginning the 2019-2020 season with a new head coach takes the case for the biggest story. And it’s not even close.

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UT only had two head coaches in women’s basketball history before this year: Pat Summitt and Holly Warlick. Letting go of Warlick was a very brutal decision to make. She was the school’s first All-American and an assistant on all eight national championship teams. You could not ask for a more devoted Lady Vol.

But the decline of the program made it necessary. So here comes Harper, one of the players on the three-peat teams in the mid-1990s. She is a safe hire who does bring some questions. After all, she was fired when coaching the N.C. State Wolfpack earlier this decade. But coaching at smaller levels, she’s been very successful.

That includes two NCAA Tournament appearances with the Western Carolina Catamounts and a Sweet Sixteen appearance this past year with the Missouri State Lady Bears. And there were lots of other things that went into the issues with N.C. State. So she has a history of some success and has experience winning at Tennessee.

Next. UT's 10 most notable coaching hires of 2010s. dark

We don’t know if Harper will be the answer for the Lady Vols. But new life in the program is what makes this year intriguing more than anything else. It’s clearly the top storyline heading into the season and one everybody will be paying attention to.