Tennessee Lady Vols: Ranking toughest players to replace for 2019-2020

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Smokey, the mascot of the Tennessee Volunteers, performs during a time out in the second half against the Wright State Raiders in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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She’s not a key inside player, and she wasn’t one of the leading scorers or assists people last year. But Meme Jackson was a crucial part of the offense, and the unique set of skills she provided for the Tennessee Lady Vols may actually make here the toughest player to replace. At the very least, it could force Kellie Harper to dramatically alter the offense from where it was last year.

Jackson was specifically a three-point specialist. Now, she did not always live up to that. But when she went ice-cold, UT went ice-cold, and it was a big contributor to some of the bad losses this team suffered last year under Holly Warlick. So without her and no proven player to replace here, Rocky Top could have tons of issues this year.

For the season, Jackson averaged just under 11 points a game. She hit 54 three-pointers on the year and shot 36.7 percent from the three-point line, averaging close to two a game. Her sharp-shooting abilities were critical to instilling diversity into the offense.

With Jackson gone, Harper will have to turn to one of the two freshman guards or Zaay Green to help stretch the floor. One of them is bound to have the potential to do it, but if they can’t, then UT will have a much tougher rebuilding year than people think. As a result, Jackson is by far one of the toughest players to replace this season.