Tennessee Lady Vols 2019-2020 preview by position: Backcourt

Two key Tennessee Lady Vols guards have to be replaced in Kellie Harper’s first year. Here is a preview of the women’s basketball Volunteers’ back court.

As the Tennessee Lady Vols enter a new era with Kellie Harper at the helm, they also enter a new era of players in the backcourt. Maybe that’s good news for Rocky Top, as everybody can grow and develop together.

Anyway, the departures of Evina Westbrook, their best player last year, and Meme Jackson, their three-point specialist, have left a major gap. And it also provides a major test for Harper right out of the gate.

Westbrook’s departure was the worst, as she publicly slammed Holly Warlick without naming her after playing horrible in UT’s NCAA Tournament lost last year, then when Warlick got fired, she bolted and transferred to the UCONN Huskies. Jackson just graduated.

But that still leaves a major need back there. Fortunately for Harper, UT has two new guards in this year’s recruiting class. One is the shining star of this year’s class, and another is a three-point specialist Harper added late.

Meanwhile, among the two best returners on this team, one is a pure guard while the other is a wing player who could play down low or stretch the court. We’ll be mentioning both of them as we look at the Tennessee Lady Vols guards and wing players for this upcoming year.

So there is a decent mix of proven elite talent and highly-touted prospects on the recruiting trail to give Harper something to work with. Nobody knows how things will work out her first year, but this is a very intriguing spot to determine that. It’s part of what makes following any first-year head coach in any sport exciting.

How will everybody mesh together, though? And which players will be the most important? Let’s break that down here. This is our preview for the Tennessee Lady Vols backcourt ahead of the 2019-2020 women’s basketball season.