All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Lady Vols: Kellie Harper clearly prefers length, sharpshooting

By Caleb Calhoun

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 14: A general view of megaphones for the Tennessee Volunteers cheerleaders against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the quarterfinals of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome on March 14, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 14: A general view of megaphones for the Tennessee Volunteers cheerleaders against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the quarterfinals of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome on March 14, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Women’s basketball Volunteers head coach has a clear recruiting focus for the Tennessee Lady Vols.

When Kellie Harper took over the Tennessee Lady Vols in 2019-2020, she inherited a roster loaded with combo guards. Jordan Horston, Zaay Green and Jazmine Massengill were all a part of the roster, and Holly Warlick initially even intended for Evina Westbrook to be a part of that.

However, Westbrook transferred right after Warlick was let go. When she arrived, Harper immediately focused on adding junior college transfer Jaiden McCoy, a clear power forward at 6’3″, and Australian freshman Jessie Rennie, touted for her ability to specifically shoot from the outside.

With centers Tamari Key and Emily Saunders joining the top five class, Harper immediately inherited the tallest team in UT history. The message was clear. She was going to turn the Tennessee Lady Vols into a team that uses length as a huge advantage but also plays an inside-out game with sharpshooters.

Related Story. Lady Vols' five best wins of 2019-2020. light

A huge part of that length was inserting both Rae Burrell and Rennia Davis into the starting lineup later in the season. Horston became the sixth-person off the bench with Massengill running the point after a season-ending injury to Green.

More from All for Tennessee

Well, this offseason, Green and Massengill both decided to transfer. That’s a direct result of where Harper is putting her focus. UT added Liberty Flames transfer Keyen Green. At 6’1″, she is another inside player who will help offset the departures of Kamera Harris and Lou Brown. Finally, there is the addition of two new guards in Destiny Salary and Tess Darby. Both are 6’0″ or taller.

Looking at the 2021 class, Harper has two more 6’2″ forwards, Karoline Striplin and Sara Puckett, and she is adding 5’10” guard Kaiya Wynn, who is known for her ability to shoot from the outside. Taking all this into account, Harper’s goal is clear.

By 2021-2022, she will have a five-star and a four-star who stand at 6’5″ in Key and Saunders, a five-star and a four-star who stand at 6’2″ in Striplin and Puckett, and a five-star and overseas commitment both chosen for their sharpshooting abilities. Horston will be the only proven combo guard if things stay as they are, and there will be no proven wing player.

This means that Harper’s goal is to overwhelm opponents with true post players and use elite shooting on the outside to complement those players. That’s a big departure from what the Tennessee Lady Vols did under Warlick.

Obviously, Pat Summitt focused heavily on defense and rebounding throughout her tenure on Rocky Top. However, she didn’t have a specific formula she stuck too. There were numerous elite players in different positions, creating different systems, over the course of her dominant run.

Next. Tennessee football's top 10 now-defunct rivalries. dark

Harper is clearly valuing an aspect of what Summitt liked, and it will be interesting to see if it pays off for the Tennessee Lady Vols long-term. Given how she is approaching this, her team won’t be shaped in her identity until 2021-2022. But she is making clear what she wants that identity to be with the recruiting she has been doing.