Tennessee Lady Vols 2020-2021 preview by position: Backcourt

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Tennessee guard/forward Rae Burrell (12) points towards the stands after scoring against Georgia in the NCAA women’s basketball game on Sunday, January 12, 2020.Kns Lady Vols Georgia /

Kellie Harper has brought the Tennessee Lady Vols lots of talent at guard and on the wing.

A 21-10 season in her first year as head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols saw Kellie Harper go 20-0 against teams outside of the top 50 of the RPI but 1-10 against teams inside the top 50. Their one win as at home against the LSU Tigers.

With a No. 66 RPI and the No. 95 strength of schedule, UT had ended the season on the bubble and had to wait to get into the NCAA Tournament. However, the pandemic shutting down the season saved this program from missing out on its first Big Dance ever.

Now, entering her second year, Harper has continued to retool the Tennessee Lady Vols in her image. A big part of that is how she views the backcourt, and she has recruited and targeted transfers accordingly.

While Holly Warlick relied on combo guards with elite skill and incredible athleticism, Harper is clearly going for smaller players who can stretch the floor by shooting the ball and wing players who can play in the backcourt or post up. There are still combo guards, but they are in fewer numbers now.

This offseason, two elite guards, Jazmine Massengill and Zaay Green, transferred out. Massengill was a starter for much of the season, while Green missed all of last year but seemed destined for a breakout year this year.

However, Harper brought in more players with specific skills to offset those departures. As we get set to preview the women’s basketball backcourt, we’ll look at who those players are along with the experienced players on the team.

Our breakdown will include returning talent, newcomers, major questions and a final take. These are all players who could play the one, the two or the three. Newcomers could be true freshmen or transfers, and both apply here.

Although Harper is building a team based on a major height advantage, guard play remains crucial. Where do the Tennessee Lady Vols stand with that? Let’s go ahead and dive into the personnel with our preview of the backcourt for the 2020-2021 season.