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Tennessee Lady Vols 2020-2021 preview by position: Backcourt

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee guard/forward Rennia Davis (0) and guard Jordan Horston (25) during the NCAA basketball game against LSU at Thomson-Boling Arena on Sunday, January 26, 2020.Kns Lady Vols Lsu
Tennessee guard/forward Rennia Davis (0) and guard Jordan Horston (25) during the NCAA basketball game against LSU at Thomson-Boling Arena on Sunday, January 26, 2020.Kns Lady Vols Lsu /
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Jan 23, 2020; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper talks with guard Rennia Davis (0) from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies in the second half at XL Center. UConn defeated Tennessee 60-45. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2020; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper talks with guard Rennia Davis (0) from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies in the second half at XL Center. UConn defeated Tennessee 60-45. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

Final take

Last year, the Tennessee Lady Vols’ losses almost always came down to the basic issues of free throw shooting and turnovers. Those are things coaches need to handle, so the responsibility falls on Kellie Harper’s shoulders.

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Now, free throw shooting was across the board, but when one of your main scorers in Rae Burrell struggles on that front, it’s an issue. Still, with the arrival of Jordan Walker, the development of Jessie Rennie to be able to use her more and the continued presence of Rennia Davis and Jordan Horston, this team should be fine on that front.

When it came to turnovers, that was only in the backcourt. Assuming Horston develops more at combo guard and maybe even point guard, she should be able to cut down on her turnovers significantly as well. That could make her one of the best players in the nation.

If all goes to plan, Harper should have a solid two-deep backcourt with Davis, Burrell, Horston, Walker, Rennie and one of the freshmen, Destiny Salary or Tess Darby. There’s a combination of multiple elite sharpshooters, scorers and lockdown defenders in this group. It really all comes down to Burrell’s free throws, Horston’s turnovers and Rennie’s development.

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Those three things will determine if the Tennessee Lady Vols are built the way Harper wants them to be built, which involves stretching the floor to allow for the inside game to exploit its height advantage. UT should have that and a few scorers who could bail them out now.