Tennessee Lady Vols basketball to UConn coach Geno Auriemma: We're focused on now

Will Backus | Knoxville

The Tennessee women's basketball team had a swift response Thursday to UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who laid into the Lady Vols' culture and athletic director Phillip Fulmer over his frustration about a Tennessee transfer.

"The 12 players that I work with are bought in," coach Kellie Harper said following a 73-43 victory over Tennessee State at Thompson-Boling Arena. "They play hard, they practice hard, they have good team chemistry. From my viewpoint, Tennessee is a great place to be a student athlete."

Senior forward Lou Brown emphasized her new coach's view.

"We have a great team and we love our coaches," Brown said. "It's a good environment for us now, for us here. That's where our focus is now. We're worried about now, we're worried about what's going on this year."

Auriemma criticized the Lady Vols and Fulmer on Wednesday night for their handling of Evina Westbrook's transfer from Tennessee to the Huskies.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma sounds off on Tennessee UConn coach Geno Auriemma sounded angry with UT and the NCAA on Wednesday night for making Evina Westbrook sit out this season.

Westbrook announced that she was transferring from Tennessee on April 16, shortly after Harper was hired to replace Holly Warlick, who was fired after seven seasons. On May 11, Westbrook announced she was transferring to UConn.

"The kid's in an environment that's not necessarily healthy," Auriemma said after UConn's win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday. "An environment that if you knew what the environment was ... you would not want your kid in that environment."

Both Westbrook's transfer waiver and appeal were denied by the NCAA, meaning that she will have to sit out this season. She has two years of eligibility remaining.

Auriemma was upset because he said Tennessee has complicated Westbrook's transfer efforts.

"We asked them (why) and they said, 'We've moved on,'" said Auriemma. "... We've had kids leave our program, and I have never failed to support that kid's decision to leave. And they still get denied sometimes."

Fulmer responded to Auriemma's comments in an interview with WVLT.

“I’m very proud of our program and what we’ve done here," Fulmer told the television station. "We’re moving forward with our Lady Vol basketball. ... That's just kind of water under the bridge, and we're moving forward."

Tennessee and UConn will play in Hartford, Connecticut on Jan. 23, the first meeting between the two teams in 13 years.