Kellie Harper

Coach Kellie Harper fielded questions from the media Tuesday, held practice and then headed north with her team for a much hyped and anticipated matchup with Connecticut on Thursday.

No. 23/23 Tennessee (15-3) will take on No. 3/5 UConn (16-1) at the XL Center in Hartford. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Eastern (ESPN).

The two-game series is being called the Basketball Hall of Fame Revival Series because it benefits, in part, The Pat Summitt Foundation and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. When game two is played in Knoxville next season, proceeds also will benefit the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

Harper is very familiar with the series as a Lady Vol player from 1995-99 (1-1, including the 88-83 overtime win at the Final Four as a freshman in 1996; 1-1 as a sophomore, including the 91-81 regional final win in 1997; 1-0 as a junior in 1998; and 1-0 as a senior in 1999.)

“Fans got into this game,” Harper said. “There was an intensity about the game. There was high-quality basketball being played, so even people that didn’t have a dog in the fight were interested in the game because it was fun to watch. For us as players, it was fun to play in those games. These were some of our biggest crowds, and I think we all enjoyed it and enjoyed the competition.”

The primary storyline was the two head coaches in Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma, but the superstars of the game also were on the court.

“You have big characters. You have Geno and you had Pat Summitt, the two biggest characters in women’s basketball” Harper said. “Some of the best players in the country were on the court for that game. The level of basketball that was played in some of those games was elite. Everyone wanted to win that one. There was a healthy respect for the opponent. It was a premier game nationwide. You were on the big stage. It was a big deal.

“Also, there were some really big games played against each other that were not just a regular season game. These games had a lot of meaning to them – Elite Eight game, a semifinal at the national championship. There were a lot of big games that you had to win to advance, and both teams were playing their hearts out.”

There are so many tales about @UConnWBB-@LadyVol_Hoops series, which resumes Thursday. Here's a look at 2000, when they played 4 times in that calendar year, with the rivalry red-hot. A trip back to Y2K, in the words of Huskies and Lady Vols who lived it. https://t.co/zg2upNgskf — Mechelle Voepel (@MechelleV) January 21, 2020

The series ended in 2007 because Summitt had reached the breaking point over recruiting matters. While Summitt knew recruiting shenanigans occurred in the sport, she told Auriemma in a phone call that she expected it from a lesser coach but not him.

Summitt viewed Auriemma as a peer. She knew he was an outstanding coach. But if the playing court was going to be unlevel between the programs from her point of view, she was ending the series. Auriemma had called Summitt to ask why she had cancelled the series. She told him her reasoning – which is why when she was asked why she ended the series, Summitt said, “Ask Geno. He knows.”

In a moment of introspection amid the avalanche of stories that flowed afterwards, some from outraged media members who covered UConn – called, in a quite unaffectionate way, the horde by other media – Auriemma said if anyone could mess up the series, it would be him.

The last game Summitt coached against UConn was on Jan. 6, 2007, when Candace Parker dunked in a 70-64 win in Hartford – and the programs never crossed paths again.

Candace Parker vs. Connecticut in 2007.

That changes Thursday. But so much has changed since then. Summitt won her eighth national title in 2008 and was forced to resign four years later in 2012 because of early onset dementia. The legendary coach died June 28, 2016.

UConn, which missed the Final Four in 2005, 2006 and 2007 after winning three straight titles with Diana Taurasi in 2002, 2003 and 2004, became a mainstay on the game’s biggest stage with Maya Moore in 2008. The Huskies won national titles in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 for a total of 11.

Former Lady Vol Alexis Hornbuckle, then a Tennessee signee, was in the seats in New Orleans at the 2004 Final Four when Tennessee lost to UConn in the national title game. She vowed then to never lose to UConn in her career in orange – and she didn’t with two road victories and one at home in Knoxville. Had Summitt not ended the series, it would have restarted in Knoxville in 2008 when Hornbuckle, Parker, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alberta Auguste were all back for one final season. There is no reason to think that Hornbuckle would not have claimed a fourth win.

The antipathy of fans on both sides still simmers and sometimes boils over. Lady Vol fans will point out that Summitt did things the right way and that UConn hasn’t won a national title since Auriemma left Parker off the Olympic team in 2016, perhaps the most petulant move in the aftermath of it all. UConn fans will point to the national championships and Final Fours, a place Tennessee hasn’t been back to since Summitt won it all in 2008.

Summitt stuck to her decision and resisted considerable pressure by media and ESPN to bring back the series. Holly Warlick and Auriemma had seemingly reached a truce in 2014 but then Auriemma demanded an apology to Moore and her mother from Tennessee over recruiting – something he knew would not happen and a clear indicator that he didn’t really want the series restarted.

Pat Summitt coaches against UConn at the Final Four in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1996.

The decision to renew the series in 2020 was made at an administrative level by both schools. Neither Warlick nor Auriemma was actively seeking to restart it.

But 13 years later, here it is with a seismic shift in the landscape. Warlick and Tennessee parted ways last spring. The Lady Vols enter Thursday's game as a considerable underdog and are trying to reclaim a national presence in the sport.

Harper is in her first season as head coach of the Lady Vols and has told her team to "trust the process." Three starters made their Lady Vol debut this season. Harper had no part in the series ending or restarting, but it’s her responsibility to get her team ready for Thursday on a short turn-around from Monday’s buzzer beater win over Alabama and then prepare for LSU on Sunday.

“I think a lot of people wanted this series to come back,” Harper said. “When they think of a little nostalgia and classic basketball, they think of the UConn-Tennessee series. I think for a lot of people it brings back good memories of good basketball.”

Harper hasn’t considered the possibility of extending the two-game series.

“I am sure at some point I will have an opinion, but I don’t yet,” Harper said. “Right now, we’re in it, we understand it, we’re looking at it as an opportunity and kind of see how it goes. Part of that for us will be the rest of our schedule and how that plays out and how we move forward with them, what other stipulations do we have, whether it’s two year, four year, television coverage. There are just a lot of things that go into it.”

The biggest piece of the rivalry is gone in Summitt and the fact that the game can benefit and bring awareness to The Pat Summitt Foundation has made it palpable for longtime fans with long memories. It seems appropriate that the two foes never met while Summitt was the head coach, after she retired or before she passed away. Summitt ended the series on principle. While keyboards clamored for a detailed explanation from Summitt, it was that simple.

The current Lady Vol freshmen were 5 or 6 years old when the two teams last played. Graduate transfer Lou Brown, the oldest player on the Lady Vols team at 24, was just 11 years old when Tennessee and Connecticut last shared the same basketball court.

Lou Brown vs. Texas

Harper had not yet shared the history of the series with her players but intended to, perhaps in casual conversations “just to see where they’re at and what they think about it,” she said.

“Sometimes, they think very differently than I may think,” Harper said. “They probably feel like it’s a big deal. I think a lot of people made it into a big deal. So, I think they’ll be excited about it.”

Auriemma already ignited the antipathy between the programs with remarks about the “culture” at Tennessee over the transfer of Evina Westbrook. He was incensed that the NCAA rejected her appeal to play right away this season and directed his ire at Tennessee’s administration. That occurred last November, so those are remarks that resonate with the current Lady Vols.

“I’m sure our players are very well aware of those comments,” Harper said. “We haven’t discussed them as a team or as a program. For us, we will do everything we can to separate all the things that go into this game and really try to strip it down and focus on the game and keep them locked into that.

“If they have anything that fuels their fire, great, that’s fine, but we just want to make sure we execute.”

Harper has heard from several former Lady Vols, particularly former teammates.

“Obviously, there was a pretty good rivalry, and they’ve had this one circled,” Harper said. “Former players have had this one circled for a while. They have high hopes and will be watching it diligently from home. I’ve heard from some of them they were trying to make it to the game. So, I think it’s a big deal for a lot of alums.”

Harper, who noted that the crowds and game atmosphere are what she remembers the most in the matchups, was asked if any particular game stands out in her playing career. The answer was the Elite Eight game in 1997.

“UConn was undefeated at the time. We had 10 losses at the time,” Harper said. “We played great and had improved a lot. We went on to a national championship. That game was the key.”

PRESSER

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jordan Horston earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors after averaging 14 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 3.5 blocks and a steal to help Tennessee move into second place in the SEC standings. Horston led the Lady Vols in scoring with 19 points in the 65-63 win over Alabama on Monday night and added eight rebounds four assists, a career-best four blocks and a steal.

no surprise here. @SEC Freshman of the Week: @ladylynn22_ — Lady Vol Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) January 21, 2020

KELLIE HARPER HITS NO. 300

It was lost amid the much-deserved fanfare of Rennia Davis’ three-pointer to win the game, but Kellie Harper achieved a milestone 300th win as a head coach on Monday. During Tuesday’s presser, Harper was asked how she has changed from win No. 1, which came at Western Carolina, to win No. 300.

A memorable win in more ways than one.



Congratulations on 300, Coach Harper! pic.twitter.com/wEVOniIYCH — Lady Vol Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) January 21, 2020

“I think I’ve grown as a coach,” she said. “You change with the times, maybe not philosophically, but how you approach and deal with players, because they’re very different than when I first started. That’s neither a good nor bad thing. You just have to deal with people differently and make sure you’re connecting with your players.

“I am very confident in my ability on the court, X’s and O’s, and my ability to teach. My assistants throughout the years have really pushed me to become a better coach in all facets, and I appreciate that from them. I have coached a lot of great players. It has been fun.”

On a side note, Davis’ shot was tweeted by SLAM’s Twitter account for women’s basketball and has 325,000 views and counting.