On Thursday night, former Lady Vols basketball head coach and player Kellie Harper returned to Knoxville as the head coach of Missouri. However, her Tigers team fell 98-53 to Tennessee.
After the game, Harper met with the media. She was asked about the return, her MU team and more.
Here’s what she said.
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On the moment of stepping back on the floor
“Well, I’ve actually coached here a couple of times before as an opposing coach. So, you know, it’s a nice welcome. Just really probably get into coaching mode pretty quickly, though, after that.”
On looking at the Pat Summitt exhibit before the game at the WBB Hall of Fame
“The exhibit’s amazing. Flight schedule dictates a lot of things. We were going to get over here early, and we felt like because we were getting here early, we would have an opportunity to go to the Hall of Fame. I think it was cool for our players to go over there. Obviously, for me, to be able to see, in particular, that new Pat Summitt exhibit, it was just really cool. Dana Hart actually toured us around and brought the picture of Pat Summitt and I out to show our team, and I think they got a kick out of it for sure. They thought it looked like Jackson Harper.”
On why it was important to go to the WBB Hall of Fame
“Well, you know, a lot of times when we’re on road trips here, you’re hotel, gym, hotel, gym, hotel, gym. And like I said, sometimes the schedules dictate that and we had to get over here early, and we thought instead of sitting at the hotel the whole time, we would be able to do something, and that just seemed like the most appropriate thing. I thought it was important for our team.”
On Talaysia Cooper’s growth since she coached her
“Yeah, she’s obviously a tremendous player. She’s fun to watch, not fun to play against. But, she’s going to do some great things, and it’s a future pro on the court.”
On what she takes away from this game
“We always want to be competitive. We don’t want to settle in, we’re not searching for moral victories. That’s not where we’re at. But I think for our team, we have to look at what’s next for us. We started our conference schedule, really, with four straight ranked opponents, and we hung in there. We hung in there through that and found a way to get four wins to this point, and that’s a big deal for our basketball team.
“So I want them to be able to learn from, move from this pretty quickly and be able to regroup and try again next time. And we’ve done it all year. We’ve done it all year, so hopefully that’s something that our team can continue to do. Man, I’ll tell you what, they come back to practice, win or lose, trying to get better, trying to figure out more times. So, you know, the challenge is to do it this late in February.”
On the Lady Vols bouncing back after the South Carolina loss
“They did exactly what they needed to do today. Tennessee did 100% what they needed to do. Obviously, they played well, they played hard, they made shots, we didn’t make shots. So, this was a good bounce-back win for them, I’m sure. Everybody’s gotta find some grit and toughness in February.”
On rebuilding the Missouri program
“Obviously, taking the job, I knew what I was getting into. I knew the league, I understood the challenge that we were going to have. It’s been a lot of fun, to be honest with you. Maybe not the last 40 minutes of basketball, but it’s been a lot of fun to try to figure it out. We’ve had to be creative, unfortunately, too creative at times with our injuries that we’ve had to deal with and work around.
“My staff has done an unbelievable job getting this team where they are right now, and our team has done a really good job of believing in what we’re telling them they really do try to do what we ask them to do, and we are far from perfect. Don’t get me wrong, but it’s, honestly, we’ve had a really cool journey this far with this group.”
On the tough final stretch of the year, her message to the team
“We have four games left on our schedule, and obviously, they’re all difficult. At some point, everybody in our league is gonna hit that tough stretch. We had it at the beginning and really at the end, and the league makes its rounds. I mean, it’s what it is. I think the message that not only we have given our team, but I’ve heard so many other coaches saying the same thing, ‘Man, you’ve got to bounce back. You got to figure a way to bounce back, and you can’t let it completely defeat you.’ And it’s hard. That is so hard. My players want to win. My players want to win real bad. In this league, you can’t let one loss turn into two. One loss is one loss.”
On if she’s happy to get the return to play at the Lady Vols out of the way in her first year
“It can be a lot. I think just the number of people you want to say hello to, and they want to say hello to you, and it’s a lot. But, I think I do a pretty good job of keeping the focus where the focus needs to be, and I understand my job. But also, I get it. I get it. I understand. My name’s on, I don’t know if it’s a star or something up there, on the placard. Maybe it’s on the brick. My name’s on a brick up there, so I get it.
“Anytime I come here, it’s gonna get it, and I willingly accept that. So it’s just part of who I am and where I’m at, where I’ve been. I understand that, but I can also get on that bus and get really excited about the team I’m coaching.”
On one of her players wearing a shirt of her and Pat Summitt during warmups
“She bought that and the whole thing. I did not know she was gonna wear it, but apparently she did. I don’t know. I mean, obviously, I love our team. I love those kids. I really do. Like I said we’re not perfect. We’re gonna make mistakes, but, man, they try. They really do. And I do honestly enjoy coaching them. I love trying to figure out what they need to do and making adjustments and trying to help them be their best. Obviously along with our staff, I think, man, we’ve gotten a lot done this year with this group, and I’m really proud of that.”
