PHILLIP FULMERÂ
TENNESSEE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
PHILLIP FULMER -- TENNESSEE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
"Kellie is a Lady Vol through and through. Her love of the game, her care and love for her players, and her loyalty to UT all came through during the interview process. She certainly knows the expectations that come with this job, as she has lived it herself."
PEYTON MANNINGÂ
UT & NFL QUARTERBACK LEGEND
PEYTON MANNING -- UT & NFL QUARTERBACK LEGEND
"Kellie and I attended UT together, and I always admired her competitiveness. She was the tip of the spear on some of Pat Summitt's greatest teams. If Kellie's Tennessee teams play with the same passion and relentlessness that she exhibited during her days as UT's point guard, there are great things on the horizon for the Lady Vols."
JOAN CRONAN
UT ATHLETICS DIRECTOR EMERITUS
JOAN CRONAN -- UT ATHLETICS DIRECTOR EMERITUS
"Kellie Harper is a leader, and she has demonstrated it as a player and a coach. I loved watching her leadership and toughness as she led us to three national championships. She is a true Lady Vol for Life. Welcome home, Kellie!"
JOE CIAMPI
THREE-TIME NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR AT AUBURN (HIRED COACH HARPER FOR HER FIRST COACHING JOB)
JOE CIAMPI – THREE-TIME NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR AT AUBURN (HIRED COACH HARPER FOR HER FIRST COACHING JOB)
"As a player, she possessed a great basketball IQ, and she played the game with confidence and toughness. She was Tennessee tough and in the mold of the championship point guards Coach Summitt developed. When I offered her a job at Auburn, it was because of her success at winning championships and because of her communication skills and positive attitude.
"She's a great teacher. Her teams play with hard-nosed defense, and they're blue-collar tough. Offensively, everyone has a role. Her success in recruiting good players and making them better shows her ability in player development. She works them hard and makes them better. At Tennessee, I believe she will have skilled players, but the success will be dependent on her ability to have them play every possession with Tennessee toughness. That's how Coach Summitt led and how she coached her teams. They were physically and mentally tougher than their opponents. That's Kellie Harper. Her leadership, her communication skills, her player development will be tested, but with her work ethic and her positive attitude, the sky's the limit."
MICHELLE BROOKE-MARCINIAK
ALL-AMERICAN AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYER AT TENNESSEE/LADY VOL TEAMMATE OF HARPER/
MICHELLE BROOKE-MARCINIAK – ALL-AMERICAN AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYER AT TENNESSEE/LADY VOL TEAMMATE OF HARPER
"Kellie (will always be KJ to me) is like a silent assassin. She is watching, observing, learning and listening at all times. She prepares well then waits patiently for her time. She has the confidence to beat you and the humility to love her even though she beat you. As one of the fiercest competitors I know, KJ won three National Championships because of this mindset. I was a mentor to KJ during our '96 Championship run and she was the consummate teammate, always uplifting and encouraging meanwhile 'preparing' to take the reigns. When it was KJ's team at point, she rattled off two more Championships and easily could have been three. Will she be great as the head coach at Tennessee? Yes, she will. She's been 'preparing' for 15 years."
MICKIE DEMOSS
VETERAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH/FORMER LADY VOL ASSISTANT
MICKIE DEMOSS -- VETERAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH/FORMER LADY VOL ASSISTANT
"Kellie Harper was a great point guard for us at Tennessee. She was great leader, competitive and a coach on the floor. That has translated into her being an excellent coach. She has proven that she can win and win at a high level. I think she will do a great job with the Lady Vol program."
AL BROWN
VETERAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH/FORMER LADY VOL ASSISTANT
AL BROWN -- VETERAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH/FORMER LADY VOL ASSISTANT
"Kellie Harper was a great leader as a player at Tennessee, winning three straight NCAA National Championships. She is an outstanding basketball coach with the exceptional ability to relate to the players and coach the game. She is a proven head coach and a winner."
ABBY CONKLIN
ALL-SEC PLAYER/LADY VOL TEAMMATE OF COACH HARPER
ABBY CONKLIN -- ALL-SEC PLAYER/LADY VOL TEAMMATE OF COACH HARPER
"She is the most mentally tough player I have ever been on a team with, and she was the smartest point guard I ever played, with including the pros."
TEE MARTIN
UT ASSISTANT HEAD FOOTBALL COACH/NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERBACK AT UT
TEE MARTIN -- UT ASSISTANT HEAD FOOTBALL COACH/NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERBACK AT UT
"Three-time national champion, how could you forget that? It is exciting to see someone from the family and someone who was around during the time that we were in school. We (Vol football) were undefeated and they (Lady Vol basketball) were undefeated. It was pretty cool to see that in parallel. We were complaining about how hard Phillip (Fulmer) was on us, they were complaining about Pat, rest in peace. So, I'm really excited for her, and I'm looking forward to welcoming her back."
AL WILSON
UT & NFL LINEBACKER LEGEND
AL WILSON -- UT & NFL LINEBACKER LEGEND
"I am super-excited to have Kellie Harper back home where she belongs. She's a winner and truly understands the tradition of Lady Vols basketball. I think it's a great hire by Phillip (Fulmer). I'm looking forward to the future with Kellie running the show, and I'm sure those young ladies will be prepared and will compete at the highest level just like she did as a player."
