Harper On Naismith Coach Of The Year Late Season List

Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper is among 15 named to the 2022 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Basketball Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Wednesday.

Harper, in her third season leading the Lady Vols, has guided her squad to records of 21-4 overall and 10-2 in SEC play, and national rankings of No. 12/8 in this week's AP and USA TODAY/WBCA Coaches Polls. Along the way, Tennessee is 5-2 vs. ranked foes in 2021-22 and is off to its best start since 2017-18.

UT, which began the season at 15/12 in the polls, climbed to as high as No. 4/5 despite injuries to three significant contributors. Each time, the team has demonstrated resolve and found ways to work around those setbacks.

First, UT lost returning starter and 2021 SEC All-Freshman Team member Marta Suarez to a season-ending injury before the campaign began. Then, the Lady Vols saw preseason All-American and All-SEC First Team pick Rae Burrell suffer a knee injury in the opener that forced her to miss 12 contests and continue to play her way back from that ailment.

Most recently, in Tennessee's huge road victory over No. 13/13 Georgia on Jan. 23, graduate forward and unquestionable team leader Keyen Green suffered the third season-ending injury of her collegiate career. The Lady Vols suffered through a four-game stretch where they dropped three of four games, including three of them on the road, as they searched for how to best adjust to Green's absence in the lineup.

Tennessee collected itself and claimed back-to-back victories last week over Missouri and Vanderbilt. It now heads into a difficult four-game final stretch during the regular season, starting with a road game Thursday night at Alabama.

A 1999 UT alum and three-time NCAA champion as Lady Vol, Harper is 60-22 in three seasons on Rocky Top. She is enjoying her best campaign here since arriving in 2019-20 and has her team poised to make the program's 40th NCAA Tournament appearance and remain the only school to earn a berth in every tourney in history.

Harper is one of four SEC coaches on the watch list, underscoring the strength of a league that is projected to earn nine NCAA bids in 2022.

2022 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma
Adia Barnes, Arizona
Kim Barnes-Arico, Michigan
Bill Fennelly, Iowa State
Kelly Rae Finley, Florida
Nell Fortner, Georgia Tech
Kellie Harper, Tennessee
Jeff Judkins, BYU
Wes Moore, NC State
Teri Moren, Indiana
Kim Mulkey, LSU
Karl Smesko, Florida Gulf Coast
Dawn Staley, South Carolina
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
Jeff Walz, Louisville

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Rae Burrell

Keyen Green

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