Kellie Harper was fired Monday after five seasons as the Lady Vols basketball coach, UT athletics director Danny White announced.
Harper's record at UT was 108-52 and 53-24 in SEC play. She struggled to beat top teams and did not fare well in recruiting throughout her tenure. Tennessee owes $2,222,916 to Harper as a buyout because she was fired without cause.
Here is a timeline of Harper's tenure:
Kellie Harper hired as Lady Vols coach: April 8, 2019
Harper was hired as the Lady Vols coach on April 8, 2019 to replace Holly Warlick, who was fired. She received a five-year deal worth $750,000 annually.
Harper had a 285-208 record with five NCAA Tournament as a coach at Western Carolina, North Carolina State and Missouri State prior to her hire at Tennessee. Harper was a three-time national champion at UT under Pat Summitt, winning titles from 1996-98. Harper earned Associated Press honorable mention All-America honors as a senior in 1999, and she was a second-team All-SEC honoree that year.
Kellie Harper gets first contract extension: May 10, 2021
Harper got three contract extensions during her tenure. The first was in May 2021 following a 17-8 season and a third-place finish in the SEC. The Lady Vols lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Harper received another contract extension in 2022 and another in 2023, each time keeping her deal as a standing five-year contract.
Kellie Harper leads Lady Vols to Sweet 16 for first time: March 21, 2022
The Lady Vols hadn't been to the Sweet 16 since 2016, a gap covering the final years of Warlick's tenure and into Harper's. Harper got the Vols back to the second weekend in her this season.
The Lady Vols beat Belmont 70-67 to edge their way into the Sweet 16.
Kellie Harper leads Lady Vols to best win of tenure by beating LSU: March 4, 2023
Harper struggled against top-25 teams in her entire tenure, especially in the final two seasons. She got the best win in her five seasons in the SEC Tournament semifinals in 2023, topping eventual national champion LSU in a 69-67 comeback win.
UT came back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Tigers.
Kellie Harper gets back-to-back Sweet 16s: March 20, 2023
Harper duplicated the 2022 Sweet 16 run with another one in 2023. The Lady Vols went back-to-back into the second week for the first time since Warlick led Tennessee into the Elite Eight in 2015 and 2016.
Harper never got past the Sweet 16.
Lady Vols slump in Kellie Harper's third season, blow marquee win vs. South Carolina: March 9, 2024
Harper's Lady Vols played South Carolina better than anyone during the Gameco*cks' unbeaten regular season. They put themselves in position to end the unbeaten campaign in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Tennessee led by two in the final seconds before South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso banked in a 3-pointer on a blunder from the Lady Vols. Center Tamari Key stood in the post with her hands up and did not close out to contest the shot, leaving Cardoso wide open. Harper had a timeout she opted not to use because South Carolina didn't have one and she did not want to allow the Gameco*cks to huddle.
Lady Vols bounced from NCAA Tournament in second round: March 25, 2024
The Lady Vols went to Harper's old program to face NC State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee fell behind by 20 points in a horrific second quarter. They got within two points but wilted and lost 79-72, ending the season with a 20-13 record. It was Harper's worst won-loss record since her second season. The Lady Vols won 25 games two seasons prior and 23 in 2022-23.
REACTIONS:Kellie Harper fired as Lady Vols coach: Reactions as Tennessee basketball moves on after NCAA Tournament exit
Kellie Harper fired as Lady Vols coach on day buyout dropped: April 1, 2024
Harper was fired April 1, the same day her buyout dropped. It went from 100% of her annual compensation through April 14, 2027 to 50% of her annual compensation through the end of her contract. The decision saved Tennessee more than $1 million compared to if it had fired her prior to April 1.
Mike Wilsoncovers University of Tennessee athletics.Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.comand follow him on Twitter@ByMikeWilson.If you enjoy Mike’s coverage,consider adigital subscriptionthat will allow you access to all of it.
