Kellie Harper Applauds Lady Vols' Fight and Toughness After Season-Ending Loss
Following Tennessee's loss to Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper met with the media to discuss her team's loss.
Harper was proud of her team's ability to fight through adversity all season long and also touched on how freshman Karoline Striplin played at a high level against the Cardinals.
"Karoline Striplin was fantastic today," Harper said of the freshman post player. "She didn't get a lot of minutes early in the season, and her and Kai Wynn got in the gym every single day, and they worked hard every single day."
Harper also clarified that the Lady Vols' loss to Louisville was Rae Burrell's last game as a Lady Volunteer and further applauded her incredible effort in the loss.
"I'm really happy for her that she could go out on a positive game, because when you're playing and you're -- this is what you're going to remember," Harper said of Burrell's performance in her final game. "You want it to be something that's going to make you smile. I'm happy for her that she'll be able to do that."
Harper's entire post-game press conference transcript is below.
Coach, I know you talked about how proud you are of this team, but now that this season has come to an end, how proud of you of their fight and they never quit?
Harper: "Yeah, sometimes when you are in the middle of it and you've got something you're still playing for, it's hard to reflect on what this team has been able to accomplish. Not just what they've done but how they've done it.
I'm so proud of what they've done and what it's looked like, how they've acted. Their attitude and love for each other has been really special. It's been a lot of fun to coach. They've been really good. I'm proud of what they've done."
Coach, we see it from the second level, how tough this team is, and all the injuries they have dealt with and fought through, but can you tell us just how tough this team really is?
Harper: "Yeah, you know, on paper I'm not sure we're supposed to cut that game to 2 in the fourth quarter. But you don't play on paper. You play with players who are out there fighting and clawing.
And I feel like we have had to do that all season long. They had to learn how to be a top-5 program. They had to learn what it was like to have a target on their back and be able to bounce back from that and recover from that.
Toughness is not just the physical, more importantly it's the mental and the emotional toughness that this group had. It's a long season. From top to bottom. You know, I will give you an example, Karoline Striplin was fantastic today. She didn't get a lot of minutes early in the season, and her and Kai Wynn got in the gym every single day, and they worked hard every single day.
That is really hard to do. That takes a love for the game. And those two did it, and they played big minute for us in the postseason. That's the toughness we had throughout the season from everybody. When you have everyone like that pulling together, it's just a good feeling and it's why we were able to accomplish what we did."
Rae sparked you guys in the last minutes and she wasn't ready to go home. What does it mean for you to see her reach that level again after going through an injury having to come back during SEC play, and maybe ending her career on a note like that?
Harper: "Yeah, you know, this is not how she envisioned her last season going, right? She didn't think she was going to be sitting out with an injury and then, you know, she came back, wasn't 100%, was still able to play. It's really -- I'm really happy for her that she could go out on a positive game, because when you're playing and you're -- this is what you're going to remember. You want it to be something that's going to make you smile. I'm happy for her that she'll be able to do that."
Kellie, I was going to ask you about a freshman and a senior. You answered it about Karoline Striplin and the work she did in postseason to make herself part of the rotation. I do have to ask about Rae. Did she leave the door open or what do you think?
Harper: "No, I don't think she was anticipating getting the question right now, but her plan has been and it still is that this was her last game."
I know you never want to "what if" a ball game but the loss of Jordan Horston, how difficult did that end up being in hindsight now that the season has ended?
Harper: "Well, I thought it was difficult before, Maria. I didn't need hindsight; I knew it. The problem was she wasn't just our leading scorer. She was our leading scorer, our best rebounder, our best defender, leading assists. She was -- she did everything for us. You might can cover one area, but it's just really hard to cover all those areas.
That's where I'm telling you, our team just -- so proud of our team for stepping up and giving it their all to be able to do that. That was hard to do. That's an All-American candidate that they lost. They hung in there and made plays, found ways to win without her. It's been -- she's been great, I need to say that. She has been absolutely fantastic.
She has had a positive attitude, and I know it's hard, personally, when you get injured; it's hard to watch your teammates because you just want to be a part of it. But she's been a fantastic teammate for everybody, and I appreciate that from her."
Coach, can you give us a sense of how you think Rae, her game, will translate to the WNBA? You have a lot of great pieces coming back and some additions. Can you give us a sense of what you think the Lady Vols will look like next season?
Harper: "Yeah, first off I think Rae has a great ability to score, and she's got great size, great athleticism and a really good motor. So I think those things are going to be her strengths at the next level. I still think she is still working on getting her explosiveness back. She is not as explosive as she was before her injury, and she'll get there. Sometimes that just takes some time and reps.
It is hard to flip the switch and think about next year at this point, but I'm really excited about the returners and what they were able to experience this year. I'm a firm believer in you've got to experience it before you can do it. It's a long season, and I think they have a better feel of what that is now. Hopefully they're just putting this stuff in their pockets and they're learning and growing from each experience that they have had."
Kellie, I know that you are used to pressure as a player but now that you've reached this milestone, you've gone to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016. Does it feel like now there is that standard, that expectation that this is where this program can get again, and is that something you look forward to as a coach?
Harper: "I came to Tennessee as a player to win championships, and I came as a coach to win championships. That's why our players choose to be Lady Vols. That's the expectation. You can look at it as pressure or you can look at it as that's just the standard. For us, I think we want to be the best we can possibly be. That's what we want. We want to be the absolute best we can possibly be. We want to maximize our potential. As we continue to grow, continue to get a little bit better, hopefully that means we're taking steps forward and really knocking on the door of a championship."
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