Kellie Harper Updates Status of Jordan Horston, Talks NCAA Tournament
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.– Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kellie Harper addressed the media in a press conference setting on Friday afternoon before UT will take on Buffalo in the first round of the NCAA Women's March Madness Tournament.
Harper updated the status of star guard Jordan Horston and shared her thoughts on the team heading into Tennessee's Round of 64 date with Buffalo.
Harper's entire transcript from the Friday media availability is below.
Opening Statement
Harper: "We're really excited that games are being played tomorrow. We have had some really good practices since the SEC tournament. We've had some good time off to rest and recover.
The players have had great attitude, great mindset. They practiced really hard and have given us a lot of effort.
We know this is an exciting time, but also know it's a challenging time. If you're in the NCAA tournament you're a team that has wins. You've either won your tournament or you proved throughout the year that you can win games at an elite level.
This is going to be a huge challenge for us on Saturday as Buffalo comes in, but we are really looking forward to it."
Will Jordan Horston be available Saturday?
Harper: "No, Jordan is not available on Saturday."
How much has she been able to do at practice?
Harper: "She's still doing lots of rehab and doing conditioning. Because it is her left elbow she can do some shooting, but she's not in practice at this point."
Coach, you said following the SEC tournament you have a unique situation where you can just practice for the NCAA tournament for about two weeks. What were some areas you really honed in on in practice?
Harper: "I tell you what, first two practices back were the toughest practices we've had probably since the fall semester. We really got after it. It was fun. I thought it was fun.
You know, we worked a lot on our defense, trying to get technically correct with our box outs. We worked on toughness, our offensive execution, transition games.
We were able to get a lot of work with the basics, but then also really challenge them to be as good as they could possibly be.
So I think -- you know, I can't have probably scripted it better in terms of what we were looking for in the last couple weeks. We were able to get good time off and able to really practice hard.
Sometimes when you get to late January, February, and can you're in SEC play, you loosen up a little bit on what you're doing sometimes in practice because the games are coming so quick.
So this was a great opportunity for us to really get after it on the court. I love the mindset, the attitude, and the effort."
Kellie, would you talk a little bit about Buffalo. What did you see out of them? What impresses you the most?
Harper: "Well, you get to talk about -- if you're talking about Buffalo, the first thing you're going to talk about is Fair. This guard can put up big numbers against anybody. You know, she is a go-to. She's a dynamic kid that can put the team on her back and carry them.
So she's going to be a handful for us to slow down.
Then they have other good players that do their job. Woolley, Hemphill, they got players that can score, rebound, and their entire team can defend. They are tough defensively. They change up their defenses a lot.
They're coming in ranked No. 1 in their league on offensive boards. They're really good in transition, and a lot of that is the creativity that Fair brings.
So there is a challenge for us on both ends of the court."
Coach, obviously with basketball being a tournament sport you can learn some stuff about your team in the post season maybe you didn't know in the regular season. Have you learned anything about your team and where they are now?
Harper: "Well, I was really proud of them coming out the SEC tournament and what their outlook was and how they have really responded to our staff pushing them.
They're a tough group. They want to win. They're competitive. That doesn't guarantee wins, but that sure makes my job a lot of fun, to have a group that's going to give you everything they've got.
I get it, we're not perfect, we'll make mistakes, but we'll fight through and play for each other."
You've got some players who this is their last go-around, and you were in that position yourself. How do you balance that sense of urgency but also enjoy it?
Harper: "Yeah, you know, every year at some point I think about at any moment this is person X's past game. I don't let myself go there because you don't know when that moment is going to happen.
I don't know that I've ever been ready for it regardless of whether we were playing and finished in a tournament, conference tournament or finished at the Sweet 16.
So you just don't -- it's hard to prepare for because you're so excited about the moment and what you're doing and then the possibilities.
And the ending, whenever that comes, is so abrupt. It is hard to swallow, so I don't really think about it until I absolutely have to."
Playing the games here, what are you expecting from the great Lady Vols fans this weekend?
Harper: "I think our fans are going to be here, be excited, they'll be loud. You know, they're looking forward to some good basketball. We have four talented teams here. Should be a lot of fun.
The one thing that you know you're going to get is a great environment when you walk into Thomson Bowling Green Arena. I know we're looking forward to it, and hope our guests are as well."
Coach, obviously when you're playing through a bracket it's a little bit different than the regular season. You can predict, but it's not always the same. How does that change your approach as a coaching staff?
Harper: "Yeah, so what we do in any tournament situation, whether that's a regular season tournament, post season tournament, conference or NCAA, we go ahead and assign scouting reports to our assistant coaches.
I work one at a time. I do not look ahead. The only team I have looked at is Buffalo. That's the only team I'm going to look at, because that's what matters. If you don't pass that test, you don't get to move on.
So that's the priority for us."
Coach, first time hosting the NCAA tournament as a head coach at Tennessee. Obviously there is just such a unique buzz and this tournament is so special. As a former player, what do you remember? What's one of your favorite moments of playing in March madness besides the obvious?
Harper: "Yeah, so my freshman year they didn't tell me all the rules would be different. I remember being the person that I was, I just zipped out on the court, grabbed the ball, and started shooting and it started the clock and half the team was not ready. Probably half of them in the locker room.
I remember the coaches weren't real happy with me. Maybe they should have told me. Every year I make sure to tell our team, Do not pick up the basketball until we are ready to go.
I learned the hard way. For whatever reason that memory is going to stick out forever. I remember the vibe, the environment, the curtains. I remember the curtains. There are so many curtains are the NCAA. Used to be royal blue; now they're black. It always looks really nice. Signage looks nice.
It's really special to be able to play at home. The only player on our team that has played in the NCAA tournament here in Knoxville is Keyen Green, and she was at Liberty when she did it. This is a new experience for all of us."
I'm sure you've been asked this before. You played for Pat Summit. A lot of people in Buffalo are familiar with Tennessee basketball as a whole, but what's it was like for you to carry on her legacy as coach of this program?
Harper: "Well, that's a loaded question. It's a lot. I think being a former player here, you know, I have a lot of love and passion for this program. I've always wanted this program to succeed and always pulled for the Lady Vols regardless of where I was.
Obviously I think there is a big responsibility that I have and that our program has to a lot of different things. To Pat's legacy for sure, to this community, our conference, and women's basketball, because I think when Tennessee is good, I think women's basketball is better."
One of the players from SEC tournament that stood out is was Kaiya Wynn. What have you seen from her these last couple weeks that make you think she's going to be important down the stretch?
Harper: "Yeah, I think we're going to need Kaiya to come in and give us great minutes, and we need that on both ends of court. She's playing with great energy, a lot of confidence right now. She has the ability to handle the ball. She pretty careful with it. She can get to the basket.
Defensively she is quick, physical, and she can rebound. We're going to need those things from her. You know, I think she had good practices this week to kind of carryover from the SEC tournament."
You mentioned that responsibility to women's basketball. In trying to grow the game and get to the point of neutral sites, how close do you think women's basketball might be? And secondly, on the other side, how nice is it to be at home this weekend with the supportive fan base?
Harper: "Yeah, you know, I think we've got -- as women's basketball we kind of got to reevaluate. Two years ago we weren't playing. Last year one site. Back to home sites. - I think we've got to sit back and look and see where we are.
I think there will be a lot of evaluation done after this tournament. You know, I'm proud of our team for earning the opportunity to host. First and foremost really proud of our team.
I think or body of work throughout the year gave us this opportunity, and I'm thrilled that we get to continue to play in this environment, because it's one of the best for women's basketball across the country. I think that is good.
I think it's good to play in this environment, and hopefully it's great for our fans. And not just our fans, but for women's basketball fans. You can come here and see four really good teams. I think our community here can really embrace not just the Lady Vols, but good basketball. That's excite being."
You mentioned the four teams playing here for the first and second rounds. Belmont being an in-state school, have you had a chance to talk to coach Bart Brooks?
Harper: "Honestly I have not. I have not been able to talk to him. I think it's neat for us to be able to host another in-state team. I'm sure they'll bring a pretty good fan base over here as well."
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The Lady Vols and Kellie Harper will look to get past the Bulls in Knoxville and achieve the second NCAA Tournament win in Harper's three year tenure on Rocky Top. Tennessee will face the winner of Oregon vs. Belmont in Knoxville on Monday if the Lady Vols defeat Buffalo.
Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday between UT and Buffalo. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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