Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White made the announcement on Monday that Kellie Harper, the head coach of Tennessee women’s basketball, will not be returning for the upcoming season.
“After a thorough review of our women’s basketball program, I have informed Kellie we are making a change in leadership,” White stated. Making decisions of this nature is never simple, particularly when it involves a student-athlete who has won three national championships and done so much for the Lady Vols. She has an unmatched love and enthusiasm for Tennessee and the Lady Vols. She has genuinely given her all for Tennessee and has poured so much love and energy into our program.
“I will start an aggressive search process to find our iconic women’s basketball program’s next leader after getting input from our student-athletes,” stated White. “To protect the integrity of this process, you will not hear from me until we are ready to announce our new head coach.”
The 1999 UT graduate and three-time national champion point guard Harper guided the Vols to a 108-52 record (53-24 in conference play) in her five seasons as head coach on Rocky Top. She is one of only two captains to lead four different programs to the NCAA Tournament.
“It has been an honor to serve at my alma mater and to coach a Lady Vol program I love so dearly,” Harper stated. “Thank you for the opportunity.
teach them life lessons that will help them well beyond the game of basketball in addition to helping them succeed on the court.”
Harper, who is currently in her 20th year as head coach, has a career record of 393-260 and has guided her teams to 16 postseason berths (9 NCAA, 7 WNIT).
With her guidance, UT advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16s in both 2021–22 and 2022–23.
From 2020 to 2023, Harper led UT to four consecutive SEC third-place finishes and the program’s first trip in the SEC Tournament Championship game in 2023.
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