Tennessee is sticking with women's basketball head coach Kellie Harper through at least the 2027-28 season, the school announced on Monday. The Lady Volunteers are coming off a successful campaign in which they reached their second consecutive Sweet 16 and saw the most overall wins (25) and most SEC victories (13) for the program since the 2014-15 season.
"Including her tenure at Missouri State, Kellie has guided her teams to three of the past four NCAA Sweet 16s," Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said in a statement. "She's among an elite group of coaches in achieving that, and it didn't happen by accident. The Lady Vols have a strong program culture, visible player development, a commitment to excellence and intentional leadership in place, and I look forward to watching our program continue to rise under her leadership."
Tennessee is a basketball program with high standards, as it is the only school that has played in all 41 of the NCAA women's basketball tournaments. Harper has proven to be the perfect fit. She was a point guard at Tennessee from 1995–1999 before playing professionally.
Harper is one of only two coaches ever to lead four different women's programs to the NCAA Tournament. Through her 19 years as a head coach, she has led teams to 15 postseason appearances. She just completed her fourth season at her alma mater, and saw Jordan Horston get selected No. 9 overall by the Seattle Storm at the WNBA Draft. Horston became the third consecutive first-round pick coached by Harper.
"I couldn't be more thankful for the belief and trust Danny and Tennessee have placed in me and my staff to lead the Lady Vol program where we all want to go," Harper said in a statement. "The journey to the top isn't easy, but I'm really proud of the investment our players have displayed in pursuing our goals and fighting through some adversity along the way... I can't wait to see what we can achieve together during the years ahead."
