KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Kellie Harper met with the media on Friday afternoon at Pratt Pavilion, taking questions about her team’s upcoming game against Texas.
The No. 17/19 Lady Vols play host to the Longhorns in a 2:02 p.m. ET contest on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena. ESPN2 will have the telecast. The game is being billed as an “Orange Out,” and tickets are available at AllVols.com.
Tennessee, which is playing its fifth straight game at home, enters the contest at 7-0. The Lady Vols are coming off an 81-54 victory over Air Force last Sunday afternoon.
Texas, meanwhile, stands at 4-4 after dropping two out of three at the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu last weekend. The Longhorns beat North Texas on Saturday, 63-57, but dropped contests to No. 12 NC State (84-73) and Hawaii (73-60) on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The Big Orange leads the all-time series vs. the Burnt Orange, 25-15. The Lady Vols have won the last two meetings, including an 88-82 victory in Austin last season and an 82-75 decision in Knoxville two seasons ago. This will mark the 38th-consecutive season these programs have met on the hardwood.
Head Coach Kellie Harper
On her concerns about rebounding leading into the Air Force game:
“I didn’t think our technique was consistent defensively on our box outs. We showed that to our team a little bit. And consistency going to the boards is still an issue. When we go, we do a great job, but we can still find a little more consistency in that area.”
On if getting out-rebounded by Air Force got her point across:
“I hope so. That is certainly my hope. We came in the locker room after and talked about getting out-rebounded and we talked to them about the build-up and how much we have talked about the rebounding concerns that our staff had. I think they understand maybe a little bit more on what that looks like.”
On where she thinks they are at right now defensively:
“I think, defensively, we could be an exceptional team because of our athleticism and our length. There is no doubt about it. We have some playmakers that can come out and do some things. I think that is an accurate statement. To me, the area that we’ve got to grow in is just a little bit of raw toughness that you need to have a great defensive team. Which has nothing to do with positioning or knowing where you need to be, it is just something inside you. I think that just takes time to develop, and we are still working on that.”
On if she has added her full defensive package:
“We do have more to unpack. As a coach, I have really stayed vanilla throughout November, December and a little bit into January, consistently. I think this team needs constant work on the basics, and that is what we stick with. We stick with the half-court man a lot. I think that is going to be who we are the majority of the time. We still have some things we are adding and putting in. I am also a firm believer in adding throughout the season, so in January and February, (we’ll be) finding out little tweaks that we can do both offensively and defensively.”
On if her defense depends on who they are playing or if they’re trying to perfect a certain defense:
“A little bit of both, really. I know that, in my head, there are a couple things I want to do for conference play, and some of those things may not get in until early January. So, I might look ahead and say, ‘I want this specific defense for this specific opponent,’ and we would start working on it a few weeks in advance to get ready for that.”
On how important it is for this team to have players like Rae Burrell and Kasiyahna Kushkituah to come off the bench and score in double figures:
“It is critical that we have some depth and have two players come off the bench that give us a punch. They give us something. They give us a spark. They have been able to score and rebound and sometimes change the tone of the game.”
On how much of a difference playing Texas will be compared to the last few teams:
“I think this is going to be a big difference for us from what we have seen. I think size wise will be the first difference we will see. The athleticism is terrific for Texas. I know our post players haven’t seen a lot of big bodies on the block. Even playing Notre Dame, they didn’t play a lot on the block, so this is going to be a big challenge, not only for our guards with guarding some athletes on the perimeter, but also for our post players guarding big, physical posts.”
On how she is getting the players ready on playing Texas:
“We have been talking about it. We have been talking about playing teams down the line, so we will go through some things in a scouting report for our previous opponent. It will look very different for this game. We just are very honest when we are telling our players that. One of the ways that we have tried to prepare them is that we have tried to prepare them for the best. We don’t try to prepare them for a 5-foot-10 post player. We try to prepare them for a 6-5 All-American, and we have some good and big practice players that have given us some pretty accurate looks that will show what we are going to see. They have really challenged us.”
On if she is happy with their shooting percentage:
“I think we did a really good job getting the ball inside. We passed the ball inside well. We did well on transition offense. I think any time that we get the ball to the paint that is a very big positive for us.”
On if she likes that they are second in the nation in blocked shots:
“I have never paid attention to the blocked shot stat. Obviously we are going to have a lot just because we are tall. I am not saying that I don’t like blocked shots, but I like position defense better. If you are in position, you are rarely trying to make blocked shots.”
On if she thinks that shot blocking is a byproduct of good position defense:
“Jazmine (Massengill) is getting a lot of blocks. She is getting a lot of blocks in transition defensively. And then when people are driving on her, they may have an angle and they may get a little bit behind. I am completely fine with an easy contest block, just because we are tall and have the length to do it. I don’t like giving the lane and trying to make a heroic play to get a blocked shots. I definitely don’t want to foul shooters. If you are going for a block, you can’t foul on the shot. I think there are very positive blocked shots, I really do. It is just not something we are going to practice or preach.”
On if she is eager to see how they are tested late in the games with the tougher competition:
“I am really looking forward to seeing where we are in those situations. Right now, we have been ahead. We are able to stay ahead even in that early game where it was close. We have been okay when we are frontrunners. I want to see where our competitiveness is and where our toughness is when we are in a battle and have to worry about every single possession. You just don’t know until you are in it, so I am looking forward to having some big challenges coming up.”
On what other challenges Texas presents when she is watching film:
“Their two post players are dynamic. They can score. They can run. They can rebound. Their point guard is also crafty and shifty and can get shots and score. She can create for herself or other teammates. Their wings are just solid and athletic. I think right now you have to take care of the basketball against them, because they can get after you and pressure you. You have to keep them off the boards, then you have to understand that you are going to have to defend some dynamic players.”
On how it feels to be 7-0 in her first season at UT:
“I am glad we are 7-0. I am happy with where we are and with what we have faced. I am proud of our team. I think they have had good attitudes and understand where we need to improve. They have to keep that. And if we were to lose a game, they have to be able to get through that.”
On if she likes how they are performing with assists:
“I think our assists have been really good. I think that it shows how unselfish this team is. We really look to pass the ball to our teammates. I think that is a really positive stat for us, and we want to keep trending in that direction.”
On if the Lady Vols appreciate the “real UT” rivalry:
“We haven’t talked too much about Texas yet, but once you get going, you have a UT, you have Texas and Tennessee orange. I think there is a lot of fun in this rivalry, and there is a lot of tradition in this rivalry. It is good to be part of it.”
-UT Athletics
