Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper met with members of the media on Zoom on Friday to talk about the Lady Vols’ upcoming game vs. West Virginia.
#RV/RV Tennessee (2-0) and the Mountaineers (3-0) meet on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET at WVU Coliseum. The game will be live streamed on Big 12 Now/ESPN+ (fee may be required).
Head Coach Kellie Harper
On how much better Jordan Horston is when she lets the game come to her:
“She’s really talented. I think she’s talented when she’s free, when she can play and she’s not stressing or pressing. I felt like she’s had some really good practices and then we get to that first game and I thought she was really tied up. That was my message to her. I wanted her to just let loose and play – not worry so much about the outcomes. And do so with a big smile on her face. I did add that. I thought that was important too. I thought she looked much more comfortable, much more relaxed. Again, the same thing, I thought she had a good practice on Tuesday. It was a complete carry over. That’s been a message in the past. We’ll just keep reiterating it and try to give her ways that she can feel confident and comfortable on the court.”
On what stands out about West Virginia on film:
“First off, you start with their transition offense. They are very athletic and aggressive. They get a lot of opportunities in their transition. If you’re not quick and you’re not alert getting back, you’re going to give up a lot of easy buckets. They’re going to go get them. The other thing that stands out to me with them is that they can really shoot the 3 and they can really get to the basket. I think their athleticism really lends itself to getting some penetration, drives and getting themselves to the free throw line. They shoot a lot of free throws, but you can’t just back up because they can knock down the open shot. This is a pretty well-balanced offense and an aggressive offensive attack. That is going to be a huge focus for us today. They keep that aggressiveness at the defensive end as well. They’re pretty physical and athletic. We’re going to see the pressure. We’re going to see them denying and getting out in the passing lanes. That’s going to be an area where we have to take care of the basketball.”
On how odd the atmosphere at games has been due to reduced capacities as a result of COVID-19 protocols:
“The atmosphere at home is very different. We’re used to a big crowd here. The background noise is usually louder. We’re used to having a little bit more emotion with our fans. We make a good play and we start feeling (the energy) from our fans. On the road, that doesn’t always happen. On the road, it’s sometimes low attendance, low energy crowds. For our returners, it won’t be completely new to see a low attendance game. I do think you have to, in those games, build your own energy and work together to get that emotion and that energy going. That will definitely be the case on Sunday.”
On what three things the team needs to do to get a win at West Virginia on Sunday:
“Transition defense, taking care of the basketball and doing a good job on the boards on each end. That will help us get up more shots than them, and I think that’s important.
-UT Athletics
