Former Lady Vols basketball coach Kellie Harper made her return to Knoxville for the first time as Missouri coach, and one of the stops was the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
While the Tigers were there, Missouri guard Shannon Dowell bought a shirt that had a photo of Harper and Lady Vols legendary coach Pat Summitt on it. Then she wore it during warmups at Food City Center before Missouri played No. 22 Tennessee on Feb. 12.
Advertisement
“I did not know she was gonna wear it, but apparently she did,” Harper said. “I love our team. I love those kids. I really do. Like I said we’re not perfect. We’re going to make mistakes, but, man, they try. They really do. And I do honestly enjoy coaching them.”
The Tigers (16-11, 4-8 SEC) fell 98-53 to the Lady Vols (16-6, 8-2) in the first meeting between the two teams since Harper took over the Tigers program. Missouri hired Harper in March 2025, almost a year after she was fired as Tennessee coach in April 2024.
Harper got a round of applause from the crowd when she was announced during starting lineups, and she said it was a nice welcome home. Harper was a three-time national champion as a player under Summitt before becoming a coach herself.
While visiting the hall of fame, Harper got to see the newest exhibit dedicated to Summitt for the first time.
Advertisement
“The exhibit’s amazing,” Harper said. “I think it was cool for our players to go over there. Obviously, for me, to be able to see, in particular, that new Pat Summitt exhibit, it was just really cool. Dana Hart actually toured us around and brought the picture of Pat Summitt and I out to show our team, and I think they got a kick out of it for sure. They thought it looked like Jackson Harper.”
Harper said returning to her alma mater, where she coached for five seasons, “can be a lot.”
There are countless people she wants to say hello, or who want to greet her. Harper believes she does a good job of keeping the focus where it needs to be, but understands the impact of her return to UT.
“I get it. I understand,” Harper said. “My name’s on a brick up there, so I get it. Anytime I come here, I’m going to get it, and I willingly accept that. It’s just part of who I am and where I’m at, where I’ve been. I understand that, but I can also get on that bus and get really excited about the team I’m coaching.”
Advertisement
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What former Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper said about return to Tennessee
