No. 22 Tennessee (15-6, 7-2 SEC) is set to host Missouri (16-10, 4-7 SEC) on Thursday night in a key SEC matchup, with tipoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
EST at Food City Center. But this one carries a little more weight than your average February conference game - it marks a homecoming for Kellie Harper, a name that still echoes through the halls of Tennessee basketball history.
Harper, now leading Missouri, returns to the court where she once wore orange and later paced the sidelines as head coach. Her connection to the Lady Vols runs deep.
As a player from 1995 to 1999, she was part of one of the most dominant stretches in women's college basketball history, helping Pat Summitt’s squads capture three straight national titles from 1996 to 1998. That championship pedigree shaped her coaching journey - one that’s brought her full circle this week.
After her playing days, Harper transitioned into coaching, building her résumé across several programs. She started as an assistant at Auburn and Chattanooga before getting her first head coaching gig at Western Carolina in 2004.
From there, she made stops at NC State and Missouri State, where she added four conference tournament titles to her name - two in the Southern Conference and two in the Missouri Valley. Her ability to build competitive teams was clear, and in 2019, she returned to Knoxville to take the reins of the program she once led on the floor.
During her five-year tenure as Tennessee’s head coach, Harper guided the Lady Vols to four NCAA Tournament appearances and compiled a 108-52 overall record, including a 53-24 mark in SEC play. Her time at the helm helped stabilize a program navigating the post-Summitt era, and her legacy remains firmly intact.
Now with Missouri, Harper is working to build something new. The Tigers, after a rocky start to SEC play, have shown signs of life.
They’ve picked up conference wins over Arkansas (twice), Mississippi State, and Texas A&M. Despite a tough 85-66 loss to Georgia at home on Sunday, Missouri has proven it can compete - especially when they’re dialed in defensively and getting balanced contributions on offense.
Thursday night’s matchup is more than just a clash of SEC teams jockeying for position. It’s a reunion, a reflection, and a reminder of how far Harper’s journey has taken her. From Sparta, Tennessee, where she starred at White County High School, to the WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers, and through a coaching career that’s spanned over two decades, Harper’s basketball story continues to evolve.
Expect a charged atmosphere at Food City Center - not just because of what’s at stake in the standings, but because one of Tennessee’s own is coming back to where it all began.