Throughout the offseason, the Lady Vols coaching staff spend hours on the road looking for the next class of Lady Vols.
But talent alone doesn’t automatically catch the attention of head coach Holly Warlick and her staff. In order to be a part of the winningest program in women’s college basketball, it takes a well-rounded player that represents Tennessee with grace on and off the field.
“Obviously, we want to recruit the best players, and we’re going to recruit talent,” Warlick said. “You’ve got to see what fits into your needs and your program.
“I think for us, though, it goes beyond talent. How do you fit into this program as far as what we want to do on the court, what we want to do in the classroom? How do you carry yourself off the court and take care of your own business? We take that into a tremendous amount of consideration.”
Sometimes, off-the-court facets of a potential recruits’ life play a deciding role in their future with Tennessee.
“We’ve had a kid in the past who was highly, highly up in the charts, but her Twitter account – I just couldn’t go there anymore,” Warlick said. “We addressed it, and she kept putting things that I thought were not appropriate to represent a Lady Vol. So we quit recruiting her, and that’s not to say that her world is wrong, but it just isn’t right for this program.”
When making team decisions, including decisions on the recruiting trail, Warlick always considers advice from her coaching staff, and is quick to point out the benefits of having a strong and passionate group of assistants by her side.
“I think I’ve got so much knowledge and passion, and just love and interest for this program,” Warlick said of her assistant coaches – Kyra Elzy, Jolette Law and Dean Lockwood. “They are competitive. I don’t want people who are just going to say ‘yes, yes, yes.’ I want them to grow just like Pat (Summitt) let me grow. That’s just how I’ve been taught. I want somebody who has the same passion and feel for the program that I do. I just feel very secure that we’re all on the same page and we’re aiming for the same goal.”
“Owning the state” has become a mantra for Butch Jones and Tennessee football, but Warlick and her staff feel that locking down in-state recruits is just as important for the Lady Vols.
“I think Alexa (Middleton) is a great addition for us,” Warlick said. “I think she understands our history, she understands the tradition, and she’s a kid that if you look at her, you go ‘that’s a Lady Vol.’
“She’s getting the opportunity to play in her home state and play for the Lady Vols. She’s grown up knowing the Lady Vols and dreaming to wear the Orange and I’m thankful, because those kids, they understand. They know about the program and the history.”
Though the new Lady Vol squad has made progress in the offseason, there is still plenty of work to do before the season officially begins.
“Tennessee needs to get back to where we left off in 2008,” said Isabelle Harrison, rising senior. “As a senior, I want to do my best, take this team as far as we can go, and just lay a foundation for them to look up to. As far as being together, I think we’re doing a really good job with that but as far as the team, it’s going to be hard to get into the system until we get into team practice.”
With a new season on the horizon, newcomers and veterans alike must be prepared to give their all for Tennessee.
“We have built a great reputation, and built a great image,” Warlick said. “I just think that there is a certain quality in a kid that we look for. This program is just not for everyone. This program consumes you. We occupy a lot of your time, and that’s not to say our kids don’t go out and have fun, because I’m sure they do. It’s just time consuming, and there is a lot of pressure.”
