Tennessee Women’s Basketball head coach Kellie Harper received an extension, Tennessee announced on Monday. Tennessee Athletic Director Danny White and Harper agreed to a contract extension, in principle, through the 2027-28 season. 

Harper led the Lady Vols to their highest win total and SEC win total since the 2014-15 season. Tennessee finished 25-12 (13-3 SEC) in the 2022-23 season. 

The extension comes after Harper’s second-straight Sweet 16 appearance. Harper has also coached three straight WNBA top 10 selections, with No. 9 overall picks Rennia Davis (Minnesota 2021) and Rae Burrell (Los Angeles 2022) and Jordan Horston (Seattle 2023) all hearing their names on draft night. 

“Including her tenure at Missouri State, Kellie has guided her teams to three of the past four NCAA Sweet 16s,” White said in a press release on Monday. “She’s among an elite group of coaches in achieving that, and it didn’t happen by accident. The Lady Vols have a strong program culture, visible player development, a commitment to excellence and intentional leadership in place, and I look forward to watching our program continue to rise under her leadership.”

Harper has been successful in hitting the transfer portal during her tenure as head coach. Going into the 2022-23 season, Harper picked up Rickea Jackson from Mississippi State. Jackson went on to lead the Lady Vols in scoring for the 2022-23 season. 

She has also kept players on the roster. Despite losing three athletes to the transfer portal, Harper retains Tamari Key and Jackson as both elected to use their COVID year of eligibility. 

As she has brought in transfers, players have exited as well. The Lady Vols lost former McDonald’s All-American Justine Pissott to the transfer portal. With her exit, the Lady Vols are left with no scholarship players in the 2022 class, and no players currently signed in the 2023 class.