Lady Vols: Holly Warlick Fired, What’s Next for the Lady Vols?

After seven seasons as the Lady Vols head coach Holly Warlick has been fired after a 19-13 season and a first-round loss in the NCAA tournament.

Holly Warlick led the Lady Vols to an SEC championship in 2013 and 2015, but despite bringing in top talent on signing day, the talent on the court slowly started declining. This season wasn’t one a Lady Vols legend like Warlick would’ve liked to see in her final run. A six-game losing streak, the first home loss to Vanderbilt in school history, and now the third straight year the Lady Vols failed to make it to the Sweet Sixteen.

This wasn’t a surprise to many coming off one of the worst seasons the Lady Vols have had in a long time, and Evina Westbrooks’ comments didn’t help.

Holly Warlick was an All-American guard when she played for Tennessee, her number is retired in Thompson-Bowling Arena, and she coached with Pat Summitt for 27 years. Her legacy with the program will not be forgotten although many wish they could forget her past few years coaching.

Now with Holly Warlick gone, what’s next for the Lady Vols?

Phillip Fulmer might get really good at this whole coaching search process if coaches have to be replaced as much as they have been since he took over. According to Knox News, there have been a few names circulating that Fulmer may be interested in, including Brenda Frese, Kelly Harper, and Jeff Walz. One other possible candidates, although unlikely, and a fan favorite is Kara Lawson.

Brenda Frese is a proven head coach at Maryland. They just came off a 29-5 regular season and made the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in her 17 years coaching. She’s led Maryland to three Final Four’s and a national championship in 2006. She reportedly made $1.19 million last year, so for Tennessee to pry her out of Maryland they will have to write a big check. If Fulmer wants to get the Lady Vols back to where they were with Pat, it’s not going to be cheap.

Another option the Vols could look at is Louisville head coach Jeff Walz. If you’re worried about the Vols spending too much money on a head coach, you might want to move on from Walz because he is already making $1.48 million with the Cardinals, but I think he is the most likely candidate. He has been to the Final Four three times, including last year’s appearance. They earned a one seed this year as Walz led Louisville to the tournament for the 11th time in his 12 seasons with the team.

If Fulmer is looking for a current head coach with Lady Vols ties, then look no further than Kellie Harper. She’s making just $247,000 at Missouri State and took them to their first Sweet 16 since 2001. Her success at MSU is something fairly new however as she had failed at a power five school before when she coached at NC State.

Kara Lawson will be a name thrown around the coaching search carousel. She played under Pat Summitt and led the Lady Vols to two Final Four appearances and went on to play 13 years in the WNBA. Lawson is currently a tv analyst, so trying to convince her to come back and coach the program she used to play for not too long ago might not be very difficult. She still has ties with the university also as she is apart of the university’s Board of Trustees.

Regardless of who Tennessee decides to bring in, they will likely have to bring out the checkbook if they want a big name. Otherwise, they might have to stick to the less proven coaches and try to find a diamond in the rough.