IS THE SPIRIT OF PAT SUMMIT ALIVE AND WELL ON ROCKY TOP?

What would it take for Pat's garish orange program to regain its accustomed place at the pinnacle of women's basketball? 

Their tens of thousands of hardcore fans wonder every day - where are the Lady Vols currently in their inevitable return to the top of the women's basketball rankings?

They'll know soon. On December 18th the Stanford Cardinal roll in to test the Vols in Knoxville with their 15,000 fans drenched in orange packed to the rafters in Thompson Bolling Arena screaming their hearts out for VICTORY!!

Kelly Harper is rebuilding, but finding its no easy task. In March her team was sent packing from the NCAA Women's Tournament in the second round. The kids from Michigan were too tough and beat them by 15. The teams in that field of 64 are so much better than they used to be. And recruiting in Knoxville is harder than it was when the Vols were on top.

It's been a coon's age since the Lady Vols landed a five star recruit ranked in the top ten. Kelly is a great person and a terrific coach, but you need more than that these days to sign a potential superstar - the coach needs a glittering resume too! 

Once in a while you come across a recruit like Jennifer Azzi, who is willing to come and help turn a lagging program around. Jennifer was upset about being overlooked by the Vols, after starring in high school just down the road from Knoxville, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. So, when Tara called Jennifer and said she'd just left Ohio State and taken the job at Stanford to build a powerhouse out west - building something with a great lady out in Palo Alto - sounded good to her. And Tara's program came roaring to life! Katy Steding and Trisha Stevens said yes. Then, Julie Zeilstra and Val Whiting said yes. You know the rest of the story.  

Sort of like Adia telling Aari she was leaving Washington and going down to Arizona for her first Head Coaching job to build a program in the desert - it sounded good. Let's build something, together! 

Kelly was hoping Rennia Davis would become her Aari McDonald, but Rennia was just too inconsistent. So, she's still looking. 

This season, The Lady Vols are ranked #2 in the SEC and #15 in the nation. They signed a 6'-0" graduate transfer from Troy University named Alexus Dye who is a player that will be a challenge for Lexie to deal with. I doubt Kelly's kids are ready to go toe-to-toe with the Cardinal, but lord they'll try! Look for a starting lineup that looks like this:

Alexis Dye       6'-0"    Grad    Forward

Rae Burrell       6'-1"    Sr.       Guard

Tamari Key       6'-6"    Jr.       Center

Marta Suarez     6'-2"    So.      Forward

Jordan Horston  6'-2"    Jr.        Guard 

This will be a great test for both teams! And it will be perfect preparation for the battle that lies ahead the next week in Columbia, South Carolina.   

GO STANFORD!! LET'S MAKE THIS THE BEST ROAD TRIP IN YEARS!!