Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina at the Southeastern Conference women’s tournament Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Greenville, S.C.
Harper is one of a handful of coaches attending the NCAA Tournament this year who are coaching at the school where they played. There’s a matchup of two of them in the first round Saturday with Adia Barnes and Arizona facing Felisha Legette-Jack and Syracuse. Niele Ivey had her own rebuilding project at Notre Dame where she took over for her mentor and friend Muffet McGraw in 2020. Ivey helped the team win its first NCAA championship as a player in 2001 and then was an assistant on the 2018 team that also won a title. Now she’s the one in charge.