The Tennessee women’s basketball team will take the first steps of its 2023-24 journey in June, as it embarks on a summer tour in Europe. The Lady Vols are slated to visit Italy and Greece and play two games during an excursion that runs June 11-22. Opponents and venues will be announced later.
“We are grateful to have this opportunity to travel overseas, see historic sites and incredible scenery first-hand and get an early start on 2023-24,” UT Head Coach Kellie Harper said. “Having a few practices beforehand, playing games abroad and sharing amazing experiences over two weeks will allow us to build camaraderie and chemistry for next season. We can’t wait to embark on this journey together.” This will mark the second European Tour of the Kellie Harper era and third international trip. The Lady Vols traveled to The Netherlands, Belgium and Spain in 2019 just prior to Harper’s first season back at her alma mater. Tennessee went 3-0 on that trip, with redshirt senior Tamari Key then a freshman. The 2022-23 Lady Vols visited Paradise Island, Bahamas, for the Battle 4 Atlantis, bringing UT’s record to 4-2 internationally under Harper. All-time, this marks Tennessee’s 11th international excursion, and the Lady Vols head to Italy and Greece with a 25-9 record on foreign soil. That includes a 17-7 mark in exhibition-type contests and an 8-2 resume in countable games during the regular season. Previous foreign tours outside of collegiate competition and records for those include Brazil in June 1987 (1-4), England in January 1992 (2-1), Belgium/France/Switzerland in August 1999 (5-0), Italy/Greece in August 2003 (3-2), Italy in 2015 (3-0) and The Netherlands/Belgium/France in August 2019 (3-0). In NCAA countable competition outside of the U.S. or its territories, the Lady Vols have been to Freeport, Bahamas, for the 2013 Junkanoo Jam (2-0); Cancun, Mexico, for the 2017 Cancun Challenge (3-0); Bimini, Bahamas, for the 2019 Junkanoo Jam (2-0); and Paradise Island, Bahamas, for the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis (1-2). Not counting in these totals are trips to U.S. territory tournaments in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the San Juan Shootout in November-December 2002 (3-0); and two appearances in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., for the Paradise Jam in November 2005 (3-0) and November 2010 (2-1). In terms of personnel, the Lady Vols return graduate forward Rickea Jackson, an All-America honorable mention selection and All-SEC First Team choice who led the team in scoring at 19.2 ppg. and pulled down 6.1 rpg., as well as two-time SEC All-Defensive Team and 2022 Coaches All-SEC Second Team choice graduate center Key (8.4 ppg., 4.2 rpg., 66.7 FG% during a 2022-23 year that ended early for medical reasons). Key is the school’s all-time record-holder for blocked shots in a season (119) and career (295). Other 2022-23 contributors with extensive experience include senior guard/forward Tess Darby (7.4 ppg., 2.9 rpg. 70 3FGs), junior forward Jillian Hollingshead (6.2 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 48.6% FG), graduate guard Jasmine Powell (4.7 ppg., 3.1 apg., 2.6 rpg., 19 3FGs), junior guard forward Sara Puckett (4.7 ppg., 2.6 rpg., 26 3FGs), junior forward Karoline Striplin (4.7 ppg., 3.7 rpg., 50% FG, 12 3FGs) and junior guard Kaiya Wynn (1.5 ppg., 1.0 rpg.). Newcomers include senior guard Destinee Wells, a transfer and three-time all-conference performer at Belmont (19.5 ppg., 4.9 apg., 65 3FGs in 2022-23) who averaged 32.4 ppg. over the last five games this season, and sophomore guard Avery Strickland, who spent her freshman campaign at Pitt and appeared in 30 contests (6.2 ppg., 1.7 rpg., 39 3FGs), upping her production over the last six games to 8.3 ppg. and 2.5 rpg. with 11 three-pointers and shooting percentages of 45 percent overall and 42.3 percent on treys during that late-season span.