RALEIGH, N.C. — Kellie Harper didn’t need anyone to remind her about the pressure of following Kay Yow at North Carolina State. There were reminders everywhere Thursday, from the banners hanging in Reynolds Coliseum to Yow’s name on the court.
But she’s not going to shy away from the Hall of Famer’s legacy.
“Kay Yow is and will always be a legend,” Harper said shortly after being introduced as the Wolfpack’s new women’s basketball coach. “You obviously know that when you step foot on this campus. I respect what she has meant to this university, to this program. I can’t be her. I wish I could. She’s been tremendous.
“I have to be me. And that is, in my opinion, the best way that I can honor her.”
The hiring of the former Lady Vol represents a significant change in direction for the program Yow led for more than three decades before her death in January after a long fight against cancer. Yow had hoped for longtime assistant coach Stephanie Glance to get the job. The school conducted a search that ultimately focused on the 31-year-old Harper, who has spent the past five years at Western Carolina and was part of Tennessee’s three straight national championship teams 1996-98. She played for Tennessee as Kellie Jolly.
Harper compiled a 97-65 record while leading the Catamounts to two NCAA tournament bids and a pair of Southern Conference championships. N.C. State gave her a five-year contract with a base salary of $247,000.
Harper takes over one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most traditionally successful programs, but one that slid in recent years while nearby rivals Duke and North Carolina became powerhouses.
“This team and staff has got to work hard to get where we want to go,” Harper said. “But we are accepting that challenge. We want to consistently compete for and win championships. We want to beat our neighbors who wear various shades of blue.”
Harper met with her players shortly before the news conference. The team immediately asked to see her Tennessee national championship rings.
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Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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