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According to Jimmy Hyams, Tennessee is working on an extension for Lady Vol head basketball coach Holly Warlick.
Tennessee is working on extension for Lady Vols basketball coach
— Jimmy Hyams (@JimmyHyams) April 10, 2018
Holly Warlick, who has one year left on her contract. Look for an extension of 2-3 years. Agreement could be reached by the end of this week or early next week.
Warlick’s team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the second round for the second consecutive season, firing up plenty of speculation that Tennessee could move in a different direction. If Hyams’ report is true, that won’t be the case.
Warlick just finished up her sixth season as the head coach of the Lady Vols. The program has seen steady regression since Pat Summit’s exit. Tennessee has failed to reach a final four under Warlick and has posted double digit loss seasons twice in the last three seasons.
The rise of programs like Mississippi State and South Carolina have undoubtedly made things tougher on Tennessee in the SEC, but that’s no excuse for the early exits in the Big Dance. Warlick’s 153-54 overall record looks great on the surface, but this program measures success by way of championships.
The word extension may be misleading here, too. Warlick was entering the final year of her deal and it’s rare to see a coach operate on the final season of a contract. As Hyams noted, expect something fairly short-term.
You can consider this to be Phillip Fulmer’s second truly big time decision during his short stint as AD. He’s chosen to give Warlick at least one more year, but she’s going to have to show legitimate progress in the coming season.