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Jolly has overcome two ACL tears to direct Tennessee's attack.
(Patrick Murphy-Racey)
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Kellie
Jolly,
Tennessee
Class:
Junior
Position:
Guard
Height:
5'10"
DOB: May 3,
1977
Hometown:
Sparta,
Tenn.
High School:
White
County
Vital
Stats: 7.1 points per game, 2.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.9
steals, 83.8% free
throws
by Dana
Gelin
Kellie Jolly is Tennessee's best free throw shooter and
leads her team in assists, but it's quite possible that the
5'10" junior's greatest talent is rebounding.
Twice in the last four years, the point guard has bounced
back from major knee surgery in record time. The first was
in her senior year at White County High in Sparta, Tenn.,
when she played in the 1995 state tournament less than four
months after
tearing her right ACL. Just before her sophomore season in
Knoxville, she tore the same ligament in a pickup game. She
had surgery on Oct. 14 and returned to action less than
three months later, on Jan. 12.
As if Jolly hadn't already filled her career injury
quotient, she sprained her left ankle in Tennessee's
first-round game of the 1997 NCAA Tournament. She left the
floor in a wheelchair but spent the next 48 hours working
tirelessly with team doctors,
even sleeping in the training room, and played in the Lady
Vols' second round game two days later. (The ankle would
require surgery in the offseason.) As Tennessee beat Old
Dominion to capture its fifth title, Jolly handed out a
championship game-record
11 assists and was named to the All-Final Four
team.
It's no wonder the National Strength and Conditioning
Association named her its 1997 Athlete of the Year.
Tennessee assistant coach Mickie DeMoss suggested that
Jolly deserved a Purple
Heart.
Certainly, Jolly deserves some kind of recognition.
Although she was often overshadowed by the play of her
teammates this season while the Lady Vols rolled through
their schedule undefeated, Jolly is acknowledged as the cog
that holds Tennessee
together. "Kellie's tough and confident, and that's what you
need in your point guard," junior Chamique Holdsclaw
says. Freshman Tamika Catchings calls Jolly the
"mom" of the
team.
This season, Jolly has recorded seven no-turnover games. In
the NCAA Tournament, she hasn't given up the ball more than
three times in any game and has averaged 8.5 points, 3.0
assists and 2.5 steals. Still, to judge her by her numbers
is to
underestimate her importance to the team. "Kellie has been more of
an impact player than her statistics show," Tennessee
coach Pat Summitt says. "She has been a great leader
for our basketball
team."
Just another among her many
talents.
Other Spotlights
March 28: Michael Doleac, Utah
March 27: Christy Smith, Arkansas
March 26: Allen
Edwards, Kentucky
March 25: Mark Madsen, Stanford
March 24: Tamika Catchings, Tennessee
March 22: Jeff Sheppard, Kentucky
March 21: Khalid El-Amin, Connecticut
March 20: Andre Miller, Utah; Alisa Burras,
Louisiana Tech
March 19: Brian Cardinal, Purdue
March 18: Tim Young, Stanford
March 17: Sarunas
Jasikevicius, Maryland; Adia Barnes, Arizona
March 16: Mateen Cleaves, Michigan; Murriel Page, Florida
March 15: Jason Hart, Syracuse
March 14: Kris Johnson, UCLA
March 13: Lee Nailon, Texas Christian
March 12: Brian Earl, Princeton
March 11: Tyrone Weeks, Massachusetts
March 10: Brett Robisch, Oklahoma St.
March 9: Larry Hughes, Saint Louis
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