Tennessee – Tragically, Tess Darby Human life is in danger… see more
Tennessee - Tragically, Tess Darby Human life is in danger... see more
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Tess Darby played the long game – and won
Lifelong Tennessee fans Tess Darby and her parents share their story.
Small town. Underrated recruit. Loves the state of Tennessee and the Lady Vols. Sound familiar?
Kellie Harper may have had flashbacks to her own recruitment when she shared her vision for Tennessee with Tess Darby and her parents.
Harper connected with Darby and her mother and father, Kasi and Tandy Darby, and got her first commitment in the Class of 2020 on Oct. 18.
Harper grew up in Sparta, Tennessee, with a life focused on farm work, sports, faith and family. The Darbys live in Greenfield, Tennessee – Tandy Darby took the time for an interview before heading out to feed the cows – and share the same focus. Tess is a senior at Greenfield High School this year. Her little sister, Edie, is a sophomore and also plays basketball. The high school is five minutes from their house. Kasi Darby and her Sunday school class hold tailgates before football games. Tandy Darby works the yardage chains on the sidelines.
The Darbys aren’t able to attend many Lady Vols games because they are so busy back home. Harper won three national titles at Tennessee and also didn’t see many Lady Vol games in person while still in high school.
“We talked about that,” Kasi Darby said. “She didn’t come to a lot of ballgames because she was always in the field. “I am from a small town. I grew up playing basketball. When we had children, we planned our summers around basketball camps.”
Kasi Darby played basketball at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Tandy Darby was recruited as a catcher and ended up becoming a pitcher at Tennessee-Martin, which also happens to be the late Pat Summitt’s alma mater. It is less than 15 miles from Martin to Greenfield and when Summitt was enrolled in college, she did her student teaching at Greenfield High School in the 1970s.
When Harper was hired last April as the Lady Vols basketball coach, the local McDonald’s in Sparta welcomed her home on its sign.
“We just got our first McDonald’s in the last year,” Kasi Darby said.
While the Greenfield McDonald’s has yet to congratulate Tess Darby, “everyone in this town is so excited,” said Kasi Darby, who noted that Knoxville will get used to seeing fans rolling in from Greenfield. Folks from Sparta also are expected to make the trip this season.
When Tess Darby visited Tennessee the weekend of Oct. 11-13, Harper “told her story about what it was like for her getting recruited, small town and how everybody in a small town knows everything,” Tess Darby said.
Darby, a 6-1 guard/forward, committed on Oct. 11 and managed to keep it a secret for a week before making her announcement via social media.
