Bryan Tatum’s battle with cancer embodied Lady Vols’ mentality

CALEB JARREAU Staff Writer

Bryan Tatum sat in his office, reminiscing on his time at Tennessee. Bookshelves line the walls overflowing with everything from educational texts to devotionals. A stack of moving boxes sit in the corner, telling the story of Tatum’s two years in Knoxville.

He never expected those two years to unfold how they did — two years that saw the toughest fight of his life and a lot of growth. Two years that saw validation for his work translate on the court and in student-athletes’ lives.

When Tennessee assistant coach Jon Harper called Tatum about a job opening in 2020, he was training athletes out of his garage and content with never entering the college ranks again.

“He kind of hinted around that they may be looking for someone and asked if I was interested,” Tatum recalled in a conversation with The Daily Beacon. “And I just said, ‘only for the right people.’”

Then, Tennessee head coach and Jon Harper’s wife, Kellie Harper, called and offered him the position of Director of Women’s Basketball Sports Performance.

Tatum couldn’t resist joining Harper, whom he worked with at his first full-time job at Western Carolina from 2008-10 and again at NC State from 2011-14. He moved to Knoxville and was ready to hit the ground running on June 10, 2020.

Later that month, Tatum was hit with news no one wants to hear. He was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma.

During his battle with cancer, Tatum was able to grow and translate the lessons he was teaching athletes back to himself.

“We wanted to support him the best we could,” Harper said at the time. “He just moved to Knoxville, they just bought a house, their family’s just now going to get settled, and then he’s got to start working through chemotherapy.”

With the support of Tennessee’s staff and his faith, Tatum beat cancer and returned to coach the Lady Vols. Whether it was his diagnosis or just maturing over his career, Tatum is a different coach today from when he was beginning his career as an intern at Notre Dame in 2005.

He went from a strength coach that thought, “weight room, weight room, weight room,” to someone who tries to better student-athletes on and off the floor.

“I kind of ran things like a dictator,” Tatum said. “I would say I matured to some degree. I’ve spent a lot more time just trying to help develop the athletes mentally on skill sets that they can utilize day in, and day out, whether they’re training or not.”

Tatum’s mental teachings are evident in this year’s Tennessee team — a team that has faced as much adversity as most in the country and didn’t have the season it wanted.

The Lady Vols have kept fighting, no matter the situation. Tatum’s fight with cancer is embodied by this team’s fight on the court, and it all starts with love.

“If you love something, you’ll fight for it,” Tatum said. “You’ll pay a price without even thinking about it. So, that’s one of the things that I really try to get them to buy into.”

Love is something he sees in this team. He sees that they love each other, they love basketball and they love to win. All of those are ingredients that can take the Lady Vols to their first championship since 2008.

He also tells his athletes to control the 15 feet around them. The power everyone possesses in their day-to-day life is something Tatum learned through his life, and it is something he wants to pass off to everyone he can.

“If you can really get them to understand how much power they have from the moment they get up to the moment they go to bed with their decision-making, that’s when you can really help someone just make that leap,” Tatum said.

Those decisions all come down to a formula Tatum preaches, E+R=O – events, response, outcome.

It is an equation that has driven Tatum’s coaching philosophy, and it is an equation that he used in his own fight against cancer. You can’t control the events that happen to you, whether in life or in basketball, but you can control your response to the events.

“That’s the big thing, when you can have that moment of clarity,” Tatum said. “Which happens at that moment where you deliberately pause, assess the situation, realize what’s going on and then figure out what’s the best outcome.”

At the end of the day, it all comes down to someone’s “why” for Tatum. He helps athletes find why they’re doing what they’re doing. What are their goals?

Tatum’s goal is to hang another banner in the rafters, and he’s going to do everything in his power to get Tennessee back to that point.

“Trying to get them to understand what’s worth fighting for,” Tatum said. “If you aim at nothing, you hit it every time. I think you see a lot of that.”

The philosophy that Tatum has preached at his past stops becomes amplified at Tennessee. When you walk into Thompson-Boling Arena, it is overwhelming to look at the banners hanging.

Eight national championships hang in the house that Pat Summit built. The legacy of becoming a Lady Vol is unquestionable. However, along with that comes criticism, high expectations and outside noise.

It is unavoidable and Tatum doesn’t use social media himself. He tells his athletes to do the same, but he knows that likely won’t happen. So, he focuses on what’s between the ears.

Being a Lady Vol means being mentally tough.

“We want to add to the legacy that’s here,”

Tatum said. “Being mentally tough is at the root of that because you’re not going to get there without paying a serious price.”

“Tenacious” is the word Rickea Jackson used to describe the Lady Vols after they defeated top-10 LSU. Tenacity is what Tatum preached to this team.

It took until March for Tennessee to defeat a ranked team and get over the figurative hump that has plagued them all year. Tatum wasn’t surprised by the win — it was only a matter of time in his eyes.

A sermon that Tatum heard before Tennessee left for the SEC Tournament led him to give a message to the Lady Vols. There is no salvation without submission.

The season hadn’t gone Tennessee’s way. The first matchup against LSU didn’t go Tennessee’s way. But the Lady Vols persevered.

“Just keep fighting,” Tatum preached to the team. “You never know what swing of the hammer’s going to crack the stone. That was a testament to the tenacity that they have developed throughout the season, it was an absolute grind.”

The stone was cracked against LSU. Now, Tennessee goes into the NCAA Tournament with the confidence that it can overcome ranked opponents.

But Tatum has bigger goals. Now in remission, his battle with cancer is winding down, but the battle for the Lady Vols is just beginning.

“I’m going to beat cancer, and I’m going to hang a banner up before I leave this place,” Tatum said. “And that is my mission. That’s what I’m focused on. And, if I’m fortunate enough to do it, then the next goal will be to hang another one.”