'She got all that quiet real quick' – Rick Barnes shares heartwarming thoughts on Kim Caldwell's first year as the Lady Vols' head coach
The Tennessee Vols men's basketball team isn't the only UT squad that will be playing in the Sweet 16 this weekend. The Lady Vols advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament this past weekend thanks to an 82-67 win against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Kim Caldwell, who is in her first season as […]
The Tennessee Vols men's basketball team isn't the only UT squad that will be playing in the Sweet 16 this weekend.
The Lady Vols advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament this past weekend thanks to an 82-67 win against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Kim Caldwell, who is in her first season as Tennessee's head coach, will lead her team against the Texas Longhorns in a Sweet 16 matchup in Birmingham.
Caldwell, who gave birth to a baby boy in the middle of the season, has done a tremendous job in her first year as the Lady Vols' head coach. Tennessee scored its first win against UConn since 2007 this season and the program reached its 37th Sweet 16.
Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes was asked on Wednesday about Caldwell's year one success and he had plenty of positive things to say about his UT head coaching counterpart.
“It’s awesome. I mean, from the time that she’s walked on this campus, she’s made a tremendous impact," said Barnes. "I go back a year ago when we started with the Big Orange Caravan that you knew she was confident in what she was doing, her style, she knew that she believed in that. And I look back and I really admire (athletic director) Danny White and his staff for making a hire. I mean, people probably said, who? What? But she got all that quiet real quick.
"But if you knew how hard our women’s team [works] and I watched it all through the summer and fall, I’m not the least bit surprised in what she’s got going. She’s only gonna continue to build on it. And I hope this team continues to go because again, we’ve watched them personal and up close how hard they work every day and it's really neat watching their success.”
Barnes is right — Caldwell was an out of nowhere hire for the Lady Vols.
But athletic director Danny White has proved during his career that he's adept at identifying winning coaches who can quickly build elite cultures. And he nailed it with his decision to hire Caldwell.
This could be a huge weekend for Tennessee athletics. Both the men's and the women's basketball programs are just two games away from Final Four appearances. There's no guarantee that either team gets there, but that shouldn't be the point this weekend. Tennessee fans should just enjoy that both the men's and women's teams are in this position. It's certainly not something that should be taken for granted, regardless of this weekend's outcome.
