Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell sends important message to fans about the players Tennessee lost to the transfer portal
Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell sent an important message to fans this about the players that Tennessee lost to the transfer portal this offseason. Caldwell essentially rebuilt her roster from scratch.
Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell dealt with a unique situation this offseason — though it’s a situation that we’re likely going to start seeing more often in college basketball.
Caldwell was forced to replace her entire roster after losing every player to either the transfer portal or eligibility.
That made for a busy April for Caldwell, who also had to replace several staff members. But the work is finally done as the Lady Vols put the finishing touches on their roster this week.
Kim Caldwell sends important message to Lady Vols fans
While speaking with reporters in Nashville at a Big Orange Caravan stop, Caldwell was asked what message she has for fans about the mass departures.
“I think it’s important to remember that people leave for a lot of different reasons,” said Caldwell. “And I think the biggest thing is that we’re really excited about the players that we’re bringing in, and we’re really excited to connect them with the past and try to do things differently from the moment they get here. We already started that with their visits. We’re going to send them the ‘Sum It Up’ book (about the life of legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt) and have them read it, just so they know what they are playing for.
“You have to think that these young players are so far removed and they’re so young from when Tennessee was at its best. Once they get to campus, trying to involve the former Lady Vols of really connecting the past and the future — so we have an education of what we are on the floor playing for.”
Last season’s roster, for whatever reason, just didn’t gel the way Caldwell envisioned. That’s going to happen at times in the transfer portal era, due to how quickly transfer decisions are being made.
The good news for the Lady Vols, though, is that Caldwell took a step back, identified mistakes that were made, and found ways to correct those mistakes moving forward.