Latest Lady Vols controversy may be the last straw for head coach Kim Caldwell
It’s been a trying season for Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell.
It’s been a very trying season for Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell.
Tennessee has suffered a couple of the worst losses in program history this season, Caldwell called her players out for quitting, and she snubbed Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin in the post-game handshake line last month.
Combine all of that with the fact that Tennessee is on the NCAA Tournament bubble (though the expectation, for now, is that they’ll get in), and it’s easy to see why Caldwell’s status beyond this season is up in the air.
New controversy could be the last straw for Kim Caldwell at Tennessee
As if all of the above wasn’t enough, Caldwell has a new controversy to deal with.
Multiple reports indicated on Tuesday that guard Kaiya Wynn is leaving the program.
The news comes after Wynn, a redshirt senior who is from Memphis and grew up in Nashville, wasn’t given a chance to enter the game on Senior Day against Vanderbilt until the very end of the game.
Wynn addressed her departure in a damning social media post on Tuesday.
“The news has now broken that I have decided to step away from the Lady Vol program,” tweeted Wynn. “This decision was not made lightly or instantly. For the past five years I have given my all for Tennessee and have not regretted doing so once. Obviously, my last two seasons on the team have been less than ideal for many reasons, but the one night I was most looking forward to was senior night.
“As someone who has never started a career game, I was hoping to start in my last appearance in Thompson-Boling. That obviously did not happen, and to be asked to check into the game with 15 seconds left while losing was not how I wanted to spend my final moments in my arena after five years. Although that was not the sole reason, it was the breaking point for me. I have the utmost love and respect for my teammates and this program and wish everyone nothing but the best. Thank you Lady Vol Nation for the past 5 years, you all made this kid from Tennessee so extremely happy.”
I’m sure Caldwell will get a chance to comment publicly on Wynn’s decision. But for now, the perception of this situation is clearly not good for the program. Wynn is a VFL, and she stuck with the program when she didn’t have to. This isn’t the type of reaction fans want to see from players who gave their all to the program.
At this point, it seems like everything is going wrong for Caldwell. The team has struggled to find consistency, and the off-the-court distractions are mounting. Year two of the Caldwell era is almost over and the program is basically at its lowest point ever.
Can Caldwell turn things around?
Sure, you never know.
But should a proud program like Tennessee be forced to wait and find out? The Lady Vols are one of the most iconic programs in college basketball history, but right now they’re operating like the Derek Dooley version of Tennessee football.
I think it may be time for yet another fresh start. This hire just isn’t working out the way Tennessee athletic director Danny White envisioned.
Tennessee won’t be an “everything school” until the Lady Vols are a true championship contender again. And right now, they’re as far from being a championship contender as they’ve ever been.
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