Official: UT hires Kim Caldwell as the new coach for Lady Vols basketball

[Sudden Impact]

It's done, we have to give her to opportunity to get it done. 4 years. This is going to be interesting. The Recruiting thing is the major question mark. Winning has not been an issue at the lower level and hopefully it will transcend to this level. Similar to the Pearl hire, but not exactly comparable because of his ability to recruit. I often felt that the conditioning of the current team was not up to par with some players, that will not be the case here but the competition in the SEC has to be met with players of equal caliber. Open up the NIL chest.

 

[SpringBokVol]

Fantastic hire. Winner. Plain and simple.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Why are you dumping on this hire b4 she even coaches a game here ? Give her a chance

I’m not dumping, I wish her the best and will be watching but my heart won’t be into any,ore since I know we won’t have a good enough roster.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

She knows how to win. If she can recruit, look out!

 

[BigBadVol]

I’m sorry but this just isn’t a good hire. I cannot wrap my head around firing kellie who has proven she can atleast win for this. It’s a slap in the face.

LOL! Continuing to defend Kellie is a slap in the face.

 

[turbovol]

LET'S GOOOO!!

BIG TIME HIRE! Not some retread "household name" BS. She just wins wherever she goes.

That's how you do it!

You're funny. Household names that have major-college winning experience, you mean? As opposed to experience beating Livingtstone, Davis & Elkins, Bloomsburg and Lockhaven?

 

[volfan102455]

I’ll bet the many of the same people crapping on this hire we’re also crapping on Heupel.

And you would be wrong. I was okay with Heupel.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

She knows how to win. If she can recruit, look out!

She doesn’t even think she can recruit, so why should we?

 

[turbovol]

The ignorance of this post. If anyone could win there, then they would have won every year before she got there. *Breaking News* they didn't.

This reminds me of how everyone didn't want JH, and he's killed it. She has won literally everywhere she's been, she will here too.

she hasn't been ANYWHERE. That's the point. And Heupel hasn't "killed it." He's one good season in three. Have we been in the CFB playoff? Did I miss that?

 

[glv98]

So I guess we turn into Louisiana Tech.

That may take awhile. What we turn into first is Georgia, Florida, etc.

the doom and gloom is incredible and many opinions as said before are from those who thought holly and kelli were just what our program needed many still think it

danny went out and found a program builder lets get behind her

Not in my case. I was ok as long as the reach was upward from Kellie.. We deserved someone who could continue the build from where it was not start from scratch. Why did we go backwards?

OMG you're right. She's been our coach for 2 hours, I simply cannot believe she doesn't have good players yet. She's had plenty of time. So embarrassing!

Actually we’re already behind. That’s why we needed a coach with good players to bring along and also make immediate impact in the portal.

 

[madtownvol]

And you would be wrong. I was okay with Heupel.

And a big difference between USF football and Marshall wcbb….

 

[VolArmy74]

This is a different era with Nil, u need an immediate impact.

Yep. It's a lot easier now for a name program to turn things around really fast.

 

[volfan102455]

She doesn’t even think she can recruit, so why should we?

That is one of the eye opening things for me as well. She admits she has no clue as how to recruit at this level.

 

[turbovol]

Negavols need to zip it. Dr Danny has bona fide record of good hires

Check out Danny Hurley's record at Arizona State. Check out Dawkins record....

 

[Majors]

And a big difference between USF football and Marshall wcbb….

Big difference, Heupel didn’t coach at USF.

 

[utvolpj]

She won’t get any elite portal players and she has none to bring from her team. Our roster is not good enough to compete for a championship.

You really thought we would compete for one next year?

 

[JacketVol]

I’m sorry but this just isn’t a good hire. I cannot wrap my head around firing kellie who has proven she can atleast win for this. It’s a slap in the face.

Have you seen our recruiting the last few years. The product wasn't even fun to watch. She definitely needed to be gone and I'm excited to have a coach rising in the ranks than one that had already been fired at a school that should've never been on our level until they were. This year that team, which fired Harper, ended our season. It was time and this lady has earned the opportunity with her hard work.

 

[turbovol]

I'm thinking six years at a million a season.

Six years would be absolutely idiotic.

 

[Boston Vol]

Looks like an excellent hire. Lot of faith in White. Nate Oats coached in the Final Four last night. White hired him at Buffalo when his only head coaching experience was as a high school head coach.

Staley arrived at South Carolina with 8 years head coaching experience and one NCAA T win. Kim has 8 seasons as head coach, an NCAA title, NCAA final four, and multiple other NCAA appearances. She clearly takes equal talent at equal schools/divisions and wins with it.

Plenty of great coaches started at Div II. Jim Calhoun started in Div II and then got the UConn job and won 4 national titles. Jody Conradt won 900 games after she started in Div II. Silvia Hatchell coached Div II before she went to UNC and won a national championship there, she ended up with over 1000 career wins. Cheney State was Div II for the first 8 years of C. Vivian Stringer's coaching career. They moved to Div 1 and she went to the AIAW tournament in year one, the quarters in year two, was national runner up in the first ever women's NCAA T in 1982. She took three schools to the Final Four after starting in Div II.

If you can coach, you can coach, regardless of Division. Kim winning 87 percent of her games over 8 years shows she can coach.

Bo Ryan, who was elected to the hall of fame yesterday, also fits that bill. Multiple titles at Wisconsin-Platville before finally getting an opportunity at UW-Milwaukee for two years before heading to Wisconsin. Also, Jim Calhoun only won three titles. I guess you could credit him for the title they won in ‘14, but Ollie was the coach.

 

[madtownvol]

Big difference, Heupel didn’t coach at USF.

Oops UCF. Same point applies

 

[Orange007]

if coach sam doesn't stay, this gets real bad.

 

[Max Roguespierre]

Definitely a gamble, but it is very clear she has a system and style of play which is intriguing. Honestly, the assistant coaches are SO important with this hire so I am very interested to see who they are.

Her ability to deploy "her" style of play will be highly dependent on the roster. With Marshall's roster it definitely did not work against Virginia Tech. In that game, Marshall did force 15 turnovers but they also committed 26 fouls and gave up 31 free throws. Virginia Tech also shot 53% from the field (when you break the press you frequently get easy shots).

Also, we are talking about basketball, not rocket science. I am relatively certain that Caldwell's system won't be revolutionary to established coaches. If she persists with being a system coach, Staley, Schaefer, Mulkey, et al. are going to run up some ridiculous scores on the Lady Vols.

 

[VolArmy74]

she hasn't been ANYWHERE. That's the point. And Heupel hasn't "killed it." He's one good season in three. Have we been in the CFB playoff? Did I miss that?

If this is how you view Heupel pulling us off the absolute wreckage and smoking ruin we were the day he stepped on campus to where we are now, and getting us on that track within 18 months, your opinion on any hire is, lets just say, suspect and in the minority.

 

[ru4real-really?]

Incredible hire! Took more balls than we could expect to ever have not to mention brains! And I’m not easily impressed usually!

 

[VolArmy74]

Bo Ryan, who was elected to the hall of fame yesterday, also fits that bill. Multiple titles at Wisconsin-Platville before finally getting an opportunity at UW-Milwaukee for two years before heading to Wisconsin. Also, Jim Calhoun only won three titles. I guess you could credit him for the title they won in ‘14, but Ollie was the coach.

You're correct. I thought it was four for some reason, just going off memory. But the top 25 winningest men's and women's coaching by wins very often started at Div 2 or very very small Div 1 schools.