Kim Caldwell (Rookie Coach of the Year-WBCA) is named Head Coach of Iconic Lady Vols WBB

[Coach Jumper]

The truth I see in this is that it would allow Danny to effectively kill off what remains of the Lady Vol mafia. They will pull their support and those last few ties to the Pat Summit era will be done. This could ultimately help create a more cohesive team environment where the coach and the team grow and evolve together.

Now your thinking like a "company man"

 

[Volstylexx]

Or triangle.

What are you hearing @Stoerner Fumbles ? I trust ya. You've had to heard something new since the other night.

 

[BruisedOrange]

Maybe the Danny decoy is in Atlanta giving dummy interviews while the real candidates are interviewing in Knoxville. After all, the wily real AD is rarely seen outside his inner circle, so who would know the difference?

This is The Eagle Has Landed-level intrigue.

This deserves to be in the Grumor Mill thread.

edit: Since I started that thread, that means it's a compliment!

 

[turbovol]

If it is Kim Caldwell, I think keeping Coach Sam is essential for current players and the few that were committed. Hopefully she can be a better closer than Kellie.

Coach Sam has certainly been part of the problem. If you, the recruiting coordinator, have done a good job of selling the program and developed a tight relationship with the prospect, the head coach shouldn't need to be a great closer. If the sales job and relationship-building by the recruiter is not strong, then the closing is lots more difficult--and clearly that was the case with a lot of the prospects we recruited.

 

[mike099]

If the coach will be Caldwell, will Danny allow her to keep her spouse as an assistant?

 

[Ratvol]

The truth I see in this is that it would allow Danny to effectively kill off what remains of the Lady Vol mafia. They will pull their support and those last few ties to the Pat Summit era will be done. This could ultimately help create a more cohesive team environment where the coach and the team grow and evolve together.

LV Mafia be jumping out the basement windows. LOL

 

[turbovol]

"reputable sources" over time in this site have become very targeted.
Get it wrong and everybody forgets the 5 things you got right.

I personally, have heard Kim's name from one person, whom I talk with.
And that is the only name I have heard from that person...until I hear another,,,I'm riding that pony

The thing is, nobody has heard a peep about any other names, apparently.

 

[Volstylexx]

Direct quote from Marshall's headcoach:

“In Division 2, we do all of our recruiting right now. If we’re recruiting for next season, we’re doing it now,” Stephens said. “We’re doing It portal, JUCO and whoever is left out of high school. In Division 1, you do it years in advance, so that’ll be a learning curve for me. It’ll be nice not having to be stressed March until August trying to be track people down and get people to commit, but it will be a major adjustment for me personally.”

This is likely why folks on the Marshall forum were saying the Lady Vols would not be happy with her level of recruiting. She didn't sign any players this year at Marshall.

 

[turbovol]

not at all.
I just think that a coach coming in with no expectations is exactly what we need right now.
As long as we have a "name coach",,we will keep our lofty goals.

Pat Summitt (RIP) has been gone for 8 years and she is still as if she was sitting in the stands and being answered to. Don't take me wrong, I sat with this fine Lady/Coach for half a game and spoke with her a few times more, so I cherish what she was. She is why I have coached girls exclusively for over 40 years

You see
With Holly there were expectations, as with Kellie.
With Kim there will be no immediate expectation....tons of scrutiny, but no hard fast Mendoza lines.

To me this would be brilliance on Danny's part.

Hire Kim, keep Sam, let Kim fill in the gap and see if she IS for real

Don't be silly. Whoever the new coach is, there will be expectations. There are expectations by the fan base and AD with any and every coaching job. And In fact, any coach with a thin background will be scrutinized all the more by fans, for that very reason.

 

[Memvol44]

As much as i believe in supporting people in the workplace and suppling them with all the tools and resources to be successful, in the end the success or failure is STILL up to the individual doing the work. No ONE person can guarantee the success or failure of another person in life or athletics.

What I'm saying is Plowman has paved the road for success....of course the coach has to walk down that road!!! Duh...

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Bc they were more worried about perception than if she can win or not…. Who cares what the perception is? If DW thinks she will be a winner then i trust his opinion.

I don’t care who the coach is, if they can get the truly elite recruits here that’s all I care about.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Coach Sam has certainly been part of the problem. If you, the recruiting coordinator, have done a good job of selling the program and developed a tight relationship with the prospect, the head coach shouldn't need to be a great closer. If the sales job and relationship-building by the recruiter is not strong, then the closing is lots more difficult--and clearly that was the case with a lot of the prospects we recruited.

SO says someone who obviously has never been in on this process

the sell:
This IS the Lady VOl program- check
We play in an arena that has more fans in it than 95% of arenas across the country-check
You will love being pal'sy with your HC-check

ok meeting set

Then she meets Kellie
photos around the campus
dinner at Kellie's home
join the team in a Tweet

Then it time to talk basketball
and this is when the closing has to happen

Dude,
Sam did her job getting the recruits here
that is her job and I am more than sure she has already given them her closing remarks
BUT it is up to the Head Coach to impress the recruit in finality and up to the HC to reel them the rest of the way in

 

[JohnTN]

Why is Smeska at FGCU not getting any attention on this board? Is it because he has been "stuck" there for 20 years despite winning over 80% of his games. Only lost to Oka by 3 points in NCAA.

 

[Rocky Top T]

I think Kellie played it right. She hadn't made that shot all year, maybe in her career. She protected the paint and all the regular shooters. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of coaches would have played it the same way. Lucky shot, unlucky LVs.

Kelly played it all wrong!

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

What are you hearing @Stoerner Fumbles ? I trust ya. You've had to heard something new since the other night.

No. They’re just working through the normal details. It takes some time to do a deal. I realize gaskets might be blown, but there are steps.

 

[volnationnj]

Direct quote from Marshall's headcoach:

“In Division 2, we do all of our recruiting right now. If we’re recruiting for next season, we’re doing it now,” Stephens said. “We’re doing It portal, JUCO and whoever is left out of high school. In Division 1, you do it years in advance, so that’ll be a learning curve for me. It’ll be nice not having to be stressed March until August trying to be track people down and get people to commit, but it will be a major adjustment for me personally.”

This is likely why folks on the Marshall forum were saying the Lady Vols would not be happy with her level of recruiting. She didn't sign any players this year at Marshall.

The Marshall story this year is very interesting. About 6 games into the season, Marshall lost their top scorer. She left the team, deciding that she wanted to play for preseason favorite James Madison, in the 2024/25 season.
Marshall, preseason #9 pick in their conference, and without their leading scorer, went 17-1 to win their conference. They then won their conference tournament beating James Madison in overtime in the final.
A remarkable underdog story.

 

[CABVOL]

Either she has been hired or DW has conned the media 100 percent.

“The Collective” will not be announcing this hire. I’m looking for Chris Low.

 

[turbovol]

And yet most of these coaches have been successful since White got here….. Football is the hire that white is judged on bc football is the money sport for the university. Football is successful, men’s basketball is at its most successful point in program history, baseball is successful as well. The university is coming off its second consecutive all sports award and you’re talking about firing the AD if he botches a hire? That’s the dumbest post you’ve had and you’ve had plenty of stupid ones.

Idiotic take. Yes, Rick Barnes magically became a better coach with the arrival of White. Gotcha. The AD sprinkled fairy dust on him and--poof--more wins started coming. Same with Matt Kredich, eh? Two SEC women's swimming titles in three/four years--one of the best coaches in the business for 20 years. White whispered something profound in his ear and, presto, our swimmers became dolphins. Same with tennis? We've had a top 10 men's program for more than 10 years.

Yea, ace, this is a big freakin' hire: Bad hires have tarnished what was the best brand in women's basketball--and the most celebrated sport at UT--for years. If you hire a proven winner and it doesn't work out, you can say, OK, we certainly made what we thought was a smart decision--you're playing the odds, and the odds favor a more experienced winner, ESPECIALLY after your two previous coaches, who weren't experienced winners, didn't get it done. If you put a million dollars on a 60-1 shot, after gambling and losing on your two previous long shots, then you've just made a very dumb decision.

 

[Volstylexx]

Why is Smeska at FGCU not getting any attention on this board? Is it because he has been "stuck" there for 20 years despite winning over 80% of his games. Only lost to Oka by 3 points in NCAA.

He's too successful. We prefer our mid-major coaches to be up and comers with that air of mystique. NOW, if he had any D2 experience he probably would have been at the top of our hotlist.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Don't be silly. Whoever the new coach is, there will be expectations. There are expectations by the fan base and AD with any and every coaching job. And In fact, any coach with a thin background will be scrutinized all the more by fans, for that very reason.

you love to argue dontcha?

So you are tellingme that if the incoming coach was Kim Stephens/Caldwell or Kim Mulkey,,,the expectations would be equal......I think not

And with KSC what background is there

I read an article a while back,,

Where are the young women's NCAA basketball coaches?​

Where are the young women's NCAA basketball coaches? Why aren't we talking about them? | Opinion

While there’s a handful of coaches under the age of 50 whose teams were ranked in the top 25, the reality is that women’s basketball is top heavy.

www.usatoday.com

this is why you take chances at a very calculated time.
Right now Danny CAN take a risky hire.
The safe one didn't pan out
so by proxy, he has an open opportunity to risk

 

[Memvol44]

No. They’re just working through the normal details. It takes some time to do a deal. I realize gaskets might be blown, but there are steps.

Ask Kentucky

 

[turbovol]

The Marshall story this year is very interesting. About 6 games into the season, Marshall lost their top scorer. She left the team, deciding that she wanted to play for preseason favorite James Madison, in the 2024/25 season.
Marshall, preseason #9 pick in their conference, and without their leading scorer, went 17-1 to win their conference. They then won their conference tournament beating James Madison in overtime in the final.
A remarkable underdog story.

The basketball whisperer from the hollers of West Virginia. If we hire Caldwell, then we should insist that she hire as her top assistant the coach at Div. II Ashland College--two national titles, a 37-0 season and a win percentage of more than 90 percent over 10 seasons. The two of them would conquer women's basketball! (Might actually be a good idea...)

 

[ThatVolGuy]

Tennessee hasn't been a storied program since Pat's death. It amazes me how our fans hang on the past history as an indication of where we should be today. That's never gonna happen again because of NIL and the ability to transfer at any time. I would be happy if we just showed a glimpse of steady improvement.

This is the nonsense I’ve been talking about the past few days. We have our OWN FANS—people who claim to know and root for the Lady Vols—claiming that the program is no longer “storied.”

First of all, the word “storied” implies a rich and successful history. Nothing about the past 15 years can change the success the Lady Vols experienced under Pat Summitt, so the program will always be storied. That’s set in stone. I don’t know if you understand the meaning of that word.

Second, how is it that some of you are so convinced that we have to settle for scraps in a sport that our school built? Our athletic department now rakes in $200MM every year and we finally have competent leadership, and you somehow think we shouldn’t or don’t deserve to aim high? Is that the mentality Alabama used when they hired Nick Saban even though they hadn’t won a championship in almost 15 years?

I’m just amazed at the “we kinda suck and we should take what we can get” attitude. Goodness.

 

[Ulect]

Yes bc we all know winning in the Sun Belt is just as hard as winning games in the ACC…..he took James Madison to the tourney before he got to Virginia Tech. Should we expect Kim to take 4 years when she moves up like Kenny did?

I mean It took Kenny Brooks about the same amount of seasons at James Madison to get to the NCAA tournament like in Virginia Tech. If most of our talent stays and not transfer, I expect Tennessee to be in the NCAA tournament next year under Stephens...

 

[volfan102455]

You mean the first NCAA tournament for Marshall since 1997 and that team had the most wins this season with a all time record for Marshall. You do know it took that head coach Kenny Brooks 4 seasons in Virginia Tech to even get into the NCAA tournament and this was his 8th season for him while for Caldwell it was her 1 season for Marshall when they faced each other... Give me a break

Marshall is not Tennessee. Tennessee has never missed the NCAA tournament. NEVER!

Are you ready for 4 seasons of no NCAA tournament? The coach hired may survive missing it the first year, but they won't survive missing it two in row.

Some of you act like the Lady Vols program is at the same level that the football program was with the last couple of hires. It is nowhere near that.