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

or more. Really, I don't know of anyone we could hire that would be a bigger splash. Aside from the splash, she's had the best coaching, and proven performance with the Aces. She's not going to be satisfied with mediocre performance from players. I think her coaching skills would bring out the best in our players. Hope we get to find out.

I've been told she doesn't want to deal with recruiting which is why she hasn't coached in college. But you never know. She could change her mind especially if we offer her a good salary.
 
So someone help me out with the Hammon love. I am just curious, why is she an A+ hire? I mean I get it that Pop hired her but is that it? Has she ever dealt with recruits? NIL? The transfer portal? Has she ever had to recruit at the highest level?

Or like I said previous, is this a Gruden like situation? The thought because of pro success, it translates to college with no issues. You can’t say because if what she has done in the WNBA that she would just be great in college.

She's universally praised by NBA players she coached, for her basketball mind and ability as a coach. Praised and promoted for a decade by one of the greatest coaches in basketball history in Popovich as an exceptional basketball mind. She was finally given a head coaching job and immediately won the championship. Then she did it again in her second year. If she had any interest, you go after her because she's proven what the people who know more about basketball than this board as a collective, have said about her ability. She's probably your coach for 25 years if she doesn't go after more NBA jobs.
 
My simple thought that gives me hope, is if Kentucky can go out and hire a well thought of and respected coach in Kenny Brooks… in which KY doesn’t have the same cache, brand, resources that we do…

Then we should very easily be able to attract and land a top tier elite coach…

one reason we a far enough from Pats departure (RIP) where someone isn’t immediately stepping in her shadow…

second this search is a lot different than it was last time around… our Athletics Department is drastically different.. All of our sports are competing at a very high level, and more importantly we are FINALLY operating with a surplus budget, where money isn’t a factor now.

In summary we are in a position where the brand is shining bright, athletic department is very competitive, and finances are strong, allowing us no restrictions to go get the best coach.

This LV Brand is special and will attract… nothing is impossible, improbable maybe, but I didn’t see Mulkey going to LSU, or Brian Kelly going to LSU, Riley to USC… when you have a strong brand and finances it’s possible.
 
Or Kellie Harper winning a lot of games at Western Carolina and Missouri State...?
KJH had a winning % of 59% at both of those stops, Fortier has a winning % of 81%. So no, KJH didn’t win a lot of games at her other stops.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2594.png
    IMG_2594.png
    800.6 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_2595.png
    IMG_2595.png
    176.1 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_2596.png
    IMG_2596.png
    192.9 KB · Views: 1
  • Like
Reactions: tbwhhs and b_gann
Three. I think the reach candidate is A+, but long odds- maybe a one in three chance. They have expressed an interest in making her the highest paid women’s coach, with upside. Maybe she’ll listen. The other two are impressive, and an upgrade and both very interested as their agents reached out to us. It’s perceived that enough time has passed that someone can take the job and not be following Pat. Molly is not on the list of three. I think White will get this right.
Do we get to know the reach candidate if we swing and miss? or will it be kind of public that we swung and missed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Checker_the_Shire
Jeff Walz is the right person to take over.

464-135 overall record
2X- National Championship Runner-up
2X- Final Four
4X- Elite Eight
4X- Sweet Sixteen
2X- 2nd Round
1X - 1st Round

Been in NCAA tournament 15 of 17 years and 1 of those seasons was Covid with no post season.
We could get a HVL and Coach Sam reunion on Rocky Top..

I still like this hire. Very safe
 
  • Like
Reactions: UTtoDC and Amb3096
Seems like:

Smesko (FGCU) —> Miami
Duffy (Marq) —> VT? —> possibly Kellie?

Any other P5s vacant?
 
Hah! Who do you think sends the big $ to the athletics department?
Be careful who you want to die. You might actually have to get your own wallet out.
During men's basketball game
Heard something interesting Lucy
Rick told their leading scorer he has no NIL money for him.
Rick got him sign away. Out of the transfer portal.
So money has its limIts in men's basketball to.
 
Nope, you misinterpreted my remarks to fit your schtick. All of these I believe are true:

1) The Lady Vols job is a desirable job for male and female candidates.

2) The Lady Vols job is not a great fit/ideal situation for a male candidate for another 15-20 years until the boomers reach late age/die due to them holding the torch about Pat Summit and where the Tennessee job fits in the history of womens athletics. Not judging that opinion to be right or wrong. Just saying as long as a substantial minority of the fan base holds it, then the job is not ideal for a man.

3) I would love to get a great coach and as another poster has mentioned the desirable candidate pool appears to be much deeper for female candidates. My realistic top 5 (i.e. no Dawn Staley, Niele Ivey, etc. etc.) doesn't even include a male.

We clear?
Wow! Can you not even read your post that started this! So now you are trying to parse desirable versus ideal. If not ideal why would it be desirable?
Again I am going to say I would be good with a male or female coach. I think you are being very insulting to long time fans by basically calling them sexist.
 
He went to NC State after Kellie was fired there lol.

(I don’t think he’s going to be a candidate.)
True, but in that case it was a huge move up from a mid-major job and the writing was more on the wall about Kellie after two years in a row of not making the NCAAs at NC State rather than the last 2 of 3 years making the sweet 16 at UT. I am not trying to rehash the debate of whether she should have been fired, but this move would not make as much sense given he is already a Final 4 coach at a power 5 school AND there is probably a lot more hurt in the Harper camp. I agree that he is not going to be a candidate.
 
SW 16 - 3
Elite 8 - 2
F4 - 1

That resume is not even debatable compared to KJH. Couple that with making the tournament 70% of his D-1 career vs 50% for her. They both coached in 1 bid leagues for a majority of their career. One made the tournament 60% of the time (9/15 years) while the other made it 36% of the time (4/11 years). One had won everywhere they’ve been and the other has been relieved of their duties at both P5 stops for underperforming relative to the historical success of both programs.
This is not an apples to apples comparison. WM Coached in Division 3 in Maryville, then in Division 2 at his next stop. In his 15 years at Chattanooga, he made the NCAA 9 times, and made it to the second round once.

He has done well in the last few years at NC ST, but he is 20 years older than Coach Kellie. Compare after 20 more years, maybe that would be a more fair comparison.
 
Names I really like are... (in no order)

- Lindsay Gottlieb(USC) 294-160=65% 10+ yrs exp

- Lisa Fortier (Zags) 265-63= 81% 10 years exp

- Brenda Frese (MD) 639-191= 77% 20 yrs exp

- Lindy La Rocque(UNLV) 102-22= 82% 4 yrs exp

- Kim Stephens/Caldwell (Marshal) 217-31=87% 8 yrs exp

- Niele Ivey (ND) 89-32= 74% 4 yrs exp

- Becky Hammon(WNBA) 60-16= 79%

- Carla Berube(Princeton) 484-113= 81% 20 yrs exp

- Jennie Baranczyk (OU) 266-122=69% 13 yrs exp.

- Jeff Walz (Louisville) 464-135=78% 17 years exp
1. Becky Hammon !!! ( but will probably require a large sum)
2. Lindsay Gottlieb !! (Has #1 recruiting class coming in plus Juju, been on west coast for a long time)
3. Niele Ivey ! (ND is her school, doubt she would leave)
4. Jeff Walz ! (was Fulmer’s hire after Warlick but the mafia was still strong and said no. I think his time may have passed)
 
  • Like
Reactions: ERvolsfan
“Embraces NIL”.? Kellie didn’t have any serious NIL to embrace. Will be interesting to see if DW bothers to find some when the new coach gets here.
NIL didn’t have serious reason to embrace Kellie. Works both ways

Team didn’t have access to the media/fans. Winning wasn’t translated to businesses having to be part of it.
 
We have different ideas of "on paper, she is not a clear upgrade." First ten years of both's coaching record for comparison:

View attachment 631618View attachment 631619
You’re showing Coach Kellie’s first years coaching, while showing Fortier’s most recent ten years. Compare their last five years, and Coach Kellie has a better NCAA Tournament record with three Sweet Sixteen finishes, and two second round finishes.

Another not apples to apples comparison. It is a lot harder to keep starting over at a new school, than to stay and build your roster at one school. I’m sure Gonzaga is considered a bigger basketball school than Western Carolina or Missouri State, yet Coach Kellie set records at both.

Coach Kellie has started from scratch at four schools, so far, and taken all four to the NCAA Tournament. I believe only one other person has accomplished that.
 
Last edited:
Oh yeah coaches gonna pretend they in it for the coin
No pretending needed when Tennessee tells other school they want to talk with their coach.
ThEy can come here.
Or tell their Present
University administration make it worth wild to stay.
It's a business
Some posters say.
Can not blame someone for looking out for their Best interest.
How old is North Carolina state coacH.?
Wonder if he would come now.
 

VN Store



Back
Top