I think the most revealing and reassuring quote (especially for those who were afraid Danny at his introduction of Coach Kim to Vol Nation had put too much expectation on her to succeed immediately) was in her response to Maria Cornelius' first question at the postgame presser.
Maria reminded CKC that she'd warned fans to expect it to look ugly for the first month or two, and contended that "there wasn't a lot of ugly there. Were you surprised...?"
With a patiently bemused expression, Coach Kim Caldwell replied:
"I just think that I look at it with a very different lens, and I always will. I'm used to this and a lot of people aren't, right? Our staff is--and our players aren't. When I look at it I see what we need to fix. I imagine that we're playing for a National Championship game and we can't give up 38% from three. We can't let them have that many threes. We've got to fix our half-court defense. So I look at it very differently."
Whether you think it's unrealistic, idealistic, or totally within the potential for this group of Lady Vols, their coach and staff are seeing them, preparing them, on an arc that literally concludes in a national championship game. That is their actual--not ideal--goal. That is what the team's performance, even with their first exhibition game, is being measured against: what do we need to fix in order for us to win a national championship game?
There's no prediction here. Everyone knows that a lot of things have to fall into place for even the #1 team to end the season as the champions. But for sure it doesn't happen if you aren't prepared to seize the opportunity, if and when the door opens.
I think it's safe to say now that she and Danny have been on the same page since before Day One.
www.eventbrite.com
