Thoughts on the hire of Kim Caldwell

[Dadof2Vols]

Thanks, I did not know the buyout terms. Sounds like White is well aware of taking a big gamble and has provisions in place to cut his losses if things don't work out.

Caldwell has to know what she has signed up for. I am sure she thought the initial contact was an April Fools gag--"Oh, SHUUUURE, Tennessee wants me to be their new head coach."

For the record, I would be very perfectly happy if Coach Caldwell gets the big salary bump next season for winning the National Championship. I am just not betting my house on it. Got that Dadof2Vols?

Cool and fair enough. I had seen others make comments about it and yes I took you as adding on with the $.

We move on and certainly hope for NC and a big raise for Kim. GB

 

[Orange007]

her contract very much reads: you have a short amount of time to prove you are the right person.

to say it differently, there is no way a contract for waltz would have read like this. no. way. i like the flexibility DW has carved out here, and i like the incentive/opportunity he has given her to succeed.

 

[butchna]

Marshall was 17-14 the year before Kim arrived. She cut the losses to 7 and added 8 wins. Nice work and deserves much credit, but not earth-shattering, either. It's not like taking a three-win team and improving to 20 wins. Marshall had a winning season the year before, so they weren't horrible.

So she improved a “not horrible” squad? The equivalent here would be a fun team to watch.

 

[VolFuture]

Marshall was 17-14 the year before Kim arrived. She cut the losses to 7 and added 8 wins. Nice work and deserves much credit, but not earth-shattering, either. It's not like taking a three-win team and improving to 20 wins. Marshall had a winning season the year before, so they weren't horrible.

Sooo like us?

 

[creekdipper]

Sooo like us?

That's one way to describe us, although being considered the #26 team in the final polls might indicate that we deserve a little bit better assessment.

 

[volmanNC]

But but she's not from Pat's tree. We'd rather keep losing with yet another mediocre hire. Maybe the 3rd time, we could miss the NCAAT completely on our way to a winless season or two. At least we'd keep the purity!

But..............she won a Pat Summitt award...

 

[VolFuture]

But..............she won a Pat Summitt award...

DW next level, trans dimensional, high iq Pat tree hire

 

[volmanNC]

I can't decide if I am more excited about the new hire or the fact the old hire is gone.

 

[Lucy]

You claim you’re a fan of all of our sports and our university as a whole but I simply don’t believe that.

You recently claimed White hired Vitello. He didn’t.

You claimed the middle finger nothing burger was committed by Blake Burke. It wasn’t. (It was Jordan Beck)

If you’re so passionate about baseball and its image, you’d likely know those things. But it seems to me you only follow the Lady Vols. That’s fine, but you’re lacking a lot of perspective it seems. That or you’re just envious of the big 3 mens sports, specifically the recent success Baseball has brought that has overshadowed the Lady Vols.


The truth is, White screwing up a Women’s basketball hire won’t cost him his job. The good news is, baseball won’t cost him his job either. Only football, and maybe men’s basketball could do that.

a second truth is that the women’s program has been left to flounder in mediocrity for almost 15 years. Young girls probably have no clue Tennessee was once the premier power in the sport. The young football players sure didn’t and don’t.

This job isn’t nearly as appealing to coaches as you wish it was for that reason. This is a rebuilding project in which almost nothing will ever be good enough because of Pats shadow. It’s an impossible proposition.

It mirrors the football delusions of the past 15 years almost precisely except you seem to think the women’s basketball program is even close to as important as football. It isn’t.


Hating this coach or the AD or the baseball team won’t change any of that. We got who we got and it’s no one’s fault but the boosters who’ve demanded legacy hires and meddled since Pat retired. It’ll take a long long time to get back to what she built, and another her is never walking through that door.

This is a ridiculous post!
First off I was incorrect in thinking DW hired the baseball coach. I readily admitted that. Coach V. only got on my radar when I saw my university being drug all over ESPN for a UT player throwing birds at opposing fans. I had no idea the name of that player and still don’t. I have never tried to mention that player by name so you are totally incorrect on that!!!
I am not passionate about baseball! It is like watching paint dry. I am, however, passionate about my school’s reputation and actions of the baseball player, whatever his name is, reinforce the “trailer trash” narrative ESPN like to tag us with.
Additionally you are friggin’ nuts if you think I only follow the Lady Vols. I had season football tickets for over thirty years and have supported men’s and women’s athletics throughout many years of donations to the athletic department. I gave them up about 4-5 years ago because it was a lot traveling from Nashville to so many night games .
So I am probably a bigger supporter of men’s athletics than you and 90% of the other flying monkeys on here who must have a boy crush on DW!
Additionally I NEVER said we were going to get a Home Run” hire or that Danny was “swinging for the fences”. Blah, blah, blah. I knew, along with folks on here who actually follow WBB that there wasn’t a “Home Run” that was coming here!
The top 5-6 coaches in WBB are not looking to move and when you look at the next tier they all look a lot like Kellie.
I have posted, now about ten times, that I will support our new coach to the fullest extent possible. I want her to succeed because I want our student athletes to have the best possible experience they can. I could not give a s*** about cry baby fans who feel like our student athletes owe them wins so they can feel good about themselves and then when our teams lose they take it as a personal affront.
I don’t hate the baseball team or DW. I hate how the baseball team acted, it was an embarrassment to my school!
Finally, speaking of embarrassing, I hope to hell you are drunk because otherwise you have embarrassed yourself with one of the most incorrect posts I have ever seen on here!!

 

[Lucy]

It's the hand wringers that wish Holly were here and descended into not making the NCAAT, or CKH had stayed another year or two to take us there. Their pizzed @ our AD because he didn't allow a 3rd disaster in a row to fondle their feelings. That's all.

So you are living your faith on here? Oh yes, plainly obvious.

 

[spacificislander]

“best” is in the eye of the beholder.
He didn’t hire men’s bb coach, he didn’t hire the baseball coach, he didn’t hire the softball coach. Those are the big successful teams right? I’m not diminishing track or swimming at all but football, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball are the sports that move the needle.
Regarding football, I like Heupel a lot. He has pulled our football program out of the burning dumpster. But, we are not good enough yet to win the SEC East championship, the SEC or get into the Nattie picture. Hopefully we will get there in the next few years. So currently football is a good, not great, hire.
DW gets a lot of credit for teams he had nothing to do with.
I give him adequate, certainly not one of the best. Relief over the football program has led, IMO, to grading DW too high.

Who is good enough to win the SEC East with UGA as good as they have been the last 3 years? The KC Chiefs?!?

 

[Advol]

Has anyone answered THE question ...............................does the LVMafia approve of this hire. Where is Maira??

 

[papatomany]

If it makes you feel any better, I feel about this hire like I did with Kellie. I guess we’ll see. My first thoughts about Kellie were true and I hope I am wrong this time. I don’t want to get rid of Danny and it would be silly to suggest that over a Lady Vols here. She could be the worst thing to happen to the sport, and it won’t have any affect on his job status as long as football wins.

Interesting. My reaction was the exact opposite of my reaction to hiring Kellie.

 

[DD4ME]

I like she has a modern approach and is not married to the legacy of Pat.

 

[papatomany]

Guess you make stuff up as you go. I’ve stated Kellies best years were Hollys players. In John Wards voice, check the stats. You’re slipping

It's absolutely true that all of Kellie's best players were recruited by Holly with the one exception being a transfer.

 

[creekdipper]

Velez and Van Lith now available from LSU.

 

[lvocd]

I like she has a modern approach and is not married to the legacy of Pat.

Seems like quite a few people on this board are ready to just pretend Pat Summitt never existed.

NEWSFLASH! Her fingerprints are all over not just the Lady Vols program, but in women's basketball -- hell, SPORTS, period -- in general. So while you may be tired of hearing about Pat, or think her legacy is just old-fashioned, outdated and a drag on Tennessee today, you may be underestimating the value of knowing and respecting historical excellence.

Our new coach actually won a coveted, respected national award that bears the name of Pat Summitt. Do you think for a minute that she either wants to, or should, just totally blot that out of her mind and her heart in order to "start fresh" without the awful, awful burden of remembering she's walking the same sidelines as the great lady whose name is engraved on that trophy displayed, I'm sure, in a place of honor?

HELL NO! I hope she'll have Pat, and Holly, and Kellie in mind always when she's keeping close tabs on the players' classroom performance, 'cause THEY sure did, and that's why Tennessee has a 100% graduation rate.

I hope to God above that Kim feels the presence of Pat. It'll keep her on her dang toes, and it won't let her give in to fatigue, by gawd!

 

[Alto1]

What defense does she draw up 1.1 seconds left up 2?

Any.

 

[BowlBrother85]

7 season tickets available section 119 row 11. A swing for the fences turns out to be a popup to the catcher. What a major disappointment.

You are not even going to wait until she has coached a game? If true, this is silly.

 

[lvocd]

Okay. Going out on a limb here, but I held my vote until just now but suddenly felt compelled to proudly, unapologetically vote "very pleased."

Even before the hire was announced I made the decision to support DW's hire NO MATTER who it was. From the Top 10 programs -- GO LADY VOLS! From D2: Go Lady Vols! From the high school ranks: GO. LADY. VOLS!

Female, male, animal, mineral, vegetable. If the coach has a pulse, then BY GAWD I'm gonna act and behave under the assumption that the new coach is going to be terrific. I figure everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt because they'll get their shot at proving their mettle.

So I can honestly say that I have had ZERO negative things to say about Kim. I tend to be more of a "sunshine pumper" than some here can tolerate, but I will say that my instincts are usually pretty good about things, and something deep inside my gut is telling me Caldwell is a safe bet.

That said, I'll admit my gut is typically 80-90% accurate. Good odds, but I could also be full of .

 

[madtownvol]

It's absolutely true that all of Kellie's best players were recruited by Holly with the one exception being a transfer.

Rickea Jackson and Jewell Spear would like a word. News flash- transfers are recruited players; they are not dropped off by a stork.

Kellie also had to re-recruit Jordan Horston who was still a high school senior when Kellie took over.

Her time is done but give her credit where credit is due. The OP is pathologically unable to do so.

 

[BowlBrother85]

Okay. Going out on a limb here, but I held my vote until just now but suddenly felt compelled to proudly, unapologetically vote "very pleased."

Even before the hire was announced I made the decision to support DW's hire NO MATTER who it was. From the Top 10 programs -- GO LADY VOLS! From D2: Go Lady Vols! From the high school ranks: GO. LADY. VOLS!

Female, male, animal, mineral, vegetable. If the coach has a pulse, then BY GAWD I'm gonna act and behave under the assumption that the new coach is going to be terrific. I figure everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt because they'll get their shot at proving their mettle.

So I can honestly say that I have had ZERO negative things to say about Kim. I tend to be more of a "sunshine pumper" than some here can tolerate, but I will say that my instincts are usually pretty good about things, and something deep inside my gut is telling me Caldwell is a safe bet.

That said, I'll admit my gut is typically 80-90% accurate. Good odds, but I could also be full of .

White has a nice track record of hires. Granted, it was at Buffalo, where you really have to take some risks ..... but still, with Lance Leipold and Nate Oats, I feel like giving him the benefit of the doubt about this.

 

[papatomany]

Rickea Jackson and Jewell Spear would like a word. News flash- transfers are recruited players; they are not dropped off by a stork.

Kellie also had to re-recruit Jordan Horston who was still a high school senior when Kellie took over.

Her time is done but give her credit where credit is due. The OP is pathologically unable to do so.

Horston, Rennia, Rae, Tamari Key... Hollie's recruits And no, plucking someone out of the portal isn't the same as evaluating high school talent.

 

[papatomany]

It actually mirrors the Bruce Pearl hire in a lot of ways. In 2005 Bruce Pearl had just won the Division ll National Championship at the University of Southern Indiana. He also won the Division ll coach of the year award. Pearl who never played high school or college basketball accepted his first Division l head coaching job at Tennessee in the same year.

Coach Caldwell, after winning the Division ll National Championship in the 21/22 season as well as The Pat Summitt Award as the Division ll coach of year, will have one year of D l head coaching experiece that Pearl did not have.

I don't disagree that this could be a Pearl-like hire, but no, Bruce's first division one job was Milwaukee, where he made a sweet sixteen run in his fourth year, and is how he got the gig here.

 

[creekdipper]

Notre Dame's KK Bransford now in portal.