When we think of SEC women’s basketball, will we soon, once again, think of Tennessee? The legacy of Pat Summitt looms large over Tennessee women’s basketball. And justifiably so. But to again reach the summitt of the sport, the Lady Vols need to move out of the shadow of past greats and glories.
And it seems new head coach Kim Caldwell has arrived on Rocky Top ready to do just that. Despite having only one season of Division I head coaching experience, when she immediately established Marshall as the best team in the Sun Belt and took the Thundering Herd to the NCAA Tournament, Caldwell has come to Knoxville with confidence in her ability to again make Tennessee one of the most-feared utterances in all of women’s college basketball, albeit in a new, different way.
The Caldwell way
Like Tennessee teams of lore, Caldwell demands that her players play hard, insisting that opponents will dread playing the Lady Vols. As graduate guard Jewel Spear told ESPN before the season, “I want people to know that you’re gonna hate playing us. Simple.”
Yet, these traditional principles will be accompanied by Caldwell’s modern priorities, which mete out to an aggressive, fast-paced and 3-point heavy style. She wants 85-90 shot attempts per game on one end accompanied by…
