Kim Caldwell says it hasn’t fully hit her that she’s head coach at Tennessee, of one of the premier programs in women’s college basketball.
But during her introduction to that position Tuesday afternoon in Knoxville, Caldwell made it clear the same system she utilized to yield winning results at both Division II Glenville State and then most recently for a season at Marshall will carry on at the sport’s highest level.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we could do it here,” said Caldwell, a graduate of Parkersburg South High School who has become just the fourth head coach in the storied history of Tennessee’s program.
Caldwell’s teams have thrived off full court pressure, which is applied consistently off made and missed shots, as well as an uptempo pace largely predicated on depth and conditioning.
In her lone season at Marshall, the Herd were among the nation’s leaders in turnovers forced, turnover margin as well as three-point attempts and makes.
“We want to be the hardest-playing team in the country, establish our culture, score a lot of points and play an exciting brand of basketball,” Caldwell said. “We want to make people proud.”
The Volunteers have won eight National Championships among 18 Final Four appearance, but it’s been since 2008 since Tennessee added to either of those totals.
Tennessee recently parted ways with previous head coach Kellie Harper, a former Volunteer player who was 108-52 and 53-24 in Southeastern Conference play over five seasons. However, Harper’s teams never advanced beyond the Sweet 16, and the recent success of fellow SEC members South Carolina and LSU has left many Tennessee faithful wanting more.
“You want to be somewhere the expectations are high,” Caldwell said. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities in my career to look at jobs and I was never interested in a job that did not have high expectations, a loyal fan base and a hungry crowd that did not want to pay attention to what’s going on.”
Danny White, Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics, expressed faith in Caldwell’s ability to handle the upcoming challenges.
“We wanted someone who is competitive and confident and wasn’t afraid of the challenge to restore this legendary program to where we want it to be,” said White, who added Caldwell stood out more than other candidates with an interview he described as impactful.
Caldwell compiled a 191-24 record over seven seasons at her alma mater, Glenville State, and that tenure featured a National Championship in 2022 and a Final Four appearance in her final campaign with the program.
Caldwell then accepted the head coaching position at Marshall and made a seamless transition to the Division I level, where she helped guide the Herd to a 26-7 record and Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships. Marshall’s season ended with an opening-round loss at Virginia Tech in the NCAA Tournament, marking the program’s first appearance in the event since 1997 and just its second overall.
Early into her introduction, Caldwell thanked both Marshall and Glenville State, all of her former players and her parents. She credits her father Scott Stephens, who coached Caldwell at PSHS and then later joined her staff at Glenville State, for getting her into coaching. Stephens passed away in 2020.
“When I was younger, I wanted to play basketball as long as I could,” Caldwell said. “I was a 5-10 post player and realized there was nothing basketball playing wise in my future after college. I saw my dad’s passion, how hard he worked and wanted to be exactly like him.”
Caldwell’s work now begins as she tries to restore Tennessee to more national prominence and become the program’s first coach since the legendary Pat Summitt to lead the Volunteers to both a Final Four and National Championship.
“The part of history I need no catching up on is Pat Summitt’s legacy and how powerful the Lady Vol legacy is,” Caldwell said. “There is not a single person that has come through this program that I could come close to beating 1-on-1. It is a remarkable program and I can’t wait to hear from past players and hear their stories.
“Pat Summitt changed the game of basketball and wouldn’t she love to see where the game is now? I will never be Pat Summitt. Nobody can. But I will strive every day to be someone should be proud of.”