Tennessee Lady Volunteers women’s basketball coach Kim Caldwell offered a humorous family anecdote during a press conference Wednesday after her team’s narrow 87-85 win over the Florida State Seminoles. Despite holding an 18-point lead at one point, the Lady Vols barely secured the victory. Caldwell revealed that even her grandmother had questions about the game:
“Not a great win, but we’ll take it. Nothing like blowing an 18-point lead. My grandma texted and said, ‘What happened?’ and I said, ‘It was a terrible halftime speech.’”
Caldwell’s self-deprecating response added levity to the discussion of the team’s struggles in the second half. She’s in her first season as Tennessee’s head coach, becoming just the fourth coach in the program’s NCAA history after Pat Summitt (1974-2012), Holly Warlick (2012-19), and Kellie Harper (2019-24). Caldwell entered the season with a .875 winning percentage from previous head coaching stints at Glenville State (Division II) and Marshall. Now 6-0 with the Lady Vols, she’s proving she can handle both close games and press conferences with style.