As Kim Caldwell heads into her initial season as the Lady Vols head coach, she is checking off a long list of firsts.
This includes her first visit to SEC Media Day.
Here's everything Tennessee's coach said.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
Opening statement
Thank you very much. Thank you all for being here. I'm excited about our team. I'm excited about this season. Our team has been working incredibly hard. They still have a lot of work to do. But I appreciate them and respect them and love them for embracing the standard that we have set. Already diving right into our culture.
On Clemson transfer Ruby Whitehorn
Yeah, I think Ruby will play a real good role. Came in as a talented player that could already score the ball, but she's getting better and better every day. She's a good leader for us. She's a great person to be around. She works hard all the time.
When you have players like that on your team, it makes everyone around them better.
On Arkansas transfer Samara Spencer
From the very beginning, she has been able to play at a pace that other people can't. You can tell she has a background of pushing the ball up the floor, running the ball up the floor as opposed to walking it.
She's been huge for us, and we make people keep up with her, which is big because she's going to have the ball in her hands a lot.
On off-season conditioning, if the team is where it needs to be in this aspect
They are not, but I'm never really happy (smiling). We're just going to continue to run all season. They're getting better. They're getting stronger. With that, with conditioning and getting on the baseline, going to the track, you get mentally tougher as well. I think we have accomplished that in the pre-season.
On returners Jewel Spear, Sara Puckett
Yeah, I think they are both incredible human beings, let alone great basketball players. Great leaders. They're two of the best leaders we have on our team. They can score the ball. They have the ability to play fast. I'm so happy that they stayed because they have set our culture instantly.
That's not easy to do when you don't know the coach, you don't know what to expect, to step up and be a leader when it's new to everyone. They've done a tremendous job at that.
Oh where Spear has taken strides
Jewel has gotten better all the way around. Her defense has gotten better. Her driving has gotten better. Her shooting has always been good. We're asking her to shoot it quicker, deeper. She has already had that. I think that was one reason why the system was really enticing her to stay. She has that. She's taking charges, diving on the floor. She's a leader. Outspoken. I could not ask for a better leader on this team.
On the theme of her winning, why she wants to play fast
I think the game is definitely trending fast. I think we're going to be on the forefront of that. We're going to turn it up a notch and play faster than most.
As far as making a winning culture, you have to have great relationships with your players. I'm very fortunate we already have a great culture at Tennessee in a short amount of time. Our team is full of great kids. I love to be around them.
You just have a brand. You believe in your brand. You teach it every day. You explain the why. You pour into your kids every day.
On players settling into roles
That's a really good question.
It's a fine line because we don't ever put players in a box. We let players play every type of way because I want to get the most out of them. We do talk about roles. We talk about it publicly. We talk about it in a room. Everyone goes around and says their roles.
But because we practice and play so free, our first couple games, scrimmages, some people will still try to do things out of their roles. That's where film comes into play, having conversations. Having had those conversations prior is really important.
On expecting a child
I spent a really long time, I think maybe the first three months of my pregnancy, being really worried about it. You have to give it to God. God gave us this blessing for a reason. He's got it. I don't have a lot of power over it. I have a great team around me. My husband will be there to support. My mom will come. Our staff is ready.
When we talk to our team about it, we really put it in a light of, Hey, we need all of you guys to step up and be leaders, come together now. I think at that moment it became a really positive thing.
On building for the future but not over looking the present
Absolutely. When you're senior heavy, you want to go all in for your seniors. You want to make sure we establish everything the way we need to now. This team is really a big part of what we're trying to do long-term. They're team one. They have a big role to play. You bring in players that can help you do that immediately. You just try to bring complementing pieces into that.
On playing with a chip on the team's shoulder
No matter if we're No. 1 or No. 16, we're always going to play with a chip on our shoulder. Does not matter. That's kind of our brand. That's kind of what we want to be. We want to be blue collar, hard working, motivated all the way around. We want to be motivated together. Rankings don't really matter on that end.
On her impression of the SEC
Yeah, it's a lot. It's so much more than I could of have dreamed of to actually be the head coach at the University of Tennessee. It's amazing. You take it day by day, stride by stride, moment by moment. You really have to focus on basketball, being around your team, or you could get consumed in all of this.
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