Caldwell believes Lady Vols can win with up-tempo system
Lady Vols basketball coach Kim Caldwell delivered one of the best speeches I’ve heard at an introductory press conference Tuesday. And I’ve heard plenty of them.
I’ve heard rambling ones and concise ones from newly hired coaches. I’ve heard well-articulated ones and ones in which a sixth grader could have detected grammatical errors.
I remember how former Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin kept responding to almost every other question at his press conference with: “We just gotta win.”
I even heard Kim Mulkey’s introductory press conference when LSU hired her as women’s basketball coach. Her speech was so strong, I thought the state of Louisiana might skip past the basketball job and name her governor by acclamation. And the acting governor was in the audience.
But Caldwell’s speech ranked with the very best.
She was humble and confident. She demonstrated a light touch and intensity. She thanked just about everybody – her father who helped teach her the game, her mother who was in attendance, and her basketball-coaching husband who was willing to sacrifice his career, so she could “follow her dream.”
Caldwell pushed all the right buttons and thanked all the right people.
She thanked the other schools who hired her and the players at Glennville State and Marshall who helped her be successful – so successful that she now coaches at the same school where Pat Summitt once won eight national championships and became a basketball legend.
When Caldwell had finished thanking people, I could understand why athletic director Danny White hired her.
He researched and interviewed candidates at a hiring speed that went almost as fast as the frenetic pace of Caldwell’s teams. He emphasized that her interview stood out.
That obviously factored into why he hired her. But it wasn’t the only reason.
White is convinced she won’t just win at Tennessee. He believes she can win big. In his introductory speech, he talked about “SEC and national championships.” He also talked about the importance of preserving the program Summitt built and maintained. When he met with a small group of reporters after the press conference, he hammered home the same points.
I don’t expect to change minds here. I know some fans think White hired Caldwell because he could get her cheap while other more experienced, successful coaches might have stretched his budget to unacceptable levels. But I don’t believe that.
Nor do I believe he hired her solely because a spectacular interview convinced him she would win the press conference. Winning the press conference is the most overrated phrase in sports. Hiring a coach is about winning games and championships.
White believes Caldwell can do that. He’s as sold on her full-court, up-tempo system as he is her personality. He said he talked to other candidates who also played an entertaining style of basketball. But it was Caldwell’s combination of system and personality that apparently sold him on the hire. Her confidence sticks out above everything else. You better be confident when you’re running the program Summitt made famous.
I asked her if she thought her fullcourt, up-tempo approach to basketball would work at a higher level of competition. I liked her answer.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we could do it here,” she said.
That’s what you need to say at a press conference, even if she might have to modify her approach somewhat during this transitional period. Adding transfers could be crucial.
You can’t discuss transfer potential without bringing up NIL opportunities. NIL deals often carry the day with transfers. White didn’t say Tennessee’s NIL backers had to sign off on his hire. He did say that Tennessee teams won’t lack for support. I took that to mean NIL support won’t come up short.
Caldwell’s introductory speech might raise more NIL support.
I was on a West Virginia statewide sports-talk show Monday. While discussing the hire, I asked the host if he thought Caldwell could win over Tennessee boosters. He didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“They’re going to love her,” he said