Coach Kim Caldwell is 3-0 to start the season in her debut as the Lady Vols head coach, and after each game she has plenty to like about her players and a lot she wants to fix.
After the 89-75 win over Middle Tennessee State University on Thursday – Tennessee lost to the Blue Raiders a year ago – Caldwell kept half-court defense improvements on the to-do list.
“I didn’t see much I liked,” Caldwell said. “Same thing, just straight line drives and don’t do a very good job cutting it off. Too many fouls, and then we just get tired and lazy, take our foot off the gas, give up wide open shots.”
Caldwell is refreshingly honest in her post-game press conferences about any shortcomings and also praises her team for what goes right.
Need an example? She got a question about winning the rebound battle, 40-31, against MTSU, which has a 6-7 senior center in Anastasia Boldyreva.
“I know that they have a really big post player, but we’re bigger than them at every other position, so you can’t really be too proud of the fact that we probably should have outrebounded them,” Caldwell said.
It was a matter-of-fact tone and right to the point. The act of answering a question without saying anything in sports is informally called “coachspeak.” Media members are not fans of that approach. That is not Caldwell, and the local media love it. She also doesn’t wax poetic. Her answers are direct and when needed, short.
Another example? When asked if her system of rapid substitutions caused her any concern about interrupting a player’s hot streak, she said: “No.” The reporter who asked it loved the response.
Sara Puckett launches a three-pointer against MTSU. (UT Athletics)
Before the game, she was asked about Sara Puckett and Jewel Spear working over the summer to adjust to a completely different style of basketball than the seniors played last season with the fast pace and high volume of shots.
Through three games this season, Tennessee has attempted 234 shots for an average of 78 per game. Their opponents have lofted just 152 shots for an average of 50.7 shots.
“They’re in the gym probably more so than anyone,” Caldwell said. “They’re leaders. I trust to have them on the floor.”
Caldwell’s life has changed significantly in the last eight months after being hired by Tennessee and then having a surprise pregnancy. The baby boy is due in early January. Caldwell’s husband, Justin Caldwell, is player development coordinator for the Vols basketball team.
Tennessee will be back on the court this Saturday, Nov. 16, to host Liberty at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. It is rare for the Lady Vols to play at home on a Saturday – when it happens it’s usually to host an NCAA tourney game – and tip time is noon.
The football Vols are on the road at Georgia on Saturday, and don’t kick off until 7:30 p.m. Take a trip to campus, catch a Lady Vols game and get home with plenty of time to spare to watch football.
ELITE RECRUIT
Deniya Prawl made it official Wednesday and signed with the Lady Vols to play basketball starting with the 2025-26 season. The 6-2 wing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is ranked No. 6 in the country by 247Sports and No. 13 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz. Prawl committed Monday – a story can be read HERE – and her paperwork was certified Wednesday.
The five-star guard plays for the national team in her home country of Canada. She transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for her junior year of high school and is now a senior.
Deniya Prawl attacks the basket for Canada in an international game. (FIBA)
“Deniya is an all-around phenomenal athlete,” Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell said. “She has the ability to have a great four years here and can come in and help us right away. She can shoot threes. She can shoot mid-range. She can score, and she can guard.”
Prawl is the third commitment in the Class of 2025, joining identical twin guards Mia and Mya Pauldo, who are from Paterson, New Jersey. Mia Pauldo is ranked No. 16/11, while Mya Pauldo is ranked No. 49/56. The early signing period started Nov. 13 and lasts through Nov. 20. The Pauldo twins also are expected to sign in the early period.
SOCCER
The Lady Vols soccer team was on the bubble to make the NCAA tourney, but its season didn’t burst when Tennessee’s name popped up on the bracket this week.
The Lady Vols, 9-6-4, earned an at-large bid and will start play tonight, Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. against No. 7 seed Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
CROSS COUNTRY
Earlier in November, the Lady Vols cross country team earned second place at the 2024 SEC Cross Country Championships in Bryan-College Station, Texas, at Watts Cross Country Course. It was the best finish at the SEC meet since finishing second in 2009.
Ashley Jones finished sixth and earned First Team All-SEC honors, while Jillian Candelino, Rachel Sutliff and Caroline Lyerly earned third-team recognition after finishing 18th, 20th and 21st, respectively. Knox TN Today wrote HERE about the inspiring story of Jones.
Ashley Jones competes for Tennessee. (UT Athletics)
“I am excited,” said Justin Duncan, who made his debut as Tennessee’s cross country head coach this season. “The women showed up when it counted. SECs is an exciting time. As the slogan says, ‘It Just Means More,’ so we went into the race really focused and dialed in. We talked about winning the battles all around us during the race, and they showed up and executed.”
The NCAA South Regional Championships will be run today, Friday, Nov. 15, in Tallahassee, Florida.
Maria M. Cornelius, a senior writer/editor at MoxCar Marketing + Communications since 2013, started her journalism career at the Knoxville News Sentinel and began writing about the Lady Vols in 1998. In 2016, she published her first book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” through The University of Tennessee Press.
