BIRMINGHAM, AL – Kim Caldwell wanted to set the standard for Lady Vols basketball her way after the 2025-26 season ended.
It was the biggest change in the third-year Tennessee coach's approach to running her program, Caldwell said. That meant establishing a culture of selflessness and hard work.
She wants everything done the right way, and she wants it to be all about basketball. Having an entirely new roster of 15 players has helped, Caldwell said, and they've already seen the results.
"They love to be in the gym so much, and it's such a special place right now because if you show up to practice 30 minutes early in our gym, you don't get a basket," Caldwell said Oct. 13 at SEC Basketball Tipoff '27 at the Hotel Wildemont. "The baskets are full.
There's already a player in there shooting, getting work.
"So it's a competitive thing to make sure that we're getting our rim time, we're getting time with individual coach. That's been really fun for us to be around."
Caldwell sees players taking pride in getting on the court with a coach early to work on a countermove and then be able to make use of it in practice.
"It's been infectious," Caldwell said. "We have leaders that will bring players into the gym with them so that it's every single person – that's the standard."
Caldwell always wants her team to be the hardest working in the country, but she has started to see Tennessee's identity take that even a step further – her players loves effort plays. Winning 50-50 balls, taking charges, saving a ball from going out of bounds or an offensive rebound is what excites the Lady Vols.
"That's just such a rewarding thing as a coach because that matches my mentality, and it's not so much of a score or an and-one," Caldwell said. "Those things excite us too, but our bench is always on our feet when they make the effort play, and I think that's a good place for us to start."
Caldwell likes where the team is offensively right now. They play with great pace, they share the ball and she likes the way they score, she said, but Caldwell knows they have to be able to do that consistently against pressure in the SEC.
On the other hand, the Lady Vols' floor this season will come down to a simple question.
"Can we keep people in front of us, and can we do it without fouling?" Caldwell said.
Tennessee's frontcourt is undersized, and Caldwell said it'll be a "whole team effort" to defend the paint, especially in SEC play with only one player on the roster who's at least 6-foot-3.
But if defending as a team is what it takes, Caldwell is already seeing signs that her players will do whatever is required of them.
"The thing about this team is we have so many selfless players. They want to get it right ... they'll play with whoever. They'll play in whatever position," Caldwell said. "They'll do whatever it takes to be on the floor, and they'll do whatever it takes to win, no matter how many minutes that is. That's really refreshing, and it's great to see out of this group."
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Kim Caldwell needed to set Lady Vols basketball standard her way
