Knoxville, Tennessee – University of Tennessee Vice President and Director of Athletics Danny White announced Sunday that 2024 Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Freshman Coach of the Year Kim Caldwell has been selected to lead the Lady Volunteers. announced. She is scheduled to be introduced at a press conference on campus on Tuesday.
“From the beginning, our goal has been to find a dynamic head coach who can return our women's basketball program to national prominence. Kim Caldwell is the ideal person to lead us. A person,” White said. “Kim has a winning formula, a fast-paced, high-octane offense and high-pressure defense that he has successfully implemented everywhere he has coached, resulting in remarkable results in this new era of college sports. , what we discovered was extremely important.”
Caldwell will be the Lady Vols' fourth head coach in the NCAA era of women's basketball, which began with the late Pat Summitt. A rising star in the profession, Caldwell quickly achieved elite performance at two different levels of the game, earning eight NCAA berths and seven conference trophies in her eight seasons as a head coach. I did. Her fierce attack on both ends of the floor helped her lead NCAA Division II Glenville State University and her DI Marshall to championship seasons, and she now takes the reins of the winningest program in women's hoops history.
“I am honored and humbled to accept the role of head coach of this historic program at the University of Tennessee,” said Caldwell. “I can't help but think back to winning the Pat Summitt Trophy three seasons ago, and to the great responsibility and opportunity to now lead and build on the great Lady Vol tradition that she established. I'm thrilled and excited to get to work.'' I look forward to seeing what we can all accomplish together. ”
Caldwell earned the aforementioned national recognition from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association after leading Marshall to a 26-7 overall record and 17-1 league record in her first season in 2023-24. She was also named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year for leading the Thundering Herd to both the league's regular season and tournament titles and earning the school's second NCAA Tournament berth since 1997. He was also selected as a coach.
Marshall ranked in the top five nationally in seven different statistical categories in Caldwell's first season with the Herd. One of the most prolific scoring attacks in the country, Hurd finished with nine games of 90 or more points and five games of 100 or more points. Marshall led the nation in 3-point field goal attempts and was third in 3-point shots made per game, making more than 10 per game.
After being picked ninth in the Sun Belt Conference preseason poll, Marshall scored 85.3 points per game (fourth nationally) and committed 24.2 turnovers per game (second nationally) en route to victory. recorded the best program. Caldwell's career win total is the most by a first-year coach in MU women's hoops history, and she became the school's first team since 1990-91 with 20 regular-season wins.
Caldwell, who has a 217-31 (.875) record in eight seasons as head coach, including a 149-13 (.920) mark in conference games, was the program leader at his alma mater under Kim Stevens, née Kim Stevens. It started as a. . She led Glenville State University to the 2021-22 NCAA Division II National Championship in her sixth year at the school, leading the Pioneers to seven NCAA appearances, six Mountain East Conference regular season titles, and four tournament wins. He contributed to the win.
In recognition of her accomplishments during the 2021-22 season, she was presented with the WBCA's Pat Summitt Trophy for NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. She also won the 2022 Farfari Award, given to West Virginia's Coach of the Year by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
The 2011 GSU graduate compiled a 191-24 record in seven seasons with the Pioneers, including 132-12 in the MEC. In her last two tournaments, she totaled 68 points, including 35-1 in the 2021-22 national championship season (22-0 league) and 33-3 after reaching the national semifinals in 2022-23. He built a record of wins and 4 losses. Her final unit led her in NCAA Division II in points per game (91.2) and forced turnovers (27.3).
From 2016-2023, she led Glenville to six MEC regular season titles (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and four MEC Tournament trophies (2018, 2019, 2020, 2023), winning the MEC Annual He won four Coach of the Year awards. Times in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Prior to her time at GSU, she served as an assistant at Sacramento State under Bunkie Harkleroad for three seasons from 2013-2016, was Harkleroad's assistant at Glenville State from 2012-2013, and was an assistant at Ohio State. He began his college coaching career at Valley College. She held the role of assistant there from 2011 to 2012.
As a player, Caldwell, a native of Parkersburg, West Virginia, helped lead GSU to the 2010-2011 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. She was named the WVIAC Student-Athlete of the Year that season, and as a junior and senior she was academically named to the WVIAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Career achievements
Record as head coach (8 seasons)
- Overall 217-31 (.875)
- 149 wins and 13 losses in conference games (.920)
National Coach of the Year (2)
- 2024 WBCA Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year
- 2022 WBCA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year (Pat Summitt Trophy)
Conference Coach of the Year (5)
- Mountain East Conference: 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
- Sunbelt Conference: 2024
NCAA Tournament (8)
- NCAA DII: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- NCAA DI: 2024
NCAA National Championship (1)
NCAA Final Four (2)
- NCAA DII Champion: 2022
- NCAA DII Semifinalist: 2023
Conference Championship (7)
- Mountain East Conference: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023
- Sunbelt Conference: 2024
Conference Tournament Championship (5)
- Mountain East Conference: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023
- Sunbelt Conference: 2024