The offseason the second time around is already a little easier for Lady Vols basketball coach Kim Caldwell.
That’s not just because she has settled in and doesn’t have to get a coaching staff together while trying to recruit players out of the portal like last spring.
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It’s also because she retained all six of her core players from her first season. Caldwell said she has a “really good relationship” with the returning group, and there is a solid foundation going into next season.
“Our core did come back, and I do think that will help us tremendously that we have some people who know what I expect,” Caldwell said April 30 at the Big Orange Caravan stop in Nashville. “Any time you have a coaching change, and I have some empathy for this, it’s hard for people to lead because they don’t actually know what the head coach expects, because it’s new for everyone.”
Tennessee added crucial depth to its forward group out of the transfer portal, with 6-foot-4 Janiah Barker out of UCLA and 6-5 Jersey Wolfenbarger from LSU. Both forwards have a versatile skill set, and they have the potential to have a similar trajectory as 6-4 Zee Spearman, who transferred from Miami in spring 2024.
Spearman averaged 11.7 points and six rebounds for the Lady Vols, and Caldwell said there’s “absolutely” a blueprint there for Barker and Wolfenbarger coming in this season.
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“I think if you want to be a big that wants to play at the next level, we would be a really good option for you, because we’re going to play you out,” Caldwell said. “We’re not going to play you in the post, we’re not going to have a double post. We’re going to let you shoot 3’s, we’re going to let you play from the outside in, which is what they’re going to be doing when they go to the WNBA.”
Caldwell’s style is fast-paced with a free-flowing offense and a lot of 3-pointers. She often plays a four-guard lineup and she doesn’t play with traditional post players.
She believes the women’s college game is trending toward more position-less basketball because of the increasing pace of the game, and Tennessee is ahead of the curve in that aspect.
“In order to play faster, you’ve got to at least play with more guards,” she said. “I don’t know that people will go away from having a true center or a 5, but I do know that people don’t really want to get down there and bang as much anymore.”
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Caldwell said her team might not shoot as well as it did last season. Tennessee lost its top three 3-point shooters in graduating seniors Jewel Spear, Samara Spencer and Tess Darby, and didn’t add one out of the transfer portal. Some of the incoming freshman class, which is ranked No. 2 in the nation, might be able to replace that production, particularly Mia Pauldo, who’s ranked No. 9 in the 2025 class, and her twin sister, Mya Pauldo. Tennessee has eight newcomers — five freshmen and three transfers.
“It’s just going to be a whole new learning curve, a lot more teaching, different types of players,” Caldwell said. “We’re going to be a little more athletic, we may not shoot it as well, but I think we will be faster. I think we will be bigger, maybe a little more physical, so hopefully that will help.”
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Kim Caldwell said of Lady Vols basketball roster makeup, portal
