Kim Caldwell on Pat Summitt: 'I will strive every day to be someone she would be proud of'

Out for the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team is coach Kellie Harper. In steps new coach Kim Caldwell, arriving after one season in charge at Marshall.

Caldwell will be looking to bring a wide open offense with plenty of 3-point shooting to Rocky Top, but she’ll also do it with a sense of the past. She knows the Tennessee program is steeped in history.

“I haven’t been here long and I know I have a lot of history to catch up on,” Kim Caldwell said in her opening press conference. “The part of history I need no catching up on is Pat Summitt‘s legacy and how powerful the Lady Vols family is.”

Few can match Summitt’s greatness in the sport, in part because it’s hard to maintain at that high a level for that long. New factors these days like the transfer portal and NIL just add further wrinkles to the equation.

But if you’re going to do it, you have to start somewhere.

Kim Caldwell began at Division II Glenville State, where she spent seven seasons and racked up a 191-24 record, including a 132-12 mark in the Mountain East Conference.

She then headed to Marshall, where she went 26-7 this season, won the Sun Belt and reached the NCAA Tournament.

All of those accomplishments pale compared to what Tennessee fans would be hoping for in a perfect world. They’ve seen what can be done, with Summitt leading the way.

However, Caldwell is aware she has to be herself.

“Pat Summitt changed the game of basketball, and wouldn’t she have loved to see where the game is now?” Caldwell said. “I will never be Pat Summitt. Nobody can. But I will strive every day to be someone that she would be proud of.”

The new coach is clearly fired up to get started. She was bubbling with enthusiasm during her introductory press conference, itching to get underway.

“I can’t wait to connect with our former players and listen to their stories, hear their history and pass on what it means to be a Lady Vol and represent that in our program,” Kim Caldwell said. “I am so excited to get to work with this team. I got to meet them Sunday night. They’re a great group with a big personality, and they are hungry to get back to the top of the SEC.”