Kim Caldwell spent much of the offseason developing individual pieces. Now, with preseason practice underway, Tennessee is beginning to look more like a complete team.
Caldwell said the Lady Vols’ biggest growth has come in their ability to put together the individual skills emphasized throughout the summer.
Tennessee initially focused on developing players who could attack off the dribble and expanding its shooting. The emphasis has since shifted toward team concepts, where Caldwell has been encouraged by the Lady Vols’ willingness to share the basketball and attack the offensive glass.
“Our passes aren’t as clean as I’d like them to be,” Caldwell said. “It’s an area of improvement, but we do share the ball very well.”
Caldwell also wants more consistency, particularly with turnovers and defensive rebounding. But one area where Tennessee appears further along is defensively.
Caldwell said this group reminds her of her final team at Marshall because of its ability to create positive results even when an individual assignment isn’t executed perfectly.
“They cover for each other. They play so hard,” Caldwell said. “It doesn’t always have to be beautiful.”
Tennessee has installed multiple presses, and Caldwell has been pleased with the players’ willingness to buy into each one. She believes the Lady Vols are further ahead defensively than many of her previous teams were at this point in the preseason.
The next step is determining how all the pieces fit.
Several players who missed portions of summer workouts have returned, allowing Tennessee to experiment with different combinations. Caldwell said the Lady Vols expect to play 10 players and are working to identify which pairings complement one another best.
That process is ongoing, but Caldwell already knows what she wants Tennessee’s identity to look like when the season arrives.
“I hope that people take away how hard they play and how well they play together,” Caldwell said.
The challenge will be maintaining that identity once games begin and adversity follows. Caldwell has intentionally made preseason work difficult, including early mornings and consecutive practice days, to prepare her team for those moments.
If the season started now, though, Caldwell believes Lady Vols fans would appreciate what they see.
“I think our fan base would love how hard they’re playing.”
