Vic Schaefer just blasted his players in a postgame press conference. The Horns are doomed.
My thoughts exactly lol. Everyone blasted Caldwell for her presser and what do you know, her tactic worked and Tennessee comes out playing laser focused in their next game.
I think fans in general forget how difficult it is to build (or rebuild) a program into a national power. Almost every great coach has growing pains and down years along the way. If Kim Caldwell winds up being a great coach for Tennessee, it will likely be no different. Looking across the country at some of the top coaches and you have:
Geno-took 6 years to reach a Final Four, team didn't make notable improvements until year 4 when standout recruit Kerri Bascom was a sophomore.
Dawn-took 4 years at South Carolina to make the NCAA tournament, 7 years to make a Final Four. Program didn't catch fire until standout Tiffany Mitchell was a sophomore.
Kim Mulkey-took 5 years to make a Final Four, program regressed between years 2 and 3.
Shea Ralph-team regressed between year 1 and 2, took 5 years to break through as a top program when standout Mikalya Blakes was a sophomore.
Vic Schafer-started strong for 2 years before program regressed in year 3 at Texas. Rebounded well in years 4/5/6.
Other standout coaches like Wes Moore, Jeff Walz, Brenda Frese, Kim Barnes-Arico and Kevin McGuff all have had years where they've overachieved and others where they notably underachieve relative to expectations. It's part of the business and fans have unrealistic expectations if they think a new coach can immediately transform their program to become a steady national power from day 1.
