To this outsider not much different than during the Harper era, which was not much different than the Warlick era. I guess should wait to see how they do during the Tourney. One might argue this was a step backward. Harper finished 3rd or 4th in the SEC every season. This year they were 8th. Conference got tougher adding Texas and Oklahoma, but that doesn't explain them dropping 4 or 5 slots in the standings.
Obviously her tenure will not be decided by this season. I recognize she brought some excitement to the program and is recruiting better than Harper ever did. Have to wait a few more seasons to have a better idea how well the hire worked out.
Think Harper era always finished 3rd except last season which was 5th place in conference. SEC conference is much tougher with TX and OK, along with Brooks at KY. Plus, seems more SEC schools had NIL money that increased portal transfers talent into the conference.
I think a lot of questions will be answered next year. Did the Lady Vols drop off toward the latter part of the season because they were tired, or was it because SEC coaches had tape and they could actually game plan? For me, that’s the question.
At the beginning of the year I watched a lot because I was fascinated by it. I realized quickly that the whole point was to cause chaos. Then it drove me crazy because it seemed to be chaotic for your team also. If the press got broken, there really wasn’t time for your team to match up on defense which made for many easy buckets for your opponent. On the other hand, I didn’t see an offensive plan if you didn’t get the turnover. Throwing up a bunch of 3s is great when you’re hitting a bunch of them, but when they don’t fall it makes for long rebounds that can be transition points for the other team.
This isn’t criticism- it’s just my observation.
Agree with everything posted here. With Caldwell’s incoming high school recruiting class, plus another transfer portal cycle, will be curious to see what changes. Replacing Jewel, Sara, Tess, Jillian with more athletic quick players will allow for a better press and defense so will Kim press more and have better recovery when broken or will she press less?
Kim will need to find two Post/PF players in the portal to address rebounding, which was an issue against elite teams. Another observation, against elite teams with athletic players, LV’s need a half court offense when 3s are not falling - will this be added next season? Lots of questions that next season will probably help answer…