Kim Caldwell Sets the Standard Ahead of the Lady Vols 2026-2027 Basketball Season

Kim Caldwell makes it clear that she is setting the standard ahead of the Lady Vols upcoming basketball season.

Ole Miss vs. Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell in a NCAA women’s college basketball game at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Lady Vols are set for their third season under head coach Kim Caldwell. In year one, the standard was set extremely high, as the talented coach showed that she is one of the best newcomers in all of college basketball, as she took on a Tennessee program that expects to win games, largely thanks to the legacy that Pat Summitt built in Knoxville.

The Lady Vols would then focus on the next season, which wasn't as friendly for Caldwell and the fanbase, as this was a very underwhelming season after she brought in a ton of talent through the high school ranks. This meant that she had some work to do in the offseason already, but what many didn't expect was that she wouldn't retain a single player from last season's roster, which means that Caldwell now has a whole new team ahead of the 2026-2027 season.

At SEC Tipoff, the Lady Vols' coach spoke with the media, and she detailed how she has been setting the standard ahead of the next season, which appears to be the most crucial season of her young coaching career.

Setting the Standard is Important for Kim Caldwell

Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Kim Caldwell watches her players run drills at practice on August 3, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Yeah, we haven’t got to game preparation yet, but I think the most important thing, again, matching both of those questions was really setting the standard the way that I want it to be set, and that’s it’s going to be a selfless culture. It’s going to be a hard-working culture. We’re going to make sure that we do things the right way every single day. It’s about basketball. Our team is so — they love to be in the gym so much, and it’s such a special place right now, because if you show up to practice 30 minutes early in our gym, you don’t get a basket. The baskets are full. There’s already a player in there shooting, getting work. So it’s a competitive thing to make sure that we’re getting our rim time, we’re getting time with an individual coach. That’s been really fun for us to be around," Caldwell said.

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