Texas Coach Blasts Critics, Defends Kim Caldwell After Win Over Tennessee
Following their recent disappointing 16-point upset loss to Vanderbilt less than a week ago, Texas coach Vic Schaefer ripped into his team for "having no heart" and called them the "softest team" he's had in years. He then challenged his team to respond against another tough opponent in No. 22 ranked Tennessee in what would be a high stakes road SEC match-up. And in Sunday's game against the Lady Volunteers, Schaefer's squad did just that.
In a tight game where Texas forced 23 Tennessee turnovers, they walked away with a 65-63 victory. Despite leading the game at one point by 14, it wasn't the cleanest, most dominant game for the Longhorns. The game could have easily slipped away from Texas and with more time and fewer self inflicted mistakes, the Vols could have came away with the win. But the what-ifs didn't matter, and Schaefer was more than pleased with how his team fought in the trenches against another historic women's basketball program.
This is the point of the season where teams need to hit their stride. The margin for error is slim, especially in an elite conference such as the SEC. Texas isn't the only team that has had to dig deep to find its identity.
Schaefer and Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell have a few things in common. They both coach prolific programs and each has called their respective teams out in the last week for poor play. By doing that, they've been on the receiving end of much criticism for their harsh critiques of their player's lack of effort as of late.
Vic Schaefer Compared His Job to Tennessee's Kim Caldwell
Following Texas' win over the Lady Vols on Sunday, coach Schaefer took the time to discuss the challenges that head coaches like himself and Caldwell face, and the winning culture that is expected at their premier programs.
"At the end of the day, I don't think anybody out there wants to walk in coach Caldwell's or my shoes. At two of the most tradition-rich women's basketball programs in the history of the game. In my opinion, Texas, Tennessee and Stanford, those people didn't show up in the 90s. Those schools have been here since day one," Schaefer said.
He made it very clear there are high standards and expectations at such prestigious programs and that tremendous effort is required to keep them on top. The same effort is what's expected of their players as well. Coach Schaefer even went on to defend Caldwell's recent comments she made when referring to her players quitting.
"I don't think anybody out there wants to walk in Coach Caldwell's or mine shoes."
— Paige Dauer (@PaigeDauerFDP) February 15, 2026
"We're not here to be good. Good will get you fired."
"Before you go criticizing coaches... on social media, you come walk in their shoes."
"Other than their parents, nobody loves them more… pic.twitter.com/L10aDNQNoJ
"When I take over at Texas and coach takes over here, we're here not to be good. Good will get you fired. And so for us, trying to get our kids to be great, because that's what is required at our schools," he added.
He later clapped back at the criticism both he and Caldwell have gotten for being brutally honest about their teams. It turns out their toughness and tough love approach on their players worked well as both teams responded with big wins following their tough losses.
"But before you go criticizing coaches who sacrifice time with family, with children, she's got a newborn. But before you go criticizing them on social media, you come walk in their shoes. And that's our job to get it to these kids to let them know. That's my job, that's what comes with the territory of being the head coach of Texas, Tennessee, and you know what, should be anywhere," Schaefer said.
Both Texas and Tennessee still have a lot to play for with a quickly approaching SEC tournament on the agenda.
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Lindsay Burke covers women’s basketball for Indiana Fever On SI and Women’s Fastbreak On SI. She graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne with a Bachelor's Degree in journalism and a minor in media production. Early in her career she covered ECHL hockey, the NFL and college football and has since expanded her expertise to the WNBA and the Fever franchise.
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