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Kim Caldwell Plans to Coach Tennessee vs South Carolina One Week After Giving Birth

Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell will be on the sideline when her team hosts South Carolina Monday night, just a week after having a baby.
Samara Elster|
Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Kim Caldwell in her first news conference on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn., after the birth of her son.
Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Kim Caldwell in her first news conference on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn., after the birth of her son. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee women's basketball coach Kim Caldwell aims to be on the sideline for her No. 17 Lady Vols' top-ranked SEC matchup with No. 2 South Carolina on Monday, exactly one week after giving birth to her first child.

Caldwell gave birth to her son Conor Scott on Monday while also dealing with the flu.

The flu had been spreading around the Tennessee locker room and hit Caldwell before baby Conor arrived. Yet Caldwell was at practice Friday and has been taking care of her health with fluids and medication.

“We have a lot of germs,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell mentioned that her newborn son will stay away from the team for the time being due to the spreading sickness. But the Lady Vols are excited to see their newest addition as the team held a baby shower for their head coach.

Caldwell is in her first season as Tennessee head coach. Her squad has gone 15-4, with all four losses to SEC teams. She missed the team's 80-76 loss at No. 7 Texas last Thursday after having her baby. Assistant Jenna Burdette filled in as acting coach against the Longhorns.

Tennessee's four losses have been by a combined eight points, with three versus opponents in the SEC ranked inside the AP Top 10. They will face five more ranked opponents in the 10 games remaining on the schedule.

Caldwell wasn't trying to watch her team from home for the second time in a row, especially when they were facing the defending national champions.

"It was not great. It was uncomfortable but you get to see it from a different perspective,” Caldwell said about viewing Thursday's game from home. “I was proud of our team, but it was not my favorite thing to do as a coach to stay home and watch my team."

Caldwell will get back in the thick of things quickly, facing off with the team LSU coach Kim Mulkey just declared as the best in the country. But Tennessee's coach has clearly proven she is ready for challenges.

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Samara Elster
SAMARA ELSTER

Samara Elster covers basketball for Women’s Fastbreak on SI. She has extensively covered a variety of the sports teams at Indiana University with a focus on the women's basketball team. Samara has experience as a beat reporter covering the ins and outs of a team and handling the stories that emerge from that role. Her concentration on sports journalism at IU combined with her enthusiasm for the media industry drove her to pursue a career covering sports.

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