KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –– Rylie Theuerkauf didn’t come to Tennessee to be just a shooter. There is much more to her game to unlock, and she’s bought in to make that happen.
The Georgia transfer arrives after finishing third in the SEC last season at 40.6% from three and second at 86.2% from the free-throw line. Nobody is debating whether she can score from deep. What she has spent the summer proving is that the rest of her game is catching up.
“I would say, honestly, I’m attacking the basket a lot more, my defense, and probably my conditioning,” Theuerkauf said last week during media availability. “When we first got here and started running, I was like, ‘Oh, goodness.’ But now I’m in much better shape.”
She’s one of several newcomers head coach Kim Caldwell brought in to reset the program heading into 2026-27, and the message from the group is consistent. This team has been run into shape and feels ready to play at whatever tempo Caldwell needs, especially on the defensive end. For Theuerkauf, that was the biggest adjustment.
“I knew coming into it, we press a lot, we play fast, and we get up in defense, and I really want to take on that role ’cause I want to go pro, and I need to be able to play very good defense,” Theuerkauf said. “Kim has been able to help me a lot with that aspect. My IQ is pretty high playing defense, it was just actually doing it and being confident and pressuring people. So, I think I’ve gotten a lot better.”
Going pro is part of why players come to Tennessee. The program has sent plenty of Lady Vols to the next level. Getting back to that standard starts with honesty, and Caldwell gave her newcomers that from day one, whether the topic was last season or what was coming in practice that afternoon.
“The one thing I knew right when I got on campus is that she tells the truth,” Theuerkauf said. “She’ll never lie to you. She’s so real. It’s almost like, I say, she’s like a dude. She’s not scared to tell you the truth, and that’s really hard to find in a lot of coaches, and I noticed that about her immediately. And she’s just a really good person.”
That honesty started before Theuerkauf ever signed. That honesty and transparency is what’s needed to build a program back with the right people.
“Even on my visit, she told me my role, and when I got here, nothing has ever changed,” Theuerkauf said. “Ever since I came on my visit to now to every day in practice, it’s ‘Okay, today’s gonna be hard.’ Today’s hard. ‘Today’s gonna be light.’ Today’s lighter. I never have to guess.”
The work shows. When the team first ran together in June, it couldn’t finish the conditioning ladders. Now Caldwell is cutting the times because too many players are making them.
Photo: Saul Young/News Sentinel
“I think we’re a completely different team,” Theuerkauf said. “From a personality aspect, from a conditioning aspect, from a basketball aspect, we’ve all taken huge strides.”
That growth includes filling a gap Caldwell pointed out earlier this summer, when she said the roster had plenty of shooters but not as many drivers as she wanted. Theuerkauf has made getting downhill a priority and totally bought into growth.
“I’ve worked on getting downhill a lot more,” Theuerkauf said. “I think that’s part of the game I had to grow, and a lot of us are just growing. Nobody’s trying to just be a shooter or just be a driver. Nobody’s trying to just be put into one role.”
As for what fans will notice first when this group takes the floor, Theuerkauf didn’t hesitate to say.
“I would say our energy,” Theuerkauf said. “I think we’re a lot of fun to watch. Everybody wants to play with us. You don’t want to play against us, and I think the fans are gonna notice that.”
