What goes into a coach’s decision in choosing who attends media day with them? Most teams have the luxury of choosing their top two returning players from the year prior. But what about a whole new team like Tennessee women’s basketball?
Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell has a roster of 15, all new, and Tuesday, Oct. 13, she arrived in Birmingham, Alabama, with transfers Rylie Theuerkauf and K.K. Smikle. Caldwell was asked several times why she chose those two. During her press conference, she laid it out plain and simple.
“I think, again, just hate to beat the same point over and over, but I think the theme is to work hard, play hard, try to get better and continue to get better,” Caldwell said. “That’s not just needs to happen in the preseason. That needs to happen all year long.”
Caldwell has often spoken about the great times the team’s had together since everyone arrived in Knoxville, but hard is coming. That is where older, experienced players should be able to pull from within and lead the team through those times. Smikle was asked Tuesday about overcoming any challenges since arriving, and her point that the team doesn’t run from hard work is encouraging.
“I think one of our times on the track,” Smikle said. “When we woke up at 6:30 in the morning, we had a track workout. I think that was one of the days that really tested me, but I feel like we all stand up when it’s time and we don’t duck hard work. We’re all ready to work. That’s why we came here. She (head coach Kim Caldwell) was very honest on our visits, telling us that it was going (to) be hard. We knew it was coming, and when the hard did come, we all pursued (it).”
Caldwell mentioned on air during the SEC Now interview that if she could have brought her whole team, she would have. That shows the belief she has in everyone. But Smikle and Theuerkauf were the two who earned the trip by setting a great example.
“I think the two players, K.K. and Rylie, do a really good job of embodying that for our team,” Caldwell said. “They’re both older. They’re experienced. They know what it takes at this level. They are competitors. Every single day they show up and compete, and they don’t take things personally. They want to get better, and they want to make their teammates better.”
A key part of that statement is “they don’t take things personally.” Caldwell’s team shows a good understanding of what it means to buy in. Given everything the program went through last season, it was not the best situation for the standard of Lady Vols basketball. And I believe it’s safe to say that players were not selflessly bought into the process. This group feels different, and in reality, it is just the preseason. Some may still be in wait-and-see mode. That is totally fair, but I would be shocked if this team didn’t meet the standard of wearing Lady Vols across their chest. Theuerkauf is ready to fulfill that responsibility.
“Tennessee had a lot of reasons why I wanted to play here,” Theuerkauf said. “I mean, ever since a little kid, a little girl, that’s where you dream of playing at is Tennessee. All the history and everything with Pat Summitt. Then just when I really got to meet Kim [Caldwell] and come on the visit, I fell in love with her and her ideals and her program. Yeah, it’s been history ever since.”
