The Naismith Awards announced its 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time on Wednesday, and first-year Lady Vol basketball head coach Kim Caldwell is included among the candidates.
Caldwell, one of six SEC coaches in consideration, joins Geno Auriemma (UConn), Kenny Brooks (Kentucky), Mark Campbell (TCU), Cori Close (UCLA), Nell Fortner (Ga. Tech), Lindsay Gottlieb (USC), Niele Ivey (Notre Dame), Kevin McGuff (Ohio State), Jeff Mittie (Kansas State), Wes Moore (NC State), Kim Mulkey (LSU), Shea Ralph (Vanderbilt), Vic Schaefer (Texas) and Dawn Staley (South Carolina) on the list.
Under Caldwell’s leadership, the Lady Vols have compiled a 19-6 overall record and 6-6 mark in SEC play, climbing to a season-best No. 15/13 in the current national rankings after beginning the year unranked. UT has knocked off No. 5/5 UConn and No. 17/20 Iowa among others and has suffered a series of near misses against the nation’s elite teams. The Lady Vols’ six losses have come by a combined total of 20 points, with five of those coming against teams ranked in the top 10.
Tennessee currently holds a No. 11 placement in the NCAA’s NET rankings and was projected as a No. 16 overall seed in Sunday’s early reveal of seedings by the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee. That placement, if the Lady Vols can maintain it, would mean they would have the opportunity to host during the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
UT is averaging 10,547 in attendance per game at home, which ranks No. 5 nationally and is the best at Food City Center since the 2013-14 season. The fans have embraced a fast-paced, exciting style of play that finds Tennessee among the nation’s leaders in scoring offense, three-pointers made per game, offensive rebounds per game, steals per game and turnovers forced per game.
Caldwell, who sports a career record of 236-37 (.864) and a conference mark of 155-19 (.891) in her ninth season as a head coach, is no stranger to being the recipient of recognition for her teams’ performances. She is a five-time conference coach of the year, the 2024 Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year and the 2022 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year, earning the Pat Summitt Trophy.
Her Lady Vols face No. 18/19 Alabama in Knoxville at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Food City Center. Caldwell will take aim at her eighth 20-win campaign and the 48th in the history of the UT women’s program.
