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Caldwell waiting to hear back from UCLA
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Last week was a great one for Nikki Caldwell.
There's a chance this week might be pretty good as well for the Tennessee women's basketball assistant coach.
Caldwell, who helped guide the Lady Vols to their second consecutive national championship with a 64-48 victory over Stanford Tuesday night, met with UCLA officials Friday at the Dallas airport to discuss the Bruins' head coaching job.
"I had the opportunity to find out a little more about UCLA,'' Caldwell said. "They had the opportunity to find out a little more about me."
Apparently, Caldwell liked what she learned. She described the UCLA opening as a "great opportunity for the next head coach there. Everything is in place."
As for the UCLA officials' impression of Caldwell, she said that she expects to hear back from them sometime this week.
Kathy Olivier, who coached the Bruins for 15 seasons, resigned last month after the team finished a disappointing 16-15 and tied for fourth in the Pac-10 Conference.
Olivier was 232-208 overall, but 117-123 during the last six seasons and led UCLA to only one 20-win season since 1998-99.
Caldwell, who has completed her sixth season as an assistant under Coach Pat Summitt, met with UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero and associate athletic director Petrina Long to discuss the job.
A former standout guard at Tennessee from 1990 to 1994, Caldwell began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at her alma mater during the 1998-99 season. She then worked as an assistant at Virginia from 1999 to 2002. Summitt hired her in the spring of 2002. She is known for her ability to recruit high-profile players and design game plans.
"She's one of the best Xs and O's coaches out there and a great recruiter," said Lady Vols star forward Candace Parker, the WNBA's No. 1 overall draft pick by the Los Angeles Sparks.
Caldwell said that she has been in contact with athletic officials from Memphis, which also is looking for a new head coach. There has been no formal interview, however.
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Posted by AlpharettaVol on April 12, 2008 at 6:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
She has obviously become one of the people CPS depends on for input during a game as well as in practice. I had a chance to hear her speak at a Big Orange Caravan dinner a couple of years ago and she is a very impressive woman. I can't imagine that UCLA wouldn't grab her if they had the chance. At the same time it would be a real loss for the Lady Vols.
Posted by houvol on April 12, 2008 at 6:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Also, she is a local person too. Let's not forget she is also an Oak Ridge Wildcat. Tough to loose great local talent. However, this is an opportunity (if given) she should take advantage of.
Posted by LdyVolFaninKS on April 12, 2008 at 6:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think she would be crazy to go to UCLA. The west coast doesn't take women's basketball seriously. She should wait until something promising out east opens up, or better yet, stay in Tennessee and fill Pat's shoes in 15 years. The west coast offers little in women's basketball, even if Stanford did make it to the championship game. What was their home attendance like this year? Probably pretty dismal until Tennessee came there to play. Nikki, PLEASE STAY!
Posted by BigOrangeVol on April 13, 2008 at 12:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Left Coast doesn't take their ladies basketball seriously? Really?
D-I National Titles:
California State-Fullerton - '70 (Final 4 in '72 & '75)
UCLA - '78 (Final 4 in '74, '77 & '79)
USC - '83 & '84 (Final 4 in '81 & '86)
Stanford - '90 & '92 (Final 4 in '91, '95, '96, '97 & 07)
Long Beach St. - (Final 4 in '78, '87 & '88)
Cal - (Final 4 in '81)
That's 16% of the National Titles since 1970 and 59% of the Final Fours!
USC and Stanford are in the Top 8 in Final 4 appearances.
Stanford averaged 4,139 per home game this year but the NCAA average in women's basketball is only 1,600. Obviously everyones attendance is dismal compared to ours! We lead the nation every year with around 16,000. UConn gets about 10-11K. Only the usual Top 20 schools average over 5,000. UCLA averaged 1,700 this season and Memphis was probably less than 600. So maybe it's just their fans that don't take it as seriously as their players do.
D-II National Titles:
Cal Poly Pomona - '82, '85, '86, '01 & '02... same number as UConn.
Posted by bamacheats on April 13, 2008 at 1:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
BigOrangeVol: Get a life man! Who has that much time to dig those meaningless stats up?
And you still didn't prove your point. The only team that is relevant the last ten years is Stanford.
Posted by camoman270 on April 13, 2008 at 9:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Big orage vol..........You proved your point!
Posted by BillVol on April 13, 2008 at 9:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
bamacheats is right. Those numbers posted by BOV are ancient history. D-II national titles by Cal Poly Pomona? BOV, if you were to get on a plane from Knoxville to Pomona, take a taxi to the campus and ask 100 students to name one player on the women's basketball team, I'll betcha not one person could name even one player.
Posted by johnlg00 on April 13, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Even if UCLA or Memphis(really?) isn't the place, it is clear that Nikki is drawing national attention. And why not? She is a very impressive woman who learned the game beside the best there ever was! I think she would be a great successor to Pat, but I surely couldn't blame her for not wanting to wait for Pat to retire. Of course, there is no rule that she can't go get experience as a head coach elsewhere and then come back when the time is right.
Posted by miamiVOL on April 13, 2008 at 12:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
i want her to stay and take over for Pat Summitt when the time is ready, but she is such an excellent coach that i wish her luck at any opportunity she gets, not in the SEC!!
Posted by grvol on April 13, 2008 at 1:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
BigOrange Vol do you actually attend such games? Didn't realize the women's game was important enough in the 70s to even keep stats. Do you actually believe women's sports matter? Yawn.
Posted by LdyVolFaninKS on April 13, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Suppose just for a minute that Stanford played UCLA for the championship this year. How many viewers do you think ESPN would have had? The numbers were up this year and it was all because UT was there. BOV, since you're so in to stats, do you have any for this decade? How many schools west of Texas have been in the final four in the 2000's?
Posted by LadyVolFanForever on April 13, 2008 at 3:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would truly hate to see Nikki leave UT but she has to do what is best for herself. She has been a real asset to the Lady Vols and she has learned from the best. If she does make a jump, I truly hope she comes back when Pat retires as she would carry on the torch tremendously !
Good luck in whatever you decide Nikki.
Posted by LdyVolFaninKS on April 13, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I guess we all are forgetting Holly Warlick. Are no other schools courting her and if not, why not? Maybe she has already told them all no because she is already set to be the head after Pat retires?? Either way, we are set for many years to come after Pat retires...if she ever does (and I certainly hope not)!
Posted by allvolinatlanta on April 13, 2008 at 5:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was wondering about Holly Warlick as well. Has she ever been considered for a head coaching position?
Posted by BruinFan on April 14, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have a ton of respect for your program and what you have accomplished. There is no question that Nikki Caldwell will be a head coach some day...but in all honesty, for my alma mater UCLA - I hope we hire a coach who has some previous head coaching experience...I think we will and I predict we will see you in the Final Four within 4 years. Good Luck Vols, I hope Nikki remains to help you for at least another year.
Posted by LdyVolFaninKS on April 14, 2008 at 6:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
See, I told you the west coast doesn't know squat about women's basketball. Nikki has learned from the best of the best and could probably out coach most head coaches in the nation. There aren't very many head coaches out there job shopping with all the changes from last year. Maybe you could get Pokey to come back from Russia and do it. What are the rules out west in regards to coaches dating players? LOL!!!
Posted by johnlg00 on April 15, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
In re: Holly Warlick. I have never heard her own views on the subject, but not everybody is head coach material. Some people find their proper niche as assistants and are happy to remain there. She makes a good living, is respected by her players and peers, and doesn't have to deal with all the countless non-basketball details that take up so much of a head coach's time and attention.
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