Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell misses loss at Texas after giving birth to son
Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell misses loss at Texas after giving birth to son
Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell speaks during NCAA women’s college basketball Southeastern Conference Media Day, Oct. 16, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell yells from the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, Dec. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson, File)
Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell speaks during NCAA women’s college basketball Southeastern Conference Media Day, Oct. 16, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell speaks during NCAA women’s college basketball Southeastern Conference Media Day, Oct. 16, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell yells from the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, Dec. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson, File)
Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell yells from the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, Dec. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson, File)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell missed the 17th-ranked Lady Vols’ 80-76 loss at No. 7 Texas on Thursday night after giving birth to a son this week.
Conor Scott Caldwell is the first child for Caldwell and her husband, Justin. She and the baby are doing well, according to a Tennessee spokesman. No timetable was given for her return.
Assistant Jenna Burdette is serving as the acting head coach in Caldwell’s absence.
Caldwell, 36, came to Tennessee from Marshall, which she took to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 1997 in her only season at the school. She arrived at Tennessee with a 217-31 career record. Caldwell won the 2022 NCAA Division ll championship at Glenville State.
The loss to Texas dropped the Lady Vols to 15-4, with the losses coming by a combined total of eight points. Three of the defeats were to ranked foes.
Tennessee, which attempts and makes more 3-point shots than any team in the country, entered Thursday night leading the nation in scoring at 94.3 points a game.
Caldwell has said that being the first-year coach of the historic program allows her to help other working mothers not stress out or feel alone.
“I have an opportunity here to help the next person that is going to get pregnant during basketball season or anyone that’s going to get pregnant during a time of their life that’s stressful,” Caldwell told The Associated Press recently. “And for most women, that’s all the time.”
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