No. 17 Tennessee remained ‘the same’ under Jenna Burdette leadership

At 6 p.m., heading into the 7 p.m. tip, Tennessee announced that Caldwell had not traveled with the team after giving birth to her son, Conor Scott Caldwell. Assistant coach Jenna Burdette would take over Caldwell’s role leading the Lady Vols into a much needed conference win.

Though Caldwell is still somewhat a new face for Volunteer fans, her history with Burdette goes far back. The sixth year assistant coach was Caldwell’s assistant for four years, from Division II program Glenville State to the top of the Southeastern Conference in Knoxville.

Tennessee had a set plan in mind to when baby Caldwell decided to make an appearance.

“Coach Kim does a good job lifting up everyone, including the staff,” Burdette told reporters after the game. “We were prepared for the moment, and our team did a really good job.”

In a “Battle of the UTs,” the traveling Lady Vols put on some pressure on the No. 7 Longhorns, in a game that wasn’t decided until the last second. The hosts came out on top, putting Tennessee to four losses by a combined eight points.

In the second and third games of conference play, the Vols fell to No. 15 Oklahoma by a point, 87-86, and to No. 5 LSU 89-87 at home. Later, the Vols fell to unranked Vanderbilt also by one point in Nashville.

“They’re going to be in every game because they play so hard,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer told reporters post-game.

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Just a few days after having her son, Caldwell returned to speak to the media ahead of a home game against No. 2 South Carolina, and took some time to praise her assistant coach.

“We knew that trip was going to be hard,” Caldwell said on Sunday morning. “I was either gonna be very pregnant and very close to have a baby or have a baby. She did a great job of taking control, she had the two days of practice before that, and then she had the team (in Austin). The team looks up to her and respects her, and I think the team responded really well too, of just making sure they didn’t really have a drop off.”

Burdette and the Vols led at the end of the first quarter by two points, and trailed by just five at halftime. The four-point loss was sealed when Texas senior guard Rori Harmon scored her two free throws with just five seconds left on the clock.

An usual key player for Tennessee, sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper had a lower scoring day with only seven points. Cooper momentarily exited the court limping, but soon returned to the lineup. Burdette confirmed Cooper was fine and didn’t suffer any major injuries.

It was junior guard Ruby Whitehorn who put on the buckets for the Vols. The Clemson transfer scored a season high 21 points.

Even under different leadership, the Volunteer essence remained the same.

“I didn’t see anything different, I saw the same team that plays extremely hard,” Schaefer said. “They really challenge you…It’s the team I’ve been watching on film for the last three days. I know how good they are.”

Caldwell gave birth on Monday, and was already back at practice on Friday. The next challenge for Tennessee will be a home game against the reigning national champions, with coach Caldwell back on the leading seat.

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