ESPN analyst slams Tennessee’s Kim Caldwell for dropping her team originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
Tennessee’s latest decline drew national attention on Sunday, when ESPN analyst Andraya Carter publicly questioned Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell’s handling of the team’s woes.
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During an appearance on College GameDay, Carter responded to Caldwell’s blunt postgame remarks after a 43-point loss to South Carolina on Feb. 8. Caldwell criticized her players’ response to adversity, saying, “We had a lot of guys give up tonight,” later adding that the performance was “embarrassing.”
Carter said such comments could send the wrong message.
“You should never say your team has a lot of guys quitting,” Carter said on the broadcast. “You never want to tell the fans who are watching and paying to see your players that they’re quitting.”
Tennessee has lost four of its last five games, not including a 30-point loss to No. 1 UConn to start February. Caldwell always wanted a sense of urgency, saying repeatedly that the solution was simple, “win the next game.”
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Carter believes the problem is beyond the scope of the effort. She questioned whether the Lady Vols believed in their system, noting that a heavy reliance on 3-point shooting and aggressive trap defense could leave the team vulnerable in transition.
“When you’re in trouble, you have to trust yourself, the system and your employees,” Carter said. “It seemed like they didn’t know who to turn to for help.”
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Carter added that it cannot be purchased or requested. “There’s not much money to buy,” she said. “You have to create it collectively.”
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Now, the spotlight turns to Caldwell as Tennessee searches for answers in the final stretch of SEC play. They will face three ranked opponents (No. 11 Oklahoma State, No. 7 LSU and No. 5 Vanderbilt) to close out the regular season.
