Tennessee’s Kim Caldwell is absent from Lady Vols after welcoming her son
AUSTIN, Texas – Lady Vols basketball coach Kim Caldwell is not with her team for their away game against Texas on Thursday, as announced by UT.
Caldwell, who recently gave birth to her son, did not accompany the team and will not coach the No. 17 Lady Vols (15-3, 3-3 SEC) as they face the No. 7 Longhorns (18-2, 4-1) at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Just one hour before the game began, Tennessee shared the happy news that Caldwell and her husband, Justin, welcomed their son, Conor Scott Caldwell. The statement confirmed that both mother and baby are “doing well.”
For this game, assistant coach Jenna Burdette will step in as head coach. This marks the first time Caldwell has missed a game due to her pregnancy, having coached the team in their recent loss at Vanderbilt on Sunday.
At 36 years old, Caldwell revealed her pregnancy in September and has managed her inaugural season with the Lady Vols while expecting her first child. Her husband, Justin, serves as the player development coordinator for the Tennessee men’s basketball team.
Jenna Burdette will lead Lady Vols against Texas in Caldwell’s absence
Burdette has worked closely with Caldwell more than any other member of her coaching staff. She was Caldwell’s assistant coach at both Glenville State (2018-20) and Marshall (2023-24). Under Caldwell’s guidance, their teams won the conference title all three seasons Burdette was part of the coaching staff.
During her time at Glenville State, the team recorded an impressive 56-8 record and clinched both the MEC regular-season and tournament championships in each of Burdette’s two seasons there.
In their lone season together at Marshall, Burdette served as Caldwell’s associate head coach, helping lead the team to a 26-7 record along with both the regular-season and Sun Belt Tournament championships. This achievement secured Marshall’s second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since 1997.
Caldwell brought Burdette onto her Lady Vols coaching staff in April.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. You can reach her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll.
