Sun Mar 30 20:20:00 UTC 2025: **Lady Vols Coach Kim Caldwell’s Son Witnesses Sweet 16 Thriller in First Game**
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — University of Tennessee Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell’s first season ended with a thrilling Sweet 16 loss to Texas, 67-59, but the game held special significance for a different reason: it was the first time her infant son, Conor, witnessed her coaching. The 11,433 fans in attendance at Legacy Arena weren’t the only ones captivated by the hard-fought game against the top-seeded Longhorns.
Caldwell, who missed only one game this season – the regular-season matchup against Texas while recovering from childbirth – expressed immense gratitude for the support of her family and the Tennessee athletic program. Her husband, Justin (UT men’s basketball player development coordinator), and her mother, Linda Stephens, provided crucial childcare support throughout a demanding basketball season. She described having a baby mid-season as “hard,” but called the experience of having her son at his first game “special.”
The coach reflected on the bittersweet nature of the season, contrasting the joy of her son’s presence with the challenges of balancing motherhood and a demanding coaching career. She also acknowledged the support of the Tennessee administration and her team, which was essential given her personal life experiences. Caldwell previously coached through the death of her father, Scott Stephens, who passed away unexpectedly in 2020. She described this season as one marked by “blessing after blessing.”
First Piper 