The cheers started as soon as fans caught a glimpse of Kim Caldwell on the video scoreboard minutes before the game started. As she reached the court Monday night, the noise got louder, and more than 12,000 fans got on their feet to applaud.

Just seven days after giving birth to her son, the head coach of the Lady Vols walked to the opposing bench to greet South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, took her position in line for the national anthem and then went to Tennessee’s bench.

“I tried to sneak in and go unnoticed,” Caldwell said after the game. “It makes it worth it coming back.”

Conor Scott Caldwell arrived January 20, 2025, so his mother had to miss the trip to Texas for last Thursday’s game. Kim Caldwell did make it to practice Friday, just four days after giving birth and then met with media last Sunday.

“Women have the strength of 10 men,” Staley said in the post-game press conference after her Gamecocks defeated Tennessee, 70-63, to stay undefeated in the SEC.

The Lady Vols made a game of it – as they always do – had a solid opening quarter and excellent fourth quarter and managed to chip a 22-point deficit to single digits. Tennessee won the fourth quarter, 24-13.

Staley summed up her team’s plight in final 10 minutes succinctly: “Bad shots. Bad decisions. Fatigue. Their pressure.”

Caldwell’s press conference can be watched HERE. Staley’s can be watched HERE.

Ruby Whitehorn led Tennessee (15-5, 3-5) with 12 points, while Talaysia Cooper tallied 11 points and Jillian Hollingshead added seven points.

Joyce Edwards led South Carolina (20-1, 8-0) with 18 points, MiLaysia Fulwiley tallied 11 points, and Raven Johnson, Chloe Kitts and Te-Hina Paopao each added 10 points.

The Lady Vols have lost three consecutive SEC games, all to ranked teams and two on the road at Vanderbilt and Texas. Tennessee doesn’t play Thursday as that is a bye for the Lady Vols, and the brief break is well-timed for both the players and the head coach.

The next game is this Sunday, February 2, at Missouri, which has become a tricky place for Tennessee to play. It’s been a bit since the Lady Vols played well in the Show Me State. Caldwell intends to be on the plane Saturday for the trip to Columbia with her players.

“I love this team,” Caldwell said. “I ask a lot of them, so I have to give my best to them.”

Maria M. Cornelius, a senior writer/editor at MoxCar Marketing + Communications since 2013, started her journalism career at the Knoxville News Sentinel and began writing about the Lady Vols in 1998. In 2016, she published her first book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” through The University of Tennessee Press.