She was going to have to sacrifice one part of her offense given the personnel she inherited when taking over as head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols. It looks like Kim Caldwell has decided that one sacrifice would be three-point shooting.
Instead, Caldwell has worked the portal to bring in ridiculously athletic players who, even if they can’t shoot, can run her frenetic pace and make this team fun to watch. Clemson Tigers transfer guard Ruby Whitehorn is just another part of that.
Whitehorn, a 5’11” junior out of Detroit, committed to the Tennessee Lady Vols Monday. She is the fourth transfer Caldwell has added since taking over, and she announced her commitment to Rocky Top with a post on Instagram.
Once a five-star recruit, Whitehorn was an ACC All-Freshman in 2022-23 and then averaged over 12 points and five and a half rebounds as a sophomore. However, just like everybody Caldwell has added, her inability to shoot is a drawback.
Whitehorn did improve her three-point shooting this past year, but she was still .275 from beyond the arc and .692 on free throws, nowhere near where Caldwell needs to be. However, she did average over a steal a game and is very dominant in transition, so that does fit a part of Caldwell’s system.
Before Whitehorn, UT picked up guard Samara Spencer from the Arkansas Razorbacks, another athletic scorer who can’t shoot. They also added transfer forwards Alyssa Latham and Lazaria Spearman, but once again, neither can shoot. Notice a pattern here?
At this point, Caldwell has overnight turned the Tennessee Lady Vols into the most athletic team in the SEC. They’re going to open up the floor and play with a level of controlled chaos that will be similar to what Bruce Pearl ran his first year with the men’s program.
Lack of shooting will make it hard to turn that into wins, however, with the transition game, there’s a chance all of these players’ efficiency numbers increase just based on the open looks they’ll get. Athleticism and Caldwell’s style can do that.
Simply put, the Tennessee Lady Vols have a scary athletic and intimidating team now, and Caldwell may not be done. If the shooting is able to come with it, then she will fulfill Danny White’s goal of this team making an immediate splash next year.
