Nikki Caldwell at a UCLA press conference
on Thursday afternoon.
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Nikki Caldwell, a native of Oak Ridge, who assisted Pat Summit at Tennessee the past six seasons, was hired Thursday as head coach of the UCLA women's basketball team.
"We are thrilled to welcome Nikki to the Bruin family," UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said in a statement. "She is bright, articulate and an outstanding coach and recruiter who is a rising star in her profession. Nikki has been a winner as a student-athlete and an assistant coach and is the perfect person to make our program nationally competitive on a regular basis."
Caldwell joined the Tennessee staff for the 2002-03 season and became the recruiting director in the spring of 2003. In the fall of 2003, the Tennessee staff signed perhaps the most prolific freshman class in the history of women’s collegiate basketball.
Nikki is well known around her home town of Oak Ridge, although she has been away from here for quite a few years. In 2006 she was instrumental in helping the United Way of Anderson County in launching the first Turbo Turtle Race fundraiser. She is pictured to the right on a green motor scooter in front of the ORNL Federal Credit Union. The scooter was one of the prizes awarded to winners of the Turbo Turtle Race.
Prior to her return as a coach at her alma mater, Caldwell served as an assistant at the University of Virginia for three seasons (2000-2002). She was responsible for recruiting, scouting, film exchange, player development, camps and monitoring academic progress of the student-athletes. UVA compiled a record of 60-36 in her three seasons in Charlottesville and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each campaign. She helped to develop standout Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) players Telisha Quarles at guard and forward Brandi Teamer, the 2002 ACC Rookie of the Year.
A guard during her playing days at Tennessee (1991-94) when the Lady Vols put together a 118-13 record, Caldwell was known for her tough defense and three-point shooting. She still ranks among the all-time top 10 at Tennessee in three-point field goals made (128) and three-point shots attempted (364). She scored 20 points in her first collegiate game against Stanford and went on to be named to the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) All-Freshman team. In the 1991 NCAA title game victory over Virginia, Caldwell’s defense was considered a key in UT’s overtime win.
Caldwell received the Gloria Ray Leadership Award in both her junior and senior seasons at Tennessee. After graduating with a degree in public relations in 1994, Caldwell moved behind the microphone as a color analyst on Tennessee games for Fox Sports Net South. She went on to become the color analyst for the SEC’s Game of the Week from 1995-97. Her television exposure opened the door for her to become the hostess of the sports segments for the Knoxville, TN based cable network show, Shop at Home (1997-98). She then decided to return to her first love, coaching, in 1998 when she became a graduate assistant for administration on the Lady Vols women’s basketball staff. During the 1998-99 season, Tennessee went 31-3 and captured the SEC regular season and SEC Tournament titles. Caldwell was responsible for assisting the coaching staff in all aspects of basketball operations.
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"Tennessee's loss is going to be UCLA's gain. Nikki Caldwell is truly one of the rising stars in women's college basketball. She is the total package as a teacher, a coach and a recruiter. She is a woman of great character and has a powerful gift of mentoring young women. Nikki has been instrumental in the success of our program as both a player and most recently as an assistant coach for the last six years.”
- Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt
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“There couldn't have been a better candidate for the job. Nikki Caldwell represents passion, commitment and intelligence within the game of women's basketball. She is destined to do nothing but good things, and UCLA will truly benefit from her services. I personally have connected with Coach Caldwell as a player underneath her for 4 years, not just within basketball but personally. She has my support and forever will as she helps to reestablish a storied program.”
- Tennessee All-American and Los Angeles Sparks No. 1 Draft Pick Candace Parker
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