Image Courtesy: www.scout.com
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Nikki Caldwell, former Lady Wildcat, is the Head Girls Basketball
Coach at UCLA.
Caldwell came to UCLA after serving on the staff of legendary
women's coach Pat Summitt as an assistant coach at the University
of Tennessee for the 2003-08 seasons. She helped the Lady Vols post
a 195-24 record during that span, which included five trips to the
Final Four and NCAA championships in 2007 and 2008. Caldwell has
been lauded as an excellent floor coach and a consistent star among
college recruiters.
In her 14 seasons as a collegiate player and assistant coach,
Caldwell's teams have compiled an amazing 404-76 record and
appeared in the NCAA Tournament each season, while winning three
national championships.
In 2008, the Lady Vols captured a second-straight NCAA
championship and finished with a record of 36-2. National Player of
the Year Candace Parker, the No. 1 selection in the WNBA draft and
the 2008 WNBA MVP, led a group of five Lady Vols to be drafted into
the WNBA on the day following the championship.
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. That class
consisted of six 2004 high school All-Americans, including three
Players of the Year. In 2007, the Women's Basketball Coaches
Association (WBCA) named Tennessee as the best recruiting school in
the nation. In 2008, three of the top 15 current high school seniors in
the country (hoopgurlz.com) committed to play for Tennessee in
2008-09, and five played in the McDonald's All-American Game.
A guard during her own 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. She 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, TX-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.
Caldwell is a passionate crusader for breast cancer awareness.
Coach Caldwell's Bio from UCLA Bruins Sports Website.
While at Oak Ridge, she still holds the Single Season Scoring Record
with 819 points in her 1989-1990 season.
Click Here for a Link to UCLA Women's Basketball
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