With her team facing the possibility of missing the NCAA Tournament midway through SEC play, LSU women’s basketball coach Nikki Caldwell brought out the big guns.
She told the Lady Tigers if they did not make the tournament, they would be forced to work as custodians, water girls and in the concession stand as they watched four other teams play on their home court.
“I told them you are not at LSU just to play through a season,” Caldwell said. “LSU is rich in tradition … It would be an insult for us not to be representing LSU on a national level.”
The Lady Tigers responded by finishing the regular season on a six-game win streak in which they defeated three top-15 teams.
In just two seasons, Caldwell has rejuvenated a program that previously seemed to be on decline.
Caldwell replaced Van Chancellor in 2011 after a season in which LSU failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. Since then, Caldwell has led the Lady Tigers to a 43-21 record in two seasons and a second straight NCAA Tournament berth.
“With her coming in and us getting NCAA Tournament spots both years, it’s really putting our name out there and showing that LSU is a contender for national championships,” said LSU senior guard Adrienne Webb. “We are putting our name back on the map.”
It seems everything Caldwell touches turns to gold. She has had little but success in both playing and coaching.
Caldwell played for Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summitt from 1991-94. In that time, the Lady Volunteers compiled a 118-13 record and won a national championship.
After spending a combined eight seasons as assistant coach under Summitt, Caldwell took her first head coaching job at UCLA.
In three seasons, she transformed a fledgling program into a third-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament and earned a PAC-10 Coach of the Year award.
According to Webb, there is no secret to Caldwell’s prosperity — just hard work.
Caldwell said the luxury of being surrounded by talented coaches and players does not hurt, either.
“It all starts with the unbelievable staff I have, which works extremely hard, not only to bring players in here, but also to develop them,” Caldwell said. “… I’ve got student-athletes who know how to win. They know how to compete when their backs are against the wall … I’ve got a bunch of fighters on our team.”
Once the NCAA Tournament ends, Caldwell won’t take much of a vacation — she will spend the summer representing the red, white and blue as assistant coach to the 2013 USA Basketball U19 World Championship team in Lithuania.
Caldwell will reunite with head coach Katie Meyer of Miami and Gonzaga’s Kelly Graves for the tournament. The trio led the USA’s U18 team to a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship last summer.
“I’m looking forward to the U19 national team,” Caldwell said. “I had an opportunity to be a part of something really special last year. I appreciate the committee asking me back this year.”
Caldwell has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time at LSU, but she is nowhere near finished yet. She said she wants to bring the program back to a place where winning SEC Championships and making Final Fours are not just possible but expected.
“It’s a big privilege to be here at LSU, to be their head coach and to be a representative of the women’s game as a whole,” Caldwell said. “I thoroughly believe that when you’re able to work with young people, that is one of the greatest gifts that we can give.”
