It would be easy for Nikki Caldwell to say she had Jan. 19 circled on her calendar since the moment she was introduced as LSU’s coach on April 4.
After all, she was raised a short drive from the Tennessee campus, played collegiate basketball under legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt and received her first coaching experience under Summitt as a graduate assistant.
And now that the day has come, the teams are tied near the top of the Southeastern Conference with identical 4-1 SEC records.
But Caldwell can’t say today’s game against No. 9 Tennessee is any more important than others. If she did, she’d be violating one of Summitt’s rules for success.
Summitt’s Definite Dozen, a Ten Commandments-style list of 12 rules, is still burned into Caldwell’s memory.
“First and foremost, we talked about being respectful,” Caldwell said, referring to rule No. 1 in the Definite Dozen. “There’s not an opponent that [Summitt] didn’t respect.
Obviously she’s beaten a lot of them. That’s the first thing that you talented.”
Four Lady Volunteers are posting double-digit points per game, led by senior forwards Shekinna Stricklen (15.5 points per game) and Glory Johnson (14.3).
Almost as important to the LSU game plan is controlling the home crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena, which Caldwell said can reach a frenzied pitch.
Improving her team’s grit under pressure has been one of Caldwell’s focuses since she arrived on campus.
“We devoted a lot of time to toughness and establishing that type of mentality,” Caldwell said. “When you’re on the road, you can’t be mental shape.”
The Lady Tigers know Caldwell’s history with Tennessee, and they know that it may mean more to her than she’s letting on.
But Caldwell’s having none of it. At least not yet.
“It’s going to be a game where my team has to understand it’s not about myself being a former player,” Caldwell said.
“It’s not about anything but LSU versus