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Lady Vols basketball released the first episode of a new series called "Lady Vol Access," and produced by Tennessee Athletics.
The seven-minute episode included clips from a staff meeting, practices and interview clips with coach Kim Caldwell, strength and conditioning coach Nolan Harvath and players. Georgia transfer forward Zhen Craft was the player featured in the first episode that was released July 17.
"I think what made Tennessee the right place for me was just the culture and the playing style. I would think that it's a very free and open system, and I think that's what I thrive in," Craft said in the video. "And especially Coach Kim and having my first conversations with her and just seeing how she believed in me and how she believed in my growth and my work ethic. They really just made it an easy decision."
Caldwell said she's excited to coach Craft, who she called "a beautiful person."
"She's going to be a really strong leader for us," Caldwell said. "She has a passion for the game and to take care of her teammates. That has been really been cool to watch."
Texas A&M transfer forward Fatmata Janneh was also wearing a mic during a few practice clips, one of them showing Janneh teasing Caldwell.
"This is the big boss right here," said Janneh, sneaking up on a focused Caldwell, who laughed when she heard Janneh's comment. "Yo, I swear to God, I'm the only one that can make her laugh during practice, because she be so locked in, it's insane."
Caldwell said in the video she's excited that Janneh, and her big personality, is part of the team. Janneh is a hard worker with something to prove, Caldwell said, and she's happy to be at Tennessee.
Janneh claims Maryland transfer guard Kaylene Smikle is "about to be SEC Player of the Year" this season in another clip, and then she said Smikle hit 12 3-pointers in a row.
"She has just been such a bright spot for our team," Caldwell said.
Caldwell praised her team for how much extra work they have put in to start summer practices, and she said she doesn't think she has ever had a team in her 10-year career that has been in the gym as much as this one.
"She's a motivator. I think a lot of people wouldn't expect that," Craft said. "I think that she is a very kind soul, she believes in us a lot. She motivates us and she's just caring. At the end of the day, she wants you to get what you need to do, done. She's going to be strict, she's going to be hard on you, but it's because she's coming from a place of love, and she actually has high expectations for us."
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What we learned from first episode of 'Lady Vol Access' with Kim Caldwell
