After her first off-season in charge, Lady Vols basketball head coach Kim Caldwell is still looking to instill her way of playing.

She assembled a new assistant coaching staff and brought in five transfer players looking to make a splash in her debut SEC season. Her 15-player roster contains plenty of depth while also allowing opportunities for new players to shine.

“We’re a really deep team,” Caldwell said. “We’re very balanced. We have a lot of athletes that can play the style of play that we want.”

Here are some takeaways from her media availability.

High fitness level in new system

Caldwell’s system demands a high level of conditioning, and that has not come easily to the Lady Vols yet. 

“It was tough, and it’s continued to be tough,” Caldwell said. “The thing about playing for me is once you meet the standard, we raise the standard, and so they are still working on that. We condition and we run a lot — they know that — but we’ve had a lot of great alumni come in and tell them it’s worth it.”

Caldwell expects to play 10 or 11 players in her rotation per game, allowing players to rest in her demanding system. With a roster that boasts plenty of talent and experience, Caldwell can mix and match combinations on the floor.

Even though every player doesn’t shine in every facet of play, Caldwell plans on building a lineup around strengths and weaknesses.

“If they’re not the greatest on defense, you give them the back of the press,” Caldwell said. “If you can’t necessarily shoot the threes, then we’re going to have you run to the rim. So there’s really a role for everyone.”

Seniors step into leadership roles

Tess Darby and Sara Puckett both expanded their roles in their penultimate seasons with the Lady Vols. Now entering a new system, the two players look to build on successful years.

During summer practice, Caldwell has noticed Darby and Puckett have strengths within her offensive scheme and locker room.

“They are phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal,” Caldwell said. “They look like different people. They act like different people. They play incredibly hard. They have a very high ceiling. They have been leaders, but they’ve also been leaders just by being in the gym.”

Puckett’s skills transfer well to Caldwell’s system because of her versatility. The 6-foot-2 forward can guard a variety of positions, which works well in Caldwell’s pressing system.

Offensively, Puckett is looking to expand on last season’s 9.9 points per game. Caldwell wants to expand her 3-point shooting into more of an asset after shooting 35% last season.

“I know she didn’t shoot a ton last year, but she can shoot,” Caldwell said. “She can drive. She’s mean, and, you know, it’s a mindset to play this way and she’s going to play hard every night.”

Light start to non-conference slate

When Caldwell designed her team’s non-conference schedule, she knew she needed time.

Caldwell is trying to build a new system for Tennessee to play with, and with a roster left behind following Kellie Harper’s firing, player strengths don’t necessarily match up. For that reason, Caldwell added some easier games to the front end of Tennessee’s slate.

“It takes us a really long time to learn how to play this way,” Caldwell said. “I would say in my nine years of coaching, our November record is probably our worst record because it takes time, and so I think that we need some room on our schedule where we can figure it out and we can grow.”

The Lady Vols open the season with five straight home games against mid-major opposition. Tennessee takes on Samford and UT Martin in the first week of the season before facing Middle Tennessee State, who beat the Lady Vols in Huntsville, Alabama, last season. Caldwell closes out her first November in Knoxville against Liberty and Western Carolina.

In December, Tennessee’s schedule difficulty ramps up with matchups against Florida State and Iowa. The schedule also features a trip to Memphis and the West Palm Beach Classic. By the time the Lady Vols get to that portion of the schedule, they will ideally have learned Caldwell’s system and make fewer mistakes.

“The more media I do, the more I will say it,” Caldwell said. “It takes time.”