University of Tennessee Athletics
October 22, 2026 | Women's Basketball
The Tennessee women's basketball team held its annual preseason media day on Thursday at Pratt Pavilion, with the coaching staff and student-athletes engaging in interviews ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Head coach Kim Caldwell began the afternoon with a media availability in the Lofton Lounge, taking questions in a group format from local media members. She, her staff and the Lady Vols then were available for one-on-one interviews on the court in Pratt Pavilion, followed by an open practice period for viewing and content capture.
The UT women are slated to hit the court at Food City Center next Tuesday night, as they play host to LVFL Bridgette Gordon and her Florida A&M Rattlers in an exhibition game on Oct. 27. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET, and the contest will be streamed on SECN+.
Caldwell's entire press conference and timestamps are available on the Tennessee Athletics YouTube page and for viewing at the link above.
Select Tennessee Player Quotes
On what they are most looking forward to about the upcoming exhibition game…
Harper Peterson: "Actually playing in front of a real crowd with all of these girls who are pretty much sisters. That is what I am most looking forward to."
On how Avery Mills has stepped into almost a coaching role…
Avery Mills: "Yeah, I am in practice every single day, whether I am doing some sort of rehab thing or not, I am still learning, there are a lot of things I still am having to learn. So, we are all learning it together, but I get a kind of different perspective on it, and I get to do things like if someone accidentally got back on defense and she is not supposed to, just saying 'Hey, you know what we are supposed to do.' So just things like that, but mainly encouragement has been my big thing. I just love getting to push them, encourage them, see things in them, so it has been great."
On where they feel like the team is after the three scrimmages and getting ready to start the season…
Harper Peterson: "I think we are really far ahead compared to what I expected. Coming in with 15 new girls, you just do not know what to expect. I think we have all come together in working together so it has been great, and I think there is still a lot to work on. We are still working on day-to-day things and areas we need to fix, but we are headed in the right direction."
On what excites them most about starting this season…
Riley Makalusky: "I think I am just looking forward to playing against someone else with these girls. I mean, obviously, we are all new, and we have not played with each other before, so I think seeing it all come together on the court against somebody else is just going to be really exciting."
Aaliyah Moore: "I think a lot of girls here left their old schools for a reason, and so I am really excited for everyone to have the opportunity to showcase what they have been working on. We have been in the gym a lot this summer. We have some amazing shooters and great rebounders, so I am just excited for everyone to play together. It has been a long time."
On what Riley Makalusky has seen in the younger players in their development in the system…
Riley Makalusky: "I think they are doing a really good job. I mean, what we are doing is hard. I remember being a freshman and I have a sister who is just a freshman, so I feel like I can relate to them. I think they have done a great job stepping into their roles, and I think we just hone in on them not being too hard on themselves. At the end of the day, it is a game. We are going to make mistakes, so just having them work as hard as possible."
On how the players have bonded and grown throughout the summer and fall…
Naomi White: "Well we hang out a lot, we hang out almost every weekend, so our bond has grown through everything. We basically see each other 24-7, so we are just together all the time. So, our bond, our chemistry is very sharp."
On what the advantage of being a brand-new team is…
Naomi White: "I think the advantage is that we all come from different play styles and different schools, so we can all put that together and then we can be great at doing our little things. Again, just coming from different schools, different play styles, different coaching styles, you can learn from each other and get better with the things that would not be as good."
Shaelyn Steele: "I think our advantage is that we all have a chip on our shoulder. We are all coming from somewhere else and we have something to prove here, so I think that is a real advantage."
On what they are noticing about Kim Caldwell's playstyle and their teammates' styles…
Irene Oboavwoduo: "I think Kim's playstyle is really upbeat and fast tempo, and that's something that I used to do in England on the national team. I think that's really good, and I also think as our teammates said, incorporating everyone's playing styles. I think that we have been gelling together, and we have really come together with everyone's different pieces. We have a unique style that's going to be exciting to watch."
On Kim Caldwell mentioning Gabby Minus's work ethic in the presser…
Gabby Minus: "I think that has been embedded in me from my parents. Just working hard, because not everything is going to be given to you. Just having the mindset you always have to be ready to learn and do anything because you are not going to win without it."
On the feelings about the exhibition game coming up…
Harissoum Coulibaly: "Yeah, I would definitely agree with what some of my teammates have said. It's a brand-new team, so some people may assume we are not going to be as good this year. I can't wait to play and get a chance to show people what kind of team we can be."
On how each player brings experience from different teams…
Jada Eads: "Honestly, it brings so much experience to your team, and some of them have played in the SEC, especially Harissoum [Coulibaly] as well, too. The amount of pace, the amount of aggressiveness and even if we didn't play in the SEC, the teams where we were at we still have to be aggressive. And then, we all came in and bought into the system and learned it together, which made us so strong in a way because we all had to go through it together as a team. I think we figured it out, and we all have to keep playing the game that we are good at because we are coming from different programs. Yeah, everyone might not know what to expect from us because we haven't played together and are coming from different programs, but we actually are capable of being really special. When we come together, play together as a team and do the things we are supposed to do, we can be a really good basketball team."
To keep up with the University of Tennessee women's basketball team on social media, follow @LadyVol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /BallWithTheLadyVols on Facebook.
Head coach Kim Caldwell began the afternoon with a media availability in the Lofton Lounge, taking questions in a group format from local media members. She, her staff and the Lady Vols then were available for one-on-one interviews on the court in Pratt Pavilion, followed by an open practice period for viewing and content capture.
The UT women are slated to hit the court at Food City Center next Tuesday night, as they play host to LVFL Bridgette Gordon and her Florida A&M Rattlers in an exhibition game on Oct. 27. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET, and the contest will be streamed on SECN+.
Caldwell's entire press conference and timestamps are available on the Tennessee Athletics YouTube page and for viewing at the link above.
Select Tennessee Player Quotes
On what they are most looking forward to about the upcoming exhibition game…
Harper Peterson: "Actually playing in front of a real crowd with all of these girls who are pretty much sisters. That is what I am most looking forward to."
On how Avery Mills has stepped into almost a coaching role…
Avery Mills: "Yeah, I am in practice every single day, whether I am doing some sort of rehab thing or not, I am still learning, there are a lot of things I still am having to learn. So, we are all learning it together, but I get a kind of different perspective on it, and I get to do things like if someone accidentally got back on defense and she is not supposed to, just saying 'Hey, you know what we are supposed to do.' So just things like that, but mainly encouragement has been my big thing. I just love getting to push them, encourage them, see things in them, so it has been great."
On where they feel like the team is after the three scrimmages and getting ready to start the season…
Harper Peterson: "I think we are really far ahead compared to what I expected. Coming in with 15 new girls, you just do not know what to expect. I think we have all come together in working together so it has been great, and I think there is still a lot to work on. We are still working on day-to-day things and areas we need to fix, but we are headed in the right direction."
On what excites them most about starting this season…
Riley Makalusky: "I think I am just looking forward to playing against someone else with these girls. I mean, obviously, we are all new, and we have not played with each other before, so I think seeing it all come together on the court against somebody else is just going to be really exciting."
Aaliyah Moore: "I think a lot of girls here left their old schools for a reason, and so I am really excited for everyone to have the opportunity to showcase what they have been working on. We have been in the gym a lot this summer. We have some amazing shooters and great rebounders, so I am just excited for everyone to play together. It has been a long time."
On what Riley Makalusky has seen in the younger players in their development in the system…
Riley Makalusky: "I think they are doing a really good job. I mean, what we are doing is hard. I remember being a freshman and I have a sister who is just a freshman, so I feel like I can relate to them. I think they have done a great job stepping into their roles, and I think we just hone in on them not being too hard on themselves. At the end of the day, it is a game. We are going to make mistakes, so just having them work as hard as possible."
On how the players have bonded and grown throughout the summer and fall…
Naomi White: "Well we hang out a lot, we hang out almost every weekend, so our bond has grown through everything. We basically see each other 24-7, so we are just together all the time. So, our bond, our chemistry is very sharp."
On what the advantage of being a brand-new team is…
Naomi White: "I think the advantage is that we all come from different play styles and different schools, so we can all put that together and then we can be great at doing our little things. Again, just coming from different schools, different play styles, different coaching styles, you can learn from each other and get better with the things that would not be as good."
Shaelyn Steele: "I think our advantage is that we all have a chip on our shoulder. We are all coming from somewhere else and we have something to prove here, so I think that is a real advantage."
On what they are noticing about Kim Caldwell's playstyle and their teammates' styles…
Irene Oboavwoduo: "I think Kim's playstyle is really upbeat and fast tempo, and that's something that I used to do in England on the national team. I think that's really good, and I also think as our teammates said, incorporating everyone's playing styles. I think that we have been gelling together, and we have really come together with everyone's different pieces. We have a unique style that's going to be exciting to watch."
On Kim Caldwell mentioning Gabby Minus's work ethic in the presser…
Gabby Minus: "I think that has been embedded in me from my parents. Just working hard, because not everything is going to be given to you. Just having the mindset you always have to be ready to learn and do anything because you are not going to win without it."
On the feelings about the exhibition game coming up…
Harissoum Coulibaly: "Yeah, I would definitely agree with what some of my teammates have said. It's a brand-new team, so some people may assume we are not going to be as good this year. I can't wait to play and get a chance to show people what kind of team we can be."
On how each player brings experience from different teams…
Jada Eads: "Honestly, it brings so much experience to your team, and some of them have played in the SEC, especially Harissoum [Coulibaly] as well, too. The amount of pace, the amount of aggressiveness and even if we didn't play in the SEC, the teams where we were at we still have to be aggressive. And then, we all came in and bought into the system and learned it together, which made us so strong in a way because we all had to go through it together as a team. I think we figured it out, and we all have to keep playing the game that we are good at because we are coming from different programs. Yeah, everyone might not know what to expect from us because we haven't played together and are coming from different programs, but we actually are capable of being really special. When we come together, play together as a team and do the things we are supposed to do, we can be a really good basketball team."
To keep up with the University of Tennessee women's basketball team on social media, follow @LadyVol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /BallWithTheLadyVols on Facebook.
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