Tennessee coach Caldwell misses game at Texas after giving birth to son

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell missed the 17th-ranked Lady Vols' game at No. 7 Texas on Thursday after giving birth to a son this week.

Conor Scott Caldwell is the first child for Caldwell and her husband, Justin. She and the baby are doing well, according to a Tennessee spokesman. No timetable was given for her return.

Assistant Jenna Burdette will serve as the acting head coach in Caldwell’s absence.

Caldwell, 36, came to Tennessee from Marshall, which she took to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 1997 in her only season at the school. She arrived at Tennessee with a 217-31 career record. Caldwell won the 2022 NCAA Division ll championship at Glenville State.

The Vols brought a 15-3 record to Texas, with the three losses — to Oklahoma, LSU and Vanderbilt — coming by a total of four points.

Tennessee, which attempts and makes more 3-point shots than any team in the country, leads the nation in scoring with 94.3 points a game.

Caldwell has said that being the first-year coach of the historic program allows her to help other working mothers not stress out or feel alone.

“I have an opportunity here to help the next person that is going to get pregnant during basketball season or anyone that’s going to get pregnant during a time of their life that’s stressful,” Caldwell recently told The Associated Press. “And for most women, that’s all the time.”

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