Just as when you think the Tennessee Volunteers and Kim Caldwell have hit rock bottom, they find a way to make things worse. The transfer portal window doesn’t even begin until the day after the national championship, April 6, and yet they already have multiple players announcing their intention to leave. Deniya Prawl, Alyssa Latham, Kaniya Boyd and Lauren Hurst are all leaving the program. A major roster turnover has arrived for Kim Caldwell and now a key assistant coach has joined the departures list. 

This exodus comes on the back of the least successful season in program history. The Lady Vols finished the season with a program-worst winning percentage at 16-14. The 16 wins tied the fewest of the NCAA era. In addition, the Lady Vols end the season on an eight-game losing streak, including a first-round loss to NC State on March 20 in the NCAA Tournament. The offseason has barely started and Kim Caldwell has lost her best recruiter. 

The Lady Vols announced that assistant coach Gabe Lazo resigned on March 30. Lazo was hired off the staff at Mississippi State, with his SEC experience valued at the Lady Vols. He was the primary recruiter for Kim Caldwell and almost single-handedly assembled her first recruiting class last season: Mia and Mya Pauldo, Deniya Prawl, Jaida Civil and Lauren Hurst.  

“Huge. He was huge, honestly,” Five-star freshman Deniya Prawl said about Lazo. “He was a great recruiter, he didn’t pressure me ever, he didn’t negative recruit, he was just a very positive impact in my recruiting process. I think out of all schools and all coaches, I was most comfortable with him. He kind of played like a big brother role when it comes to that. Just checking on me, making sure I’m okay outside of basketball.”

Lazo was also instrumental in Tennessee’s signing of five-star forward Oliviyah Edwards. The Washington native picked the Vols over South Carolina, LSU, USC and Washington. Tennessee also signed 6-1 guard Gabby Minus from Georgia, giving the program back to back top-10 recruiting classes. 

It’s not only freshmen either, as transfers Janiah Barker, Jersey Wolfenbarger and Nya Robertson all brought up his name as reasons they picked the Lady Vols. It’s not only recruiting, as he played a key part in their tactical preparation as well. He could be leaving to become a head coach at another program, as he was earlier mentioned as a candidate at USF and Memphis. The program has not wasted time in hiring a replacement. 

Kim Caldwell Hires Gabe Lazo Replacement Almost Immediately

Just a day after Lazo’s resignation, Kim Caldwell has brought in Bill Ferrara from Florida State as his replacement. Ferrara has been on Brooke Wyckoff’s coaching staff since 2022-23. Prior to that, he served as an associate head coach at St. John’s, New Mexico and Florida. Now he brings that experience to Knoxville. 

“I am pleased to welcome Bill to our staff,” Caldwell said in the release. “He has played an instrumental role in Florida State’s high-scoring offense and three-point shooting over the past four seasons. We look forward to adding his technical knowledge, experience and recruiting abilities to our program.”

The Lady Vols scored 76.4 points per game this past season, ranking 28th in the country while shooting a measly 30.5% from the three-point line. Their outside shooting ranked 194th in the country on a high volume of 30.6 attempts per game. For comparison, FSU scored 78.4 points per game while shooting 30.7% from the three-point line. But they set a program record just last year with 286 made threes. 

“I am thrilled to join Kim Caldwell’s staff at Tennessee and excited to be part of a program with such a rich history,” Ferrara said. “I look forward to bringing my energy and experience to the Lady Vols. Kim’s incredibly successful 10-year track record as a head coach speaks for itself, and I’m ready to get to work in recruiting and can’t wait to get on the floor with the most storied program in women’s basketball.”

Ferrera seems to be a smart hire aligning with Caldwell’s style. That was the main problem for the head coach this past year. She couldn’t get her squad to buy in and the team lost their identity in the process. Kim Caldwell is under pressure to deliver and a foot wrong this offseason can essentially end her time here.