After inadvertently getting hit with the ball during shootaround, Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell had no other option but to scratch Talaysia Cooper’s name off the playing list against Arkansas. Talaysia Cooper, who has been a talismanic figure in the Lady Vols team, spearheads the group when it comes to making points, assists, and steals. The redshirt junior is averaging 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.4 steals, and shooting 44.4% from the field. So while her caliber needs no proving, when the news of her return surfaced, it created quite an interest among the resident fans. And Gabe Lazo had good news.

Tennessee assistant Gabe Lazo went out on the radio to say that Cooper is “fine” and will be available for the road game versus Alabama. Cooper’s availability would undoubtedly be a boost for Tennessee, as it would give them the much-needed cushion, even though her absence did not complicate matters against Arkansas (85-50), as Jaida Civil, Zee Spearman, and Mia Pauldo took matters into their own hands to get a comfortable win.

Kim Caldwell also seconded Gabe Lazo’s claims, which makes her return seem like a definite situation rather than a probable possibility. “Yeah, she should, she’s been practicing,” Caldwell said when asked if she expected Cooper to play. Cooper has all the tools in her arsenal, which includes an eclectic mix of strong perimeter defense, defensive versatility, and rebounding.

Since Alabama relies heavily on guards like Jessica Timmons and Karly Weathers, she can serve as their Kryptonite by slowing them down in play. Alabama has been prone to struggle when opponents dominate second-chance opportunities, and that is where it can be effective by either finding the hoop from outside the arc or pushing out a carefully balanced pass to the small forwards in the paint.

Thankfully for Tennessee, Talaysia will not be the only player to be making her way back into the team, it seems as another guard too seems to be on court practising ahead of her impending return.

Will Kaniya Boyd also make her return against Alabama?

Kaniya Boyd also found herself getting back from injury as she was busy nursing a high-ankle sprain, although coach Kim Caldwell did not make a clear indication whether she would get game time against Alabama. “Shes been practising,” that’s all the coach was willing to give away about the Boyd situation.

So, is Kaniya being used as the secret move by the astute coach who wants to keep the opponent guessing, or is she not sure herself about the guard being fit to play on D-Day?

Kaniya’s limited minutes on court should not be judged as her inability. She is a solid piece of Tennessee’s rotation, averaging 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game. The redshirt sophomore brings strong defensive pressure and speed with and without the ball in her hands that few players on the team possess. She is shooting 40.6% from the field and 31.6% from 3-point range.

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The sophomore can create problems if Alabama isn’t too careful. Apart from putting these two returners through the motion, coach Caldwell is also hammering in the drills to perfect the rebounds amd this directly comes from the coach herself, who doesn’t want to leave anything to chance.

“Yeah, we have started every practise with a rebounding drill, and then emphasized it throughout practice. We’ve showed it, just continue to do what we’ve tried to do, and then I think it comes down to them believing it’s going to cost us a game,” said Caldwell.

Preemptive measures are always a safe option to take rather than figuring out things late, and that is what Caldwell’s style of coaching emphasizes. As of now, the team’s total rebounds stand at exactly 656, which hopefully the coach would want to better even further, and with Talaysia Cooper and Kaniya Boyd getting ready for action, the team looks even stronger than before.