Kim Caldwell started her third media day as Lady Vols basketball coach by remembering an important figure in her career.
Caldwell made an opening statement to honor Ike Morris, Glenville State's biggest donor who died Oct. 19. He was a well-known businessman in the oil and gas industry in West Virginia, where he founded Waco Oil & Gas Co., and he was a dedicated philanthropist, especially to Glenville State athletics.
"He influenced my life in so many ways. He influenced so many lives, in so many ways," Caldwell said Oct. 22. "His family has taken care of me since I was a freshman in college, and Ike made sure that we were competitive. When you're a Division II coach, you don't always get to get new uniforms every year. Sometimes you wear them for three years in a row, and they have armpit stains. And he made sure that we got new uniforms every year."
Caldwell played at Glenville State from 2007-11, and she returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach for the 2012-13 season. After being an assistant at Sacramento State from 2013-16, Caldwell was hired as coach of Glenville State.
Caldwell led Glenville State to 10 conference championships and the Division II national championship in 2022 before leaving to coach at Marshall in 2023.
"He made sure we were celebrated when we won. He made sure that we could stay competitive with our scholarships. Division II, not every team gets the same amount of scholarships. He made sure we could compete, and that mattered to him," Caldwell said, her voice thick with emotion. "His funeral is today and I can't be there, but I wanted to say I love his family. I am praying for you. I miss everybody in the town of Glenville. And without Ike Morris and his family, I would not be standing where I am today."
Caldwell said Morris "loved winners." When Caldwell approached the subject of hiring her father, Scott, as an assistant coach in 2016, she needed approval. When they talked to Morris, he was easily convinced. Scott Stephens coached alongside Caldwell until he died Nov. 21, 2020.
"He said, 'Look at your dad's win percentage. I love a winner. We'll do what it takes to make sure he gets here,' " Caldwell said. "And he just made sure we could win. When we were given five and a half scholarships and needed to have 25 players on our roster, he said, 'No, we will help you.' When we had golf fundraisers every summer, he would sponsor a hole, and he treats every sport that way. And there's a lot of coaches in different sports across the country that wouldn't be where they are without him."
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Kim Caldwell gave emotional opening statement at Lady Vols media day