It has been a long six months of change for Lady Vols basketball, but Kim Caldwell's third season as coach is finally just around the corner.
Caldwell said she hasn't seen one of her teams be as close as this Tennessee group since her time coaching at Division II Glenville State, which was in a town so small there's not much else to do besides hang out with your teammates.
"April to October, it seems like it’s been 10 years," Caldwell said Oct. 22. "But it’s been growth, it’s been needed growth. It’s been great. It’s maybe looked uncomfortable at times. But it’s been necessary for our program to take the steps that we need."
After Caldwell met with the reporters to open Tennessee's media day, the Lady Vols had an extended open practice period for viewing. Here are some observations from over an hour of open practice.
Tennessee has really solid point guards in Kennedy Fauntleroy, Jada Eads
Now that Jada Eads has been fully cleared and is settled in, it's very clear that Tennessee has two very strong point guards to lead it on both ends of the court. Both Eads and Kennedy Fauntleroy play with great pace and have really good court vision and feel for where their teammates are and where they need to get the ball.
Eads had a really nice play in transition after they forced a turnover on defense, finding freshman Gabby Minus with a long pass down the court for a layup. Eads also has a smooth jumper and will be a perimeter threat, but she can put her head down and get in the paint and score, too.
Fauntleroy has really nice composure under high ball pressure, never panics and finds a pass out of traps well. She's also a great defender whether she's guarding one-on-one or playing in the gaps to jump passes.
Fatmata Janneh one of Tennessee's most consistent players
Senior forward Fatmata Janneh has been the most consistent player in preseason open practices, and there's no reason she shouldn't be averaging a double-double this season.
She is always on the boards, a crucial vocal presence and has a great feel for when she needs to be on the perimeter and when she needs to get in the paint. Janneh is one of the best at getting the press set immediately and setting the tone defensively.
You can see more confidence in Janneh as a driver, although her finishing at times could be cleaned up. But she's got a ton of confidence shooting from range and hit some nice 3-pointers.
Rylie Theuerkauf could be star in her role
Senior guard Rylie Theuerkauf had a solid shooting performance, and she's going to be a real threat on any catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, especially kick-out 3-pointers after drives into the paint or offensive rebounds. You can also see more confidence in her as a driver, and she consistently crashes the offensive boards.
Theuerkauf did a nice job driving into the paint for layups or midrange opportunities, but her strongest offensive tool is her 3-point shot. She's also an incredibly valuable player from the standpoint of, she won't try to do too much. She's going to play her role and isn't going to try to play hero ball.
Other observations from Lady Vols practice
- Riley Makalusky had a solid performance offensively; she had a great drive into a Eurostep to finish through traffic and hit some 3-pointers.
- Gabby Minus hit several 3-pointers during a half court 5-on-5 drill against the practice squad.
- Zhen Craft and Harissoum Coulibaly will be great connectors who could thrive in their roles. They pass well, move well off the ball and if they can both be solid finishers around the rim and rebound, they'll be key pieces for Tennessee.
- Naomi White's shot looked really good, her jumper is smooth and she's letting it fly with confidence.
- My guess of who the top 10 players in the rotation will likely be: Fauntleroy, Eads, White, Theuerkauf, Makalusky, Janneh, Craft, Coulibaly, Kaylene Smikle and Aaliyah Moore. Minus is probably the 11th in the rotation.
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: Lady Vols basketball practice observations, including Fatmata Janneh, Jada Eads