Nikki Caldwell accepts UCLA head coaching job

Nikki Caldwell accepts UCLA head coaching job

By MARK NAGI
6 Sports Anchor/Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- UCLA's gain is the Lady Vols loss.  On Thursday, Tennessee assistant coach Nikki Caldwell became the new head coach for UCLA's women's basketball team.

Caldwell has been an assistant on Pat Summitt's coaching staff since 2002.  She also played for Summitt from 1990-1994, winning a national championship in 1991.

"Nikki Caldwell is truly one of the rising stars in women's college basketball. She is the total package as a teacher, a coach and a recruiter," said Summitt. "She is a woman of great character and has a powerful gift of mentoring young women. Nikki has been instrumental in the success of our program as both a player and most recently as an assistant coach for the last six years."

"There couldn't have been a better candidate for the job," said departing Lady Vols All-American Candace Parker. "Nikki Caldwell represents passion, commitment and intelligence within the game of women's basketball. She is destined to do nothing but good things, and UCLA will truly benefit from her services. I personally have connected with Coach Caldwell as a player underneath her for 4 years, not just within basketball but personally. She has my support and forever will as she helps to re-establish a storied program."

Caldwell is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School.

UCLA Sports Information contributed to this report.