Lady Vols assistant coach Bill Ferrara Jr. is looking for help in Knoxville as Tennessee gets set for July workouts.
Ferrara posted on X on July 3, asking for male practice players to join the team’s full practices after the Fourth of July holiday. He said the program needs bodies in the gym to help the Lady Vols sharpen up before the season.
"We need more male practice players that are in Knoxville or surrounding areas that can come help us get better everyday in July," Ferrara wrote July 3.
There is one key requirement for anyone interested: candidates must have been full-time University of Tennessee students during the previous spring semester.
The call for practice players comes at a pivotal moment for Tennessee. Kim Caldwell is heading into her third season with a completely rebuilt roster after all eight returners entered the transfer portal following last season. That left Caldwell to piece together a new group in just three weeks.
Caldwell said in April that she felt good about how the roster came together, describing the process as "fantastic." She pointed to the attitude of the newcomers as a major reason why.
"We brought in players that are very hungry and have a chip on their shoulder and have something to prove, which really matches my mindset," Caldwell said April 28.
The urgency around this summer also traces back to Caldwell’s own assessment of last season. In a July 1 interview with ESPN, she called it the "worst year" of her coaching career and said she "did a bad job," while noting the program-worst .552 winning percentage and the 16-14 record.
"I'm not in a job where I can learn the same mistake twice," Caldwell said. "I want to be able to stay here and continue to grow."
With a fresh roster in place, the Lady Vols are entering their first full month of practice together and using July to build toward what they hope will be a bounce-back season.
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