Jordan Horston got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the way to Tennessee’s matchup with UConn on Thursday in Knoxville, which was the first sign of the revived energy of the historic rivalry.
The second was Lady Vols basketball upsetting the Huskies, its first win in the series since 2007. Horston was courtside along with fellow Tennessee alums Isabelle Harrison, Meighan Simmons and Tamari Key, and they got swept into the celebration on the court with the team after Tennessee won 80-76.
Horston is a fan of the Lady Vols’ defense after seeing first-year coach Kim Caldwell’s team up close.
“I love defense, (and) they playing defense,” Horston said. “They pressing 94 feet, that’s my type of speed. I feel like she’s doing a great job with the program.”
The 16,215 fans at Food City Center made up the largest women’s basketball crowd since Harrison and Simmons were on the team in February 2012. It also was the largest turnout of former players outside of an alumni weekend since coach Pat Summitt’s final season, according to ESPN.
Harrison and Simmons never got to play in the rivalry, their careers overlapping with the series’ 12-year absence.
“I feel like it just goes to show what the legacy of this rivalry means,” Horston said of the attendance. “I’m just thankful that this tradition is still going on and people are still showing up.”
How former Lady Vols feel about Kim Caldwell
Simmons and Harrison also praised Caldwell, the first coach to lead the program who did not play for the Lady Vols.
“Seeing the girls and how they’re playing, Coach Caldwell looks like she’s really just instilled a lot of trust and confidence into the girls,” Harrison said. “That’s really big as a head coach, so I’m happy how she’s coaching the girls, and they look great.”
Simmons, who played at Tennessee from 2010 to 2014, was known for her speed and her scoring. She said she would have enjoyed Caldwell’s style of play as a player. Even though Caldwell isn’t an alum, Simmons believes her style fits the “mold and system of how we used to play.”
“I would have fully embraced it,” she said. “Because I think the way that they play, the pace that they play at, is very necessary, and it’s very Tennessee-like.”
Former Lady Vols on Athletes Unlimited, Nashville WNBA bid
Horston, Simmons and Harrison are playing in Athletes Unlimited, a professional women’s basketball league that’s based in Nashville this season.
Harrison, who has played for AU since its inception in 2022, was ecstatic to see that her hometown was the next location. AU, in its fourth season, provides another opportunity to play pro basketball in the United States, instead of going overseas.
UCONN WIN: Why Geno Auriemma sees difference in Lady Vols under Kim Caldwell after Tennessee upset UConn
“It’s been a great opportunity,” Simmons said. “(College players) have multiple avenues to go and play besides the WNBA, besides playing overseas, Unrivaled, things like that. We got plenty of options.”
Nashville also is bidding for an expansion WNBA team. Former Lady Vols and WNBA star Candace Parker is part of the ownership group, and the team would be named the Tennessee Summitt.
“I just feel like people have been manifesting a team in the honor of Pat for so long now,” Harrison said. “I think this is something to just keep her memory alive, and I know a lot of women’s basketball fans will appreciate that.”
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Lady Vols alumni feel about Kim Caldwell, Nashville WNBA bid
