After an eight-game losing streak, Kim Caldwell returned to an empty locker room. The squad and assistants she once trusted to reach heights were now nowhere to be seen. But, with job security from AD Danny White, Caldwell got to work, not only recruiting players from the portal but also bringing in new assistant coaches. That included the hire of Bill Ferrara from Florida State, who aligns with the vision Caldwell has for the program. 

“I think our offense was not the way we wanted it to look last year,” Caldwell said in an interview on the Mike Keith Show. “It’s not the way it’s looked in a year in my career, and Coach Bill is a firm believer in playing fast. I think that he and I have battled throughout our careers over who can lead the nation in scoring, and so there’s no better way than to just pair up and get on the same page and work together. And so he sees basketball through the same lens that I do, of playing in transition, playing fast, and shooting a lot of threes in that regard.”

Ferrara spent the past four seasons at Florida State as the associate head coach. The Seminoles led the nation in scoring in 2024-25 with 86.9 points per game. In the same year, Caldwell’s Tennessee was close behind at No. 3 with 86.6 points per game. In both years prior to this past season, Caldwell has coached a top-5 offense. Ferrara has been similar, coaching a high-scoring team that pushed the pace and attempted a lot of threes. 

FSU repeatedly set the school record for 3-pointers each season with Ferrara on staff. It made 286 in 2024-25, which was followed by a then-record 241 in the 2023-24 season. That broke the prior record of 232 set in his first season in 2022-23. It feels like Ferrara and Caldwell are the same coach who align on how their teams should play, making this a perfect fit.

That was a major point of contention for Caldwell last season. According to reports, one of the assistant coaches undermined Caldwell, which ultimately led to the roster unraveling. Yes, that was refuted by multiple former players. But, both assistants, Gabe Lazo and Roman Tubner have left the program indicating at least a difference of opinion with Kim Caldwell. 

She needs trusted assistant coaches who align with her idea. The buy-in aspect is not only applicable to the players. Continuing with the hiring spree, Caldwell has also hired another assistant coach to help her on the sidelines. 

Kim Caldwell Adds Another To The Coaching Staff After Some Losses

Kim Caldwell’s exodus was more than just the players. Gabe Lazo left to become a head coach at UCF. To add insult to injury, he took another coach from Tennessee with him. Josh Theis, the director of video and creative content for Tennessee for the last five seasons, followed Lazo to UCF. It left a major hole in Caldwell’s staff. Now, the Tennessee coach has hired a replacement, bringing in Wes Moore’s staffer. 

The program announced that they have hired NC State veteran Brandon Miller to their staff as the replacement for Theis.

“I am really pleased to add an experienced Power 4 veteran like Brandon to our program,” Caldwell said. “He was a trusted member of Wes Moore’s staff at NC State, has been to two Final Fours and brings a wealth of knowledge from his stops at other schools as well. Our whole office is excited to add him to the mix, and we look forward to working alongside him.”

He comes from a 9-year experience at NC State in which they played some of their best basketball. They made the NCAA tournament 8 times out of the 9 years after making it only 4 times in the previous 9. Apart from NC State, he also had stints with Boston College, North Texas, Clemson and Louisville. With Louisville, he even went to the Final Four back in 2008. So, this is a solid hire for Caldwell, who will look to return the Lady Vols among the top teams in the coming season.