Why Lady Vols' Kim Caldwell let players pick their own shoes for Sweet 16 game vs. Texas
- The Lady Vols basketball team will have more freedom to express themselves with their shoes during the Sweet 16 game.
- Coach Kim Caldwell promised the team that they could wear any color shoes they wanted if they made it to the Sweet 16.
- Some players, like Ruby Whitehorn and Kaniya Boyd, are taking advantage of the opportunity to wear bright and colorful shoes.
- Other players, like Sara Puckett, are sticking with their usual shoes due to superstition.
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – The Lady Volunteers' shoe game might be a little flashier and a little less orange and white in Saturday’s Sweet 16 matchup against No. 1 Texas.
That’s because Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell promised her players that if they made it this far in March Madness, they could stray from the team’s shoe policy and wear whatever colored shoes they wanted.f
Which Lady Vols basketball players are changing up their shoes?
Junior guard Ruby Whitehorn wasted no time getting to the store to take up Caldwell on her offer.
“I went and bought these LeBrons and they’re mismatched colors,” Whitehorn said. “I thought, ‘I (am) gonna make her pay for that. I want some bright shoes.’”
Caldwell’s thoughts?
“Ruby just likes to do anything that’s going to bother me, so that’s why she’s doing the two different shoes,” Caldwell said. “And good for her.”
Whitehorn showed off her new “Jolly Rancher-looking type shoes” in the locker room on Friday.
Whitehorn wasn’t the only player who was excited to spice up her shoe game. Redshirt freshman Kaniya Boyd was proudly showing off her new Nike GT Cut 3 Jewell Loyd shoes in the locker room, despite the shoes not being her first choice.
“My Kobes didn’t come in time,” Boyd said, laughing, about shoes that would have had her wearing purple and gold in Saturday’s game, “so they were a backup.”
The bright pink and blue shoes that she eventually landed on are covered in colorful smiley faces, making them hard to miss on the court.
While Whitehorn and Boyd went for a more bold look, senior guard Samara Spencer chose a more toned-down pair of shoes for her Sweet 16 shoe debut.
“I just wanted to find a shoe that was different than my other teammates had,” Spencer said, pulling out her brand new Kobe 5 Protro X-Ray shoes.
She has no superstitions around changing shoes midway through the NCAA Tournament.
“I don’t feel like I would be able to play the way that I play in one pair of shoes the whole season,” Spencer said. “But I did practice in them all week, so I feel pretty good about wearing them.”
Why these Lady Vols players will stick with shoes they know
Senior Sara Puckett praised her teammates for showing off their unique style, but she doesn’t want to make a change.
“I’m just superstitious,” Puckett said. “I’m definitely gonna wear the shoes I’ve been wearing the past couple games, or basically the whole season, just because I feel good in them. And the past two games I’ve worn them, we’ve won.”
The rest of the Lady Vols also felt superstitious about the switch, opting to stick to what was comfortable for them as they try to make their first Elite Eight since 2016.
“I’m happy for Ruby and whoever else wants to wear different-colored shoes,” fifth-year guard Jewel Spear said. “I personally will not, but I think it just speaks to our culture that we have here at Tennessee and Coach Kim being a player’s coach, and allowing us to have fun while also competing.”
Lady Vols vs. Texas time, where to watch
- Time: 3:30 p.m., Saturday
- TV: ABC
- Streaming: ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)
Ansley Gavlak is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.