Observations from Kim Caldwell's first open practice with Lady Vols basketball

Lady Vols basketball hasn't mastered Kim Caldwell's system yet, but she's close to where she wanted to be at this point in her first offseason at Tennessee.

But Caldwell wasn't shy about saying the team hasn't gotten the hang of it yet, and she didn't expect that in August. There have been bright spots, but the Lady Vols have a lot of work left ahead of them.

"As a coach, I really like to frustrate them. I like to challenge them," Caldwell said Thursday. "I want us to be able to get through hard things together ... So sometimes we have meltdowns. Sometimes we have leaders pick them up. Sometimes we have people go silent, and we're working on fixing all of those things."

Caldwell was energetic and refreshingly honest Thursday in her first open practice media availability since she was hired. She also revealed a few things about what Tennessee could look like on the court this season playing "positionless" basketball. Caldwell said she'd like to play 10-11 players in each game and they'll have three or four full-court presses in their arsenal to use.

Lady Vols practice observations

During the open portion of practice the Lady Vols ran through some shooting and defensive close-out drills to warm up. After stretching, they ran some transition and one-on-one drills.

• Sara Puckett looks like a new player. She was aggressive on defense, winning every full-court sprint and playing with another level of intensity.
• Talaysia Cooper and Kaniya Boyd stood out as the best two-way guards on the court. Both were really strong in one-on-one drills up and down the court, staying in front of defenders and using their length to disrupt. They also are arguably the most athletic players on the team, and they both stood out in transition drills offensively – they can get to the rim, their passing is sharp and they could both have significant roles.
• There were full-court sprints between most drills. The focus of the transition drill appeared to be pace and not turning the ball over, and there were very few turnovers.
• The entire coaching staff was involved. Jenna Burdette and Gabe Lazo ran the opening drills for warmups and then Caldwell took over after stretching. Both Lazo and Roman Tubner were extremely vocal from the sidelines in addition to Caldwell.
• Lazaria Spearman and Jillian Hollingshead looked strong and confident. Neither were afraid to let a 3-pointer fly, and Spearman even hit a step-back 3-pointer during the one-on-one drills.

Why Kim Caldwell thinks Sara Puckett will 'thrive'

Puckett was the first player Caldwell named when asked which returners fit well in her system.

"I think Sara Puckett is going to be great at this. I think she's going to thrive," Caldwell said. "She can shoot, she can drive, she's mean. It's a mindset to play this way, and so she's going to play hard every night. She's going to go get rebounds and she's going to build people around her to do the same."

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Puckett struggled at times last season to guard smaller, faster players, but Caldwell said she's quick enough in their defensive system. Caldwell also said Puckett is smart with her defense, too. They match up to the closest player in the press, and if Puckett is on a guard, she'll take the angle and make them cheat.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @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: Observations from Kim Caldwell's first open practice with Lady Vols basketball