By Stephen Mason
As Tennessee women’s basketball opened its 40th season inside the Food City Center—and its 50th season under the Lady Volunteers moniker—it was the opposing head coach who best put the legacy of the program into perspective.
That distinction was no reflection of poor play by the Lady Vols, who dominated their sole exhibition game of the preseason in a 132-63 victory over Florida A&M on Tuesday night. Rather, it was because visiting head coach Bridgette Gordon knows the program’s tradition as well as anyone who has stepped onto Summitt Court.
Not only does the Lady Vol legend—who ranks second on the program’s all-time scoring list—appreciate Tennessee’s history, but she is also determined to help return it to national prominence.
“I want to rally the Lady Vols. If anybody can rally a Lady Vol, it is definitely me, because they’ll tell you I’m—I’m tough as nails,” Gordon said.
Gordon had been keen to schedule a game against her alma mater since taking over the Rattlers’ program, and she embraced the matchup when Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell floated the idea of an exhibition.
“It was so important for my young ladies to understand the madness behind the method. That—I’m wired different—and bringing them back here to good old Rocky Top, going to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, reading about Pat Summitt, what she stood for, and being at an HBCU, this is what it was about,” Gordon said.
While the blowout score was not what Florida A&M envisioned, facing Tennessee’s full-court press and up-tempo style served as valuable preparation for SWAC play. The exhibition offered mutual benefits, and Caldwell expressed gratitude for Gordon bringing her team to Knoxville.
“I really appreciate Coach Gordon bringing her team. It was such a special moment to see her be welcomed back here. She is such a beautiful person and has a great light and pours into everyone she is around,” Caldwell said. “We appreciate them coming to play us, and we wish them the best of luck.”
Gordon’s dedication to the Lady Vol tradition was most evident after the final horn, when she addressed the entire Tennessee roster on the court.
“It was like eye-opening, honestly. Like what it means to be a Lady Vol. We have so many people that came in and played before us, and told us what it meant to be a Lady Vol. But to have her come over and to tell us after the game, like right after the game, it means so much,” Tennessee guard Jada Eads said.
Tennessee experienced a tough eight-game losing streak to end last season that brought heightened outside scrutiny—an inevitable byproduct of playing at a program built on championship expectations. Gordon drew on her decades of high-level experience to offer perspective to the current squad.
“The same way that I told my ladies: let the outside noise be the outside noise… stay tight and keep everybody accountable. Be the best version of each one of you guys,” Gordon said. “There was a reason that Coach Caldwell brought you here, and be the best version of that. I need you to tell America to put some respect back on the Lady Vol name.”
After speaking to the team as a whole, Gordon shared an individual moment with guard Naomi White, who posted 16 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals in the win.
“I spoke to Naomi because she could be that go-to player for them. And I told her that… I said, of everybody, because what we did is that we had to, and she was the one that we knew was going to be tough for us to match up,” Gordon said.
Gordon’s support for Tennessee’s roster will extend well past Tuesday night. She offered her personal contact information to the players, aiming to serve as a continuous resource as they work to restore the program to national contention.
“I gave them my phone number to tell them that they can reach out, because what happens is that the platform that they’re on, it started a long time ago. It was the blood, sweat, and tears,” Gordon said.
For Gordon, restoring the program encompasses more than Final Four banners and national titles—it requires returning to the core values established when she wore the Lady Vol uniform four decades ago.
“When I come back here to Rocky Top—yes, my jersey hangs in the rafters, yes, I went to four straight Final Fours, yes, I have a gold medal, all that I have—but when I come back to Rocky Top, it’s my character that people talk about, and that’s so important because that’s definitely the Pat Head Summitt legacy,” Gordon said.