ESPN’s Holly Rowe has worked for the network regularly since 1998 and is one of the preeminent names on the women’s basketball beat. A longtime sideline reporter for the NCAA Women’s Final Four, Rowe can recall a time when the Tennessee Lady Vols, led by legendary coach Pat Summit, were one of the sport’s “blue-blood” programs.
The 2025-26 season was a trying one for Tennessee under head coach Kim Caldwell, who dismissed star player Ruby Whitehorn just before the start of the season, called out her team’s effort, and saw senior Kaiya Wynn step away from the team late in early March, culminating in a meager 16-14 record.
On Monday, former 5-star recruit Jaida Civil entered the transfer portal, leaving Caldwell’s roster with zero active players following a mass exodus via the transfer portal earlier in the offseason.
The news left Rowe heartbroken about the state of the once-proud program under Caldwell and athletic director Danny White.
“What Danny White is allowing to happen to @LadyVol_Hoops is making me so sad. Gut wrenching to watch him let one of the greatest programs in womens sports history disintegrate. I am devastated,” Rowe posted on X.
However, it didn’t take Rowe to delete the post, adding to her history of walking back her posts on the popular social media platform. The call to delete the post may have come from ESPN, which has a lucrative broadcast partnership with the network, or she may have simply sought to avoid any potential loss of access in Knoxville.
It’s unlikely to be made clear exactly why the post in question was removed, but to Rowe’s seeming chagrin, White appears content to let Caldwell work through the program’s issues and get things back on track.
“I think she’s doing a great job,” White said on WNML Sportstalk in early March. “I’m as confident in her as I was the day I hired her. More confident, [after] just getting a chance to work closely with her and see how talented she is as a basketball mind and as a leader…
“I think it takes time to get it right and to get to where we want to be. But Kim’s doing a great job. I think the recruiting has elevated significantly, and I’m really excited to see these young players continue to grow and next year’s additions as well.”
