Nikki Caldwell has agreed to become the women’s basketball coach at Louisiana State, the school announced Saturday. LSU will hold a 2 p.m. news conference Monday to introduce Caldwell, who coached at UCLA for the last three seasons.
Caldwell will be making a return to the Southeastern Conference, a league she knows all too well. Caldwell starred at SEC powerhouse Tennessee from 1991 to 1994 as a player and returned to the school as an assistant coach under Pat Summitt.
UCLA gave Caldwell her first head-coaching gig in 2008 by signing her to a five-year deal worth $295,000 per year. In three seasons, Caldwell turned the program around. Before her arrival, UCLA had one NCAA Tournament win; Caldwell led the Bruins to two wins.
“UCLA is a special place in so many ways,” Caldwell said in a statement released by UCLA. “I will forever be indebted for the opportunities that UCLA has afforded me. Dan Guerrero is one of the elite athletic directors and it has been a privilege and an honor to work with this administration. They did all they could to keep me at UCLA and I appreciate those efforts.
“This team has been an example of what hard work and perseverance represent. Although I was brought in here to teach them, I have been able to learn so much from them. I only wish for the best for this program and this institution and I am truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to coach here.”
Guerrero released a statement saying that he and Caldwell had discussed “a very attractive multi-year offer to keep her in Westwood” earlier in the week.
“It was our hope that Nikki would want to continue building what she has started at UCLA and we did all we could to make that desire a reality,” Guerrero said.
“We certainly wish Nikki all the best in the future. We will begin a national search for the coach that will continue to build our program immediately.”
Caldwell turned in her finest coaching performance during the 2010-11 season, leading UCLA to a 28-5 record. The Bruins were a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament but fell to No. 11 Gonzaga in a second-round game on the Bulldogs’ home court in Spokane, Wash.
“She has been successful on every level ““ as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach ““ and she has all the qualities to bring our program to national prominence,” LSU athletic director and vice chancellor Joe Alleva said in a statement. “This is a great day for LSU and our women’s basketball program.”