Kaiya Wynn LEAVES Tennessee + Kim Caldwell Interview Reaction

Originally recorded on March 4th, 2026 | In this episode of The MidMajors Podcast, Tacarra and Courtney break down the latest headlines in women’s college basketball.

The conversation starts with Kaiya Wynn’s statement and decision to leave the Tennessee program, as the hosts react to what it means for the team and discuss the impact of player movement in college basketball today.

They also dive into Kim Caldwell’s recent interview, sharing their thoughts on her comments, coaching perspective, and what it could mean for the future of the Tennessee Lady Vols.

The episode also celebrates a huge performance in our Mid-Major Spotlight, featuring Jordan Holman from Little Rock, who delivered an incredible 26-point, 17-rebound performance in the OVC Tournament.

Plus, Tacarra and Courtney announce that official MidMajors Podcast merch is launching today, giving fans and Mid-Rangers the chance to rep the show and support the movement.

00:00 Intro & MidMajors Merch Launch
00:26 Kaiya Wynn Statement & Leaving Tennessee
04:19 Media Pressure & Player Dynamics
06:10 Kim Caldwell Interview & Coaching Decisions
09:09 Mid-Major Spotlight: Jordan Holman (Little Rock)
10:34 OVC Tournament Highlights & Game Recaps
14:33 Upcoming Games & Tournament Talk
17:33 Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up

If you love women’s college basketball, SEC basketball, mid-major programs, and real conversations about the game, this episode is for you.

🏀 Join the Mid-Rangers and be part of the movement.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

Welcome to the Mid Majors podcast where the real who talk happens unfiltered and unapologetic. I am one of your hosts, the car, and with me I got my girl Courtney, and we are the Mid Majors. What's up, y'all? Hey guys. We had a good day of basketball, a pretty decent day. Um, first and foremost, our merch just launched. Make sure you guys go check it out. The description is going to be in wait, the link is going to be in the description. So make sure you go do that. Also, make sure you go like the video and make sure you go subscribe. We appreciate you. But let's get into it. Let's get into it. So, first and foremost, we're gonna get into Kim Codwell. We're gonna get into the senior who just stepped away from the team right before the tournament. Sis couldn't take it anymore.

SPEAKER_05 0:50

Uh Sis had a vacation.

SPEAKER_04 0:53

It's giving sis, they want to travel.

SPEAKER_05 0:55

Sis was like, I'm about to go on vacation. I ask a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I have right now, and I'm not like seeing.

SPEAKER_04 1:02

It's giving. Sis was a she's the fifth year, been there five years. It's giving.

SPEAKER_05 1:06

I didn't graduate it. I'm done.

SPEAKER_04 1:07

She's she's done. Um I'm done. So I got Kim's, I got Kim and her press conference up because you know they asked her. Oh, okay. So let's take a look real quick. Okay. Let's take a look really quick. Let's see. Hold on.

SPEAKER_05 1:24

Let's see what Kim said today. That's crazy. Because you know what? She probably was like, I don't even like y'all anyway. Y'all don't even like each other. I'm about to leave. Who's that? Her? The senior. Oh, it could, and it could be. It could be. Yeah, but I ain't about to waste my time.

SPEAKER_04 1:38

Y'all don't care. And it's like, for me, I have mixed emotions about it before we show it. Because it's like five years, five years is a long time. Cause sis, I I was done after about three. If I'm keeping it a book. Especially like, I ain't gonna lie. My senior year, I was still ready to be done. I was walking in the gym saying this is it. Every single day. This is it. That is crazy. We would look at each other and be like, this is it. Like, you know what I'm saying? But yeah, I get it. But um, let's let's pull this up and see what sis had to say, child.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Kim just wanted to start with obviously the news of Kaya leading the program. I wasn't sure if you had any um response to you know what she said and just kind of a the public conversation around that.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

Yeah, I haven't really dove into the public conversation about it. We'll miss her. She was loved in this program, and again, we respect her decision, but we kind of have to turn the page and focus on the SEC tournament.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

And I know last year during the tournament you said that she was a great piece for the locker room. So are you concerned at all about just how this might affect the team going into postseason?

SPEAKER_02 2:43

Yeah, I think we have been resilient all year, and we're just another situation where we're gonna have to continue to do that.

SPEAKER_03 2:53

It kind of caught me off guard. She called senior at a breaking point for her. Is there anything during the year that will you tell us how that relationship to deteriorate from what she's needed to bring? Not that I see other than playing time. She's like recording it publicly.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

Yeah, uh it means a lot. I think he and I have talked through this, and um we know what we're trying to build here, and we know what this season, we thought this season was gonna be, and we know what it is to this point, but there's a lot of season left, and we can have bigger conversations about the future going forward. But right now I want to focus on the team that I have going into SEC play as a sixth seed and trying to do as well as we can there, and then going into the NCAA tournament. We're in the the best part of season right now, and I think we talked yesterday as a team about how our schedule was really backloaded, and everyone had to go through this. Everyone had to play these teams on their on their roster, and we had to play them all at once. We had to play them in a clump. I think Oklahoma played them in a clump early. So we had to get through that, and we have to see now how that built us and how that shaped us.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

What was their response to that conversation? You know, what kind of feedback did you hear from them?

SPEAKER_02 4:06

Yeah, I think we did a lot of educating of where we ended up as the sixth season. If we had beaten two teams, they just don't stop, do they?

SPEAKER_05 4:15

They just question after question after question after question. I would just be like, man, I'm done. I'm done. I'm about to go to practice. That's what I'm about to do. She left the team. That's it. Don't ask me no more questions about it. I mean I'm just saying, like, you like I'm telling the meet the media will run you over if you don't put your foot down. So at some point, listen, stop being trying to be all up in our freaking business.

SPEAKER_04 4:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 4:47

You know what I'm saying? I'm not I'm not asking these questions anymore. Ask me something about the SEC tournament and not this bullshit.

SPEAKER_04 4:53

You want me to keep going?

unknown 4:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 4:55

You own one today. You own one today. They they they like this Courtney. This is the court, this is the Courtney that y'all like.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

On paper, we should have beaten. We still don't finish higher than a 60 if we don't win the Oklahoma game the way the tiebreakers would work. And I think when you reframe things for them like that, it's kind of like, okay, well, we were nine last year and we made it to a sweet 16. And I think our our returners understood that. And I think just educating them on there is a clump that was deadlocked at 8 and 8, and we were the best of the 8 and 8. And again, our schedule was back heavy, and our preseason was my fault. I picked that. I didn't pick the SEC schedule. It is what it is. We played them all at once. Let's see how strong we are now.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

This season has obviously come up with its challenges in addition to team being resilient. I guess what is it about this team that allows them to be resilient in the face of all of this adversity?

SPEAKER_02 5:47

I think to in order to get here, in order to make it this far as a basketball player, you've always been handed some type of adversity. I think that's enough.

SPEAKER_05 5:56

What you think? Chow. I think that's a good thing. Listen, if you gotta tell your team, well, y'all were a nine last year, and we're a sixth this year, so you know, we can go far. That's just goes, that's that's crazy as hell. Why are we having that conversation? I should not have to say something like that to get you motivated to play. We were nine last year, and we're six this year, you know? So I mean, hey, like we can still do, we can still do this thing.

SPEAKER_04 6:24

Who they got first, they we don't know yet, right? Nah, we don't know. Uh they got the winner of hold on, I I got it pulled up. They have the winner of tonight, Missouri and Alabama, which um I have not checked on that game yet.

SPEAKER_05 6:42

Um I feel like none of them games. Oh, maybe I'm tripping. It's been a day, y'all. Please forgive me, y'all. I am extremely I I am so tired, y'all. I'm just tired from work. And then when we got on here today, like the computers was acting funny, y'all. And like I'm I'm like really impatient. Aries gang, if y'all know. Fire signs, if y'all know. Very impatient. I don't have time for this shit. I'll knock all this shit over. But I paid. Oh my god, I can't.

SPEAKER_04 7:09

Okay. I can't. Period. Um, what do you think about that? Auburn, uh, Alabama and Missouri is six and six right now. I got Alabama winning. Um, so what do you think about the senior situation? About it being the breaking point in her not starting, her getting in the last 15 seconds of the game.

SPEAKER_05 7:28

I mean, I I mean the coach could have the coach could have at least started her. That's how I feel. Start her shit. I mean, because you know you're not gonna play her late game. You know what I'm saying? Like, like with how Tennessee is playing, y'all not about to be up 30. It ain't gonna happen. Facts. You know what I'm saying? So the best chance is to put her in at the beginning of the game. Um, but at the same time, I don't know what Kim is going through. I don't know if she's on a hot seat. I don't know if they on her ass. I don't know. So they probably was like, you bet not put her in the game. Like, no. So I don't know. You just, you know, coaches, coaches be under a lot of pressure too, and they be having a lot of shit coming their way. Um, but I still, I mean, I I would have just put her in the beginning.

SPEAKER_04 8:12

Me too. But you know, I played for a coach in high school who was a I don't give a damn if you a singer and it's senior night. I played for one of those. And and he he was an asshole, um, but he's an successful asshole. He had an undefeated season. He was ranked in the nation. He's a college coach. Um, he state champion, coached McDonald's up to McDonald's All-American, put about 10 girls in college. You know what I'm saying? I mean, so I mean, he was an asshole, but he was one of those. But I mean, at the end of the day, like, I don't know. It's so many factors. I get it if you're trying to stand your ground on something. We don't know what the hell happened. We don't know what we never know. And we, us playing basketball, we be knowing that. Because it'd be like It'd be a lot of stuff going on. It'd be a lot of the it'd be a lot of the bullshit in the background. Like, no, you mad because you ain't playing, but you done got caught doing XYZ. You know what I'm saying? Like me, I stayed not starting for Miss and Curfew. I I was I was a Miss Curfew assassin.

SPEAKER_05 9:12

That is crazy. I could do shit like that. Really? But we tried to, well, I don't know. That's a whole nother thing in itself. Yeah. Was she at Tennessee all like five years? All five years. All five years, she was at Tennessee. So I mean, like, was she a senior last year?

SPEAKER_04 9:27

Well, technically, she's probably a senior last year. Did she, did we look at last year? I'm not, I'm not look, I don't, it's not that dick to me.

SPEAKER_05 9:33

It's not that deep to me. It's not, it's it's not. It's not. Yeah. It's not. To me, I feel like it just goes towards what we said, the dysfunction on the team.

SPEAKER_04 9:41

Oh, facts. It's just it's a it's a it's a damn mess over there. It's a mess. It's a mess. It's a mess over there. Yeah. It's a mess over there. But good luck to them. We'll see what happens. Uh I don't, I see early exit. Uh, if it ain't an early exit tomorrow, um, baby. It's gonna be one in a tournament. I it's a mess over there. It's a damn mess.

SPEAKER_05 10:00

It's a mess.

SPEAKER_04 10:01

It's a mess. I'd be curious to see what happens. If if she's gonna lose her job, we don't know. Like I said, but it's just you just literally never know.

SPEAKER_05 10:09

But I feel like I just saw something. I didn't know who the guy was, and I don't even know if it was a real post, you know. But I feel like they were said like she was doing fine. They thought she was doing a good job.

SPEAKER_04 10:20

Who the the program?

SPEAKER_05 10:21

Yeah. I mean that she thought she was fine. Yeah, I mean you know, so yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:28

Um technically, if she went from a nine C to a bigger, I mean, she progressed. Yeah, they if they look at it that way, well, we've seen as a disaster. You get what I'm saying? Hey, it was a it was a large clump of teams. It was a large clump of teams. It was like a it was a large it was a large clump of teams. So we don't but anywho, uh but yes, we um we have a mid-major spotlight really quick. We had a baller. We had a little performance today. We had a performance today from Jordan Holman in the OVC tournament. Sis had 26 and 17 with the win. I actually put her in my parlay. Let me tell y'all something. Um, let me tell y'all something. What y'all need to do is y'all gotta bet on the on the mid-majors. Um not my not SEMO. They played SEMO, Little Rock. She played for Little Rock, Arkansas, and they lost today. Uh my fault. Yeah, she sis put on a little show today. Took a little L, but she put on a show. Um, take the Mid-Major players on your parlays, because they do not know the lines, just so you know. Especially if you know, I mean, I know a lot of them. But yeah, Jordan Holman at Little Rock is the mid-major uh spotlight today, because she had a good game. Sorry, but uh season's over with. Nice career. Wishing sis the best of luck, wishing that queen the best. But um, yeah, yeah, but uh that is our mid-major spotlight for today. Um, Kentucky looked good today, from what I saw. They had a pretty decent game. Um, they started out on fire, then started on the BS. Um, I'll tell you another game that was a pretty good game, too, as well, that I watched. Uh I'll I watched um a little bit of Auburn and Texas AM.

unknown 12:23

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:24

Auburn, Auburn won, which I mean, shout out to Auburn, bless their hearts. Uh, because it's been kind of rough for them. And then like Texas AM, like they got in foul trouble. I want to say, yeah, I'm pretty sure they got in foul trouble. And that was just kind of the story for pretty much for that game. But it was a close game for the most part. Okay, let's see here. Who else did I watch today? It was so many on today, child. I was just like, honey.

SPEAKER_05 12:55

Um, who else did I watch? Man, I feel like I am so zoned out right now. I am so sorry, y'all. No, you cool. I'm so zoned out.

SPEAKER_04 13:05

You cool?

unknown 13:07

You could.

SPEAKER_04 13:07

We finna be done anyway. We just gonna do this quick. I'm just gonna run through the games. I'm so sorry, y'all. I feel, I feel I'm sorry. I'm gonna take this out so you good. Uh, Kansas State, Cincinnati. Kansas State put it on Cincinnati today. I watched Miami.

SPEAKER_05 13:24

Um I on the wrong damn day.

SPEAKER_04 13:28

It's it's it's a it's a lot. It's hard to kind of keep up with. I will I'll watch it.

SPEAKER_05 13:32

Because on the ESPN app, the only thing that's showing is Arkansas and Kent and Kentucky.

SPEAKER_04 13:36

You gotta you gotta change it. You gotta change it to like Division I. It's it's a lot. You gotta change it to Division I. Um Miami and Stanford was a good game today. That went into overtime. Um, Kyle was a super speeder today. She went crazy. Uh she balled. I watched a little bit of VCU and the Kane, a little bit of that one, the until the ESPN app started tripping. But overall, today was a pretty good, solid day as far as basketball. I watched BYU in Houston. BYU played pretty good. Um, I fell asleep during Indiana Nebraska. That game was going well too. They was balling in that game. Um, Georgia Tech beat Florida State.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 14:20

I didn't get to watch a whole bunch of stuff because like I said, you sis had to take her a little nap. But uh you watched more than me.

SPEAKER_05 14:26

I mean, I was at work, but yeah. I saw some of the Kentucky game, a little bit of it, but I was like, Well, it got a little ugly.

SPEAKER_04 14:33

I mean, they play Georgia. We I so I like them against Georgia still from what I saw today. Same. I definitely like them against Georgia. Um let's see. I'm gonna see what ACC matchups they got tomorrow. Miami and Notre Dame plays. I'm definitely gonna check that out. That's gonna be a good one.

SPEAKER_05 14:55

That is gonna be a good one. What time they play? I know you can do it. They play at 1.30. How to um I'll Google it. I guess. I don't know how to switch to Division I'll hit still app.

SPEAKER_04 15:06

Yeah, I'll show you how to do it. Um yeah. So Notre Dame, Miami be pretty good. The ACC, like I said, if I can try to, I was gonna try to get to something tomorrow. I don't think I'm gonna be able to because my husband's going out of town and I got a whole lot of stuff to do. But really, I really just wanted to get into that Tennessee. Uh I said Tennessee tape. See, y'all, they still on my damn mind, child. I'm still stressed, honey. Um I really wanted just to get to talk about Tennessee's coach today because people asked about it. But um, more than likely, if Courtney, I'm gonna go live Friday for the SEC games, uh, Friday morning, if you guys can make it. I might have a special guest. I'm working on somebody right now, depending on how the games go. Or if not, you might just get me if Courtney's unavailable. But uh I'll be in the chat. Yeah, we'll be in the chat. But um Yeah, we just had to talk about that real quick, honey. But cause but I will say, I'ma say this too before we end. Certain situations, I'm the wrong person to ask. If it makes, because I'm just like such like a to me, it is what it is. Like, you get what I'm saying? Like, okay, like we still got a game to play tomorrow. You get what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_05 16:22

Like, that's why I'm saying, like, I would have been like, bro, don't ask me about her no more. That's that's horrible. You can't say that. You can't say that. Yeah, they got on her for saying that that they quit. Yeah, because I mean, but I would just say I'm not, I'm not asking, I'm not answering questions about that right now. Ask me when the season is completely over. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. They ask the same question like six different times, like six different ways. Just like I'm I'm not answering it.

SPEAKER_04 16:46

And I try not to be like, I try to put my lens, I try to look at it in all totality because I've been there. You get what I'm saying? It's like, it's so easy to, y'all, it'd be it legit be some bullshit going on on some teams. I yeah, I can tell you some stories that teammates have done that you wouldn't believe me if I told you. It's like you did that, like you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Not saying that this is what happened in the case. Just starter, is just how I see. But we don't know. So it's like for me to for me to go, I'm not the person to be like, well, that coach is a piece of. Because I don't, I don't know what happened.

SPEAKER_05 17:23

I don't get it. It had to be this year, though. I mean, because like how you stay the whole thing. I mean, obviously you I mean, probably for her, it was just like, I'm here to get my degree, which is great. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_04 17:33

But it's talked about her statement how she was like loyal to the program and she's been there the whole time. You know what I'm saying? And she was.

SPEAKER_05 17:39

I mean, and I guess for me, that's how I look at it. Like, bro, you could have just started her. She was there all five years.

SPEAKER_04 17:44

Start the girl, start her, shit. Like, and then put take her out with 930. Come on, back, come on out, honey. So then let's get rolling. Yeah. But I it's it was a it was a 30 seconds. I mean, as much as she sub anyway, shit, she wasn't gonna be in there long regardless.

SPEAKER_05 18:00

So I mean That's crazy, and she ain't even part of that 10 man hook. Right, right.

SPEAKER_04 18:06

Because I'll be honest, I when I saw the name, I was like, now who if I'm keeping the book, if I'm keeping the book.

SPEAKER_05 18:12

When you sent it to me, it didn't have a name. I'm like, who said this? And then you told me the name, and I was like, oh, okay. Right. Enjoy your vacation, sis. Enjoy your vacation. Yeah, congratulations.

SPEAKER_04 18:24

Congratulations. Wishing this queen the best.

SPEAKER_05 18:28

Absolutely, girl. Go live your life, your best life.

SPEAKER_04 18:31

I'm trying to tell you, the ball has to quit bouncing eventually, you know.

SPEAKER_05 18:35

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 18:36

So for I'm the it's certain things I'm not the person to ask. Because I'm just so like. You know what I'm saying? Like, especially like, you know, like the dirty, when people ask me about, and we can end on this. When people ask about, like, do you think this person's a dirty player? Like, I mean, okay, if she is, play through it. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's just play through it. What do you want me to do? Tell tell the ref. Like, I don't, you know what I'm saying? It's just it's certain things. I'm the we're we're the wrong people to ask.

SPEAKER_05 19:08

When I played against a dirty player, I knew I wasn't like like, oh, she's playing dirty. Me neither. I just get my get back eventually. Same.

SPEAKER_04 19:16

Same. It's the same.

SPEAKER_05 19:17

I didn't get my get back.

SPEAKER_04 19:19

I wasn't one of those shh yeah, nah.

SPEAKER_05 19:21

You don't get my get back.

SPEAKER_04 19:23

The mom in the stands. She's she's Al Bowen. I just wasn't, I we weren't that family. It's just I'm not doing that. But when I got a chance. When I got a chance, I made it count. I made it count. Yeah. But um, yes, just wanted to have a rebrief on that because it was requested. You guys have a good night. We appreciate y'all. Go buy you some merch.

SPEAKER_05 19:46

Yes. Go buy you some merch. And again, I apologize about my attitude today. I am so tired. I'm gonna be better tomorrow. I promise.

SPEAKER_04 19:55

I just need some sleep. Sometimes you know you just have off night. It's all right, but I got my little keychain. Respect the mid majors. Listen, I got one of everything. I can't wait to get my stuff. Period. Y'all have a good night. Bye bye. Bye, y'all.