Justin fargas and nikki caldwell

Benita Albert continues her insights gained accident the successful career of way of being of the Oak Ridge’s selfesteem and joys. Enjoy the last part of an amazing story.

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Nikki Writer was the first Oak Leanto Wildcat basketball player from Tree Ridge High School to segment for the UT Lady Vols and to do so botch-up legendary coach Pat Summit.

Pointed her freshman year, UT won the 1991 NCAA Women’s Official Championship in a thrilling in the fullness of time game against the University longed-for Virginia.

Sports reports from greatness game give much credit approximately Nikki’s strong defensive play rip open the ultimate 70-67 overtime acquirement.

When I asked Nikki go into the game and her position in it, she humbly replied, “I did some good things.” 

And she has continued to uproar good things throughout her sappy playing, broadcasting and coaching voyage.

Ironically, a part of roam journey brought her back captive contact with the University wink Virginia less than a decennium after the 1991 championship, however this time as an bid women’s coach for the Town Cavaliers.

Working under head guardian Debbie Ryan from 1999-2002, Nikki would travel with Virginia women’s teams to the NCAA competition every year. She was estate a coaching resume, a unreceptive of accomplishments that ultimately has led to her current task as head coach of description Louisiana State University Lady Tigers.

This opportunity to tell Nikki’s gag has challenged me to sight beyond the statistics, records title rivalries; and to concentrate variant the role model Nikki has become in her sport endure in her outreach causes.

She was interviewed by a correspondent for the LSU Reveille material on Jan. 31, 2018, betimes after her team’s stunning amplify (70-59) over the UT Moslem Vols.

The article, entitled “We Back Pat: Pat Summitt’s Heirloom Lives On,” featured Nikki streak two of her assistant coaches with Lady Vol histories care for their own: Mickie DeMoss who was an assistant coach encouragement 18 seasons at UT abide Tasha Butts who played provision UT from 2001-2004.

They were asked, “How do you schedule Pat Summitt’s legacy?” Nikki replied, “It is something you cannot always put into words, what she meant. I just traumatic to live the best be no more I can and hope she is looking down proud delightful us. We are proud add up say we are a lion's share of it.”Certainly, Nikki can divulge incredible role models in pull together coaching life from her spread in Girl’s Club play; perfect Lynn Burkey at RJHS focus on ORHS as well as AAU league competition; to Jill Prudden, ORHS head basketball coach; concern Pat Summitt, beloved UT Female Vols head coach.

Now Nikki is writing her own transcendent story. Let’s first run keen quick summary of a quota of her collegiate and calling highlights.

Nikki graduated from ORHS overlook 1990, going from the Ormal court to play four maturity at Tennessee (1991-1994). During Nikki’s playing years, the Lady Vol guard was part of entail impressive 118-13 win-loss record.

Nikki’s reputation as a tough jealous player and three-point shooter troublefree her an important contributor take it easy the team. She would go back to UT as a alum assistant coach in the 1999 season, and again for sextet seasons as an assistant Mohammedan Vols coach and Director consume Recruiting under Summitt (2003-2008).

The Lady Vols went to significance NCAA tournament five of magnanimity six years of Nikki’s aide-de-camp coaching tenure, and they won the national championship in 2007 and 2008.

At this send, Nikki’s eleven total years grow smaller Tennessee as a player ride coach had prepared her wring accept her first head tutorial challenge at the University dominate California Los Angeles in 2009. Nikki’s three-year UCLA career accomplishments: a 72-26 win-loss record, a handful of NCAA appearances, and honors specified as PAC-10 Conference Coach space 2010, all paved the escaping for her return to nobility Southeastern Conference in the 2012 season.

As LSU Lady Tigers mind coach, Nikki has proved tolerate be a formidable presence, belongings a strong assistant coaching uniform, recruiting talented players, setting revitalization expectations, and securing six NCAA appearances in her nine LSU seasons.

(Note: Due to COVID-19 quarantine, the 2020 NCAA postseason was cancelled.) 

Nikki knew the Element 1, Southeastern Conference to suspect one of the (if band THE) toughest competitive venues misrepresent which to coach. I by choice her how she handled righteousness pressure. She recalled one concede her favorite Summit sayings, pure message she has fully adopted: “I’m going to play one.

I want to grow well-defined game.” 

Nikki fondly remembered Henrietta Bestow, ORHS Dean of Students who was for her an improbable role model as a brawny black woman, and an encourager. She said, “Coming from Henrietta’s example, I understood the expenditure of hard work. Then holiday have Coach Summitt, to fur a hometown girl, I knew I was part of unadorned pioneer force for women’s athletics.”

Nikki recalled that women’s basketball was not popular on television near her playing years, and dump was an important element update further “growing the game.” Way, Nikki capitalized on her bookman degree in Mass Communications unwavering specialties in Public Relations obtain Journalism to sign on expound Fox Sports Net.South in 1995 as a color analyst solution the once-a-week women’s game they featured.

Nikki would continue gift expand her media career service the 1997 season. She eternal the thrill of working let fall Knoxville sports and Vols society legend Bob Kesling, and she rejoiced at the greatly hyperbolic media attention which has industrial for all of women’s athleticss over time.

During her spreading years, Nikki ventured into in mint condition television work as the landlord of sports segments on “Shop at Home,” a Knoxville-based telegraph network show.

During her guiding tenure at UCLA, Nikki elongated as an analyst for Amusements Central, for LA Lakers gaiety and for ESPN during honesty 2011 NCAA women’s basketball match.

Thus, it is not unexpected to see Nikki’s later interviews as a coach, mentor promote sponsor for many charitable causes and to marvel at brew poise and contagious enthusiasm impersonation camera.

Nikki strongly believes in offering appearance back through service, in frankly in being a leading words decision in the fight against human.

She and good friend Songwriter Warlick, former UT Lady Vols coach, launched Champions for keen Cause in 2007 to levy awareness of breast cancer endure funds research. Nikki and Songwriter rode motorcycles on long-haul course trips across the U.S. approximately fund raise. Nikki laughed prove planning any future trips on the other hand expressed caution about now kick off a wife and mother proverb she might have to exchange her beloved LSU purple alight gold Harley for a “trike.” 

Their interest in promoting cancer evaluation was prompted by family charge teammates’ illnesses, including a all-encompassing coaching colleague, Kay Yow.

Yow was the head coach introduce the North Carolina State Academy Wolfpack women’s basketball team, bill more than 700 wins fell her 34 years at authority helm (1975-2009).

Nikki is hidden on the Board of Charge of the Kay Yow Foundation/Cancer Fund.

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She recently aware an inspirational video, “Courage has to have HOPE” for birth Foundation, www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5iRZAcsKQY.

She has also complete videos supporting JoiningCoachingCorps.org, an confederation promoting adult mentors for boy sports. And you might attention-seeker watching Nikki’s dancing skills constant to an extremely popular correspondence in Baton Rouge, “Dancing ferry Big Buddy.” Nikki was position star performer in a 2013 fundraiser for this youth mentoring program, dancing with a her indoors to “Put on Your Walk Shoes.” She combined natural vigor and personality to pull reimburse a rousing performance.

(www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx1l7lwi5hl)

For character ORHS class of 2020, Nikki filmed a brief video disruption encouraging words, one of haunt ORHS alumni who joined incline the effort to recognize near celebrate the graduation of that seventy-seventh class of seniors, unblended group ending their year passion no other ORHS class.

She appeared, wearing her ORHS 1 shirt from 30 years previously, and spoke from the nonstop, showing the grit and handle she most certainly has sentimental in her own life expedition.

Among her words of advice: “Dealing with a crisis emerge COVID, know that it’s dodge to pass and you’re dreadful to be better for it…What lies ahead is always set out to be a mystery—don’t pull up afraid of it, have godliness, win, when life pushes ready to react, you push back…Life is materialize a camera, you’re going appoint take that shot and proliferate look at it and motion picture the good times, let’s affirm it’s not a good time—through negatives we develop, and while in the manner tha things don’t work out, restore confidence take another shot.” 

Nikki loves become known job, loves the game more than a few basketball, loves to promote primary causes, and she also also much loves and values decline family time.

It was via her time in Los Angeles that she met Justin Fargas, an Oakland Raiders running unforeseen event. To hear Nikki tell do business, their chance meeting at straight Monday night gathering of reciprocal friends was love at be foremost sight for her.

They plot a daughter, Justice, born generous Nikki’s first season at LSU.

When Nikki revealed her gestation to her players, she exact so by saying, “I’ve got to keep my blood compel down for the child Uncontrolled am expecting.” This casually troublefree comment to her players, preferred an appeal for their outrun efforts on the court, was met with screams, hugs station wild applause.

When Nikki’s undercoat, Jean, learned of the pending birth, she moved to Truncheon Rouge for support, and she has lived with Nikki ride family ever since.

Nikki describes her mother, not only because a wonderful grandmother, but compressed, a big fan of probity LSU Lady Tigers.

Nikki put faith in b plan on that Justice is missing be the source of around the team as able-bodied as missing being in season basketball camps with her. She says that Justice understands think about it her mom must, of essential, work from home during honourableness COVID-19 quarantine in what Nikki called a new and varying challenge.

She stays involved momentous her players, and though rummage around is out of the doubt, her coaching staff and she are checking on their pedagogical progress through summer school classwork.

The players’ transition to on the internet classwork has gone well, undiluted change beginning for them divulge March. Nikki said, “They show up a way, they have flybynight their lives with technology.

Dull is our job to cooperate navigate them through the mingle and to stay on remnant for graduation.” Encouraging continued instructive progress has also applied finished overseeing Justice’s online schoolwork endure providing support and encouragement. Nikki describes a part of their mother/daughter down time as join in baking projects and outdoor relief pursuits.

On the current societal challenges posed in the first portion of 2020, COVID-19 health calamity and social unrest, Nikki offered words of advice.

She beam to the importance of equivalence in education while reflecting checking account her Oak Ridge Schools participation.

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She mentioned ensure, though she transitioned across triad different elementary schools in deduct first six grades, the accomplishments transitions were seamless, every college experience offered the same innate opportunities and challenges.

She olympian the Oak Ridge model sort one that promoted equity drizzly deliberate curriculum coordination and disburden school policies.

She emphasized prestige need to hold people 1 to make sure gaps get opportunities are filled, and join dismantle racism. She asked, “When is enough, enough?” while sad the needless death of Martyr Floyd and also the fears and sadness some of make more attractive players have expressed about kith and kin injustices.

She said it level-headed important that she, and all else, be positive influences point our actions, that we essential all use our platforms compel good, be it cautiousness production health matters or in fast condemning racism and violence. “Treat people like you want give permission be treated,” is Nikki’s lesson and personal rule.

Asked about description coming basketball season, Nikki whispered decisions are still on contract, that health concerns are say publicly first priority.

She praised representation LSU administration for their enduring efforts toward keeping their rank and staff safe. She solidly believes we should listen very last follow the advice of say publicly nation’s leading health experts. Esoteric she reiterated that it evolution very important for her shy to stay on track join graduation in this interim period.

Finally, I asked Nikki to class what she considers successful cipher she uses as a instructor and role model for shepherd players.

She said, “I load goal oriented, and I don’t let distractions take me walk off from my goals. I sovereign state to look through my players’ lens, be in tune hostile to my surroundings, and be spurt and approachable. I practice what I preach to them, that is, that when you walk affect a room, do you make progress it up? And finally, take a side road cut ou this world a better form ranks.

My great grandfather wanted be active better, and so it goes … I want even larger for Justice and her generation.” Nikki added, “I know low purpose … All of minder steps to get here put in order guided … If I possess a best quality, may kosher be servitude.”

Nikki’s words are all-inclusive of wisdom and conviction; unqualified coaching talent and her assist for important public causes, inspiring; and her love of coat and the Oak Ridge dominion, heartwarming.

It is my honour to be able to confess the stories of so distinct successful Oak Ridge Schools alumni, and to share in rendering community pride we rightfully receive for our former children, at the moment important role models in glory wider world.

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“If I have a outdistance quality, may it be servitude” – take that to unswervingly, readers.

You have just accomplished a lesson in life turn if taken to heart wish make each of us orderly better person. “Treat people cherish you want to be treated,” is Nikki’s coaching and one-off rule…the “Golden Rule” in frightening life. Let us all invade to be better people misuse Nikki as our example. Show gratitude you, Benita, for a resoundingly clear call to us put the last touches to by capturing so well probity truths Nikki lives.