In advance of Lady Vols basketball senior night, who is eligible and who is not ?
There is only one game left in the Food City Center for Lady Vols basketball this season. Five players will compete in Senior Night before Tennessee’s game against Texas A&M. Here are the people that can and cannot return, along with some comments made by Kellie Harper before the event.
OUT OF QUALITY, Rickea Jackson (Part II, Forward)
Rickea Jackson had the option to declare for the WNBA Draft, where she would have been selected probably in the first round, but she chose to spend her final season in Tennessee.
Jackson played her first three seasons at Mississippi State before transferring to the Lady Vols to finish her career, meaning she is no longer eligible.
Jackson has improved her draft stock as a senior and is currently regarded as one of the board’s best prospects. She is averaging 18.8 points, eight rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 45.8% shooting from the field and 32% shooting from beyond the arc, despite missing some time due to injury.
Jasmine Powell (#15, Guard)
Ashley Powell is the only other player who isn’t eligible. Alongside Jackson, she transferred to Tennessee last season to complete her last two years of eligibility.
Powell played collegiately for Minnesota. She had an uneventful year after moving to Knoxville, playing both off the bench and in the starting rotation.
Powell discovered her footing during the fifth year that Covid had offered her. Her averages per game are 10 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and a 39.1% field goal percentage with a 25.4% 3-point shooting percentage.
ADDITIONAL ACCESS, Tamari Key (#20), Center
Tamari Key is among the three players who have one more year left to be eligible. Blood clots kept the center out of action for the majority of the 2022–2023 season, allowing her to play as a redshirt. She will now have her COVID year at her disposal, should she so desire.
She had to go through a readjustment phase upon rejoining the squad before she could once again start. Though she is only averaging 4.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, she has become a reliable player in the closing minutes.
Key leads Tennessee’s lifetime blocked shot program thanks to an incredible career. In her junior year, she surpassed Candace Parker to attain the mark.
Jewel Spear (#0, Guard)
Jewel Spear is a newcomer who will have the chance to come back for a final year. Before stepping through the gate to become a Lady Vol, she started her career at Wake Forest. Spear has averaged 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in her one-and-only season at Knoxville. She has started all 26 of her games.
Spear has stated before that her dream is to be a WNBA player. She will have to choose between trying it out right away and trying to improve her standing with one more year of college.
Guard/Forward, Tess Darby (#21)
Tess Darby is the last competitor who can choose to come back for a final year. The guard/forward, who is mostly deployed as a spot-up shooter, has played for the Lady Vols for all four of her seasons.
Darby is averaging 3.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 33% 3-point shooting per game. She scored a season-high 18 points against Liberty, making six of her field goal attempts. Edie Darby, Darby’s younger sister, is also eligible for many years and is listed on the roster. This might influence the senior’s choice.
Wells, Destinee (Guard, #10)
Despite having two years of eligibility going into the season, Destinee Wells was sidelined by an injury after just 10 games. She averaged 6.8 points and 3.5 assists per game while starting in four of the games.
Tennessee will try to get Wells a medical red shirt because of the small sample size, so this season won’t count against her remaining eligibility. This would start in the following season and preserve her for two years. Wells has stated that she intends to return in the 2024–2025 season, hence, she will not be attending the Senior Night festivities.