Tennessee's Talaysia Cooper becomes 7th Lady Vol to enter transfer portal after 1st-round March Madness exit
After a messy season culminating in a tough March, head coach Kim Caldwell is left with 1 returner on her roster for next year.
Another domino has fallen in Tennessee women’s basketball, with starting guard Talaysia Cooper announcing Thursday that she is entering the transfer portal. Cooper becomes the seventh Lady Vol to enter the portal, which officially opens on Monday after the conclusion of the women’s NCAA tournament . In a statement posted on Instagram , Cooper thanked the school, her coaches, and teammates, before announcing that she will be entering the portal.
The junior guard has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining. “Being a Lady Vol has meant more to me than I can fully put into words,” Cooper said. “After a lot of thought and prayer, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal to continue my journey.
This decision wasn’t easy at all, but I’m trusting what’s best for me moving forward. ” View this post on Instagram Cooper is the latest player to exit a Tennessee program coming off a messy, disappointing season, in the second year under head coach Kim Caldwell. Following the Vols’ first-round loss in the NCAA tournament , six other players reportedly or officially plan to enter the portal: freshman twins Mia and Mya Pauldo , senior Alyssa Latham, redshirt sophomore Kaniya Boyd and freshman guards Deniya Prawl and Lauren Hurst.
Latham has reportedly already committed to Virginia Tech as a grad transfer. In addition to the slew of transfers, four of Caldwell’s players — Zee Spearman, Janiah Barker, Nya Robertson and Jersey Wolfenbarger — are graduating seniors. As a result, freshman guard Jaida Civil is the only Lady Vol set to return to the team next year.