Former Lady Vols signee sends message after being released from signing with Tennessee and it’s drawing attention for who was mentioned
Kim Caldwell and the Lady Vols will have an entirely new roster next season. All of Tennessee’s players that were set to return have now entered the NCAA transfer portal following one of the worst seasons in program history.
Kim Caldwell and the Lady Vols are starting from scratch this offseason.
Tennessee will have a completely new roster next season as every player that was eligible to return to Rocky Top has now entered the NCAA transfer portal.
On top of losing every returning player, the Lady Vols also lost highly touted signee Oliviyah Edwards, a five-star forward from Tacoma, WA.
Edwards was released from her letter of intent with Tennessee this week.
Oliviyah Edwards posts message that’s drawing attention for who was mentioned
Rumors emerged earlier this month that some of Caldwell’s assistants were “undermining” her.
The rumors centered around two assistant coaches who recently left the program — Gabe Lazo, who initially left for LSU before being named the head coach at UCF, and Roman Tubner, who was fired by Caldwell last week.
Edwards’ message on Tuesday specifically mentioned Lazo and Tubner.
“I’ve decided to decommit from The University of Tennessee and reopen my recruitment,” wrote Edwards. “I have officially been released from the university. Knoxville was incredible from the moment I first stepped on campus. I’m so thankful for the love and support from Lady Vol fans — you all made this journey special in a way I’ll never forget. Your dedication to the program is truly unmatched. This decision was incredibly hard, but after deep conversations with my family, I know it’s what’s best for my future.”
“A special thank you to Coach Kim Caldwell, Gabe Lazo, Roman Tubner and the entire staff. The relationships we built mean so much to me, and they will always hold a special place in my future. This has been a tough weekend as I’ve had to grieve the loss of what l once envisioned for my future.”
Former Lady Vols guard Deniya Prawl, a freshman at Tennessee this past season before entering the transfer portal, also took to Twitter/X.com to defend Tubner.
We may never know what was truly going on behind the scenes, but it seems clear that Tennessee’s players didn’t have an issue with Caldwell’s assistant coaches.
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