Lady Vols’ roster takes a blow in the middle of the offseason, and it’s not clear how bad it is
Kim Caldwell’s roster suffered an injury to a veteran guard, and the timetable for a return is not yet known.
The Tennessee Lady Vols have completely re-built their roster from the ground up after the mass departure of all veteran players in the transfer portal last season.
Kim Caldwell has gone from coast to coast to reload the roster as she looks to right the program after losing 11 of the last 13 games to end the 2025-26 season.
Included among her offseason pickups is guard Avery Mills. Mills came to Knoxville in April from the transfer portal after spending her first two collegiate seasons with the Liberty Flames. Mills skillset is undeniable, as she is a sharpshooter beyond the arc. In 59 career games, she has knocked down 43.8% of her shots from three, which helped her earn first team Conference USA All-Conference honors last year.
However, Mills’ status has suddenly become cloudy. According to multiple outlets, Caldwell announced that Mills suffered a right knee injury during a workout back on June 30 that will keep her out for an “extended period of time.”
Lady Vols guard Avery Mills out ‘an extended period of time’ with a right knee injury that she suffered in practice
A timetable for her return beyond said vague “extended period of time” was not provided by Caldwell or the university. Hopefully, with the season still four months away, Mills’ injury isn’t of the nature that will require her to miss time during the season.
Mills’ sharpshooting skills are among the most impressive stats of any new addition by Caldwell this past offseason. So losing that part of the offensive equation would be a tough blow for a team looking for some positive breaks after a tough year.
We’ll find out when the Lady Vols begin practice in September if Mills is back at full health and practicing, or if Tennessee could be starting off their 2026-27 season at a disadvantage.