“It’s different knowing the legacy growing up here and what it means to be a Lady Vol and what it means to put on that jersey,” Strickland said. “I’m really excited to continue that legacy and play on that court where all those girls I looked up to did.”
Playing for Farragut High School, Strickland was a senior on the 2021-22 team that reached the state championship game for the first time in school history. In the 65-53 semifinal win over Cookeville, Strickland scored 31 points to send the Admirals to the final, where they lost to Bearden.
However, Strickland never received any attention from Tennessee out of high school.
“When that’s your dream school, you have certain expectations, but everything works out for its own reasons,” Strickland said.
After decommitting from West Virginia, Strickland played her freshman season at Pittsburgh. She played in all 30 games for the Panthers, starting 11 times. She averaged 6.2 points per game, with her best coming against Georgia Tech where she scored 17 points with four rebounds.
Now at Tennessee, Strickland will play a large role in Tennessee’s plans for the next three seasons.
“When we found out that Avery was in the transfer portal, we felt like she was exactly the fit that we needed,” Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper said. “She can put the ball in the hole, has a high motor, has great character, and she just checked off a lot of boxes that we’ve felt like we needed.”
In Tennessee’s exhibition against Carson-Newman, Strickland scored her first unofficial points for the Lady Vols. She played 19 minutes in front of a home crowd for the first time.
Although she may not be a major part of the rotation immediately, Strickland has the ability to make an impact in whatever role she plays. Her intensity is something that other players have appreciated in practice, including fellow Tennessee native Tess Darby.
“Avery is a hustler and she’s a rebounder,” Darby said. “And I think that’s something we need. She knows that she can come in at any time and just give us that spark that we need.”
Playing in Pittsburgh was hard for Strickland. She was away from all of her family and friends, which took a toll on her mentally. It was one of many reasons why she decided to return home to play for Tennessee.
She was also far from her dog, Scruffy, who could only make a few visits to Pittsburgh. Overall, the distance took a toll on her.
“I’ve been around a lot of friends and family, so that’s been a lot of fun,” Strickland said. “Just being on my home court has been great, too.”
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