Former Tennessee women’s basketball coach Kellie Harper set to visit Arkansas…

Former Tennessee women’s basketball coach Kellie Harper set to visit Arkansas…

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – Ruby Whitehorn, a transfer, has awarded head coach of the Tennessee women’s basketball team Kim Caldwell an SEC Grant-in-Aid (GIA) and an Institutional Financial Aid Agreement (IFAA), the coach revealed on Monday.

 

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The 5-foot-11 guard is a native of Detroit, Michiga n, and attended Detroit Edison Public School Academy, the same school that UT’s 2024 WNBA First Round Draft pick, Rickea Jackson, was selected. Over the course of the previous two seasons at Clemson, the guard started 62 of 66 games. After 6-2 forward Alyssa Latham (Syracuse), 6-4 forward Lazaria Spearman (Miami), and 5-7 guard Samara Spencer (Arkansas), Whitehorn will be a junior in 2024–25. Under the direction of first-year head coach Kim Caldwell, Whitehorn is the fourth player to sign out of the transfer portal with the Lady Vols.

“I’m really excited about what Ruby will bring to the program,” said Caldwell. “Her athleticism will greatly aid us on the defensive end, and she is one of the best downhill scorers I have seen.” She is a perfect fit for our curriculum, and I am eager for her to visit our campus and demonstrate her abilities.”

Whitehorn is the third top-30 recruit in that class that is expected to make her Big Orange debut this autumn. She is currently ranked No. 15 in the 2022 espnW 100 coming out of high school. She will be a member of the squad alongside Spearman, number 30, and Talaysia Cooper, number 18, a 6-0 guard who redshirted in 2023–24 after transferring from South Carolina last spring.

Whitehorn started 29 of 31 games for Clemson last season, scoring in double digits 21 times and recording two double-doubles. The sophomore recorded career highs in both scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg), ranking third and second on the team, respectively. While hitting career highs, she also finished second in assists (51), steals (45), blocks (14), and three-pointers made (25).

69.2 percent from the free throw line and 46.4 percent from the field.

Whitehorn finished with 20 points or more on two different occasions. Her greatest performance of the season came in the season finale against Boston College, when she made 12 of 16 field goals. The other time was on November 24 against Mississippi State. Down the stretch, Whitehorn was a force on the glass, grabbing eight rebounds or more in seven of her previous 11 games, including a career-high 14 boards at Florida State on March 3 during the final regular-season game, and 10 at Notre Dame on February 22.

Whitehorn started 33 out of 35 games and finished with 9.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in 2022–23, earning him a spot on the ACC’s All-Freshman Team. As the first-ever McDonald’s High School All-American and the program’s highest-ranked recruit in history, she led Clemson to Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team honors by scoring a career-high 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting in her sixth college game. As a rookie, she ended up scoring 10 or more points 17 times, and on December 8, she scored 21 points against Charlotte, adding another 20+ effort.

Whitehorn averaged 10.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game during her two seasons at Clemson. Of her field goals, she made 44.2 percent and 66.7 percent of them with a basket.

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