Tennessee Basketball: What Does It Mean To You?

Tennessee hoops. What does it mean to you? Well to me, Tennessee hoops is everything. Doesn’t matter if it’s men’s or women’s, but for the sake of this article, it’s all about the women’s game. Growing up, Tennessee hoops was a lifestyle. Tuesday night, if you did your homework early, you were treated to going to a local high school game. Friday night, you were back in the gym with some friends catching the big Friday night tilt. On the weekend, it was going to a local university to catch a game or watching the Lady Vols on television. Coach Pat Summit, you would have thought she was a relative in how my family talked about her college teams. Hoop topics went from local girls who Pat needed to look at or how this girl carried her team against this opponent. How serious was my family about women’s hoops you might ask? Very serious. My mom was a Lady Vol. My dad became a huge supporter of women’s basketball game. So much that somehow he would get messages to different collegiate coaching staffs to go look at girls and he wasn’t even a coach. My family loved women’s basketball, especially if it involved anything with any Tennessee team. So it’s in my blood. Now fast forward that I am now an adult, it’s been an honor to cover this great state in women’s basketball. Why? It’s because I see and feel the foundation that was laid back then, to now where we have some incredible young athletes who can and will compete at a high level. I see the short underdog who comes from the countryside and wheels her team every night. I see the girl who grew up with brothers on the blacktop, using those crossover moves she learned. I see that girl who spent countless hours in the gym with her father (or mother), shooting over and over again. I see that girl who dreamed that basketball would take her to a bigger and better place. As the line in Rocky says “ Home Sweet Home to Me” Tennessee means the world to me. This state is home to some of the most talented young hoopers in the country. Kudos to the coaches, the families, and these young ladies, who bring so much to this game. A lot goes unseen, but everyone plays an intricate part in making this game so great in this state. Here is a list of the 2022 class of young ladies who will go on to play D1 basketball. There is no particular order and some may be left off this list, so I do apologize. Mind you, if you are going to play collegiate ball period at any level, you have done a tremendous accomplishment. Cheers to you all as well. There are no juniors or sophomores on this list because these girls will have their day soon. To all the young ladies out there may basketball enrich your life and open up doors to a bigger platform.   <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Player Name</td> <td>Height</td> <td>Position</td> <td>School</td> <td>Committed</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245205" first="Acacia" last="Hayes"]</td> <td>5’9</td> <td>PG</td> <td>Riverdale</td> <td>Western Kentucky</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245207" first="Karly" last="Weathers"]</td> <td>5’10</td> <td>CG</td> <td>Loretto</td> <td>Alabama</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245215" first="Serena" last="Lee"]</td> <td>6’0</td> <td>F</td> <td>Whitehaven</td> <td>Memphis</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245226" first="Mya" last="Pratcher"]</td> <td>6’1</td> <td>SF</td> <td>Bartlett</td> <td>Auburn</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="285349" first="Jennifer" last="Sullivan"]</td> <td>5’7</td> <td>SF</td> <td>Bearden</td> <td>Tennessee Tech</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245210" first="Kennedy" last="Cambridge"]</td> <td>5’8</td> <td>CG</td> <td>Ensworth</td> <td>Multiple D1 offers</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245214" first="Tamia" last="Scott"]</td> <td>6’0</td> <td>CG</td> <td>Clarksville Northeast</td> <td>Middle Tennessee State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245236" first="Taylor" last="Dupree"]</td> <td>6’3</td> <td>C</td> <td>Arlington</td> <td>Undecided</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245217" first="Reghan" last="Grimes"]</td> <td>5’9</td> <td>SF</td> <td>Ravenwood</td> <td>Tennessee Tech</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245216" first="Avery" last="Strickland"]</td> <td>5’9</td> <td>SF</td> <td>Farragut</td> <td>West Virginia</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245232" first="Kennedy" last="Claybrooks"]</td> <td>5’6</td> <td>PG</td> <td>Bartlett</td> <td>Texas State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245235" first="Edie" last="Darby"]</td> <td>5’6</td> <td>PG</td> <td>Greenfield</td> <td>Multiple D1 offers</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245209" first="Sharnecce" last="Currie-Jelks"]</td> <td>6’1</td> <td>W</td> <td>Jackson SouthSide</td> <td>UT Martin</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245220" first="McKenna" last="Hayes"]</td> <td>5’8</td> <td>CG</td> <td>East Hamilton</td> <td>Appalachian State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245224" first="Zyion" last="Shannon"]</td> <td>5’7</td> <td>CG</td> <td>Stewart’s Creek</td> <td>Tennessee State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245208" first="Reagan" last="Trumm"]</td> <td>5’8</td> <td>CG</td> <td>Powell</td> <td>Western Carolina</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245211" first="Sydney-James" last="Desroches"]</td> <td>5’11</td> <td>PF</td> <td>Rossview</td> <td>Eastern Illinois</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245229" first="Marisa" last="Wirtz"]</td> <td>5’10</td> <td>CG</td> <td>Station Camp</td> <td>Undecided</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245219" first="Sydney" last="Ryan"]</td> <td>5’10</td> <td>SG</td> <td>Brentwood</td> <td>Furman</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245218" first="Millie" last="Brown"]</td> <td>5’7</td> <td>PG</td> <td>Brentwood Academy</td> <td>UNC Asheville</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245238" first="Meioshe" last="Mason"]</td> <td>6’3</td> <td>C</td> <td>Lebanon</td> <td>Middle Tennessee State</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="276708" first="Briah" last="Hampton"]</td> <td>6’1</td> <td>SF</td> <td>Arlington</td> <td>Austin Peay</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245228" first="Carleigh" last="Wilson"]</td> <td>5’10</td> <td>G</td> <td>Oakland</td> <td>Undecided</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="245234" first="Kamil" last="Collier"]</td> <td>6’0</td> <td>C</td> <td>Ensworth</td> <td>Lipscomb</td> </tr> <tr> <td>[player_tooltip player_id="316608" first="Beth" last="Nelson"]</td> <td>6’0</td> <td>SF</td> <td>Oakland</td> <td>Brown</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>