On Tuesday, news broke that Lady Vols basketball senior guard Kaiya Wynn will be stepping away from the program ahead of the trip to the SEC Tournament.
As a result, Wynn took to her X account to clarify the reasoning. She said that she was hoping to start on Senior Day and did not want to check into the game with 15 seconds left after not getting the opportunity earlier. She noted that that was not the sole reason for the departure, but the ‘breaking point’.
“The news has now broken that I have decided to step away from the Lady Vol program,” Wynn wrote. “This decision was not made lightly or instantly. For the past five years I have given my all for Tennessee and have not regretted doing so once. Obviously, my last two seasons on the team have been less than ideal for many reasons, but the one night I was most looking forward to was senior night. As someone who has never started a career game, I was hoping to start in my last appearance in Thompson-Boling. That obviously did not happen, and to be asked to check into the game with 15 seconds left while losing was not how I wanted to spend my final moments in my arena after five years. Although that was not the sole reason, it was the breaking point for me. I have the utmost love and respect for my teammates and this program and wish everyone nothing but the best. Thank you Lady Vol Nation for the pat 5 years, you all made this kid from Tennessee so extremely happy.”
— kaiya (@kaiyaw_2) March 3, 2026
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Wynn was in her fifth season, all with the Lady Vols. She initially committed to Kellie Harper, but stuck through the coaching change to Kim Caldwell. In practice ahead of her true senior year, Wynn suffered a torn Achilles injury which sidelined her for the season, though.
Wynn returned for a redshirt-senior year, but rarely saw action. This season, she appeared in nine games while posting averages of 0.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.
The Lady Vols will open their SEC Tournament run on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET in Greenville, S.C. Tennessee, the 6-seed, will play the winner between 11-seed Alabama and 14-seed Missouri.
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