Lady Vols basketball seemed set up for the future a year ago. Tennessee had five highly-touted freshmen on the roster and a pair of incoming top talents. This featured five-star forward Oliviyah Edwards and four-star guard Gabby Minus.
However, after a disastrous end to the season, all five freshmen hit the portal along with three other potential returners, and Edwards requested a release from her signing and ultimately committed to South Carolina.
Despite having nobody else signed up to join her for the 2026-27 season, Minus stayed true to her signing. As a result, Kim Caldwell and the staff are clearly thankful. Caldwell noted Minus’ commitment to the program during an appearance on The Mike Keith Show when asked about landing her first transfer.
“I’ll back up a little bit further,” Caldwell said. “I think one person that maybe gets overlooked in all of this is Gabby (Minus), our freshman who stayed. And she was unwavering.”
View this post on Instagram
More From RTI: How Kim Caldwell, Bill Ferrara’s Offensive Philosophies Compare and Contrast for Lady Vols Basketball
After signing the entire 15-player roster, featuring Minus, another class of 2026 recruit and 13 transfers, Caldwell took the time to give her thoughts on each addition. This included Minus, whom she complimented as a player and person.
“Gabby Minus is a tough-nosed, hard-working player who will come in as a freshman and have a lasting impact,” Caldwell said. “Her passion and love for the University of Tennessee are contagious. I am really excited about coaching Gabby.”
Minus is ranked as the No. 47 player in the class by 247. Out of Dacula, Georgia, and playing for Hebron Christian Academy, she ranks as the No. 3 player from the Peach State, as well. She projects to play multiple positions at UT at 6-foot, especially with a smaller roster.
One Response
the real story of why the 2025-26 players left as well as the prior assistants will be coming out in a few weeks.
Kim says her players “quit” on her, but she has shown even more quit…Like yesterday (Sunday) at graduation when Kim became the first coaching staff to not have a single representative at the 3 players who graduated and signed the traditional pole that players who graduate from TN sign,,,Jersey, Nya and Latham were all without ANY reps from TN when they signed…I’ve got pics