Lady Vols basketball is suffering a loss of not one, but two highly-recruited freshmen to the transfer portal at once. Twin point guards Mia and Mya Pauldo have announced their intention to enter the portal once it opens, according to their Instagram.
Mia Pauldo was a five-star prospect out of high school and a McDonald’s All-American. Mya Pauldo was a top-100 recruit and four-star prospect. Both will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Mia Pauldo averaged 10.4 points per game as a true freshman on 35.6% shooting from the field and 29.2% from three. She also contributed 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 27 appearances and 16 starts.
Despite missing some time due to a concussion, Mia Pauldo still earned high honors for her year. She was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after the regular season.
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Mya Pauldo also contributed off the bench as a freshman. In 27 games, while making one start, she posted 1.8 points per game on 35.1% shooting from the field and 26.5% on threes. She also notched 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per outing.
This season, Tennessee finished 16-14 (8-8 SEC). The Lady Vols were the 6-seed in the SEC Tournament, but lost to Alabama in the second round. They earned a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament, but lost to NC State in the Round of 64 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
This featured an eight-game losing streak and defeats in 11 of their last 13 games to round out the year.
The departure of the Pauldo twins now marks six players in the transfer portal for Tennessee. So far, Alyssa Latham, Lauren Hurst, Deniya Prawl and Kaniya Boyd have already left. Talaysia Cooper and Jaida Civil are potential options with eligibility that could still return. That means just one of the five incoming freshmen from a year ago, Civil, remains.
One Response
I am so sick of the transfer portal. Player are abusing the system. You signed a letter of COMMITMENT, that use to mean something to people. Players treat it like parents when they are children. When they get upset with mom they want to live with dad. It’s called SPOILED BRATS.
The transfer portal and NIL deals have totally ruined college sports. I agree with NI, there needs to be better structuring that contains a minimum of playing 2 years for the University you signed a COMMITMENT to play for. They should be allowed only one transfer during eligibility. If they request a second transfer, they must sit out a year.
Bring back the true spirit of college sports.