Lady Vols basketball senior guard Jewel Spear has made the final decision to stay at Tennessee despite the coaching change, she announced Tuesday.
Spear, who had until April 1 to decide whether to enter the WNBA draft, had said on March 31 that she would use her year of COVID-19 eligibility to return for a second season with the Lady Vols.
Then coach Kellie Harper was fired the next day. Harper brought in Spear as a transfer, and Spear started every match.
She reaffirmed her decision to return in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Despite the coaching change, I am excited about the vision Coach Caldwell has communicated to me and the direction of the program,” Spear wrote in his message. “With that, I have decided to finish my last year of eligibility on Rocky Top. Cue the music #feardaspear”
Spear indicated last week that she had not made a final decision on her future following the introductory news conference for new Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell on April 7. She said she had another meeting with Caldwell and would “know for sure after that.”
Spear’s announcement comes after Caldwell named his team earlier today. She hired assistant coaches from the SEC staff, Roman Tubner and Gabe Lazo, as well as two of her assistants from Marshall, Jenna Burdette and Angel Rizor.
Spear led Tennessee with 69 3-pointers on 37.3 percent shooting last season and averaged 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Her scoring increased after hitting her stride in the second half of the season, and she averaged 16.6 points in the final five games before the NCAA Tournament, shooting 46.7% from 3-point range.
Spear spent her first three seasons at Wake Forest, where she led the ACC in scoring as a sophomore. This is the second time she has changed coaches. She was initially recruited and signed by Jen Hoover to Wake Forest, but Hoover was fired in May 2022. Spear played one season for current Wake Forest coach Megan Gebbia before transferring to Tennessee.
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His return is an important development for Tennessee, which returns its leading scorer on the wing who will immediately fit into Caldwell’s offensive system. Spear can drive downhill, create his own shot, attack off the dribble, and score at an efficient, high clip.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @corahall. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that gives you access to the entire thing.
