Jewel Spear reaffirms decision to return to Lady Vols for final season

Jewel Spear has announced that she is sticking with her decision to play her final year of eligibility with the Lady Vols.

She previously made the choice under Kellie Harper but has reaffirmed this choice following the hiring of Kim Caldwell.

This recent announcement comes the same day as Caldwell's hiring of her new staff.

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She averaged 13.1 points on 42.9% shooting from the field and 37.3% on 3-pointers in her true-senior campaign with Tennessee.

Spear also produced 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game during the 2023-24 season. She started in all 33 games while posting a year-high of 30 points in a road loss to Ole Miss.

The sharpshooting guard began her career at Wake Forest before transferring to the Lady Vols. With the Deacons, she averaged 18.3 points per game as a sophomore and earned All-ACC First-Team, All-ACC Second Team and ACC All-Tournament Team (twice) honors.

Spear will enter her final season of eligibility while previously expressing the hope to continue her career in the WNBA. Another solid season as a shooter could land her on the draft boards the following cycle.

She was one of three seniors on the team to have the option to return. Tamari Key decided to end her basketball career while Tess Darby is also returning. Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell are out of eligibility.

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