Clemson guard Ruby Whitehorn commits to Lady Vols, coach Kim Caldwell out of transfer portal

Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel
·3 min read
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Clemson guard Ruby Whitehorn has committed to Lady Vols basketball out of the transfer portal, she announced Monday.

Whitehorn is a significant addition for new Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell. The 5-foot-11 junior averaged 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals last season while shooting 46.4% from the field. She was named to the ACC All-Freshman team in 2023.

Whitehorn made the announcement on her Instagram: "you ain’t heard ?? 2’s BACK".

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"I'm really excited about what Ruby will bring to the program," Caldwell said in a school release. "She is one of the best downhill scorers I've had the opportunity to see, and her athleticism will help us greatly on the defensive end. She is a natural fit for our program, and I can't wait for her to get on campus and see what she can do in our system."

Whitehorn started in 62 of her 66 appearances at Clemson, scoring in double figures 21 times last season and logged a pair of double-doubles. In the final game of the season, she scored a season-high 26 points on 12-for-16 shooting.

She entered the transfer portal after former Clemson coach Amanda Butler was fired March 12. She had planned to visit Tennessee, but canceled her original visit after Kellie Harper was fired April 1. Whitehorn eventually took an official visit with Caldwell and her staff.

Whitehorn was one of the top guards in the transfer portal, taking visits to Florida State and Baylor. She also had planned to visit LSU, according to reports, but visited Tennessee instead. She will be a key piece in the backcourt, along with senior Jewel Spear and sophomore Talaysia Cooper.

Clemson freshman guard Ruby Whitehorn (22) shoots near Longwood guard Bailey Williams (2) during the first quarter at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Sunday, November 19, 2023.
Clemson freshman guard Ruby Whitehorn (22) shoots near Longwood guard Bailey Williams (2) during the first quarter at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Sunday, November 19, 2023.

The Detroit native went to Detroit Edison, the same high school former Lady Vols star Rickea Jackson graduated from in 2019. Jackson started a streak of Michigan Miss Basketball winners from Detroit Edison; Whitehorn was the fourth in a row to win it as a senior in 2022.

The two-time high school state champion was a five-star prospect ranked No. 15 in the 2022 class. She was a McDonald's All American, Jordan Brand All-American and the Gatorade Player of the Year in Michigan.

SPEAR: Senior guard Jewel Spear says she's staying at Tennessee despite Lady Vols coaching change

Whitehorn is the fourth player to commit to the Lady Vols out of the transfer portal since Caldwell was hired April 7. She joins forward Alyssa Latham (Syracuse), forward Lazaria Spearman (Miami) and guard Samara Spencer (Arkansas). Tennessee has two open scholarships left, and Caldwell recently said at a Big Orange Caravan event that she wanted to add one or two more players.

The Lady Vols have lost only one player to the transfer portal since Harper was fired. Rising senior Karoline Striplin entered the portal on April 19. The 6-3 forward averaged 7.2 points and 3.1 rebounds and started in 11 of the 33 games she played this past season.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Clemson guard transfer Ruby Whitehorn commits to Lady Vols basketball