Former Lady Vols basketball guard Avery Strickland Hurst entered the transfer portal as she pursues a fifth year of eligibility, according to multiple reports on Aug. 20.
The 5-foot-10 Hurst, who is from Knoxville, spent last season at Belmont after stops at Pittsburgh and Tennessee. She averaged 13 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists and was selected to the All-MVC second team.
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She was out of eligibility but was the beneficiary of a recent court ruling that allows her to seek a fifth year. Hurst also was a plaintiff in a Louisiana lawsuit for which a judge granted a temporary restraining order to her and several athletes, including some football players signed with NFL teams, to come back to college athletics and enter the portal outside of its usual window. It came after a Colorado judge granted an injunction that provided most athletes in the high school class of 2022 a fifth year of eligibility.
Hurst led Farragut High School to its first basketball state tournament and state championship appearances in program history while also standing out in softball and track. She won a softball state championship as a junior and was a state medalist in track as a senior.
At Pittsburgh as a freshman, Hurst made 11 starts and averaged 6.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. She then transferred to Tennessee ahead of the 2023-24 season and had a limited role in her two seasons with the Lady Vols, appearing in 39 games. In 2024-25, she averaged 5.8 minutes, 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds and shot 43.8% from the field.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Lady Vols guard Avery Strickland Hurst in portal seeking fifth year, per reports
