Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell announced Tuesday that junior guard Avery Mills suffered a right knee injury during a team skill workout on Tuesday, June 30, and will be sidelined for an extended period of time.
Mills was the first player to commit to Tennessee during the 2026 spring portal window. She announced her intention on April 7 and submitted her paperwork on April 9, starting a run of 14 players the Lady Vol staff signed over a 22-day period to go along with incoming freshman Gabby Minus.
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Mills, a 5-foot-9 transfer from Liberty University, averaged a team-leading 15.3 points and contributed 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists while starting 25 of 26 games for the Lady Flames in 2025-26. She scored in double figures in 22 contests, including seven games with 20 or more points, shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 42.7 percent from beyond the arc and 85.1 percent from the free-throw line. She made a school-record 82 three-pointers as a sophomore last season at LU.
Over her first two collegiate seasons, Mills averaged 10.5 ppg., 2.6 rpg. and 1.7 apg., hitting 46 percent from the field, 43.8 percent beyond the arc and 86.7 percent at the free-throw line. She was named All-CUSA First Team in 2025-26 and made the CUSA All-Freshman Team in 2024-25.
