Kaiya Wynn says she's leaving Tennessee after reaching her 'breaking point' after not starting on senior day
· Yahoo Sports
Tennessee Volunteers backup guard Kaiya Wynn announced she was leaving the program after reaching her "breaking point" over the weekend. In a post on X, Wynn said she was frustrated she wasn't able to start on senior day, though that wasn't the only reason she decided to leave the team.
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Wynn's full statement read:
"The news has now broken that I have decided to step away from the Lady Vol program. This decision was not made lightly or instantly. For the past five years I have given my all for Tennessee and have not regretted doing so once. Obviously, my last two seasons on the team have been less than ideal for many reasons, but the one night I was most looking forward to was senior night. As someone who has never started a career game, I was hoping to start in my last appearance in Thompson-Boling. That obviously did not happen, and to be asked to check into the game with 15 seconds left while losing was not how I wanted to spend my final moments in my arena after. five years. Although that was not the sole reason, it was the breaking point for me. I have the utmost love and respect for my teammates and this program and wish everyone nothing but the best. Thank you Lady Vol Nation for the past 5 years, you all made this kid from Tennessee so extremely happy."
Wynn, who missed all of last season due to an Achilles injury, has played in just nine games this year, and is averaging just 5.8 minutes per game.
Prior to that injury, Wynn had worked her way into a solid reserve role. As a junior, Wynn averaged a career-high 13.5 minutes per game, averaging 4.4 points in those appearances. She may have worked her way into more playing time as a senior, but the Achilles injury prevented that from happening.
After a promising start to the season, Tennessee has struggled down the stretch. The team is just 2-9 over its last 11 games, and has lost six straight.
The team's most recent loss came against Vanderbilt on Sunday. Wynn, as she stated in her statement, did not start that game, and did not make an appearance after apparently turning down the opportunity to get into the contest with 15 seconds left.
Following the loss, Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell called out her team for quitting, per ESPN.
"We had a lot of quit in us tonight. ... When we're not comfortable and things don't go our way, I have a team that'll just quit on you, and you can't do that in big games."
Wynn's departure comes just before the SEC tournament. Tennessee will take on either Missouri or Alabama on Thursday. Tennessee enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed after going 16-12 in the regular season and 8-8 in conference play.