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Tennessee Lady Vols G Zaay Green leaving the program

By Caleb Calhoun

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 14: A general view of megaphones for the Tennessee Volunteers cheerleaders against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the quarterfinals of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome on March 14, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 14: A general view of megaphones for the Tennessee Volunteers cheerleaders against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the quarterfinals of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome on March 14, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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One day after the departure of Tennessee Lady Vols guard Jazmine Massengill, the women’s basketball Volunteers lost another elite player.

For the second straight day, the Tennessee Lady Vols lost a guard who entered the program with a ton of recruiting hype back in 2018. Sophomore Zaay Green, who missed all but two games of Kellie Harper’s first season, is leaving.

Green was the top-rated player in the 2018 class. Her departure comes just one day after Jazmine Massengill, who was only slightly behind Green in 2018, entered the transfer portal. While Massengill just entered the portal, Green is actually leaving.

As a freshman playing for Holly Warlick, Green started 24 games and averaged over nine and a half points a game. She was set to take on a larger role this past year until her injury. The star guard confirmed her departure on Instagram.

With Green’s departure, the Tennessee Lady Vols now have some issues. It made sense for her or Massengill to leave, as one would lose playing time with Green returning to the program. However, both of them leaving means Kellie Harper has to rework her roster.

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Jordan Horston is still the star guard, and Rennia Davis and Rae Burrell both are the main scorers. Meanwhile, the length is the major thing Harper is focused on, as she has players like Tamari Key, Kasiyahna Kushkituah, Emily Saunders and Jaiden McCoy all back next year.

Meanwhile, Harper has options at guard still with Jessie Rennie expected to take a major leap forward this offseason. Add in Destiny Salary and Tess Darby as two commitments for 2020, and there is still talent.

However, in two years, the Tennessee Lady Vols have had three five-star guards transfer out of the program: Evina Westbrook last year and now Green and Massengill. That’s a brutal hit, and it leaves Horston as the only blue-chip guard left in the program. That puts a lot of pressure on her, and it also puts a lot of pressure on Harper to prove she can offset these losses.