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Tennessee Lady Vols: Team awards for 2021-2022 women’s basketball season

By Caleb Calhoun

From left, Tennessee guard/forward Rae Burrell (12), guard Jordan Horston (25), center Tamari Key (20), guard Jordan Walker (4), and forward/center Keyen Green (13) talk during a time in in the NCAA basketball game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Kentucky Wildcats in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, January 16, 2022.Kns Lady Hoops Kentucky
From left, Tennessee guard/forward Rae Burrell (12), guard Jordan Horston (25), center Tamari Key (20), guard Jordan Walker (4), and forward/center Keyen Green (13) talk during a time in in the NCAA basketball game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Kentucky Wildcats in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sunday, January 16, 2022.Kns Lady Hoops Kentucky /
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Tennessee forward/center Keyen Green (13) and Tennessee center Tamari Key (20) celebrate a 3 pointer during the NCAA women’s basketball game against ETSU in Knoxville, TN on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020.
Tennessee forward/center Keyen Green (13) and Tennessee center Tamari Key (20) celebrate a 3 pointer during the NCAA women’s basketball game against ETSU in Knoxville, TN on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. /

When you lose your two best players for significant portions of the year and four key players for significant portions overall at different times, including one being out all season, it becomes hard to separate out postseason awards. That’s the situation we’re left in with the Tennessee Lady Vols after their third season under Kellie Harper.

Some postseason awards had to include players who didn’t even finish the season. At the same time, not playing eliminated players from other awards. It was a tricky situation to navigate for the first women’s basketball team to reach the Sweet 16 since 2016.

This year’s list of awards includes the teams most improved player, most valuable player, best defensive player, best bench player, best freshman and best newcomer. We’ll rank each award based on the value of the player who won it to the team. Let’s start our Tennessee Lady Vols awards for 2021-2022 with the top freshman.

Sixth Woman of the Year: Sara Puckett

She did start two games, but Sara Puckett spent the year coming off the bench as the team’s three-point specialist. Tess Darby was the main three-point specialist who started most of the year, but as Puckett developed, she became just as valuable and finished the year shooting 29.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Puckett, as a 6’2″ wing, averaged just under six and a half points a game. She also averaged three and a half rebounds. Nobody else was relied on more heavily for scoring off the bench throughout the year, and having played in every game while averaging over 21 minutes, she earns this award.

Runner-up: Keyen Green

If not for her season-ending injury, Keyen Green would have been on the list. This was supposed to be her bounce-back year, but 19 games in, she was knocked out again. Before that, the 6’1″ post player averaged seven points and three rebounds off the bench. It’s telling that the Tennessee Lady Vols were 18-1 and in the top five until she got hurt.