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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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Jan 14, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols guard Rae Burrell (12) and guard Jordan Horston (25) wears jerseys in support of We Back Pat during the second half against the Georgia Lady Bulldogs against the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols guard Rae Burrell (12) and guard Jordan Horston (25) wears jerseys in support of We Back Pat during the second half against the Georgia Lady Bulldogs against the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Most Valuable Player: Jordan Horston

She missed the final eight games of the season and 11 games overall on the year, but Jordan Horston was still the Tennessee Lady Vols’ best player. The junior still scored more points than anybody else on the team, and she led everybody in rebounding with nearly nine and a half a game as a 6’2″ combo guard.

Horston doubled her scoring output from last year to nearly 16.2 points per game, and she nearly tripled her rebounding output, meaning she also could have been the team’s most improved player. However, volume increased much more than efficiency.

Still, with so many injuries all year, Horston’s volume was needed, and she did carry Rocky Top to that 18-1 record and top five ranking. Her clutch gene and tenacity can’t be overlooked, and she also averaged nearly one and a half steals a game.

Runner-up: Rae Burrell

Once Horston went out late, Rae Burrell was the team’s star. However, she had to miss the first half of the season and never got quite right after an injury. She still averaged 12.3 points on the year, but fully healthy, she and Horston may have been the best duo in the league. Finishing the year and helping UT to the Sweet 16 still earns her a mention.

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With Burrell now in the WNBA, we will never be able to see how a fully polished version of her and Horston would have worked out at the college level. Both players, though, showed lots of mental toughness navigating UT through a difficult season when, often, one of them was hurt while other key players were out.