After the loss to NC State in the NCAA Tournament, the news for Tennessee women's basketball just gets worse and worse. Tennessee is going to be losing five-star freshman Deniya Prowl, and now they are about to lose another key player who was expected to step up in 2026.
On3's Talia Goodman is reporting that Tennessee junior forward Alyssa Latham is now planning on entering the Transfer Portal. This one hurts, as the former Syracuse transfer played nearly 20 minutes a night and was a solid two-way player for Kim Caldwell.
BREAKING: Tennessee’s Alyssa Latham plans to enter the portal as a grad transfer, her representative from @weavewomens told @On3.
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) March 23, 2026
The 6-2 junior averaged 4.7 ppg and 3.4 rpg this season.
TRACKER: https://t.co/wYv1Ze6704 pic.twitter.com/0focIM6X88
Alyssa Latham is planning on leaving the Lady Vols
There is no sugar coating this one. Tennesse has already got some bad news today and it just gets worse. I mean, after the 14-loss season, it's not a surprise the Lady Vols are losing oplayers, but it would've been nice to keep a five-star around and a veteran forward in Latham. I think Latham will draw some solid interest. She is a good player who fills a needed role on every team, as she can steal, block, and rebound.
Don't be surprised to see the Lady Vols hit the portal hard this offseason. It sounds like Kim Caldwell will be back around for another year, but she has a lot to prove, or else Danny White might have to have the tough conversation. Caldwell will surely look to add some win-now talent to the Tennessee roster and try to avoid another disaster like last season.
Tennessee does have five-star Oliviah Edwards coming in next fall, who could end up being a superstar, but they need more help than just a freshman. I'm curious to see how Caldwell tries to rebuild Tennessee's roster for the 2026 season. They need more high-end talent and players who will buy into Caldwell's system.
The harsh reality is that Tennessee hasn't lived up to that standard that has been set by Coach Summit, and until then, Tennessee will have to fight to keep our players in Knoxville. I still have faith in Kim Caldwell, but time is running out. This offseason could be Caldwell's last.