Kim Caldwell adds fifth transfer to Lady Vols basketball with Pitt forward Rapuluchi Ayodele
Rapuluchi Ayodele has committed to the Lady Vols basketball team, the program announced on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-1 forward from Pitt is the fifth addition from the transfer portal for new Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell this offseason, bringing the roster to 14 scholarship players. Ayodele adds crucial depth in the post for Tennessee, which previously had only four forwards.
Last season, Ayodele started 15 out of 32 games, averaging 4.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. She shot 46.4% from the field and played 17.7 minutes per game.
She will be a fifth-year senior.
“We had an opportunity to enhance our depth and rebounding strength at the forward position, and that’s exactly what we’ve accomplished by adding Rapuluchi to the Lady Vol family,” Caldwell stated in a school release. “She brings a very strong and athletic presence in the paint and plays with great energy and intensity. She fits well with our objectives on both ends of the court and the team chemistry we are working to develop within our program.”
Before playing for Pitt last season, Ayodele spent three seasons at junior colleges, consistently averaging a double-double at each institution—Indian River State College, Eastern Florida State College, and Independence Community College. As a junior, she earned second-team NJCAA All-American honors with averages of 14.1 points and 14.1 rebounds. In her sophomore year, she was named a first-team NJCAA All-American, averaging 13.6 points and 13.2 rebounds.
Ayodele, hailing from Móstoles, Spain, joins forward Alyssa Latham (Syracuse), forward Lazaria Spearman (Miami), guard Samara Spencer (Arkansas), and guard Ruby Whitehorn (Clemson) as transfer portal additions. Tennessee has one open scholarship remaining.
Since Kellie Harper was fired on April 1, the Lady Vols have lost only one player to the transfer portal. Rising senior Karoline Striplin entered the portal on April 19. The 6-3 forward averaged 7.2 points and 3.1 rebounds, starting 11 games in the 2023-24 season.
