Haley Cavinder unretires to play in 2024-25 season, enters transfer portal
Miami guard Haley Cavinder is returning to college basketball after announcing her retirement in April.
After she and her sister, Hanna Cavinder, assisted in Miami's historic run to the Elite Eight, the pair said they were forgoing their fifth year of NCAA eligibility. The heartfelt statement teased a "new chapter," which was expected to be a future with WWE.
Now, Haley reportedly is in the transfer portal with a goal to play in the 2024-25 season. She will consider remaining with Miami as well as exploring other schools, according to the Associated Press.
She informed her 727,000 Instagram followers of her plans by posting a mix of her 2022-23 highlights with the caption, "see you next season #year5."
The twins joined Miami as senior transfers from Fresno State. They had success at both universities with securing major name, image and likeness deals after gaining popularity on TikTok. Their joint account currently has 4.5 million followers.
In 2020, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to collegiate athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is how Haley Cavinder will be allowed another year.
She started all 35 games for Miami last season, earned an All-ACC second-team selection by averaging a team-high 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 30.9 minutes per game.
Hanna Cavinder came off the bench and averaged 3.8 points, 1.6 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game.
Their season, which ended in a loss to eventual national champion LSU in the Greenville 2 regional final, had its hiccups. Miami coach Katie Meier was found to have violated NCAA rules while recruiting the Cavinders. The coach served a school-imposed three-game suspension, while the program received a year of probation and incurred a $5,000 fine. It was the first known penalty for violations of the NCAA's new NIL rules.
After the twins announced their retirement, Haley Cavinder told ESPN she initially expected to return to basketball but didn't want to play without her sister, who was ready to move on from the sport.
"I started with her, so at the end of the day, I want to end basketball and start our new lives together, but it was definitely difficult for me," Haley Cavinder said.
She will train this year and join Hanna in WWE and their other shared business endeavors, according to ESPN.
While the Cavinders have expressed excitement about WWE and the company could leverage their social media pull, their wresting debuts could still take some time.
The average time from training start date to a WWE appearance is four years, according to “success stories” on its recruiting website.
