Michelle Davis and Erin Helton had solid freshman seasons for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s basketball team. But neither will be back next season.
Both Davis, the former Cleveland High School standout, and Helton have informed coach Wes Moore that they’re quitting the team, Moore said Thursday. Their decisions didn’t come as a shock, Moore said, but their departure is still a big blow to a team.
“It’s a great loss talentwise, no doubt, especially with both of them being (6-foot-2) and playing similar positions,” Moore said. “It’s a great loss, but on the other hand you’ve got to have everybody on the same page, everybody excited about being there and everybody playing with passion.”
Davis and Helton are post players who were going to be relied on heavily next season following the graduation of two-time Southern Conference player of the year Shanara Hollinquest and Megan Rollins.
Davis, who signed with North Carolina State before transferring to UTC after just two weeks, sat out last season. She looked unstoppable at times this season, including her 20-point, 19-rebound performance against Elon in January.
After what she described as a midseason “funk,” Davis played a pivotal role in UTC’s run to the Southern Conference tournament title. She tied a tournament record with 12 3-pointers and averaged 14.7 points per game, earning second-team all-tournament honors.
For the season, Davis averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds.
Helton, who missed five games during the season after having a cyst removed, averaged 5.0 points and 3.6 rebounds a game. She also led the team with 26 blocks. Her best game was a 17-point, 9-rebound performance in the regular-season finale against Samford, helping UTC win its 11th straight SoCon title outright.
Neither Davis nor Helton returned calls to their cell phones seeking comment.
The post players returning next season are 6-2 Clemson transfer Whitney Hood, who sat out this season, and 6-foot Capriee Tucker, who sat out this season following knee surgery. In addition, Moore has signed 6-1 Class AAA Miss Basketball Taylor Hall of Morristown (Tenn.) West, and Wednesday he signed 6-1 Lynette Harris of Webster County (Ky.) High School, who was named second-team all-state.
“(Harris) is very athletic, runs track, does the high jump and I think we’re very fortunate to get her because I think she’s been overlooked,” Moore said. “I feel like she has the potential to be a good player, and obviously we have a need.”