KNOXVILLE — Tennessee women’s basketball coach Kim Caldwell announced Sunday that she has dismissed senior Ruby Whitehorn from the team, saying it was her responsibility to protect the program’s high standards.
“In light of recent events, Ruby has been unable to reflect those standards, and I have made the difficult decision to dismiss her from our team,” Caldwell, who is entering her second season in Knoxville, said in a released statement. “I love Ruby and will always be rooting for her, but my priority is to uphold the respected reputation of the Lady Vols.”
According to reports, Whitehorn was stopped early Thursday by campus police, who found her in possession of marijuana. She was charged with misdemeanor simple possession/casual exchange.
In a statement posted to social media shortly after Caldwell’s announcement, the 6-foot guard from Detroit apologized for failing to “uphold the standards of the lady vol legacy and what it represents.”
Tennessee’s eight NCAA Division I titles in women’s basketball — all of them won under the late Pat Summitt — rank second to reigning champion Connecticut’s 12, and the Lady Vols have never missed the tournament.
The eighth-ranked Lady Vols, who went 24-10 last season, open their 2025-26 schedule Tuesday night in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they will take on No. 9 N.C. State in a matchup of teams that reached the Sweet 16 this past March.
Whitehorn started 28 of 34 games last season, her first at Tennessee, and ranked fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 11.6 points. She began her career at Clemson, where she started 62 of 66 games over two seasons.
She had been allowed back on the team after being suspended in the wake of an Aug. 8 altercation that led to her being arrested. She pleaded guilty on Sept. 5 to two misdemeanors of aggravated trespassing and aggravated burglary in exchange for judicial diversion and the opportunity for those charges to be expunged from her record after a year.
She was arrested after what police said was an incident at a woman’s residence where Whitehorn kicked in a front door and a bedroom door. Whitehorn reportedly told officers she was getting her property back after the woman took her phone and passport and then locked the door.