Two former standout prep basketball players from the Chattanooga area will have new college homes entering the 2026-27 season.
Former Cleveland High standout Lauren Hurst, who wrapped up her freshman season at Tennessee, recently announced she would be transferring to Virginia Tech, while former Bradley Central standout Harmonie Ware announced Sunday that she would be going to Georgia for her sophomore season after spending her first season at Arkansas.
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The 6-foot-3 Hurst appeared in 24 games in her lone season for the Lady Vols, averaging 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. In a Feb. 17 game against Ole Miss, she hit four 3-pointers and scored a career-high 16 points in 24 minutes. A former four-star player and top-50 player in the nation coming out of high school, Hurst was a two-time Tennessee Sports Writers Association all-state selection as well as being a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year in volleyball at Cleveland.
Ware, a 5-10 guard, played in all 32 games for the Razorbacks, starting four. She averaged 7.5 points, including a season-best 24 against Jackson State on Dec. 7, where she made all nine of her shots, including four 3-pointers. She also scored 12 points against Florida on Feb. 8, one of eight double-digit games on the season, but her only time scoring 10 or more against a Southeastern Conference opponent.
Going into next season, there will be seven players from the area playing Division 1 basketball: Hurst, Ware, and a trio of former Bradley players in TaTianna Stovall (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga); Avary Brewer (Samford) and Kimora Fields, a two-time Class 4A Miss Basketball selection and three-time state champion who will play at Clemson.
(READ MORE: UTC women’s hoops adds former Bradley Central standout Stovall from the portal)
McMinn Central’s Molly Masingale is at Wofford, while Karina Bystry played her freshman season at Northern Kentucky, but is also currently in the transfer portal.
In addition, there are at least a dozen area players playing at the Division II level.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.