Advertisement

Former Kentucky center Tionna Herron returning ‘home’ by transferring to play for Texas

Another Kentucky women’s basketball transfer portal entrant has found her new home.

Redshirt freshman Tionna Herron announced via Twitter on Wednesday that she will be transferring to the University of Texas. This commitment comes a week after Herron’s announcement that she would be entering the transfer portal just one day prior to its closure to entrants this spring.

“I’m coming home #hookem,” Herron said on Twitter.

Tionna Herron did not play during her freshman season following successful open-heart surgery on Aug. 24, 2022.
Tionna Herron did not play during her freshman season following successful open-heart surgery on Aug. 24, 2022.

Herron hails from DeSoto, Texas, where she won a Class 6A state title as a junior with DeSoto High School. DeSoto is less than 200 miles from the UT campus. Herron is the Longhorns’ first portal commitment of the 2023-24 cycle. She will join a program that finished 26-10 overall and 14-4 in the Big 12 during the 2022-23 season. The Longhorns earned a share of the Big 12 title prior to falling in the round of 32 to Louisville.

Herron was Kentucky’s third transfer portal entrant following a 12-19 season. Second-leading scorer Jada Walker is also headed to the Lone Star State and will suit up for fellow-Big 12 school Baylor next season. Guard Kennedy Cambridge, who led all UK freshmen in minutes (273) this season, announced her intention to transfer days after the end of the Wildcats’ 2022-23 campaign. She has not yet announced her destination but recently posted on social media that she took a visit to Oregon.

ADVERTISEMENT

Herron was expected to play a factor in the post next season for the Wildcats following the graduation of fifth-year senior Adebola Adeyeye, as well as starter Nyah Leveretter’s early exit due to a torn ACL in UK’s 79-57 loss at Vanderbilt on Feb. 19. Leveretter underwent successful surgery to repair her torn ACL in early March. There is no timetable on her return.

Senior Ajae Petty, who joined the Wildcats following a transfer from LSU ahead of this past season, will most likely carry much of the load in the frontcourt. UK has also billed recent signee, 6-4 Janaé Walker of Sandy Creek (Ga.) as a post.

The Wildcats have 11 scholarship spots accounted for, two of which belong to incoming four-star freshmen Walker and 6-2 Jordy Griggs of Montverde Academy (Fla.) Academy.

Despite the transfer portal’s recent closure to new entrants, there are still many student-athletes searching for a destination. The Wildcats played last season with a full 15-player roster but suffered from a lack of depth due to injury and inexperience.