Haley Cavinder is no longer retired from basketball and plans to return to the hardwood for her fifth year of eligibility. However, it will not happen this season.
Haley is much better than her sister Hanna in terms of all-time career statistics.
The latter averaged 15.7 points per game in more than 35 minutes per game during her first three years at Fresno State before averaging just 3.8 in 16.6 minutes at Miami last season. The former averaged 18.6 with the Bulldogs and 12.2 with the Hurricanes, which earned her second-team All-ACC honors in 2022/23.
Both Cavinder twins announced their retirement from basketball back in April. They intended to pursue business deals that are not restricted by Name, Image and Likeness rules.
Both Haley and Hanna have an additional year of eligibility at their disposal because of the blanket waiver granted to all athletes during the pandemic-stricken 2020 season. Only one of them wanted to use it.
Haley said back in April that she wanted to play a fifth season. Hanna didn’t.
She couldn’t imagine playing without her twin.
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, via ESPN’s Alexa Philippou
Now, six months later, she’s back!
Haley entered the transfer portal on Friday. She will not play this season.
Practice already began for the year. Miami’s first regular season game is in less than a month.
Instead, Haley will get back to hooping next season — in 2024/2025. And it may not be for the Hurricanes. Maybe.
Although Haley is in the portal, a return to south Florida is very much in play. She’s exploring her options and will have plenty of time to make a decision.
What does this mean for the Cavinder twins’ future in wrestling?
Hanna and Haley first got involved with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2021 as part of its inaugural ‘Next In Line’ class, which “provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletes to WWE.” Their agent said two days after their retirement announcement that they were going to start training with the promotion during the spring.
Both sisters pulled up to NXT, the WWE’s “minor leagues,” for the first time in June.
They told The Athletic that the WWE was on their radar shortly thereafter, but weren’t clear as to when.
I don’t think we’ve talked about a timeline. We take it day by day. We came out here and we’re going to a RAW event later in July. We’re going where our feet are, understanding, getting more into it, and seeing where it takes us.
— Haley Cavinder, via The Athletic
The Bella twins “passed the torch” to the Cavinders at the ESPYs in July.
Hanna and Haley pulled up to WWE Smackdown later that month.
By all accounts, the Cavinder twins were on a fast track to the WWE. It seemed as though they were going to get involved sooner than later.
Not anymore! Haley is taking the year off, but plans to return to college basketball.
Does that put she and her sister’s WWE future on delay until at least 2025? Could she partake in WWE events over the next 10 months before getting back to the court?
Friday’s transfer portal news puts a wrench in everything. Hanna Cavinder is done with hoops. Haley Cavinder is coming back, and has not ruled out the WNBA.
So what happens with the WWE? Time will tell.