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Miami women’s college basketball player Hanna Cavinder will return to the hardwood after taking a year off from the sport to pursue outside professional ventures. On Wednesday, it was revealed that she’ll stay with the Hurricanes for her final season.
This comes despite her twin sister’s transfer decision this past offseason. Hanna is forgetting those family ties to give it one last go in at The U!
The sisters have spent their entire NCAA careers together, first at Fresno State and then later in South Beach.
Both Haley and Hanna Cavinder were members of Miami’s Elite Eight team in 2023, but they decided to step away from the game this past year.
Reports of WWE ambitions swirled amid that hiatus as the duo looked to cash in on off-the-court fame gained through social media. The influencers have a 4.5M viewer following on TikTok, as well as a combined 1.6M followers on Instagram.
They buoyed that popularity into NIL partnerships and a Top 10 estimated valuation in their respective sport according to On3. They’ll now look to reestablish themselves in the landscape next year.
Though both stepped away from college basketball in that 2023 offseason, Haley opted to make her return last November, announcing a transfer to TCU.
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Hanna Cavinder won’t follow suit!
She’s cutting family ties (at least for the college basketball season!) in order to lead the Hurricanes one last time.
She filled followers in on her plans with a post on Instagram.
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“My last season of basketball was one of the most successful and challenging years of my life, but it helped me evolve and grow in ways that are unexplainable,” the announcement read.
“Over these past few months, I have been itching to get back to the game that I thought I lost the love and passion for. Nothing quite fills the void that this sport brings me.
“With that all being said, I have decided to return for one more season. Let’s run it back, Miami!”
Hanna Cavinder hopes to replace star power lost in the WNBA Draft.
Players like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark opened the door for not only on-court popularity in women’s college basketball over the last few seasons, but also off-court exposure for top players.
The Cavinder twins saw it firsthand in that 2022-23 campaign, and opportunities only grew for those NCAA stars this past season. They’ve also seen the sport grow in viewership, with the women’s title game between Iowa and South Carolina smashing interest seen in the men’s championship.
Clark, Reese, and a number of others are now off to the next level, though, leaving an opening for the next wave of star power.
In the current world of NIL, that ability to capitalize on both play and fame is more attainable than ever.
Hanna and Haley Cavinder already boast an incredible social media following, which they can use to their advantage in securing lucrative NIL deals.
They’ve already done so in the past with major brands like Venmo and Boost Mobile.
With their returns announced, look for more companies to hop on board!
That only leaves on-court production, as Hanna will look to improve upon career-lows posted in her last year. After posting three consecutive seasons of double-digit scoring, she averaged just 3.8 points per game in 2022-23.
If she can get back to that previous level of play while helping Miami to another deep NCAA Tournament run, the sky is the limit!