Lady Vols basketball adds third guard out of transfer portal with Wake Forest star Jewel Spear

Kellie Harper has added a third guard out of the transfer portal with the commitment of former Wake Forest star Jewel Spear.

The 5-foot-10 junior announced her commitment to Lady Vols basketball on Thursday on social media. Spear, who led the ACC in scoring as a sophomore, is a significant addition for Tennessee as a talented scorer and 3-point shooter. The former All-ACC First Team selection has two years of eligibility left and will be able to make an immediate impact.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Jewel to our Lady Vol family and look forward to her impact, both on the court and off," Harper said in a release. "She has been an all-conference performer the past two seasons and that speaks volumes about her level of play and consistency of performance. She has demonstrated the ability to score at all three levels and defend on the perimeter throughout her career, and her presence will help elevate our play on both ends of the floor."

Spear led Wake Forest in scoring this season, averaging 16.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists. She made 93 shots from behind the arc, shooting 35.4% on the season from 3-point range and 41.3% on shots inside the arc. Spear made a combined 183 3-pointers during her sophomore and junior seasons and is an 82.2% career free throw shooter.

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Spear was drawn to the Lady Vols' legacy, she told ESPN, and said Tennessee "fit every box."

"I would say the legacy spoke the most to me," Spear told ESPN. "That was one of the boxes that I want checked off. I wanted to go to a historic program where I knew they could win and they've been winning and been successful with it.

"I always dreamed about playing in the Final Four, and just going to a program that has been there multiple times, it just proves it can be done. Just being able to connect with my teammates and build those relationships being a transfer, I know that it is possible, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make Tennessee successful."

In Wake Forest's 68-57 upset of Louisville this season, Spear scored a game-high 34 points on 53.3% shooting. She went 14-for-16 from the free-throw line and 4-for-7 from 3-point range. She added three rebounds, three steals and two assists.

During her sophomore season, Spear set a program record of 10 made 3-pointers when she scored 40 points against ETSU, which was also the second-highest scoring game in program history. She still holds the Wake Forest freshman record of 2.32 made 3-pointers per game.

Spear, who's from The Colony, Texas, was ranked No. 82 in the 2020 class by ESPN. She was a member of the 2021 USA U19 World Cup team and won a gold medal in Hungary. She saw action in the first game and recorded 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals before she had to be placed under USA Basketball's health and safety protocols for the remainder of the tournament.

Spear is the second ACC player and third player overall to commit to Tennessee out of the transfer portal this offseason. The Lady Vols also gained commitments from former Belmont star point guard Destinee Wells and former Pittsburgh guard and Knoxville native Avery Strickland.

Marta Suárez, Brooklynn Miles and former five-star wing Justine Pissott all entered the transfer portal out of Tennessee after the season ended. Pissott landing at instate rival Vanderbilt. But Tennessee has replaced all three roster spots in the portal and will now have 11 scholarship players on the 2023-24 roster plus walk-on Edie Darby.

The three transfer guards are crucial additions for Tennessee, which has no incoming freshmen. It's the second season in a row Harper and her staff have been able to fill their needs in the transfer portal successfully. Last year, Tennessee gained Rickea Jackson, Jasmine Powell, Jillian Hollingshead and Jasmine Franklin out of the transfer portal.

Tennessee's recruiting overall has been on a tear, too. Harper and her staff have already begun their 2024 class with the commitment of Kaniya Boyd, the No. 29 player in the class. They also recently hosted two top-20 recruits on official visits: Blanca Thomas and Madisen McDaniel. Thomas, a 6-5 center, is the No. 10 player in the 2024 class and McDaniel, a 5-5 point guard, is ranked No. 18 in the class.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Wake Forest star Jewel Spear commits to Lady Vols basketball