Haley Cavinder to play final year of college basketball at TCU

Former Miami guard Haley Cavinder has committed to TCU for her fifth and final year of collegiate eligibility, she announced Monday on social media.

"the last rodeo #committed," Cavinder posted on Instagram with a picture of herself in a TCU uniform. 

Haley and her twin sister, Hanna -- who together played three years at  Fresno State and one season at Miami -- are among the biggest beneficiaries of college athletics' new name, image and likeness policies. The twins capitalized off their pandemic-era explosion of fame on TikTok, where their joint account now boasts 4.5 million followers, to build an extensive NIL portfolio featuring deals with Champs, WWE, LifeWallet and dozens more.

Haley was a second-team All-ACC selection last season, averaging 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists as she helped Miami make the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. During her time at Fresno State, she was the 2021 Mountain West Player of the Year and set a single-season NCAA record for free throw percentage (.973, 109 of 112).

The twins initially announced in April that they were retiring from basketball, but Haley decided to enter the transfer portal in October, opting to use her extra year of eligibility granted to all college basketball athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Haley told ESPN in April that she'd initially anticipated coming back for a fifth season, but with Hanna ready to move on from the sport, Haley didn't want to play without her twin.

On a recent episode of their podcast, "Twin Talk," Haley said ever since her April decision to retire she kept being drawn toward returning to basketball and realized "all the other stuff I'm so big on will take care of itself."

"As twins this has helped us so much," she added. "We don't have to do everything together. All my twins out there, it's OK to have certain passions. You can have your own life, you can love your own things, I can love my own things, and we're fine."

Haley will be eligible to suit up for the 2024-25 season.

After finishing last in the Big 12 standings in 2022-23, TCU has embarked on a new era with the hiring of former  Oregon associate head coach Mark Campbell this past offseason.

Campbell has brought in a slew of solid transfers, including all five starters:  Jaden Owens ( Baylor), Madison Conner ( Arizona), Agnes Emma-Nnopu ( Stanford), Sedona Prince (Oregon) and Una Jovanovic ( Cal State Fullerton). The newcomers have elevated expectations in Fort Worth for this season and beyond.