Tennessee women’s basketball standout Kaylene Smikle has been named the first Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for 2026-27, the organization announced on Tuesday.
In her first two games in a Lady Vol uniform, the fifth-year guard rose to the occasion, leading Tennessee to a 2-0 start this season by averaging 24.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 steals per contest in blowout victories of Duquesne and Coppin State. She registered 72-percent shooting (18-25), including 64 percent beyond the arc (7-11), to help her squad average 103.5 points per game.
A 6-foot native of Bay Shore, N.Y., the Maryland transfer missed all but seven games in 2025-26 due to injury, but she made her comeback and first UT appearance a memorable one, pouring in 11 of 13 shots from the field, including five of six from beyond the arc, to finish with 31 points vs. Duquesne. That total ranked No. 2 in program history in a debut game, standing as the most on such an occasion in 50 years.
Smikle, who scored 17 points in her first-ever quarter as a Lady Vol, also contributed eight rebounds, four assists and three steals over 21 minutes during her initial game played since Dec. 3, 2025. She helped Tennessee win, 109-62, and score the second-highest point total ever against the Dukes and the most vs. DU in the past 20 years.
At Coppin State, Smikle got into early foul trouble and scored only one point in the first half, but she bounced back in strong fashion and propelled her squad to a 98-60 road victory with a game-high 18 points. Ten of those came in the third quarter when the Big Orange scored a season-best 33 points to run away from the Eagles.
Against CSU, Smikle hit an efficient seven of 12 shots from the field, dropping two more treys to give her a team-best total of seven on the year. She added three rebounds, two steals and a block in only 16 minutes of action.
Smikle and her teammates are back in action against Middle Tennessee on Thursday at Food City Center.
