Lady Vols basketball gets commitment from Belmont transfer point guard Destinee Wells

Lady Vols basketball has hit transfer portal gold for the second season in a row. This time it’s the final piece of the puzzle for next year's roster: an elite point guard.

Belmont transfer Destinee Wells announced Thursday that she has committed to Tennessee. The 5-foot-6 junior point guard visited Knoxville on Wednesday.

In Belmont’s first season in the Missouri Valley Conference, Wells led the team in scoring and assists and earned All-MVC First Team and MVC All-Tournament team honors. She had 35 points and five assists in Belmont's first-round loss to Ball State in the WNIT on March 16.

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Wells' numbers improved in her first season playing up in the MVC, a positive sign she'll be able to play at the Power 5 level. From her sophomore to junior season, Wells' field goal percentage rose from 44.6% to 48.6%, her 3-point percentage jumped from 30.3% to 45.5% and her free throw percentage went from 76.2% to 86.1%. She also averaged almost three more points per game.

The Lakeland native has been an all-conference first team player since her freshman season when Belmont played in the Ohio Valley Conference. Wells was only the second player in Ohio Valley Conference history to be named OVC Tournament MVP as both a freshman and sophomore.

Former Belmont point guard Destinee Wells has committed to Lady Vols basketball out of the transfer portal. Wells played against Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore on March 21, 2022 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Former Belmont point guard Destinee Wells has committed to Lady Vols basketball out of the transfer portal. Wells played against Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore on March 21, 2022 at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Wells started all 35 games for the Bruins in 2022-23 and averaged 19.5 points, three rebounds and 4.9 assists. Wells' overall and 3-point shooting percentages were career highs.

Wells addresses Tennessee’s biggest need of better guard play. She’ll have two years of eligibility remaining with her extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wells is familiar with the Lady Vols, having played them in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022. After leading the Bruins to an upset over Oregon with 16 points and seven assists, Wells had 22 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in a three-point loss to the Lady Vols.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Destinee Wells transfers to Lady Vols basketball from Belmont