Rickea Jackson will not enter WNBA Draft, will return for second season with Lady Vols

Rickea Jackson didn't get enough of Tennessee in one season.

The senior forward announced Monday that she is using her COVID-19 year of eligibility to return for a second season with Lady Vols basketball. Jackson transferred to Tennessee ahead of the 2022-23 season after spending her first three seasons at Mississippi State.

Her addition to the Lady Vols made an instant impact this season. The 6-foot-3 Jackson had a central role in Tennessee making it through its gauntlet of a schedule to host the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed.

"I'm just grateful for the opportunity to tell everyone what an incredible year this has been, and it's not over yet," Jackson said on Sports Animal. "(Tennessee is) just an incredible place to play basketball. Of course the WNBA is a huge dream of mine, and I look forward to taking that next step.

"But that dream is going to have to wait, because I am coming back to the Lady Vols for another year. I wanted to announce today so that I will not have any distractions with March Madness. I just want me and my team to focus on winning a national championship."

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The announcement shook up draft boards because Jackson is a projected first-round pick in the WNBA Draft. ESPN has projected Jackson as the No. 5 pick, and Winsidr as No. 3.

Jackson isn't the only Tennessee senior returning for another season. Senior center Tamari Key, who was sidelined this season due to blood clots in her lungs, previously announced she will return for a fifth year.

"Rickea is a great basketball player and obviously, it sucked this season playing with her and Jordan (Horston) but not being able to play to my full potential," said Key, who appeared with Jackson. "So I'm just really excited to get back out there and get better and work with Rickea. She's a vet and she knows how to put the ball in the basket, and I'm really excited for what the future has in store for the both of us."

Jackson led the Lady Vols in scoring all season, whether she started or came off the bench for 11 games following her two-game suspension. She averaged 19.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists this season. She's shooting career-highs of 55.2% from the field and 79.8% from the free throw line. After leading the SEC in scoring her junior year, Jackson was second in the SEC in scoring for conference games, pouring in an average of 21.4 points. She led the conference in field goal percentage in SEC games, shooting 57.4%.

The Detroit native was a First Team All-SEC selection this season and made the SEC All-Tournament team after leading Tennessee to its first SEC Tournament final since 2015. Jackson had 77 points, 23 rebounds, four assists, four blocks in three tournament games, while shooting 52% from the field and going 22-for-23 from the free-throw line.

Before scoring 17 points in the SEC Tournament final against South Carolina, Jackson was on an eight-game streak of scoring 20-plus points. It's the second-longest streak in Tennessee history, one game short of Lady Vols legend Chamique Holdsclaw's record streak of nine.

Jackson made the Naismith Trophy midseason list and is a finalist for the Cheryl Miller award this season.