Wiley-Gatewood stressed to limit

Point guard left UT looking for fresh start

Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood said Tuesday that basketball was just part of the reason why she’s transferring from the University of Tennessee.

"There were other factors that were stressing me out,’’ the sophomore women’s basketball point guard said. "I really can’t say. There’s a lot of stuff going on off the court and on the court. It’s a lot of stuff people don’t know about.’’

Wiley-Gatewood would not comment specifically on the non-basketball issues, other than to say she was stressed out to the point of being sick and needed a fresh start.

She was ill during last Thursday’s game against Louisiana Tech and missed two subsequent practices before telling UT coach Pat Summitt of her decision after a team dinner on Sunday night.

The Lady Vols played their first game without Wiley-Gatewood on Tuesday night against Princeton.

Wiley-Gatewood, who said she planned to attend Tuesday’s game, was more specific about feeling out of place as a player at Tennessee.

"Pat has her ways,’’ she said. "I’m a point guard that likes to penetrate.

"I didn’t fit the program. It wasn’t a good fit for me."

Wiley-Gatewood, who was sharing point-guard responsibilities with classmate Alexis Hornbuckle, started eight of nine games and was the team’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging eight points per game. But she had only 12 assists.

Wiley-Gatewood said that she’s started to compile a list of schools where she might transfer. Two schools already under consideration are Oklahoma and North Carolina. Wiley-Gatewood has to sit out a calendar year from the time she enrolls at a new school before becoming eligible.