Hanna, Haley Cavinder Won't Return to Miami WCBB, Will Begin 'New Chapter'

The Cavinder twins are moving on from college basketball.

Hanna and Haley Cavinder announced Tuesday that they will not return to the Miami Hurricanes women's basketball team for the 2023-24 season, forgoing their final year of NCAA eligibility.

It's unclear what's next for the Cavinders, who have more than $1 million in combined name, image and likeness deals.

The Cavinders began their college careers at Fresno State and spent three seasons with the Bulldogs before transferring to Miami for the 2022-23 season.

The duo and the University of Miami's women's basketball program had been under investigation for nearly one year for recruiting violations involving the sisters and team booster John Ruiz.

While the Cavinders were still in the transfer portal, they had dinner with Ruiz at his home in Miami. Ruiz later posted a photo with the sisters and their parents, which prompted the NCAA investigation.

The NCAA found that Hurricanes head coach Katie Meier arranged the meeting between Ruiz and the Cavinders. The meeting was deemed to be "impermissible contact" and the dinner provided by Ruiz was considered a recruiting "inducement."

Meier ended up serving a three-game suspension for her role in the situation, the women's basketball program was fined $5,000 and was placed on a one-year probation with limits to recruiting and official visits.

The Cavinders and the Hurricanes didn't let that investigation impact their season, though. The duo helped propel the Canes into the NCAA tournament, where they reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history before falling to LSU, which went on to win the national title.

Haley Cavinder was Miami's leading scorer this past season, averaging 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 35 games while shooting 40.7 percent from the floor and 40.4 percent from deep.

Hanna Cavinder averaged 3.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 34 games off the bench while shooting 36.8 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from beyond the arc.

During an interview on the BFFs podcast with Barstool's Dave Portnoy last month, Haley Cavinder said she wanted to return to Miami for her fifth season and was trying to convince Hanna to return, per Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald.

"I just like to hoop, so I was like, 'I want to come back for a fifth year,' but Hanna was more like 'I want to start my life,'" Haley Cavinder said. She added that they didn't want to split up because they have always been marketed as the Cavinder twins.

The Cavinders, who have millions of followers across their social media platforms, have brand partnerships with Victoria's Secret and Champs Sports and they also signed an NIL deal with WWE in December 2021.

Hanna Cavinder said on the BFFs podcast (h/t Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post) that while influencing and WWE could be in the duo's future, they're trying to create a brand in health and fitness and are also in real estate.

There are clearly many avenues the sisters could take, and it's going to be interesting to see what the next step for them is beyond basketball.