KNOXVILLE -- The attorney for Ruby Whitehorn said the University of Tennessee basketball player will plead not guilty when arraigned on felony charges of domestic assault and aggravated burglary.
"She is, in fact, not guilty," attorney Gregory P. Isaacs said in a statement released this week. "Our firm's investigation has also revealed that the factual allegations contained in the warrants are not accurate and are contradicted by eyewitness accounts. Ruby Whitehorn looks forward to having this matter resolved in the very near future."
Whitehorn's preliminary hearing, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been rescheduled for Sept. 5.
The 6-foot guard from Detroit was arrested Aug. 8 after the Knox County Sheriff's Office responded to a call around 4:15 p.m. According to police reports, police said Whitehorn got into an altercation outside a woman's residence and kicked in a front door and a bedroom door.
Whitehorn reportedly told officers she was getting her property back after the woman took her phone and passport, then locked the door.
UT issued a statement Sunday saying university officials were aware of the situation and gathering information.
Whitehorn started 28 of 34 games last season for the Lady Volunteers and ranked fourth on the team in scoring average at 11.6 points a game while shooting 46.3% from the field. She also averaged four rebounds per game.
A former Michigan high school girls' basketball player of the year at Detroit Edison, she was ranked as one of the top five guards and one of the top 20 college prospects overall in the high school class of 2022. She began her collegiate career at Clemson, where she started 62 of the 66 games she played over two seasons for the Tigers from 2022-24.
She helped Tennessee go 24-10 overall and 8-8 in Southeastern Conference play in coach Kim Caldwell's debut season last winter. The Lady Vols continued their streak as the only program to have never missed the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, and they reached the Sweet 16 before losing to SEC newcomer Texas, which advanced to the Final Four.
The highlight wins last season for Tennessee included an 80-76 home win in early February against the University of Connecticut, which was ranked fifth at the time. UConn went on to win its record-extending 12th NCAA D-I title, with the Huskies now owning four more crowns than the second-place Lady Vols, who won their most recent national championship in 2008.
The Lady Vols are set to open their 2025-26 schedule on Nov. 4 in Greensboro, North Carolina, against Atlantic Coast Conference power N.C. State. Their home opener is three days later against East Tennessee State University of the Southern Conference.