Former Lady Vols basketball forward Sara Puckett has signed a contract with Vimpelin Veto, the Finnish professional team announced July 18.
Puckett played four seasons at Tennessee, starting in 59 of her 138 appearances. She was a starter as a junior during her career-best season when she averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 44.7% from the field and 35.2% from 3-point range.
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Puckett was a key role player in Tennessee’s back-to-back trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2022-23. As a freshman, she hit the game-winning 3-pointer against Belmont to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.
The Muscle Shoals, Alabama, native had career averages of 6.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist and shot 41.1% from the field and 83.1% on free throws. At 6-foot-2, Puckett was a stretch four for Tennessee and shot 31.3% on 110 made 3-pointers over her career.
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Puckett is the first foreign signing for the team. Vimpelin Veto is based out of Vimpeli, Finland, and plays in Korisliiga Women. The league’s season runs from October to March, and Vimpelin Veto finished ninth in the 10-team league last season.
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She’s the second former Lady Vol to sign an overseas contract this summer. Former Tennessee guard Jewel Spear signed a contract with Luleå Basket in Sweden, the team announced June 25. Luleå Basket plays in the Basketligan dam, which is Sweden’s top professional women’s basketball league.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Lady Vols forward Sara Puckett signs with Vimpelin Veto in Finland
