CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Haley and Hanna Cavander are about to introduce 4 million fans to Miami’s women’s basketball.
The Cavinder sisters — identical 5-foot-6 twin guards who have averaged 34.2 points per game over their three seasons at Fresno State and built a tremendous social network during the pandemic — announced Thursday night that they are for their after Miami switch senior season.
Their notable stats: 3,040 combined points in 89 games, 400,000 Instagram followers apiece, and 4 million more on their shared TikTok account where they mostly dance side by side.
“WHAT’S UP MIAMI,” Hanna Cavinder wrote on Instagram beneath a photo of her and her sister in Miami uniforms.
Miami later confirmed the move and announced that the sisters had officially signed with the Hurricanes.
“When we lost four influential players into the offseason, we felt like we had special needs and Haley and Hanna absolutely helped us meet some of them,” said Miami coach Katie Meier. “They are huge pieces for our program.”
Haley Cavinder was Mountain West’s 2020-21 sophomore of the year and was an all-conference selection both as a freshman and junior. Hanna Cavander was cross-conference even as a freshman. Haley Cavinder is a 3-pointer who is just under 200 for her career; Hanna Cavander has had at least 100 assists and 50 steals in each of her college seasons.
“When we came onto campus, there was just a vibe and a feeling that you get when you know it’s the right decision,” said Haley Cavinder. “I just think with Coach Katie and the leadership that she is and what she’s done with the program, something really drew us in and I think we knew as soon as we left Miami that we wanted to come back.”
The Cavinders became instant stars of the name, image and likeness era once it officially became an option for collegiate athletes on July 1, 2021. Boost Mobile immediately signed her and advertised the move with a huge ad in New York’s Times Square. Many other deals – including those with Champs Sports, Eastbay and apparel company PSD – soon followed, and they have an interest in another apparel company. They can also be hired through the Cameo website for personalized or corporate video messages.
Some estimates put their deals at over $1 million already; others in the NIL area said there could be significantly more.
And now they’re coming to Miami, a school that has already landed several football players and others lucrative NIL deals in recent months. The Cavinders are participating in a Hurricanes program that finished 21-13 last season, participated in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.
“They kept telling me how badly they wanted to win and win big,” Meier said. “We were looking for people to help us make deeper runs in March so it was a perfect fit.”
The extra attention the twins will bring won’t hurt. Miami averaged 1,378 fans at home games last season, ranking only 11th best of the 15 teams in the ACC.
The Cavinders hail from Arizona, but moving to Miami is something of a homecoming for the family. The sisters’ father, Tom Cavinder, played at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla. — about 45 minutes north of Coral Gables — from 1992-1994.