Khamil Pierre is no longer a member of the women’s basketball program at Vanderbilt. The rising junior was suddenly and mysteriously dismissed from the team.
Nobody knows why!
Pierre was likely to be named as a preseason All-American prior to the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season. However, the 6-foot-2 forward will not return to Vanderbilt as expected. Head coach Shea Ralph announced the surprising news on late Monday night.
Khamil is a great player and I have no double she will have success in the future. Ultimately, it was determined it would be best for Khamil and our program to go in different directions. We wish her the best of luck.
— Shea Ralph
Not too long thereafter, Robbie Weinstein of Vandy 247 reported the real story. This was not a mutual separation. This was not Pierre’s decision. The Commodores dismissed her from the program.
It is unclear as to why Khamil Pierre was removed from the roster. Perhaps it was rooted in NIL. Perhaps it was a behavioral issue. Maybe she showed up to training camp entirely out of shape. Maybe she was causing drama in the locker room. I don’t know. We don’t know.
However, this surprising dismissal comes just a few months after Pierre chose not to enter the transfer portal. It was a huge deal for Vanderbilt to keep their second-leading scorer from last season.
And now she is gone.
The timing of this announcement is rather unfortunate for both parties.
On one side, Vanderbilt lost one of the best forwards in the country. She averaged 20.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.9 steals per game as a sophomore.
On the other side, Khamil Pierre is likely forced to miss the entire year because of the dismissal. Her junior season is already over before it began. Rather, it is put on pause until next March.
The most recent transfer portal window closed on April 23, which means women’s college basketball players are unable to enter the transfer portal until next spring. Barring a rule change, lawsuit, or NCAA exemption, Pierre will not be able to transfer prior to this upcoming season.
The Dores could technically change their mind and bring her back but that seems unlikely. Khamil Pierre will have to sit out.