FEATURE: Hooping Hursts Have Been “All Vol” Since Childhood
Trevor Jolley, UT Strategic Communications
For most children growing up in East Tennessee, representing the Big Orange means wearing a Vols jersey at Neyland Stadium on crisp fall Saturdays or catching some hoops at the Food City Center. But for Grant and Lauren Hurst, it meant choosing Rocky Top to pursue their athletic and academic careers.
The Hurst duo marks the first time a brother and sister have played basketball at Tennessee at the same time. The pair are also the second brother/sister basketball tandem in Tennessee history as a whole, alongside only E.J. (2020-21) and Nicky (2004-2008) Anosike. While the Anosike siblings both played for UT, they were not on campus at the same time, as 12 years separated their appearances.
Growing up just under two hours down I-75 in Cleveland, Tenn., the Hursts were just like any other kids growing up in the Volunteer State. They remember taking trips to campus to sit in the stands and cheer on the Big Orange with their family and friends.
Fast forward years later, the roles are reversed. Now Grant and Lauren Hurst are the orange-and-white-clad stars being cheered on by kids that are just like they used to be.
“It was very unique,” Grant Hurst said of what it means to play for the same university as his sister. “Even today, just to meet up and hang out, and take pictures together in our jerseys, it’s really cool.”
Both members of the duo know how special it is to play for the team they grew up rooting for.
“You know, [it’s special] being from Tennessee, being able to play for your home state. But not only that, I grew up coming to football games my whole life,” Grant Hurst said. "We're all Vol. We've always been that way. Every Saturday, we wake up and watch football. We go to the basketball games. We were always cheering for [Tennessee], so it's been really cool.”
Lauren Hurst echoes similar sentiments.
“It’s really cool,” Lauren Hurst said. “I feel like for the first game, it’s going to hit different, just knowing I’m from Tennessee. Even [our sister] Addi is from Tennessee too. Seeing my jersey with my name on it and seeing ‘Tennessee’ on it is so cool.”
Their parents, Matt and Wendy Hurst, were both college athletes, as well. The two both played college basketball at Mars Hill in North Carolina, with Wendy also playing volleyball for the Lions.
While any parents whose child earns the opportunity to play the sport they have worked tirelessly on is special, Matt and Wendy Hurst know how valuable the opportunity is coming from their own personal athletic backgrounds. Having all three kids—Addison plays volleyball at South Alabama—earn a spot in college sports is truly meaningful for the family.
“It definitely is a special time right now for all three of them and for us as parents,” Wendy Hurst said. “They are getting to compete at sports they love, be around amazing coaches and teammates and experience college as a student-athlete. They have worked really hard to get there and it is a blessing for us as their parents to get to watch each of their journeys unfold.”
Both Grant and Lauren attribute Matt to being a major influence on their personal and athletic lives growing up. Affectionately referred to as ‘Coach Dad,’ Matt Hurst engrained in the kids the fundamentals of what it means to be an athlete, both off and on the court. But it took both parents to shape them.
The siblings recall countless times their parents were there for them. From going to the court every day of the week, spending hours at practice, driving to games and pushing them when they thought the only option was giving up, Matt and Wendy Hurst helped make the pair who they are today.
“Our dad basically molded us into the basketball players we are now,” Grant Hurst said. “I truly mean this when I say it, every time we were in the gym, he was there for us.”
Matt and Wendy’s dedication to helping their kids reach their athletic peaks was a key part of how Grant and Lauren made it to Rocky Top. Influencing their children to cheer for the Vols growing up, Matt and Wendy Hurst are just as happy to see their offspring in Knoxville as the kids themselves are.
“As parents, all you want for your kid is for them to be happy where they are and be around great people that will push them to be their very best academically, athletically and spiritually,” Matt and Wendy Hurst shared. “For Grant and Lauren that was Tennessee.”
Now in his final year of college basketball, including his third with the Vols, Grant Hurst is a graduate student at Tennessee, athletically categorized as a redshirt senior. Following two years at UT Martin, Grant Hurst entered the transfer portal looking for a fresh start.
After mulling over his options, he was ready to commit elsewhere. However, that same day, he received a phone call from Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark, offering him a spot as a walk-on with the Vols. He happily accepted.
“I was getting ready to commit to a different school, but God pulled some strings for me, and I ended up getting a phone call from coach Clark,” Grant Hurst said. “It’s funny how God does things, but it’s been amazing [here] ever since.”
While he hasn’t been in the starting lineup or had his number called to hit a game-winning shot when the team is down by a point, his dedication to the team does not go unnoticed. Out of respect for his commitment and contributions to the team, Grant Hurst earned a scholarship ahead of his last season with the team.
His sister’s story is just a little different.
During high school, Lauren Hurst spent time collecting nearly every accolade and achievement possible. By the time she graduated in May 2025, she had earned substantial recognition.
She was the No. 45 overall ranked player and No. 9 wing in ESPNW’s Top 100 (2025), a recipient of Tennessee Sports Writers’ Association All-State honors (2024, 2025), the Chattanooga Times Free Press Scrappy Moore Female Athlete of the Year (2024) and a player who averaged 17.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game as a senior.
In addition to being the state’s highest ranked recruit in basketball, Lauren Hurst was recognized as a three-time Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year in volleyball, setting the Tennessee state record for kills (2,607) along the way to two state championships.
To no surprise, Lauren Hurst faced lots of fanfare coming out of high school. She was highly recruited for both what she could do on the court, and who she was off it. Lauren Hurst received offers to numerous Power Four programs, including Clemson, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
But after meeting the staff at Tennessee and convincing her brother to stay, it was never a choice.
“I was at USA trials, and [Coach Kim Caldwell] called me and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to come watch you play,’” Lauren Hurst said. “Then, she called me later and said, ‘I just wanted to let you know we are going to officially offer you.’ So, that was a relief.”
Both siblings have different things about being at Tennessee that stick out as high points in their memories. For Lauren, it is meeting and connecting with all of the Lady Vols and Vol athletes and alumni of the past, some of whom she never imagined she would get to meet, much less for them to know who she is.
For Grant, it is when his dad caught the missed field goal by Alabama which led to Tennessee’s game-winning drive on the fateful night in October 2022 when the Vols beat the Tide in Neyland Stadium.
But now that they are together, both siblings agree that their favorite part of Tennessee is getting to do what they love and be in a place they both love.
The last time the two were in school together was for a year in elementary school, when Grant was in fifth grade and Lauren was in first. Grant Hurst recalls when he would have to accompany Lauren Hurst into school just to get her out of their mom’s car. At the same time, Addison Hurst couldn’t get into the classroom quickly enough to escape her embarrassment.
“I went to walk her into our elementary school [while she was] crying because she was a mama’s girl,” Grant Hurst said.
“I was very shy. Very, very shy,” Lauren Hurst said.
“Our other sister would bail,” Grant Hurst said of Addison. “She would get out of the car early and run so that she didn't have to take the walk of shame, and I'd have to walk Lauren to her class while she was crying every single morning. It was a great day.”
Now, Addison Hurst is a junior at South Alabama and avoids the morning walks entirely. But for Grant and Lauren Hurst, they are able to walk to class together one last time as they spend the year on Rocky Top.
“I think this is a really, really cool position that Lauren and I are in, and I think we both are here for a reason together,” Grant Hurst said. “I think that we've already kind of experienced a brother-sister moment that you can't really put into words, but it will always be in our hearts. And it'll always be something that we go back and look on being back here together for a year.
“It's kind of just a feeling of, you know, so many different things,” Grant Hurst continued. “Love, hard work, appreciation and above all that, it's just a true blessing.”