"I tried to kill that fire" - Hanna Cavinder shares lowest moment of life that motivated her to make comeback in 2024

The Cavinder twins, Haley and Hanna, are returning to college basketball for the 2024-25 season after a year away. While Haley started her move back last fall, it wasn't until April that Hanna joined her.

“I tried to kill that fire,” Hanna said at the recent On3 Elite Series. “I honestly couldn’t watch too much (college basketball) because I knew it would just keep coming up. I was like, ‘No, there’s no opportunities for me.’ But I swear, right when you close that door, it opens. … The fire is definitely back.”

The sisters played four years together, the first three at Fresno State and the last at Miami in 2022-23 as the Hurricanes made the program's first Elite Eight appearance.

Haley was the first to return to basketball, committing to TCU in November. But after a tough senior season, Hanna said she was done with the game. However, in April, they announced they would return to Miami.

Hanna only logged 14 minutes in the final two games of the postseason run and didn't start all season. She went from averaging 15.7 points and 3.8 assists per game in three seasons as a starter at Fresno, where she was a two-time All-Mountain West selection, to 3.8 ppg at Miami.

Hanna said that, at this level with social media, "everything is out there.”

“There were obviously more eyes, and I didn’t get a lot of minutes,” Hanna said.

During an open conversation with On3 Her, Hanna discussed her lowest point and how it motivated her to make a comeback.

“That was the first time we didn’t really play on the court together," Hanna said. "We’re constantly getting compared on social media.”

Some speculated that the twins' return was driven by NIL opportunities, but both denied this. Haley found the speculation amusing, pointing out that many who don't understand NIL often assume it's the reason for decisions like theirs.

Meanwhile, Hanna made it clear that she was fine without NIL and emphasized that their main motivation was the opportunity to play together on the court.

“That was not the biggest motive,” Hanna said. “My biggest motivation was being able to go play on the court with my twin.”

Haley and Hanna Cavinders' 2022-23 season

During Haley and Hanna Cavinder's 2022-23 season at The U, Miami reached the Elite Eight, where the Hurricanes lost to eventual national champion LSU. However, the two shared the court far less than they did at Fresno State.

While Hanna Cavinder never cracked Miami's starting lineup, Haley Cavinder started every game, averaging a team-high 12.2 ppg (albeit down from 18.4 ppg at Fresno) and making the All-Atlantic Coast Conference second team. Haley was the Mountain West Player of the Year in 2020-21 and Freshman of the Year in 2019-20 as well as a three-time All-Mountain West player.

Hanna, meanwhile, contributed 3.8 ppg, 1.3 rebounds and 1.6 apg in 34 appearances.

Haley played 30.9 minutes per game while Hanna played only 16.7.

“My last season of basketball was one of the most successful & challenging yrs of my life, but it helped me grow immensely,” Hanna tweeted in April.

Former Miami Hurricanes guard Hanna Cavinder.

The Cavinder twins, known for their strong social media presence and NIL deals, reportedly earned $2 million from NIL last June. A month later, they hinted at a future in WWE, sharing clips on social media with captions like "From playing D1 basketball together to being the next tag team" and "Us on our way to be the next twin tag team in the WWE."