On Wednesday, Tennessee’s entire men’s basketball coaching staff was in to see one of the top players in the state. By the afternoon, they had extended him a scholarship offer.
Kennedy Chandler is the top-rated player in the state of Tennessee in the 2021 class and is one of the highest-rated point guards in that cycle as well. He plays for Briarcrest Christian over in Memphis. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and his entire assistant coaching staff were in Memphis to see him, and Chandler picked up an official offer from the Vols.
Yessir Chef!!! https://t.co/3VvPhGUtzA
— Jabari Small 2️⃣ (@JMS4_) May 1, 2019
Per 247Sports, Chandler is the early No. 1 player in the state of Tennessee in the 2021 class and is rated as the No. 21 overall prospect and No. 2 point guard in the 2021 class. Chandler just finished up his sophomore season of basketball, but he’s already receiving a ton of attention and hype.
Chandler is starting to get interest from schools like Kentucky, Duke, Illinois, and St. John’s to go along with teams like Memphis, Tennessee, and Florida that have already been showing the borderline five-star point guard a lot of attention. As a sophomore, Chandler helped lead Briarcrest Christian to a state title and won MVP honors in the process. He was also invited to USA Basketball’s April Mini-Camp, which serves as a precursor to the U16 trials later this year.
The elite four-star point guard not only has an offer from the Vols, but he also holds offers from Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Arizona State, and Seton Hall among others.
Not only did Barnes and his entire staff go see Chandler on Wednesday, but Barnes himself watched Chandler play on Sunday while Chandler competed in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League.
Though he’s just 6-foot-1 and only a sophomore, Chandler is already a match-up problem for teams. He’s quick and can create his own shot at all three levels of the court. Chandler is capable of hitting threes but tends to use his quickness and play-making ability to drive to the hoop. Once there, he’s good at finishing, but he can also dish the ball back out and find open teammates. He has good vision and exceptional passing ability all over the court.
As a sophomore for Briarcrest Christian, Chandler averaged 19.5 points, four rebounds, 3.6 steals, and three assists per game according to MaxPreps. He was also voted TSSAA Division II Class AA Mr. Basketball this season.
Though it’s still a little early to be focusing a lot on the 2021 class for fans, coaches are already looking to that cycle while also trying to round out the 2019 class and solidify relationships in the 2020 class. The Vols are already trying to get themselves set with 2021 targets such as Chandler and five-star Cam Hayes among others.
