Future Tennessee point guard Kennedy Chandler came just shy of a double-double in Wednesday’s elimination game between Team USA and Team Korea.
The former five-star guard notched eight points and seven assists in Team USA’s win. Chandler led the team in both assists and minutes played (22:02). In fact, Chandler was the only Team USA player to play more than 20 minutes.
After not starting the first three games of the U19 FIBA Basketball World Cup tournament, his talent would force a change. Chandler started game four as Team USA defeated Team Korea by a score of 132 to 60 in the round of 16.
Chandler scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting and also added in three rebounds.
Even though he didn’t hit double-digits in the scoring department, Chandler had a tremendous game. He was distributing the ball from the point position at a very high level all game long.
Not to mention, he would have likely hit over 10 assists had his teammates knocked down a few wide-open layups and shots. Overall, he looked smooth, confident, and smart on the court.
Nothing changed on the defensive end of the court, either. Chandler was second on the team in steals with four and routinely played well on his matchup. Again, Chandler just looked smart when he was on the court.
In his first four games in the FIBA tournament, Chandler has totaled 34 points. He opened the tournament with five points and then scored 11 and 10 in his next two.
Chandler will begin his Tennessee career later this fall when the Vols open their 2021 season against UT Martin.
The Vols will tip off the season against the Skyhawks on Tuesday, Nov. 9 in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The future Tennessee guard Kennedy Chandler will suit back up for Team USA in their next game against Senegal. The round-of-eight game will take place in Latvia on Friday, July 9.
