Tennessee basketball’s 2023-24 season was one to remember as the Vols won the SEC Regular-Season Championship and made it to just the second Elite Eight in program history.
But with the season coming to an end on Sunday and the transfer portal already chugging along, it’s time to turn to next season and what the Vols’ roster could look like.
Taking a look at what’s next for Tennessee basketball here.
Who’s Gone?
Dalton Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi are out of eligibility and will move on to professional basketball. Walk-on Colin Coyne is also out of eligibility.
All three of Knecht, James and Vescovi are sizable losses for Tennessee. They combined to start 303 games for Tennessee in their careers.
Last season, they accounted for 51% of Tennessee’s points, 43% of its rebounds and 41% of its assists. Three players that will be very hard to replace
Who Could Transfer?
Tennessee has lost at least one player to the transfer portal every year I’ve covered the team and the likelihood is that they’ll lose someone.
The question is how many players and who?
D.J. Jefferson seems like the most likely candidate. He redshirted as a freshman and totaled all of three minutes last season.
Redshirt freshman Freddie Dilione is another candidate. He was a highly rated recruit and averaged 5.2 minutes in 18 games last season. He’s a talented scorer and would no doubt help Tennessee in time. But he’s also ball dependent and starting point guard Zakai Zeigler is coming back.
Neither Jefferson or Dilione are locks to transfer by any means but they seem like the most likely candidates.
Could a key Tennessee returnee transfer? Tampering and NIL are a major part of college basketball. Because of that, you really can’t rule out the possibility for anyone.
More From RTI: Dalton Knecht Was The Perfect Superstar. Vol Fans Won’t Soon Forget Him
Who Is Coming In?
As of right now, one person. Four-star shooting guard Bishop Boswell.
A North Carolina native, Boswell ranks as the No. 71 player and No. 9 combo guard in the country according to the 247sports composite rankings. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard is a true two-way player.
He detailed his decision to commit to Tennessee with RTI back in the fall. Read about it here.
What Are The Spots Of Need In The Portal?
Tennessee loses three scholarship players and currently has one prep player coming in. So the Vols currently have to scholarships to work with in the transfer portal and will pick up and extra scholarship with every player that transfers.
So what are the spots of need in the transfer portal?
In my estimation, the top need in the portal is a scoring guard. The Vols lose a high percentage of their scoring and the brilliant offensive abilities of Dalton Knecht. Tennessee needs more perimeter scoring and particularly perimeter shooting after losing 179 made triples.
It’ll be hard for Tennessee to get a point guard because of Zeigler but could they find a high scoring guard that handles the ball out of necessity? I think that’s a real possibility.
Priority two would be a power forward or a stretch four that could stretch the court. James versatility and ability to play the four defensively while spacing the court offensively was integral to Tennessee’s success this season. The Vols need someone to fill that role, whether it’s a 6-foot-8 power forward that can hit 30-plus three-pointers over the course of the season or a 6-foot-6 small forward that’s strong enough to play the small-ball four.
Jahmai Mashack can fill that role some too but that takes away his ability to defend elite scoring guards— his best trait as a player.
After those spots, Tennessee has somewhat of an ability of adding the best available player. A backup point guard would be good but it’ll be hard to find someone in the portal that wants to back up Zeigler. Adding another center could help depth but the Vols are pretty deep there.
In actuality, another scoring guard seems to be the most likely third option but things are dependent on who ends up transferring to open up a third spot.
Who Could Step Up Into A Bigger Role?
Tennessee loves its freshman class and that’s where things start here. JP Estrella showed his worth in the Purdue game. He’ll be in for a bigger role next season.
Cam Carr is another rising sophomore that Tennessee is really high on. He has an offensive mindset and isn’t scared. I don’t know how effective he’ll be but he’ll have a role next season. What about Dilione if he returns? He has the offensive talent to help on the perimeter but also the previously addressed questions.
The junior year has typically been the key season for bigs in Rick Barnes system. Can Tobe Awaka play without fouling and become an All-SEC level player?
What about Jordan Gainey? He was at his best at the end of the season. Could he take a real step forward in his second year in the SEC?
3 Responses
Ryan Shumperts comments about Tennessee’s needs for the future could not be more wrong
Every Tennessee loss this year was for the same reason. The other team [ including Mississippi State) beat us because they had a dominant big man down low that Aidoo. Awake and Mashack could not handle. Every team in the final 4vhas a dominant 7 foot big man. That is what
Tennessee has to have to make it all the way.
I agree that Tn must have a big man 7ft 2 or more to make it to the final four and win. Edy will be in the final national championship game.
Respect HC Barnes. Imho the final 3 -4 minutes of kinecht 1 on 5 bball sunk the ship. Kept hoping he’d create opportunities for James to stroke a few ala Caitlin Clark (12 Assists!). But nope. Smh. As an example n as good as the Pistol was bak in the day, he never took his team to a Big Time contest or W. Disappointing.