Tennessee guard Freddie Dilione plans on entering the transfer portal after spending two seasons in Knoxville, Volquest’s Rob Lewis first reported on Thursday evening.
Dilione was originally a member of the Vols’ 2023 recruiting class before early enrolling at Tennessee in January of 2023. Joining Tennessee midseason, Dilione redshirted his freshman season while practicing with the team and getting adjusted to college basketball and Tennessee’s system.
The 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard entered his redshirt freshman season with high expectations but never quite found a consistent role. Dilione played in 18 of 36 games, averaging 1.7 points, 0.8 assists and 0.6 rebounds per game.
Dilione’s role was up-and-down throughout the course of the season. Rick Barnes and Tennessee’s coaching staff gave him opportunities early in non conference play before his role decreased late in the pre conference slate and into conference play.
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But late in January and early in February, Dilione served as Tennessee’s backup point guard and spelled Zakai Zeigler for five straight games. In the NCAA Tournament, Dilione scored two points in the Vols’ blowout win over Saint Peter’s and three first half minutes in the Sweet 16 against Creighton.
The former top 50 recruit is clearly a very talented offensive player who can score at all three levels and is particularly impactful at the basket. But he never found his groove on the defensive end in a program that prioritizes defense.
Dilione is also a ball dominant offensive player who hasn’t proved to be effective offensively with the ball not in his hands. That made it hard for him to play at the same time as Zakai Zeigler and with Zeigler returning for his senior season, it was hard to find a clear role for Dilione.
The combo guard is the first Tennessee player to enter the transfer portal this offseason. With Dilione gone, the Vols now have three open scholarships to work with this offseason.
