Saturday’s clash with No. 24 Vanderbilt is more than just a rivalry matchup for No. 23 Tennessee basketball. It also marks Senior Day, with four players going through festivities and being honored before the game.
Those four Vols are Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Felix Okpara, Grant Hurst and Amaree Abram. Three senior student managers, Leah Sanders, Bryce VanHuss and Dalton Waggoner, will also be honored.
Tennessee will hold the ceremony ahead of the game against Vanderbilt. While tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN, Senior Day will begin at 1:40 p.m. ET.
“Senior Day and all that’s so different now because of the transfer portal,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “Back in the day, when you did the senior day, it was mainly guys that had been with you for a long, long time. But I can tell you the guys that are leaving the program, we appreciate every one of them. They’ve all had an impact and we appreciate it.
“Obviously, time flies and it’s one of those deals where you want them to be recognized for the commitment and the loyalty that they gave to your program. And we appreciate this class, we do, because we’re in that era now where year to year you’re going to have some guys that might just be here one year, but we’d like for them to leave knowing that they’re a part of the Tennessee family and they always will be welcomed back.”
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Here is what you need to know about the senior class:
Ja’Kobi Gillespie
- Year at UT: 1
- Previous School(s): Belmont, Maryland
- Degree: Information Sciences
- 2025-26 Stats:
- 30 games/30 starts
- 18.0 points
- 2.9 rebounds
- 5.6 assists
Felix Okpara
- Year at UT: 2
- Previous School(s): Ohio State
- Degree: Retail & Merchandising Management
- 2025-26 Stats:
- 28 games/27 starts
- 7.7 points
- 6.0 rebounds
- 0.5 assists
Grant Hurst
- Year at UT: 3
- Previous School(s): UT Martin
- Degree: Recreation & Sport Management; Enrolled in Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communication Master’s Program
- 2025-26 Stats:
- 1 games/0 starts
- 0.0 points
- 0.0 rebounds
- 0.0 assists
Amaree Abram
- Year at UT: 1
- Previous School(s): Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Louisiana Tech
- Degree: Information Sciences
- 2025-26 Stats:
- 22 games/3 starts
- 3.6 points
- 1.5 rebounds
- 0.8 assists
