Former Tennessee forward Cade Phillips is staying in the SEC after a commitment to Texas A&M on Thursday. Could another former Volunteer also be staying in the conference? Things appear to be trending that way.
Former Tennessee freshman guard Amari Evans hit the transfer portal after his lone season in Knoxville. During that year, he averaged 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.
On Thursday afternoon, 247Sports basketball analyst Travis Branham submitted a Crystal Ball prediction for Evans to wind up at Texas. If this ends up happening, it will be Tennessee’s third outgoing player to stay in the conference. Phillips is heading to Texas A&M, while former Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey is taking his talents to Missouri.
Tennessee saw Sean Miller’s Texas Longhorns one time during Evans’ freshman season in Knoxville. Evans played 23 minutes in the win and scored four points on 1-of-3 shooting and 2-of-2 free-throw shooting.
Evans was an important guard for Tennessee during his lone season in Knoxville, with a role that continued to grow throughout the season. He averaged 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game with the Vols, but his numbers were better in SEC play with 5.2 PPG and 3.5 RPG. Evans was also known for his strong defensive presence on the perimeter, which helped him find time on the court in Rick Barnes’ program.
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Evans played in 35 games for the Vols with an average of 14.4 minutes on the court per game. He earned two starts late in the regular season as Tennessee star freshman Nate Ament was sidelined with an injury before the SEC Tournament. Evans’ best game of the season came when he scored 24 points in the regular season finale against Vanderbilt. It was one of two SEC double-digit scoring showings for the freshman, with the other coming against Arkansas in the conference opener (16 points).
InsideMdSports247’s Jeff Ermann reported on Mar. 9 that Maryland had hosted Evans for a Zoom Call during his time in the portal. While Evans hasn’t made a commitment yet, the Terrapins did add former Tennessee guard Bishop Boswell on Wednesday.
Tennessee, meanwhile, has eight new additions so far that Vol fans will get to know before the new season. From the portal, Tennessee has added sixth-Year G Tyler Lundblade from Belmont, junior guard Dai Dai Ames from Cal, junior forward Miles Rubin from Loyola-Chicago, and freshman forward Jalen Haralson from Notre Dame. Tennessee will also add four high-school players with four-star SF Chris Washington Jr., four-star SF Ralph Scott, four-star SF Manny Green, and three-star PG Marquis Clark.
For more on Tennessee’s roster movement in the portal period, click here.
