With the transfer portal officially closed, The Athletic updated its official top 100 transfer portal rankings on Wednesday morning with Tennessee landing four players in the top 75.
VCU combo guard Terrence Hill Jr. landed at No. 14 followed by Belmont wing Tyler Lundblade at No. 23, Notre Dame wing Jalen Haralson at No. 30 and Cal combo guard Dai Dai Ames at No. 74.
Hill is coming off a standout sophomore year at VCU where he averaged 15 points, 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 guard shot 46.6% from the field and made 81 three-pointers at a 37% clip last season.
Tennessee sold Hill on being the Vols’ lead guard next season while also playing a bit off the ball. The Athletic likes Hill’s ability to score off the ball.
“He is more combo guard than lead, but he’s so explosive as a scorer that teams with good wings and bigs who can pass could make it work. He’s a good ball-screen playmaker, but I actually like him best off of the catch, where he can knock down shots from distance or attack off of the bounce. I love the way he uses the threat of his shot to attack defenders.”
Lundblade is the reigning MVC Player of the Year after averaging 15.6 points while making 112 three-pointers at a 40.9% clip last season. One of the best shooters in the country, Lundblade is stellar in his ability to make shots off balance.
“In his two seasons with the Bruins, Lundblade drilled a truly ridiculous 44 percent of his 499 3-point attempts. He drills them off of movement or pull-ups, and became an extremely capable primary offensive weapon. He makes good decisions with the ball and is strong enough to guard. Coaching staffs will have to account for him with speed out there in case he gets beaten.”
Haralson averaged 16.2 points, four rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a freshman at Notre Dame last season. His usage rate ranked in the top 10 nationally but The Athletic is high on his ability to play around other talented players.
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“He has strong passing vision, but Notre Dame lacked creation without Burton, and opponents found it easy to swarm Haralson. He excels at attacking mismatches from the mid-post, where he can use his height to pick out open shooters and cutters. He needs to add some semblance of a jumper and would be better served playing next to more talent.”
Ames averaged 16.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and two steals per game. The 6-foot-2 guard was an efficient scorer, shooting 46.4% from the field, 37.6% from three-point range and 85% from the foul line.
Tennessee envisions Ames taking the pressure off Hill with his ability to handle the basketball and create off the dribble.
“Cal also had him on the move constantly, trying to generate scoring opportunities. Ames has been a combo guard throughout his career but is ideally suited to be more of a scoring guard than a creator.”
With three players in the top 30, the Vols have more players in the top 30 than any other team in the country. Tennessee’s four players in the top 100 is tied for the most along with Indiana and Miami. A plethora of teams have three players in the group including Texas, Louisville, NC State and North Carolina.
Thirteen players in the top 100 are still uncommitted including Tennessee target Juke Harris. The Wake Forest guard is the No. 2 player in The Athletic’s rankings as the Vols battle Michigan and North Carolina for his services.
J.P. Estrella, the No. 23 player in the rankings, is the only outgoing Tennessee player that landed in the top 100. Loyola (Chicago) center Miles Rubin is the only Tennessee signee not ranked in the top 100.
