The men’s basketball offseason typically means that multiple former Tennessee hoops standouts return to Knoxville. This weekend, that features a trio of recent stars under Rick Barnes. Dalton Knecht, Jordan Gainey and Jordan Bowden are all back on campus.
For Knecht, he’s here to host his basketball camp for the Knoxville community. On Saturday, he’s helping instruct kids at UT’s practice facility, Pratt Pavilion, to give back to the community that embraced him during his lone year on Rocky Top.
Knecht transferred in from Northern Colorado for the 2023-24 season and instantly became a fan favorite. On the year, he averaged 21.7 points per game on 45.8% shooting from the field and 39.7% on threes. He also contributed 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per outing.
The result for Knecht was multiple elite personal accolades, including being named the unanimous SEC Player of the Year and a consensus First-Team All-American. He also helped lead Tennessee to its second-ever Elite Eight at the time and an SEC regular-season title. Now, he plays for the Los Angeles Lakers as a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
DK. JG. JB.
summertime VFL visit pic.twitter.com/gGtZNTT2ER
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) June 12, 2026
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Gainey returns to campus after spending two years at Tennessee. A transfer out of USC Upstate, Gainey solidified a role as one of the best six-men in the conference. As a senior, he helped the team reach back-to-back Elite Eights while averaging 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Now, Gainey plays professional basketball overseas in Croatia. His father, Justin Gainey, was the associate head coach at UT during Jordan Gainey’s playing days, but just accepted the head coaching gig at his alma mater, NC State, this offseason.
Bowden spent all four of his college seasons at Tennessee. His best year was as a senior in 2019-20, helping serve as a bridge from the Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield era of Vols hoops to now, after setting the foundation with Barnes at UT. He averaged 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
Bowden has bounced around the NBA G-League for most of his pro career, but currently plays overseas in Germany.
