Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes met with the local media on Thursday morning as the Vols continue their fourth week of summer practices. Barnes is pleased with the progress of his new look team, but his most interesting quote was about the Vols still looking to potentially add one more piece to the roster.
“We have a spot available, and if we find the right guy, we can do that,” Barnes said.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into the situation.
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Tennessee Doesn’t Actually Have A Spot Open Right Now
Barnes says that Tennessee has a roster spot available right now. That’s not actually true. The current college basketball roster limits are 15 plus any designated student athletes (DSA).
The Vols roster currently includes Terrence Hill Jr, Dai Dai Ames, Troy Henderson, Marquis Clark, Tyler Lundblade, Manny Green, Juke Harris, Ralph Scott, Jalen Haralson, Chris Washington Jr, Braedan Lue, Miles Rubin, DeWayne Brown, Christian Fermin, Campbell Duncan and Gavin Paull.
That’s actually 16 players on the roster but either Duncan or Paull is a DSA and does not count towards the roster limit. All that to say, Tennessee currently does not have an open roster spot.
What Is A Designated Student Athlete?
Before we proceed, let’s touch on the “designated student athlete” term I used last section. What is a designated student athlete?
When the House Settlement passed last summer it changed the roster limits in a number of sports. To avoid players losing a pre-existing roster spot due to new limits, the NCAA created DSAs. They allow teams to exceed their roster limits with designated student athletes. Schools labeled players as DSAs last summer before the House Settlement went into effect.
One of Duncan or Paull was labeled a DSA at that time, allowing the Vols to have 16 players on their roster currently.
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Here’s How The Vols Could Create A Spot
Tennessee doesn’t currently have a roster spot available but they could create one if they want to add someone to their roster.
The easiest solution would be to retroactively make whichever both Duncan and Paull a DSA. But it’s unclear to me whether that’s something teams can do retroactively. But if they can, then that would allow Tennessee to have 17 players on roster.
If that’s not an option, Tennessee could force one of Duncan or Paull, —whichever currently isn’t a DSA— into a student assistant coach role this season. They would not officially take up a roster spot but would still be around the team and could go back to claiming a roster spot next season.
What Would Tennessee Be Looking To Add?
If Tennessee adds a new player to its roster it would almost certainly be a big man. The Vols loaded up on perimeter talent in the portal but their front line remains a question mark.
People will obviously point to J.P. Estrella who is allowed to transfer after Michigan coach Dusty May left for the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week. I would be very surprised if a reunion happens there for a number of reasons. Notably, Estrella can’t enter the transfer portal for another 27 days.
But the Vols will continue to monitor things overseas and see if they find someone who fits what they needs. Remember, Ethan Burg did not commit to Tennessee until mid July last season.
