The first order of business for Tennessee basketball this offseason was the recruitment of Belmont sharpshooter Tyler Lundblade. A graduate transfer, Lundblade visited Tennessee the day after its season ended with a loss against Michigan and a week before the transfer portal officially opened.
Lundblade committed to Rick Barnes and his staff on the visit and was the first commit in a nine-player transfer class. However, Tennessee has gone through much of its summer workouts without Lundblade as he deals with a back injury.
“Well, you don’t want anybody to get hurt,” Barnes said Thursday. “But if a guy can probably do it and sustain it and come back, it is him. Because he is such a hard worker. He still has stayed so involved. I have loved what he is doing during practice, trying to coach guys up and doing what he needs to do. Again, just out of precautionary reasons, we are going to make sure we are going to get him totally healthy. He has kept involved. He will be fine.”
It’s unclear when Lundblade suffered the injury. Tennessee’s first practice open to the media was June 25. Lundblade was sidelined that day and has not practiced in the subsequent two practices open to the media.
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Lundblade has done some shooting drills off to the side during practices open to the media with Barnes saying they have allowed Lundblade to do individual work while trusting him not to push himself too hard.
“He has continued to do what he can do,” Barnes said. “I think anytime you are dealing with your back, it is up to that person. If you have ever had a back injury, you’d understand it. He has been doing the things he thinks he can do without causing any more harm.”
Lundblade is one of the best shooters in the country and is coming off a season at Belmont where he averaged 15.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game on his way to earning MVC Player of the Year honors.
The 6-foot-5 wing made 112 three-pointers at a 40.9% clip last season— ranking seventh nationally in three-pointers made. Over the last two seasons, Lundblade has made 212 triples.
Tennessee players and coaches alike have praised Lundblade’s vocal leadership this summer despite the back injury sidelining the sharpshooter for most of the summer.
