With the postseason just a week away across the college basketball landscape, we’ve got a pretty good idea of which transfers have flourished in their new homes and which didn’t necessarily make the impact that they were hoping to. We’ll see many of those players lead their teams in the upcoming tournaments in hopes of capturing conference championships and the national championship later this month.
Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie has undoubtedly been one of the top transfer players in the country. The former Maryland guard has given Tennessee consistent offense throughout the season and has played the role of veteran point guard for Rick Barnes’ offense. While Nate Ament has come on in a big way over the last month and a half, it wasn’t always that way this season. Gillespie has had to shoulder much of Tennessee’s scoring this season, and he’s come up big in much-needed moments.
Gillespie has scored in double-digit figures in every game but two this season, including 26 against Alabama, 24 against Kentucky, 24 against Alabama, and 34 against Texas.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf ranked Gillespie as the seventh-best transfer player in the nation with the regular season winding down.
“The two-time transfer is putting up career-high numbers on offense, averaging 18.1 points and 5.4 assists — to go with nearly two steals per game,” ESPN writes. “He has more responsibility on the offensive end than he did at previous stops Belmont or Maryland, needing to carry the Volunteers’ offense alongside Nate Ament. He had one of the best performances of his career last weekend against Alabama, finishing with 26 points, five rebounds, seven assists and eight steals.”
During the season, Gillespie has recorded career-highs in individual scoring (34 against Texas) and single-game assists (12 against South Carolina), while also setting Tennessee’s all-time single-game steals record twice (8 against Oklahoma and Alabama).
Gillespie is the second-highest ranked SEC player on the list behind Auburn’s Keyshawn Hall at No. 3.
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The other notable name on ESPN’s top transfers list that Tennessee fans might be familiar with is former Vol Cameron Carr. The current Baylor guard has been a dynamite scoring machine for the Bears this season, averaging 18.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Carr spent his first two seasons at Tennessee before leaving the program before SEC play last season. He then found a program that suited his needs and has been playing for Baylor this season.
Borzello and Medcalf have Carr listed as the 15th-best transfer player in the country this season.
“The transfer portal not only offers players fresh starts, it gives them a chance to achieve their dreams,” ESPN writes. “Carr played only four games last season for Tennessee because of a thumb injury and then left the program midseason. At Baylor, the 6-5 guard is averaging 19.2 points and connecting on 38% of his 3s, a combination that has made him a projected first-round pick in June.”
Tennessee Basketball will return to the court for its regular-season finale game against in-state rival Vanderbilt this Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET in Knoxville. The Vols will then head west to Nashville for the SEC Tournament next week before embarking on their NCAA Tournament run.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Basketball news, notes, and coverage.
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