Tennessee basketball’s season came to a close Sunday with a 95-62 loss against in the Michigan in the Elite Eight. Tennessee made it back to the Elite Eight for a third straight year but again didn’t have enough to get over the hump. The Vols now enter the offseason looking to retain a talented young core and build around them.
Rick Barnes and his staff will likely be active in the portal again. The portal window does not open until Tuesday, April 7. That doesn’t mean that players won’t announce their intentions to enter the portal before then or that conversations won’t happen behind the scenes before then. But things won’t truly heat up until then.
So what’s next for Tennessee basketball? Here’s what to know about the Vols’ roster entering the offseason.
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Who’s Gone?
Tennessee for sure loses four seniors off its roster: Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Felix Okpara, Amaree Abram and Grant Hurst. That’s two big losses and two others that won’t hurt the Vols from an on-court production standpoint.
All-SEC freshman Nate Ament did not reveal any draft decisions following Tennessee’s season-ending loss. But Ament projects as a borderline lottery pick and it would be pretty surprising if he instead opts to return to Tennessee for his sophomore season.
Then, of course, there’s the transfer portal. Last year was the first time that Tennessee did not have any outgoing transfers since the portal became a thing. With 10 returning scholarship players this year, the Vols will almost certainly lose some one
In today’s world, no one returning is a guarantee. There are some players that Tennessee would not lose sleep over losing. But there are players that Tennessee wants to keep that they’ll have to fight to keep. Other schools could come in with massive offers for players that Tennessee is unwilling to meet.
Retaining Young Talent Will Be A Priority
Rick Barnes has talked frequently this season about how much he and his staff like Tennessee’s freshman class aside from the star Ament. Retaining and building with them will be key moving forward.
DeWayne Brown and Amari Evans were the best of the group, flashing throughout their freshman seasons. Troy Henderson also flashed throughout the year and Tennessee likes Clarence Massamba— who played very little over the course of the season.
Then there’s rising juniors Bishop Boswell, JP Estrella and Cade Phillips. Boswell and Estrella are the lone returning starters and are still young. Estrella especially has flashed star potential Phillips played a key role on last season’s Elite Eight team before missing this year due to a shoulder injury.
Estrella is the only player in this group that would seemingly command a major pay day in the portal, but see the note in the last section about schools offering more than Tennessee is willing to match.
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Incoming Freshman
Tennessee signed three high school recruits in November: Ralph Scott, Manny Green and Marquis Clark. Scott and Green are four star wings while Clark is a three-star point guard.
None of the three project as key players for Tennessee next season though any could carve out a role with Green being the most likely to do so. Read about Green and Clark’s strong seniors seasons here.
Tennessee has kicked the tires on four-star forward Chris Washington since he de-committed from Alabama. We’ll see if anything evolves there but until he comes on a visit, nothing is super serious. He’s the only other prep prospect that Tennessee is currently recruiting.
How Many Players Will Tennessee Target In The Portal?
As things currently stand, Tennessee has four players leaving and three coming in. Ament declaring for the NBA Draft would give the Vols two spots to work with.
Then any outgoing transfers would open up another spot. Three seems like the minimum that Tennessee would add. In my estimation, the Vols need to add three key rotation players even before any other potential departures.
If they have an abundance of departures to the portal, Tennessee could fill out the back end of its roster with a lower rated, overlooked high school prospects. But three to five incoming transfers seems like the most likely outcome this offseason.
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Top Portal Needs
The biggest need is at point guard where Tennessee has to replace Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Troy Henderson has flashed at times during his freshman year but has not showed enough that the Vols should bank on him to be the starting point guard next season. In my eyes, replacing Gillespie with an experienced point guard is the top priority in the transfer portal.
The Vols also need to add a second scorer on the perimeter. That could be a two-guard or a more traditional wing like Ament. Tennessee needs shooting at both spots and could look to add a depth shooter with one of its last scholarships.
The front court is a bit more tricky and ties into the one big question below. But Tennessee likely needs to add at least one, if not multiple bodies here. Replacing Okpara’s defense will be a big challenge. Barnes’ defense first identity makes me think that adding a rim protector will be a priority.
One Big Question
Does Tennessee run it back with two big men or try and play with four shooters on the court? After two years playing with a stretch four-man, Tennessee went to a traditional two big style this season in attempts that they could find a more consistent inside offense.
So what’s the plan for next season? This probably affects Jaylen Carey’s future as much as anybody. If the Vols opt for more spacing, it seems extremely unlikely that all four of Estrella, Carey, Phillips and Brown would be back.
If Tennessee opts to better space the floor, they will look to add at least one stretch power forward in the Igor Milicic role and/or a long wing that has the defensive ability to hold up at the four-spot for extend periods of time.
If Barnes decides to run it back with traditional two-big lineups then Tennessee would almost certainly emphasize adding a rim protector.
