Tennessee fell to Zach Edey and Purdue (insert ref joke here), ending the Vols’ season just short of history. It was just the second ever appearance for Tennessee in the Elite Eight, as Rick Barnes really has the program rolling.
However, Barnes is looking at quite a bit of turnover from this year’s roster — guys who have been there and done all that. Are the guys behind them on the depth chart ready? How many reinforcements are needed out of the portal?
Let’s talk about it.
Exiting: SG Dalton Knecht, SG Santiago Vescovi, SF Josiah-Jordan James
This fifth-year senior trio fell just short of a trip to the Final Four over the weekend. Now their eligibility has officially expired. That’s a ton of minutes that Rick Barnes will have to replace this offseason, and all of those answers very likely aren’t all on the roster just yet.
Knecht’s outstanding scoring ability will certainly be missed by Tennessee, but Vescovi and James both contributed greatly on defense. It will be a little odd to see Nos. 30 and 25 not play next season because this core (apart from Knecht) has been together for five complete seasons.
PG Zakai Zeigler, SG Jahmai Mashack, SG Jordan Gainey, PF Tobe Awaka, and C Jonas Aidoo are the returning core.
It’s possible that you’ll start these five the next season. With Aidoo and Awaka receiving an additional year of development, you may get a lot more production inside what is obviously going to be Zeigler’s program.
Tennessee will obviously miss Knecht’s elite scoring ability, but Vescovi and James brought a ton to the table defensively. This core (outside of Knecht) has been around for five full seasons now, so it’s going to be a little strange seeing No. 30 and No. 25 not take the floor next year.
Returning Core: PG Zakai Zeigler, SG Jahmai Mashack, SG Jordan Gainey, PF Tobe Awaka, C Jonas Aidoo
These five could very well end up being your starting five next season. It pretty clearly is going to be Zeigler’s show, and you could get a lot more production inside with Aidoo and Awaka getting another year of development.
The issue here? There’s not a lot of consistent scoring with this group. Zeigler had his games, Aidoo had his moments. Mashack brings a ton defensively, while Gainey was pretty erratic overall.
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Just as Barnes did last season with Knecht, expect Tennessee to look to add some offensive pop out of the portal. I see a clear lack of shooting with this projected group, so I’d expect that to be a focus over the next month.
Returning depth pieces: G Freddie Dilione, C J.P. Estrella, PF Cade Phillips, G Cameron Carr, G DJ Jefferson
Here’s where things get murky. None of these guys had a consistent role on this year’s team, and maybe outside of Estrella, do we really know what Tennessee has with these pieces?
Dilione surprisingly never got going this season, despite having some NBA hype last offseason. However, now with three guards in the rotation out of his way, he would appear to have a pretty clear path to a significant role on this year’s team. The former top 30 overall prospect will have his chances as a sophomore, and it’s going to be interesting to see how much he has developed.
Cameron Carr played sparingly this season, but he’s a guy that could give Barnes some shooting off of the bench. We saw him hit a three against Creighton with Vescovi sidelines — perhaps that’s a sign of things to come.
Estrella and Phillips will likely have to give Barnes more minutes now with hybrid-4 Josiah-Jordan James out of the picture.
And then there’s DJ Jefferson, who oozes athleticism, but just hasn’t quite put all the pieces together. Will he stick around for another season where he could be buried on the depth chart? More on that below.
Incoming: G Bishop Boswell
Tennessee currently has just one commitment in their class of 2024, four-star guard Bishop Boswell. The Charlotte native ranks 65th overall in the cycle, per On3 Sports.
“Bishop is a great young man who exhibits superb leadership qualities,” Rick Barnes said. “He is a big, versatile guard who is comfortable both scoring and facilitating. We are also excited about his ability to defend multiple positions on the other end of the court. A former football player, Bishop will also bring a high level of toughness that meshes well with our program.”
Wildcards: Freddie Dilione, DJ Jefferson
You’re going to get some pieces on this roster that hit the portal, it’s just inevitable these days. There’s no way to know for sure where someone’s head it at with factors like playing time and NIL at the forefront, but we can take some educated guesses.
Jefferson is the first name that comes to mind, with his path to playing time looking pretty tough again. The former four-star prospect has three years of eligibility remaining, and could be looking at another year of waiting to find significant time with the Vols.
Dilione is another interesting case. He would clearly be behind Zeigler and Mashack once again, while Gainey played over him all season long this year. He would likely have a clear role off of the bench as the fourth guard in the rotation, but will that be enough for a potential NBA prospect?
Cade Phillips could be another situation to monitor, with Aidoo/Awaka/Estrella still ahead. As we’ve seen with these portal decisions, anything is possible.
The transfer portal is already rolling, and Tennessee will likely be conducting their exit meetings over the next several days. Roster movement is inevitable, and we’ve seen both sides of the portal over the last few years with this program.
We’ll quickly learn how many scholarships Tennessee will have available once these final decisions are made. From there, expect plenty of portal chatter and visits as we head towards the summer months.
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