Tennessee Transfer Portal Targets

[TrippieRedd]

I don't think he's the only option, either. But to this point, outside of Cobe Williams who went elsewhere, he's the only option to show interest that we have reciprocated interest in.

There are plenty of options. There is just a lot of things that need to fall into place with them.

And if we could logically say the same thing, with confidence, about any of the guards you mentioned, then we wouldn't have pursued Perry or Williams. We've actively pursued a PG, which tells me the staff isn't suddenly perfectly fine with what we have, but they may be OK enough with them to not just take any warm body (Ques Glover for example).

We could get Elijah Hawkins for a number 5 combo from McDonald’s. Since we “passed” on Perry.

 

[RyanWalkerPGH]

I completely forgot about Cobe Williams lol "In the bag, going to be a Vol" and then committing to Tulsa. And now I'm also mad about the Yuri Collins thing all over again.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Are there any other good PGs left in the portal? Not that we'll pursue them, but damn, I still feel we need one.

And please, no one say Glover.

Based on On3 rankings
1. Max Abmas
2. Taran Armstrong
3. Jalen Cook - LSU commit
4. Adrian Baldwin - Penn State commit
5. Kerr Kriisa - West Virginia commit
6. Keshon Gilbert - Iowa State commit
7. Tylor Perry
8. Ryan Nembhard - Arizona projection
9. Joseph Girard - LSU projection
10. Javon Small
11. Jaden Bradley
12. Dante Harris - Virginia commit
13. Sahvir Wheeler - Georgia projection
14. Kevin Miller - Wake Forrest commit
15. Skyy Clark - Louisville commit
16. Dayvion McKnight - Xavier commit
17. Javian McCollum
18. Elijah Hawkins
19. Mike Mitchell Jr - Minnesota commit
20. Posh Alexander

Lots of options at CG still available too.

I could see us potentially giving Jarden Bynum some interest depending on how things go over this weekend with visits. He'd be entering his 6th year in college, career 10.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.1 spg guy. 5'10" 180lb guy that spent 1 year at St. Joseph's then 4 at Providence.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

I don't think he's the only option, either. But to this point, outside of Cobe Williams who went elsewhere, he's the only option to show interest that we have reciprocated interest in.

There are plenty of options. There is just a lot of things that need to fall into place with them.

And if we could logically say the same thing, with confidence, about any of the guards you mentioned, then we wouldn't have pursued Perry or Williams. We've actively pursued a PG, which tells me the staff isn't suddenly perfectly fine with what we have, but they may be OK enough with them to not just take any warm body (Ques Glover for example).

Perry nor Williams ever stepped foot on campus so how hard can we realistically say we pursued them? I get that we hear reports and rumors and some of our posters here know people inside the program. But I mean honestly unless they visit (virtually or otherwise) what proof is there that Perry was pursued more than any other name we've heard?

I'm always a "it's outside my control anyway" guy on this...and chicken little mentality is exhausting. I want to see us land great players in the portal same as anyone else, and I having watched us all season felt PG or at least a good/great ball handling CG was a need. But I've not seen anything from Freddie, Carr, or BJ to tell me they can't fill that void (or they can fill that void).

Mashack I felt showed he's an legit option and we already know he's a great defender...but he's obviously not as quick as ZZ or KC so could he struggle in the handful of matchups where he faces a smaller/quicker PG? I mean yeah he could...but his length could also bother those PGs so who knows.

I think after the NBA draft evaluations are done we'll also see more players entering the portal, Yuri Collins could even appear there again.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

not sure if anyone has posted this, but heavy rumors of Nkamhoua going to Arizona

They can be that dumb

 

[MoCo_Vol]

I completely forgot about Cobe Williams lol "In the bag, going to be a Vol" and then committing to Tulsa. And now I'm also mad about the Yuri Collins thing all over again.

Cobe is On3's 22nd best PG in the portal...

For what it's worth Gainey is the 11th best SG in the portal based on On3 ratings...

 

[TrippieRedd]

Perry nor Williams ever stepped foot on campus so how hard can we realistically say we pursued them? I get that we hear reports and rumors and some of our posters here know people inside the program. But I mean honestly unless they visit (virtually or otherwise) what proof is there that Perry was pursued more than any other name we've heard?

I'm always a "it's outside my control anyway" guy on this...and chicken little mentality is exhausting. I want to see us land great players in the portal same as anyone else, and I having watched us all season felt PG or at least a good/great ball handling CG was a need. But I've not seen anything from Freddie, Carr, or BJ to tell me they can't fill that void (or they can fill that void).

Mashack I felt showed he's an legit option and we already know he's a great defender...but he's obviously not as quick as ZZ or KC so could he struggle in the handful of matchups where he faces a smaller/quicker PG? I mean yeah he could...but his length could also bother those PGs so who knows.

I think after the NBA draft evaluations are done we'll also see more players entering the portal, Yuri Collins could even appear there again.

On Collins, is tampering a year to year thing?

 

[RyanWalkerPGH]

Cobe is On3's 22nd best PG in the portal...

For what it's worth Gainey is the 11th best SG in the portal based on On3 ratings...

FWIW, I didn't know anything about Williams and would feel indifferent if he was a Vol. It just encapsulates how the Transfer Portal has been for Tennessee.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

I think JJJ & JP are gonna and Santi is back

I was going to say the same thing. With the staff pushing so hard for Knecht. I get the feeling they think JP is gone.
There isn't enough minutes for JM, JP and a transfer 3.

 

[cncchris33]

Perry nor Williams ever stepped foot on campus so how hard can we realistically say we pursued them? I get that we hear reports and rumors and some of our posters here know people inside the program. But I mean honestly unless they visit (virtually or otherwise) what proof is there that Perry was pursued more than any other name we've heard?

I'm always a "it's outside my control anyway" guy on this...and chicken little mentality is exhausting. I want to see us land great players in the portal same as anyone else, and I having watched us all season felt PG or at least a good/great ball handling CG was a need. But I've not seen anything from Freddie, Carr, or BJ to tell me they can't fill that void (or they can fill that void).

Mashack I felt showed he's an legit option and we already know he's a great defender...but he's obviously not as quick as ZZ or KC so could he struggle in the handful of matchups where he faces a smaller/quicker PG? I mean yeah he could...but his length could also bother those PGs so who knows.

I think after the NBA draft evaluations are done we'll also see more players entering the portal, Yuri Collins could even appear there again.

Your first paragraph sounds like you're grasping at straws, somehow trying to convince yourself that it's OK, or entering the bargaining phase of grief. We wanted both guys. The reason for them not visiting has been discussed. Williams followed his former coach, Perry had demands we weren't willing to meet. Not visiting isn't some tell-tell sign that we didn't want them.

Surely you aren't lumping me into the Chicken Little crowd. I've been extremely patient and rational. I've stated that PG was our greatest need, IMO, and that I'd have believed that even if ZZ weren't injured, meaning that belief dates back over a year. We didn't sign one in the portal, last year, didn't sign one in 2022, didn't sign one in 2023, and haven't landed one in the portal, this year. That's frustrating, but I'm not of the opinion that all is lost because of it.

 

[Chris4Vols22]

There's still a lot of time for things to happen, but there's not much to point to right now that inspires confidence in our handling of the portal and fulfilling roster needs. Imo, roster management leading up to the '22-23 season was one of the primary factors that led us to skid at the end of the regular season and being upset in the Sweet 16.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Part one: There could be any number of reasons for that, and I think the idea that Barnes is completely satisfied with our PG position is way down the list.
•NIL demands
•The player isn't any good
•The player isn't interested in Tennessee and our offense
•The player doesn't like Barnes's emphasis on defense
•The player isn't committed to being a good defensive player
All those are possibilities as to why we didn't pursue another PG.

Part two: The system is changing drastically. Bringing in top-10 freshman classes is only part of it, now. Heck, you almost don't even need to really stress about recruiting high school players when you can poach portal players and pay them to come play, and you generally know what kind of player you're getting, as well, so there is a little bit less risk. I don't like it, personally, but it is what it is. And maybe constructing rosters from the portal is ultimately just another way to skin a cat. You can still build primarily through recruiting freshmen, but you have to continue recruiting them all through their career, too. And we are paying those kids through NIL, too, so I just don't see much of a difference. I'm not demanding change. I just don't understand the stubbornness of resisting it when you've shown a willingness to pay freshmen (Phillips) and current players (Santi, ZZ, JJJ, Aidoo, etc.). How is making similar promises to incoming transfers any different?

If PG was a glaring need in the staffs mind they’d have pursued others, whether that’s Glover who is gonna go HM, or that’s McCollum who’s gonna go HM, or the kid at Belmont from the area etc etc they could absolutely find a PG/CG willing to come here, the fact they only looked into Perry and opted not to pursue tells me that it’s not something they view as a glaring need. If you disagree then I guess we will just disagree, I think they could easily have found someone.

We are using the portal, we have 2 guys coming in, the hang up with everyone seems to be they disagree on who we should be going after. Again only time is going to tell who is correct in that regard, if Zeigler comes back ready to play and/or Dilione is the PG the staff feels he can be then the decision not to pursue a PG and rather Knecht/Ledlum will seemingly be the correct one. If Zeigler can’t return and Dilione falls on his face then it will have been the wrong move, but there’s no way to know definitively right now.

As for building a roster, I kind of like that we’ve had no transfers, that’s rare and coaches across the country would tell you that their preference is roster continuity. They don’t want a guessing game and bringing in a bunch of new faces, they’d love to return guys and get to develop them, we’ve been able to do that while also adding a couple transfers, we will see how that translates on the court.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Based on On3 rankings
1. Max Abmas
2. Taran Armstrong
3. Jalen Cook - LSU commit
4. Adrian Baldwin - Penn State commit
5. Kerr Kriisa - West Virginia commit
6. Keshon Gilbert - Iowa State commit
7. Tylor Perry
8. Ryan Nembhard - Arizona projection
9. Joseph Girard - LSU projection
10. Javon Small
11. Jaden Bradley
12. Dante Harris - Virginia commit
13. Sahvir Wheeler - Georgia projection
14. Kevin Miller - Wake Forrest commit
15. Skyy Clark - Louisville commit
16. Dayvion McKnight - Xavier commit
17. Javian McCollum
18. Elijah Hawkins
19. Mike Mitchell Jr - Minnesota commit
20. Posh Alexander

Lots of options at CG still available too.

I could see us potentially giving Jarden Bynum some interest depending on how things go over this weekend with visits. He'd be entering his 6th year in college, career 10.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.1 spg guy. 5'10" 180lb guy that spent 1 year at St. Joseph's then 4 at Providence.

I think that Arterio Morris is still in the portal with Ole Miss, Memphis, and SMU as the leading landing spots. He still has to go to court. His attorney says he’s innocent.

Good candidate for the Deacon to guide the young man to find a better path in life. Potentially toxic to team chemistry as well however.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

That's rich considering the stretch you just made about Mikey Williams relating to character issues of transfers lol.

Literally zero sense

 

[cncchris33]

If PG was a glaring need in the staffs mind they’d have pursued others, whether that’s Glover who is gonna go HM, or that’s McCollum who’s gonna go HM, or the kid at Belmont from the area etc etc they could absolutely find a PG/CG willing to come here, the fact they only looked into Perry and opted not to pursue tells me that it’s not something they view as a glaring need. If you disagree then I guess we will just disagree, I think they could easily have found someone.
Don't forget about Cobe Williams. We swung and missed there, too. And again, I'm not saying we couldn't find just any PG. I believe we only want an impact guy there, which is fine. I don't want a warm body just for the sake of taking someone. I just don't believe we haven't prioritized that position. Pursuing Williams and Perry suggests otherwise.

We are using the portal, we have 2 guys coming in, the hang up with everyone seems to be they disagree on who we should be going after. Again only time is going to tell who is correct in that regard, if Zeigler comes back ready to play and/or Dilione is the PG the staff feels he can be then the decision not to pursue a PG and rather Knecht/Ledlum will seemingly be the correct one. If Zeigler can’t return and Dilione falls on his face then it will have been the wrong move, but there’s no way to know definitively right now.
A lot of ifs and buts in that paragraph. All that is based in hope, and hope is not a plan.
I'm fine with Ledlum and Knecht (whom I'm on record as saying would be near the top of my wishlist).

As for building a roster, I kind of like that we’ve had no transfers, that’s rare and coaches across the country would tell you that their preference is roster continuity. They don’t want a guessing game and bringing in a bunch of new faces, they’d love to return guys and get to develop them, we’ve been able to do that while also adding a couple transfers, we will see how that translates on the court.

.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Your first paragraph sounds like you're grasping at straws, somehow trying to convince yourself that it's OK, or entering the bargaining phase of grief. We wanted both guys. The reason for them not visiting has been discussed. Williams followed his former coach, Perry had demands we weren't willing to meet. Not visiting isn't some tell-tell sign that we didn't want them.

Surely you aren't lumping me into the Chicken Little crowd. I've been extremely patient and rational. I've stated that PG was our greatest need, IMO, and that I'd have believed that even if ZZ weren't injured, meaning that belief dates back over a year. We didn't sign one in the portal, last year, didn't sign one in 2022, didn't sign one in 2023, and haven't landed one in the portal, this year. That's frustrating, but I'm not of the opinion that all is lost because of it.

If I was I'd directly say you were in that crowd.

I'm not grasping at anything, I'm just a realist. Without me directly talking to the players or Barnes/staff I take everything shared as a grain of salt.

End of the day until they are on the roster I don't fully believe anything I hear or read.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Cobe was also early on before a “clearer” picture on what the roster was going to look like, there are/were many in the portal ranked above Cobe and we haven’t opted to pursue them. Again Glover isn’t just a warm body, I get you aren’t a huge fan but he’s likely to end up at Ole Miss or Memphis, if he can play PG there he could’ve likely been good enough to be a backup PG depth piece here and the staff said no.

Pretty clear to me the staff wants difference makers, they liked Perry and Cobe early on, as things materialized and they reached out to players they feel like Knecht and Ledlum are both very much difference makers and that the need for a PG isn’t as glaring as such that they should sacrifice 1 of those types of guys for a backup PG type of player.

As for ifs and hopes, again you nor I are privy to the information the staff has…it likely isn’t based on hopes and dreams to them, I’m guessing they feel very good about both Zeigler and Dilione at PG and even to a lesser extent Santi, Gainey, Edwards, Mashack if need be.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Cobe was also early on before a “clearer” picture on what the roster was going to look like, there are/were many in the portal ranked above Cobe and we haven’t opted to pursue them. Again Glover isn’t just a warm body, I get you aren’t a huge fan but he’s likely to end up at Ole Miss or Memphis, if he can play PG there he could’ve likely been good enough to be a backup PG depth piece here and the staff said no.

Pretty clear to me the staff wants difference makers, they liked Perry and Cobe early on, as things materialized and they reached out to players they feel like Knecht and Ledlum are both very much difference makers and that the need for a PG isn’t as glaring as such that they should sacrifice 1 of those types of guys for a backup PG type of player.

As for ifs and hopes, again you nor I are privy to the information the staff has…it likely isn’t based on hopes and dreams to them, I’m guessing they feel very good about both Zeigler and Dilione at PG and even to a lesser extent Santi, Gainey, Edwards, Mashack if need be.

I wouldn't exactly call Kencht and Ledlum difference makers. They haven't exactly proven anything at this level.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

I mean I feel like there's probably 5-8 difference makers in the portal right now that have proven something at this level (P6)

Hunter Dickinson C from Michigan, but not a position of need
Caleb Love CG from UNC, going to Michigan we tried from all accounts
Harrison Ingram SF from Stanford, very clear he's heading to a blue blood that's willing to put $ out there (his top two being UNC or Kansas according to On3)
JJ Starling SG from ND, heading back home to Syracuse
Kel'el Ware C from Oregon, honestly not sure he's even proven but very productive top 10 prospect and size, not a position of need
LJ Cryer SG from Baylor
Jesse Edwards C from Syracuse, projected to be heading to West Virginia or Kansas, not a position of need
TJ Bamba SG from WSU, heading to Villanova we tried from all accounts

Those are all P6 players that have produced already. The rest are either not P6 guys, or have limited production and are looking for opportunities.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

More specifically on Perry, he’s known Clark for almost a decade. They’ve spent a lot of time together. Clark knows both his parents well. Perry wants a specific set of things we can’t guarantee. We didn’t shut the door. We didn’t pass on him. He didn’t pass on us. We just can’t give him what he wants.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

He's not in the portal...but there's a chance he could enter depending on how the NBA evaluation goes and if he does enter then he'd be my #1 want period.

Judah Mintz PG from Syracuse. 6'3" 172lbs FR
32 games, 32 starts
33.5 mpg, 44.3% FG, 30.3% 3PT, 75.1% FT
16.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.8 spg, and 2.4 turnovers per game

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I wouldn't exactly call Kencht and Ledlum difference makers. They haven't exactly proven anything at this level.

Neither has Perry then for that matter…

 

[Sadie0051]

Neither has Perry then for that matter…

You say JJJ and Phillips are gone. Do you mean JJJ is just moving on from college basketball and Phillips will declare and come back if he doesn't like what he hears from the process?

 

[bleedingTNorange]

You say JJJ and Phillips are gone. Do you mean JJJ is just moving on from college basketball and Phillips will declare and come back if he doesn't like what he hears from the process?

I don’t think either are likely playing for Tennessee next year…whether that’s nba, overseas, coaching etc idk, but I don’t expect either back as of today.

 

[wtmvol]

When do Knecht/Ledlum get in town? Or are they already on campus?