There is no Dalton Knecht in the transfer portal. Let’s get that out of the way from the beginning. The one-year Tennessee star was a unicorn in every sense of the word. First off, he was a virtually unknown commodity out of Northern Colorado. While he averaged 20.2 points per game, he was Second-Team All-Big Sky. No one could’ve predicted he would be SEC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American.
Second, if we believe the stories he and Rick Barnes tell, NIL wasn’t his main priority. The story is Rick Barnes told him he wouldn’t have much NIL money for him because he had to get the players on the team taken care of first. Third, Knecht wanted a coach that would coach him hard on defense, and Barnes fit the bill.
The likelihood that the Vols find another unknown player with the skill set to be an All-American who doesn’t care about NIL is slim to none. In fact, one could argue that finding a high-caliber player in general who doesn’t care about NIL is highly unlikely.
With that said, there are several players in the portal who could provide Tennessee with the scoring ability they need to make another run at the NCAA Tournament.
Here are three reasonable transfers the Vols could pursue for next season.
Cade Tyson - G/F - Belmont
If there was ever a Dalton Knecht clone, it would be Cade Tyson. The 6-foot-7 guard has the kind of sharpshooting ability that can match that of Knecht. He averaged 16.2 points per game this season while shooting at a 46.5% clip from beyond the arc. He may be a little bit better of a rebounder than Knecht as he averaged 5.9 rebounds this season. The one negative is his ability to create a shot off the dribble, but he is an excellent catch-shooter. If Tennessee wants Tyson, they will have to work for him as Colorado, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Oregon have reportedly reached out to him.
Saint Thomas - F - Northern Colorado
Rick Barnes went to the Northern Colorado well once, and it worked out pretty good. Just so happens there is another Bear who has the ability to be an elite scorer in the SEC in Saint Thomas. The 6-foot-7 forward showcased elite scoring ability averaging 19.7 points for Northern Colorado while hitting 33% of his shots from downtown. He also had an impressive 9.8 rebounds per game. While his shooting doesn’t match some of the elite 3-point shooters, his ability to attack the rim can’t be ignored with Thomas scoring at a 47.2% clip in the field. There is no guarantee that Thomas will be available as he entered his name in the NBA Draft while also entering the transfer portal.
Tucker Anderson - F - Central Arkansas
This selection is much more of an upside pick as opposed to a player with established star potential. At 6-9, Anderson was a freshman this season who averaged 14.5 points per game. He is a 38% shooter from 3-point range but doesn’t offer much in the rebounding category for his size (3.7 rebounds per game). While he didn’t blow the ASUN conference away with his scoring, he showed excellent potential shooting the rock - none more impressive than his 26-point outing against Lipscomb where he went 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. This wouldn’t be a signing that guaranteed success next year, but he would be an excellent addition for the next three seasons.
Ryan Cloud is the owner and writer for Vols Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @RyanCloudSports.
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