In the blink of an eye, the basketball Vols are set up with a veteran presence heading into the 23-24 season. Josiah-Jordan James announced on Wednesday that he will be returning to Knoxville in one of the more shocking announcements of the 2023 offseason. With that, James joins fellow senior guard Santiago Vescovi as two returning starters for the Vols.
In addition, the Vols will also have Zakai Zeigler running the floor. It’s likely Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka will split minutes in the post throughout the year. The 2023-24 team provides plenty of optimism in the starting rotation.
Even more important, Vescovi and James' return will allow the basketball Vols to develop the future without the need to push freshmen in the lineup too early.
The Vols have three incoming freshmen – four-star guard Cameron Carr, four-star forward JP Estrella and three-star forward Cade Phillips – that will be joining the squad next season. With the help of the transfer portal (Chris Ledlum - Harvard, Dalton Knecht – Oregon, and Jordan Gainey - USC Upstate), these three will have a chance to learn the Tennessee system and develop under Rick Barnes.
While no one can guarantee the success we saw in Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield or even Wayne Chism, being able to sit these players will give Tennessee an upper hand in 2024-forward. Building the constant loop of players has been the bread and butter for Barnes, and the next few years will likely be no different.
Build for the future. That may be the magic elixir for the transfer portal world we live in. With players remaining committed to the long-term foundation, that will be just fine for UT.
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