2021 Target List

Part of me worries he never buys in and ends up being a wasted spot. I guess a player of his caliber is worth the risk, but still.
Def worth the spot. Admiral wasn't bought in/immature during Barnes early tenure and we see how that turned out. BHH is clearly a more talented prospect at this point in his career.

Also think the types of players that Barnes brings in will help with a player like BHH if has some issues on/off court early on in career.
 
Def worth the spot. Admiral wasn't bought in/immature during Barnes early tenure and we see how that turned out. BHH is clearly a more talented prospect at this point in his career.

Also think the types of players that Barnes brings in will help with a player like BHH if has some issues on/off court early on in career.

Good points. Let's hope he finds Admiral's mindset, and doesn't transfer out after a year like Burns.
 
2 or 3 weeks in a row he’s made sure to mention possible reclassification, guessing that’s BHH. Not that it’s a guarantee to happen, but that the staff is talking with him about it and it’s at least a possibility.

From BHH's recent blog.

"Tennessee is really pushing to get me to reclassify to 2021. They talk about it the most I’d say. I’m open to it, but it really all depends on how I feel after the season. "
 
Well, UT's two man class is ranked 17th by Rivals. I wonder how many more kids we sign in the Spring ? One big man, at least, maybe a grad transfer. Would love for Brandon Huntley-Hatfield to reclassify and sign with the Vols.

Man, Barnes and Tennessee have like a 3 year window as a Final 4 team, imo. Ever since I watched my first Final 4 with Michigan St, Indiana St, DePaul and Penn (I remember watching the 3rd place game between the latter 2 teams) in 1979, I have dreamed of seeing the Vols in the Final 4. As long as I stay alive for 5 more years, I believe that 8 year old kid's dream will finally come true, SOON
 
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When the summer started in 2020, Jonas Aidoo was completely off the radar nationally and had yet to receive much attention by programs in the Hoop State. But after developing his game during the offseason and returning to the court with Team Curry, Aidoo immediately saw his stock skyrocket, leading to five high-major offers after his first weekend on the court.

Since then, the 6-foot-11, 215-pound center has added nearly 20 more offers to the mix, forcing him to finally cut the list down to 10 programs. That list included NC State, Kansas, Tennessee, Wake Forest, Miami, Georgia, Marquette, South Carolina, Providence and Houston back on Halloween.

"It kind of all happened at once, but after the first tournament I started to get some notice," Aidoo said of his rise this summer. "At the second tournament, that’s when the offers started to come and schools started to take notice and start patching in and stuff. Some schools took longer than others to offer, but it was kind of all near the same time, just a little bit spread out."


The Wolfpack was one of those schools that waited to get in the mix, but kept close contact with him throughout the summer before offering on Sept. 21. Tennessee and Kansas were the only schools to offer later than the Pack and still make the 10-team cut for Aidoo.

While State waited to get in the mix, Aidoo has always left the line of communication open with Keatts and the rest of the staff. James Johnson is the primary recruiter for Aidoo, but he has kept in close contact with the entire staff since receiving the offer.

"We talk on a weekly basis," Aidoo said. "We’ve spent a lot of time talking about their situation and what they are doing. It’s really just checking up on me and stuff like that. It’s just building a relationship."

Recently transferring to Charlotte (N.C.) Liberty Heights Athletic Institute, Aidoo has seen his stock as a recruit continue to rise. After entering the 247Sports rankings as the No. 218 player in the country with a three-star rating on Aug. 30, Aidoo has already risen to the No. 90 overall spot and the No. 16 center in the country.

When it comes to his fit in the system, Aidoo would be more of a versatile big for Keatts, similar to the likes of D.J. Funderburk. But after just one year of Keatts truly utilizing two bigs on the floor at the same time, Aidoo is taking more of a wait-and-see approach with the Wolfpack -- something he's planning on doing with every team that made his Top 10.


"I want to wait until Nov. 25 when the season starts, and then I can break down how they really play," Aidoo said of how he thinks he fits into Keatts' system. "He’s just checking up on me. It’s a good relationship. It’s still growing. We’re still bonding together."

There's no definitive timeline for Aidoo at this point, but he said he plans to narrow down his list and potentially make a decision in January before signing in April."
 
As far as 2021 recruiting we don’t have anything new to report. Fringe top-100 big man James Aido from out of Charlotte remains a possibility. That’s a crowded field with Kansas, Marquette, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Tennessee, South Carolina, Providence, Miami, Georgia, and Houston making up his list as of now. He didn’t sign early, but with the dead period in place until April it’s unclear on when he’ll do something.

- VQ
 
Brady has really fallen off the radar. Once thought of as the top 2022 kid in the state of Tennessee, he just never really developed any further and was passed by others. Transferred to McEachern HS near Atlanta, and not even sure he's a kid who ends up playing P5 ball. Maybe a Mizzou, Ole Miss, Vandy type kid if he ends up in the SEC, but possibly even an MTSU type, as well. I'd bet most of his prior "offers" are no longer commitable.

As for other SF/Wing types, I thought that Harrison Ingram cutting us from his list and saying that "Tennessee didn't seem to want him as much as he wanted Tennessee" [paraphrasing] was peculiar. My only guess is that Tennessee felt that Stanford and Purdue would be too difficult to overcome and decided to pursue others instead. Caleb Houstan is one who could play the SF position who just reclassified into the 2021 class. Not sure how serious Tennessee is with him.
He transferred again and this time to Baylor in Chattanooga. Just committed to UTC. Can't be easy transferring so much. I think it's his 4th high school.
 
College basketball's most likely impact freshmen for 2021-22


4. KENNEDY CHANDLER | TENNESSEE | 6-1, 165-POUNDS | PG
Tennessee entered the season with the No. 5 overall class in the country and found themselves with an early first round exit this year following a loss to the No. 12 seed Oregon State. Again, they find themselves entering next season with another top five class - ranking No. 3 in the Team Rankings this time - but are hopeful for a tournament run.
In order to do so, Kennedy Chandler will be looked upon to lead the charge. Chandler - the No. 8 overall prospect in the 2021 class - is a dynamic playmaking guard coming out an outstanding season playing with Wichita (Kan.) Sunrise Christian.
While undersized, he is strong, tough, athletic, skilled and has a great feel and IQ for the game. He has made major improvement in his jumper and will be looked upon to lead this top five recruiting class on a run - after all it is a guard's game.
 
Ten of the biggest risers in the final 2021 rankings

JONAS AIDOO

Recruitment: Signed with Tennessee.

Previously ranked: 80.

Now ranked: 42.

Why he rose: Another player who initially signed elsewhere, Marquette’s loss due to a coaching change is Tennessee’s major win when it comes to big man Jonas Aidoo.

A bit of a late bloomer from the state of North Carolina, Aidoo burst onto the scene last June and July but few got to really get a good look at him due to Covid restrictions. He’s got great size at nearly 6-foot-11 and while he’s still got to add strength, he’s got a long and wiry frame that should easily carry good weight once he gets into the Vols strength and conditioning program.

Rick Barnes is going to love his ability to run the floor, block some shots and ultimately be a threat as a shooter. He isn’t quite as good coming out of his high school as Myles Turner was when Barnes signed him during his time as the coach at Texas, but Aidoo isn’t all that far behind.
 
If Aidoo can be Myles Turner-lite and Chandler and BHH play to their potential, this squad will have a chance to do something big. But, as we all know, it’s not a game played on paper so we’ll see how they all develop. Really hoping for a fun season to cleanse the palette after this year’s disappointment.
 
If Aidoo can be Myles Turner-lite and Chandler and BHH play to their potential, this squad will have a chance to do something big. But, as we all know, it’s not a game played on paper so we’ll see how they all develop. Really hoping for a fun season to cleanse the palette after this year’s disappointment.
I'm not expecting huge things from Aidoo just yet. Big men usually take longer to develop, especially in a physical league like the SEC. He's also played more on the perimeter than a typical 4/5 does in Barnes' system, so does Barnes embrace that about him or try to make him more of an old school 4/5?

I think Aidoo is at least a 2 year player, probably a 3 year guy. But I'm very excited about him and what he brings. He does stuff nobody else on UT's roster does right now.
 
Aidoo will be a monster by year 3. Really think Aidoo and BHH will be very good their sophomore year also.
 
Aidoo will be a monster by year 3. Really think Aidoo and BHH will be very good their sophomore year also.
Is BHH expected to be around more than a year? I know some kids are determined to be one and done right from the start, wondering if anyone knows if that's BHH's mindset or not?
 
Yeah, I was just thinking at a standpoint of maybe he isn’t all the way ready to be one and done. If Barnes doesn’t hold him back, he’s for sure gone.
 
Yeah, I was just thinking at a standpoint of maybe he isn’t all the way ready to be one and done. If Barnes doesn’t hold him back, he’s for sure gone.

Springer wasn't ready for the NBA, but he left anyway. I feel the same situation will apply here. BHH may not be ready at the end of the next season, but he'll probably be gone no matter how the season plays out.
 
Springer wasn't ready for the NBA, but he left anyway. I feel the same situation will apply here. BHH may not be ready at the end of the next season, but he'll probably be gone no matter how the season plays out.
Not sure how you can claim a player projected Top 20 isn’t ready to leave?
 

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