2025 Transfer Portal Thread

[tev.sm]

That kinda proves my point. I don't think we are looking for him to light it up unless we are treating him like a Gainey/Lanier role. Can play the point when needed but want him off the ball mostly.

But he is a shooter, though. I see him as a ZZ replacement, not a Gainey/Lanier replacement. ZZ could also shoot it, but wasn’t a volume scorer because he needed to facilitate offense.

 

[Dougie_D]

Are you trolling?

Gillespie averaged 11 attempts a game the last 2 seasons and shots over 48% FG & 38% 3PT on his career. And shot better from FT last year than either of them have in their career.

No he won’t take 15 attempts a game though like Chaz & DK did, because he’s gonna be dishing 4+ assists a game too

I'm just looking at NCAA stats for 3pointers made. Mark Sears was 90/261 and Gillespie was 84/214. I'm just suggesting that his role isn't to shoot a bunch of 3's or take that many shots like a DK or Lanier.
Chaz shot 564 times. DK shot 577.
If we are going to continue what we have done the past 2 years we are needing high volume shooter. Being a PG isn't going to allow that.

 

[Namorto1]

Have to have players like Ament to make final 4. Plain and simple.

Interesting comment, so I looked back a few years.

Since 2021 for all the Final Four teams:
2021 - Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, UCLA
2022 - Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, Villanova
2023 - UCONN, San Diego St., Miami, Florida Atlantic
2024 - UCONN, Purdue, Alabama, NC State
2025 - Duke, Houston, Florida, Auburn

Top 5-star recruits who significantly contributed were:
2021 - Jalen Suggs at Gonzaga
2022 - Paolo Banchero at Duke
2023 - Donovan Clingan at UCONN (but he didn't start due to Sanogo)
2024 - Stephon Castle (who was joining a load national championship team and was 5th in scoring on the team)
2025 - Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach (3 of them) at Duke
Tahaad Pettiford with Auburn was a high 4 star but wasn't a top 10 recruit (in 25 range)

UT history with high school one and dones:
Tobias Harris - lost in 2nd round of NCAA
Jaden Springer & Keon Johnson - lost in 1st round of NCAA
Kennedy Chandler - lost in 2nd round of NCAA
Julian Phillips - lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA (may have been 5th or 6th most important player on the team)

Over the last 5 years at least, above doesn't indicate having a top 5-star recruit is any guarantee of making a Final Four. While it can be easily argued that more talented 5* freshman can get us to our 1st Final Four, having very talented freshman hasn't helped us advance far in recent past. We've done much better when we have an experienced roster and over the past 2 years combined an experienced roster with very good portal transfers (with 2 Elite 8's in a row).

For a basketball program that has only made 3 Elite 8's ever, I think we are trending in the right direction. I think Barnes is figuring out this portal business and not going for the flashy high-profile hits. This year we had too many holes with lack of depth, no post offense, perhaps deficient and needing one more perimeter shooter and really no great player who could beat an opposing defender off the dribble. ZZ was probably the best at it yet was only 5'9. Gainey to a certain extent too but even he was more comfortable pulling up from mid-range. Yet, still made Elite 8. Culture matters and while Amet would be exciting, history to this point shows we haven't had as much success with the one and done high school players.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

That kinda proves my point. I don't think we are looking for him to light it up unless we are treating him like a Gainey/Lanier role. Can play the point when needed but want him off the ball mostly.

Go look at Braden Smith from Purdue, that’s probably lofty but that’s the idea, a guy that can give you a scoring punch at PG but also be a distributor.

 

[Dougie_D]

But he is a shooter, though. I see him as a ZZ replacement, not a Gainey/Lanier replacement. ZZ could also shoot it, but wasn’t a volume scorer because he needed to facilitate offense.

I don't know what he'd be if he was a PG. But DK and Lanier shot average of 570 times.
Mark sears shot about 500 , Clayton Jr. shot around 500 while Gillespie shot 400.
Maybe we ask him to shoot more ? a 100 more? I'm not sure.
My guess is we will go after Lamar Wilkerson hard.. he shot closer to 480. You increase his volume number to 515 and that would be doable.

 

[CAVPUT]

CRB has a history at Tennessee of recruiting players that fit the culture that they have in the UT men's basketball program right now. Chemistry is everything. The chemistry that UT had this past season was unbelievable. Those guys would have run through a wall for Coach Barnes. I trust that he knows what he wants and what players are the right fit for their culture. He obviously likes Gillespie. I am sure that they discussed getting Rice at some point. I would say that's in the works. There has been a lot of print about Freeman from LMU. He can play 3 and 4. It seems like we are back in the discussion for Ament. Not sure how serious that discussion is. Looks like Carey is going to be signed at some point. If all of that happens and CRB is good with the fit, we could be really good! The roster might look like this:
1-Gillespie, Henderson
2-Rice, Boswell
3-Ament, Evans
4-Freeman, Phillips, Carey
5-Okpara, Estrella, Brown
They will probably leave one spot open in case they need another roster spot. In my opinion, that team right there can win the SEC if the chemistry is right and they stay healthy. I see balanced scoring and a lot of talent. I like the size and the athletic ability that Tennessee would have on that team.

Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that Boswell didn't jump in the portal. Maybe he's on the Phillips track?

 

[Volprofch05]

I'm just looking at NCAA stats for 3pointers made. Mark Sears was 90/261 and Gillespie was 84/214. I'm just suggesting that his role isn't to shoot a bunch of 3's or take that many shots like a DK or Lanier.
Chaz shot 564 times. DK shot 577.
If we are going to continue what we have done the past 2 years we are needing high volume shooter. Being a PG isn't going to allow that.

I don’t think we want to do exactly what we did the past 2 years where we had one primary scorer, and if the were shut down, we were done, seems we may want to spread it around more.

 

[Namorto1]

That kinda proves my point. I don't think we are looking for him to light it up unless we are treating him like a Gainey/Lanier role. Can play the point when needed but want him off the ball mostly.

Barnes didn't sign Gillespie to play off the ball. He even evidently told him, that "he has the keys to the offense". Gillespie has been a point guard ever year he has been in college, at both Belmont and Maryland. He will likely shoot the ball more than ZZ did by a couple shots per game, but he is definitely a point guard first. Thankfully one who can both shoot (at a pretty efficient rate) and create off dribble. He is big too for a 6'1 PG at around 190 so physicality of the SEC won't bother him.

 

[Volprofch05]

Ivisic to the Illini

 

[Namorto1]

I'm just looking at NCAA stats for 3pointers made. Mark Sears was 90/261 and Gillespie was 84/214. I'm just suggesting that his role isn't to shoot a bunch of 3's or take that many shots like a DK or Lanier.
Chaz shot 564 times. DK shot 577.
If we are going to continue what we have done the past 2 years we are needing high volume shooter. Being a PG isn't going to allow that.

No worries. Barnes is going to surround Gillespie with shooters. While he may not be the highest scoring transfer portal guy, that isn't his role, but he still has a chance to be the most impactful transfer portal player next year.....just like DK and Lanier (in my opinion) were. I think you misunderstood my post. I wasn't equating him to be "like" DK and Lanier" as an off-ball player and shooter.

 

[Dougie_D]

Go look at Braden Smith from Purdue, that’s probably lofty but that’s the idea, a guy that can give you a scoring punch at PG but also be a distributor.

Yeah I totally agree. I think someone like Braden Smith is ideal but I'm not sure how they will try to increase Gillsespies distribution like they would prefer. Or maybe they just want him to shoot more.
Here's the numbers that intrigue me.

ASSISTS , FG Attempts and GAMES.
B. Smith : 313 / 472 / 36
ZZ : 275/ 366/ 37
Gillespie: 174/ 397 / 36

 

[jvols1999]

My hot take…

If he’s going to cost what it looks like it’s going to cost, and that severely limits what else we can add, I would prefer we pass. Much like what you said in your last sentence I definitely have a fear that he’s not sure fire dominant good, he doesn’t have the deal Flagg came in with, it’s as you mentioned more Phillips like but taller. Obviously if we land him I’ll hope to be wrong, but I just have that fear given his build, he also hasn’t been dominant in the last year against quality competition, and then our history with 5 stars and Barnes also.

Now if Pratt is willing to fund this campaign and Ament is saw as gravy on top of other pieces then I’m all for it, but if he keeps us from adding other all league type talents I think I would rather add 2-3 proven guys over just Ament.

My one counter to the Phillips analogy, because I’ve thought about it too, is specifically that Barnes has been down this road before with JP. I’m going to assume he’s smart enough to have learned a lesson there and that his evaluation on Ament as someone worth spending a ton of money on when you know the kid is one and done is a combination of “this kid is that good” and “I’ll coach him differently than I did JP because that way didn’t work.”

 

[jvols1999]

Ament is better than Phillips but let’s not act like Phillips was a complete dud. He showcased his athleticism/scoring ability and dealt with a wrist injury that year if I recall correctly

Terrible ROI

 

[jvols1999]

Have to have players like Ament to make final 4. Plain and simple.

Of the teams in the Final 4 only Duke has players like this.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

Of the teams in the Final 4 only Duke has players like this.

Duke is probably going to win it all though.

 

[Legion of Doom]

Of the teams in the Final 4 only Duke has players like this.

Clayton and Broome are NBA players

 

[OrangeInKy]

Duke is probably going to win it all though.

I've thought that until last week, I could honestly see any of these 4 winning but I am much higher on Houston now.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

I'm just looking at NCAA stats for 3pointers made. Mark Sears was 90/261 and Gillespie was 84/214. I'm just suggesting that his role isn't to shoot a bunch of 3's or take that many shots like a DK or Lanier.
Chaz shot 564 times. DK shot 577.
If we are going to continue what we have done the past 2 years we are needing high volume shooter. Being a PG isn't going to allow that.

Those 84 made 3s lead the ACC though…

He also shot 397 FGs, not just the 214 from 3.

You said he wasn’t a shooter & you’re wrong.

He won’t shoot as much volume is what you likely meant to say.

 

[Dougie_D]

Barnes didn't sign Gillespie to play off the ball. He even evidently told him, that "he has the keys to the offense". Gillespie has been a point guard ever year he has been in college, at both Belmont and Maryland. He will likely shoot the ball more than ZZ did by a couple shots per game, but he is definitely a point guard first. Thankfully one who can both shoot (at a pretty efficient rate) and create off dribble. He is big too for a 6'1 PG at around 190 so physicality of the SEC won't bother him.

I do wonder how much of a finisher he is. ZZ was all about the swing pass for corner 3 or assist around the rim. I do believe Barnes will surround players to fit Gillespie's style. I just don't know what it will look like.

 

[Namorto1]

Of the teams in the Final 4 only Duke has players like this.

Yep, Duke has 3 top 10 NBA draft picks on their roster and all are frosh. And moreso Cooper Flagg may be one of those generational players. Pretty rare to have that combo.

 

[Dougie_D]

Those 84 made 3s lead the ACC though…

He also shot 397 FGs, not just the 214 from 3.

You said he wasn’t a shooter & you’re wrong.

He won’t shoot as much volume is what you likely meant to say.

Yeah I meant a volume shooter. I only said that because the past 2 years Chaz/DK were volume shooters. I don't know if Barnes is going to go after a volume shooter type or what.

 

[Namorto1]

Clayton and Broome are NBA players

Yep but there are not one and dones. Both were multi year portal transfers. UT will have more success in the portal vs high school 5 stars, in my opinion.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Yeah I meant a volume shooter. I only said that because the past 2 years Chaz/DK were volume shooters. I don't know if Barnes is going to go after a volume shooter type or what.

Kevin Punter Jr, that’s what we’re hoping Ja’Kobi can do.

 

[SGMVols]

Clayton and Broome are NBA players

Role players at best though. Flagg will be a multiple All Star

 

[Namorto1]

Yeah I meant a volume shooter. I only said that because the past 2 years Chaz/DK were volume shooters. I don't know if Barnes is going to go after a volume shooter type or what.

McKneely, the 2G from Virginia was going to be Lanier’s replacement. We just missed on him. Must have been the $$ because Louisville already brought in 2 highly rated combo guards.

We will try and sign 2 wing shooters IMO. If we can’t sign the two we want I wouldn’t mind getting a perimeter specialist from lower level school vs leaving a scholarship open. Can never have enough shooters.