2025 Transfer Portal Thread

[Thunder Good-Oil]

There is no chance that Boswell will ever contribute meaningful minutes here. Great kid by all reports but just doesn't have the game.

Barnes didn’t give him a bus ticket and an apple and tell him to git.

 

[NighthawkVol]

I don’t want to go that far either. Just don’t want to count on him being ready to contribute when he didn’t even really show flashes last year. Doesn’t mean he won’t ever though

People love to think in absolutes. It’s either “he will never contribute” or “he will contribute” to some folks. “I don’t know what he’ll do” is the truth, but most folks have an issue with saying I don’t know.

 

[nateernst]

best case for Bos next year is a defensive/ball handling support role on Dubar’s minutes. We’re automatically playing 4 v 5 offensively when he’s in the game

 

[VolGee4]

People love to think in absolutes. It’s either “he will never contribute” or “he will contribute” to some folks. “I don’t know what he’ll do” is the truth, but most folks have an issue with saying I don’t know.

I agree with this. My point was that I don't think the staff would keep him believing that he won't contribute at all. That's not what coaches do. I believe they expect some contribution off the bench from him, even if it isn't a bunch of minutes.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I agree with this. My point was that I don't think the staff would keep him believing that he won't contribute at all. That's not what coaches do. I believe they expect some contribution off the bench from him, even if it isn't a bunch of minutes.

I think there’s also something to be said for having cheap players at the end of your bench who are good locker room guys but maybe notch contributors at this level. Duke and UCONN are 2 schools that come to mind that just took players who definitely aren’t at the level of most of their roster, St John’s took Tamba, I don’t necessarily think coaches truly think every player on the roster is an expected contributor.

 

[omghulkhands]

I think there’s also something to be said for having cheap players at the end of your bench who are good locker room guys but maybe notch contributors at this level. Duke and UCONN are 2 schools that come to mind that just took players who definitely aren’t at the level of most of their roster, St John’s took Tamba, I don’t necessarily think coaches truly think every player on the roster is an expected contributor.

scout team / 5-on-5 in practice etc.. is a big reason to do this as well

 

[VolGee4]

I think there’s also something to be said for having cheap players at the end of your bench who are good locker room guys but maybe notch contributors at this level. Duke and UCONN are 2 schools that come to mind that just took players who definitely aren’t at the level of most of their roster, St John’s took Tamba, I don’t necessarily think coaches truly think every player on the roster is an expected contributor.

While I agree to an extent, at the time that our staff had to decide on Boswell, we didn’t have a team to start yet. If they bring in someone late like St. John’s did, that is one thing. But, it’s apparent to me that the staff thinks he can be useful, whether that’s 10 minutes off the bench or what. I’m not saying he’s going to be a 6th man or something. With a Barnes team, Gillespie is going to play 30+ minutes. But we all know guys can develop, and the staff knows what they have. Boswell was a top 100 player who can probably get a starting job at most mid majors or maybe even get backup time at a lower P4 school. I assume he feels like he will get some time to contribute.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

While I agree to an extent, at the time that our staff had to decide on Boswell, we didn’t have a team to start yet. If they bring in someone late like St. John’s did, that is one thing. But, it’s apparent to me that the staff thinks he can be useful, whether that’s 10 minutes off the bench or what. I’m not saying he’s going to be a 6th man or something. With a Barnes team, Gillespie is going to play 30+ minutes. But we all know guys can develop, and the staff knows what they have. Boswell was a top 100 player who can probably get a starting job at most mid majors or maybe even get backup time at a lower P4 school. I assume he feels like he will get some time to contribute.

If the roster stays as is then Boswell will definitely get every chance possible, if Zeigler & Gainey return like the staff is obviously trying to help them do then I don’t see Boswell getting 10mpg…I think it also says something that they are actively trying to add an impactful guard and reaching out to Claude.

 

[Lefteye]

People love to think in absolutes. It’s either “he will never contribute” or “he will contribute” to some folks. “I don’t know what he’ll do” is the truth, but most folks have an issue with saying I don’t know.

Absolute facts

 

[volhall16]

If the roster stays as is then Boswell will definitely get every chance possible, if Zeigler & Gainey return like the staff is obviously trying to help them do then I don’t see Boswell getting 10mpg…I think it also says something that they are actively trying to add an impactful guard and reaching out to Claude.

If we’re relying on Bishop Boswell to provide serious minutes off the bench, we’re not gonna be very good. We whiffed on his evaluation, it happens from time to time..

 

[VolGee4]

If we’re relying on Bishop Boswell to provide serious minutes off the bench, we’re not gonna be very good. We whiffed on his evaluation, it happens from time to time..

That wasn’t the discussion.

 

[VolHoopsInTheMix]

The narrative on Boswell in this forum is mind boggling to me... Boswell as a freshman looked No Different to Mashack as a freshman. Both showed the ability to give max effort defensively and ability to guard 1-3 in minimal time. Both had similar games played and minutes as freshmen on loaded teams.
Boswell knows his role and WILL play a role for the Vols in coming years. The coaches and trainers rave about his development and work ethic. His current trainer sees a completely new Boswell...

The narrative from you all is OFF. Completely. Because he's a hard worker & Vols are known to develop talent as they grow in the program. Prove it wrong if u disagree. If Boswell can turn anywhere near aMashack type of player, itsa huge win for us!!!

Edit: Barnes has no problem telling players to move on from the program. He wants Boswell to stay. There's stuff about Boswell that you Can't coach. He already has IT

 

[Lefteye]

The narrative on Boswell in this forum is mind boggling to me... Boswell as a freshman looked No Different to Mashack as a freshman. Both showed the ability to give max effort defensively and ability to guard 1-3 in minimal time. Both had similar games played and minutes as freshmen on loaded teams.
Boswell knows his role and WILL play a role for the Vols in coming years. The coaches and trainers rave about his development and work ethic. His current trainer sees a completely new Boswell...

The narrative from you all is OFF. Completely. Because he's a hard worker & Vols are known to develop talent as they grow in the program. Prove it wrong if u disagree. If Boswell can turn anywhere near aMashack type of player, itsa huge win for us!!!

Edit: Barnes has no problem telling players to move on from the program. He wants Boswell to stay. There's stuff about Boswell that you Can't coach. He already has IT

Not sure what IT is but I agree. Not the part about the Mashack comp, but that we just know what he could be with the work he’s putting in, on top of his connection to the program and Barnes not being willing to cut ties. I don’t think he’s shown Mashack defensive ability, but do think he’s good already w limited minutes and he could be more offense than he’s been so far.

 

[VolHoopsInTheMix]

Not sure what IT is but I agree. Not the part about the Mashack comp, but that we just know what he could be with the work he’s putting in, on top of his connection to the program and Barnes not being willing to cut ties. I don’t think he’s shown Mashack defensive ability, but do think he’s good already w limited minutes and he could be more offense than he’s been so far.

Hard work beats talent when talent dont work hard... IT refers to the stuff you can't really coach; work ethic, having a desire to put the work in and go above & beyond as a person and teammate, fitting our culture & being all in on what we are trying to do, having a good motor, coming into college with an already college frame as a freshman like mashack - both 6'4" and strong with football type builds, and already coming into college with a way above average defensive capabilities.

The mashack comp for me began with the type of people they are, great people. Same measurements. Same minute / games played as freshman trajectory, both coming in as a Vol as known defenders in high school as both were top 100 4☆ recruits. The football backgrounds and builds. The known ability for both to be versatile defenders... so for me, the comp makes sense for him to be in that type of role- potentially of course.
Having Players that play Mashacks role obviously leads to winning - we want players like that. And in my well thought out opinion, Boswell fits that.

And of course Barnes opens speaks throughout the season how he has no problem with Boswell defensively, he could guard anyone. Offense was the only concern for Barnes w Boswell in year 1

 

[vol94]

The narrative on Boswell in this forum is mind boggling to me... Boswell as a freshman looked No Different to Mashack as a freshman. Both showed the ability to give max effort defensively and ability to guard 1-3 in minimal time. Both had similar games played and minutes as freshmen on loaded teams.
Boswell knows his role and WILL play a role for the Vols in coming years. The coaches and trainers rave about his development and work ethic. His current trainer sees a completely new Boswell...

The narrative from you all is OFF. Completely. Because he's a hard worker & Vols are known to develop talent as they grow in the program. Prove it wrong if u disagree. If Boswell can turn anywhere near aMashack type of player, itsa huge win for us!!!

Edit: Barnes has no problem telling players to move on from the program. He wants Boswell to stay. There's stuff about Boswell that you Can't coach. He already has IT

Time will tell but I would hope he would make a big jump this season.

 

[CAVPUT]

The narrative on Boswell in this forum is mind boggling to me... Boswell as a freshman looked No Different to Mashack as a freshman. Both showed the ability to give max effort defensively and ability to guard 1-3 in minimal time. Both had similar games played and minutes as freshmen on loaded teams.
Boswell knows his role and WILL play a role for the Vols in coming years. The coaches and trainers rave about his development and work ethic. His current trainer sees a completely new Boswell...

The narrative from you all is OFF. Completely. Because he's a hard worker & Vols are known to develop talent as they grow in the program. Prove it wrong if u disagree. If Boswell can turn anywhere near aMashack type of player, itsa huge win for us!!!

Edit: Barnes has no problem telling players to move on from the program. He wants Boswell to stay. There's stuff about Boswell that you Can't coach. He already has IT

Kinda reminds me of Dane Bradshaw. Smart, swiss army knife type.

 

[nateernst]

Kinda reminds me of Dane Bradshaw. Smart, swiss army knife type.

Dane Bradshaws SENIOR year: 5.5 ppg on 34.8/29/55 () shooting splits. I think I’d rather find the 4 rebounds and 4.7 assists from somebody else

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Kinda reminds me of Dane Bradshaw. Smart, swiss army knife type.

Not being prickly, but I don't see a lot of similarities. Dane was a rickety broken old man at 22. He was an incredibly smart player who made the offense happen, but he had some serious physical limitations by the time he left. I remember his shoulders getting so bad that he had a hard time with overhead throw-ins. He was never particularly quick or fast, but played angles to cover guards well. Boswell is a real deal durable D1 athlete with the speed and strength to cover anyone on the floor, and there is a lot of untapped upside on offense. He's better shooter than people know, and he has the body to go up in traffic without paying for it. He has a lot to prove on the offensive end. I can't judge his court smarts yet. We haven't asked him to do much yet beyond play D and avoid turnovers. The word at the end of last season was that he was shooting threes with confidence, developing Josiah's mid-range game and working well in the offense. I hope he doesn't get pigeon-holed into an all defense toy like Mashack. We've suffered from only having three or four scorers on the court the last few years.

 

[omghulkhands]

Not being prickly, but I don't see a lot of similarities. Dane was a rickety broken old man at 22. He was an incredibly smart player who made the offense happen, but he had some serious physical limitations by the time he left. I remember his shoulders getting so bad that he had a hard time with overhead throw-ins. He was never particularly quick or fast, but played angles to cover guards well. Boswell is a real deal durable D1 athlete with the speed and strength to cover anyone on the floor, and there is a lot of untapped upside on offense. He's better shooter than people know, and he has the body to go up in traffic without paying for it. He has a lot to prove on the offensive end. I can't judge his court smarts yet. We haven't asked him to do much yet beyond play D and avoid turnovers. The word at the end of last season was that he was shooting threes with confidence, developing Josiah's mid-range game and working well in the offense. I hope he doesn't get pigeon-holed into an all defense toy like Mashack. We've suffered from only having three or four scorers on the court the last few years.

This is a weird evaluation to me because he looked about as lost on defense as one can look in many of his appearances. The ones that come to mind were earlier in the seasons though tbf.

 

[TrippieRedd]

Not sure why, but always thought Boswell reminded me of Springer.

Same body build, kinda move the around the court the same way.

Hope he can put it all together.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

This is a weird evaluation to me because he looked about as lost on defense as one can look in many of his appearances. The ones that come to mind were earlier in the seasons though tbf.

Definitely true early in the season, but I think he was excellent at the end of conference play.

 

[therickbol]

This is a weird evaluation to me because he looked about as lost on defense as one can look in many of his appearances. The ones that come to mind were earlier in the seasons though tbf.

I think that was him being lost schematically. I am making an assumption, but I assume the defensive scheme he was familiar with before getting to UT was much different than what UT runs. It is definitely an adjustment mentally. His defensive issues were not physical or effort. He had enough speed ands strength and want-to. I am not completely sold on how much quickness he has but that might be rush to judgement based on very limited minutes and him being very unsure/hesitant on the court last season.

It is always hilarious (not directed at you) when these idiots make definitive statements like the guy earlier that said there was NO WAY he would ever contribute. We have seen nothing that he has done in practice and we saw very limited minutes during his freshman season. Not recognizing the development that is possible with great coaches/trainers/weights/nutrition is hilarious. He might not develop. Nobody knows for certain. But to see what fans have seen to this point and make a definitive statement about the future of a freshman is beyond ignorant.

 

[VolsNetClippers2025]

Not being prickly, but I don't see a lot of similarities. Dane was a rickety broken old man at 22. He was an incredibly smart player who made the offense happen, but he had some serious physical limitations by the time he left. I remember his shoulders getting so bad that he had a hard time with overhead throw-ins. He was never particularly quick or fast, but played angles to cover guards well. Boswell is a real deal durable D1 athlete with the speed and strength to cover anyone on the floor, and there is a lot of untapped upside on offense. He's better shooter than people know, and he has the body to go up in traffic without paying for it. He has a lot to prove on the offensive end. I can't judge his court smarts yet. We haven't asked him to do much yet beyond play D and avoid turnovers. The word at the end of last season was that he was shooting threes with confidence, developing Josiah's mid-range game and working well in the offense. I hope he doesn't get pigeon-holed into an all defense toy like Mashack. We've suffered from only having three or four scorers on the court the last few years.

Staff confidence in offense is good, I'd like him to be the second guard off the bench, which makes me think we need one more quality guard (Claude, Gainey, etc.) and then should be good!

 

[VolsNetClippers2025]

Also weighing in generally, I trust the staff and their evaluations to bring BB back and look forward to improvement. If Gainey's improvement from Junior to Senior was so apparent, why can't Boswell (and the rest of the returners) make some kind of comparable relative leap. I'm optimistic! (but please bring in one more stud so we can win a natty)

 

[i2amavol]

Dane Bradshaws SENIOR year: 5.5 ppg on 34.8/29/55 () shooting splits. I think I’d rather find the 4 rebounds and 4.7 assists from somebody else

Not being prickly, but I don't see a lot of similarities. Dane was a rickety broken old man at 22. He was an incredibly smart player who made the offense happen, but he had some serious physical limitations by the time he left. I remember his shoulders getting so bad that he had a hard time with overhead throw-ins. He was never particularly quick or fast, but played angles to cover guards well. Boswell is a real deal durable D1 athlete with the speed and strength to cover anyone on the floor, and there is a lot of untapped upside on offense. He's better shooter than people know, and he has the body to go up in traffic without paying for it. He has a lot to prove on the offensive end. I can't judge his court smarts yet. We haven't asked him to do much yet beyond play D and avoid turnovers. The word at the end of last season was that he was shooting threes with confidence, developing Josiah's mid-range game and working well in the offense. I hope he doesn't get pigeon-holed into an all defense toy like Mashack. We've suffered from only having three or four scorers on the court the last few years.

I am pretty sure that Bradshaw had a wrist injury that affected his shooting, as well. It was a shame, because he was a really good player. One of my favorites.

As for Boswell, I think his shooting ability is way underrated. I think he needs to step up in the basics of passing and dribbling (unforced turnovers). It will be interesting to see his development in the upcoming season.