Awaka to the portal

[Delmar]

Let's keep in mind that we have a thread that currently includes 58 pages of posts in which we're salivating over all the transfers we might reel in from other schools. We were also treated to one of the best seasons in UT basketball history from a transfer. All of those players had to make tough decisions to leave schools and do what is best for them. We can't expect to feast off players from other programs without losing some of our own players. As sad as it is that Tobe is departing, I'd say we remain comfortably ahead as it pertains to the portal.

Don’t really have much choice do we? If we want to remain relevant in the new world of college sports, we have to play the game.

 

[Caculator]

Awaka deserves to go his own way

Like to see UT ship it for 11 one and dones , a mix of the very best with eligibility, every season until we are full of Championships and totally broke
Forget looking for individual players, buy a full roster every year

 

[Stownterry]

Belmont may have opening for him

 

[Delmar]

Awaka deserves to go his own way

Like to see UT ship it for 11 one and dones every season until we are full of Championships and totally broke
Forget looking for individual players, buy a full roster every year

Penny Hardaway says hello. He tried bringing in 13 transfers this year and mold them into a team and he fell flat on his face. Obviously Calipari has tried the one and done route for years and he has exactly one title to show for the 50 NBA players that he had in his programs. Pretty obvious to me that there has to be a mix of talent and experience.

 

[Volprofch05]

Don’t really have much choice do we? If we want to remain relevant in the new world of college sports, we have to play the game.

Yep, to be clear I’m not saying we’re wrong for coveting transfers, rather that it’s not wrong for our players to leave.

 

[JohnsonLong]

Awaka was a pretty fat girl.

If there's 9 fat girls in a bar 1 of them is still gonna be prettier than the other 8.

He's not a loss.

He was just better than 2 freshmen.

 

[Caculator]

Penny Hardaway says hello. He tried bringing in 13 transfers this year and mold them into a team and he fell flat on his face. Obviously Calipari has tried the one and done route for years and he has exactly one title to show for the 50 NBA players that he had in his programs. Pretty obvious to me that there has to be a mix of talent and experience.

Penny ain't Barnes
Buy Barnes a full roster and you would understand the difference in who is at the helm will make all the difference
Whole team

My edit of the original post didn’t appear, I included any player with eligibility as well as 1&D

Whole team

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't go to St John's with Pitino. Closer to home and Awakas skillset would work great there. I hope Tobe feels out the portal and decides Tennessee is still the best place for him.

 

[allvolrecruiting]

I don’t get the hate. He probably wasn’t going to start here and is good enough to start at a lot of good programs. St Johns is also close to home. The player’s commitment is always to their bettering their career and he has paid his dues to earn a better opportunity for himself elsewhere. It is what it is. Just bc Vols were best opportunity two years ago doesn’t mean they are now.

I think JP Estrella can be just as good if not better as well. Awaka gets stuck a lot and I think Estrella can play more next to Aidoo without clogging the paint or fouling out. Regardless he would be eating into his minutes a noticeable amount as well. If you take the connection to the player out of it, it’s not as big of a deal as everyone is making it out to be. Mashack and Estrella are more than capable of stepping up

 

[Delmar]

Penny ain't Barnes
Buy Barnes a full roster and you would understand the difference in who is at the helm will make all the difference
Whole team

My edit of the original post didn’t appear, I included any player with eligibility as well as 1&D

Whole team

Penny ain’t Rick Barnes. Who knew?

As far as UT or Rick “buying a full roster” of transfers and one and dones, don’t hold your breath. Don’t ever see that happening. He’ll pick and choose the ones he wants that fit his scheme.

 

[Nighthawkvol10]

Typically Barnes course corrects. Hard to argue his portal play of last year. I just think he’s dangerously behind the curve this year.

Do you know if this is an issue of UT not having the funds or Barnes just not willing to spend the way some other teams are right now? It seems like the going rates for even just average starters have skyrocketed this portal season. Might make sense that Barnes is working with outdated numbers in that case as you mentioned.

 

[TrippieRedd]

45 minutes. We’re almost there!

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Do you know if this is an issue of UT not having the funds or Barnes just not willing to spend the way some other teams are right now? It seems like the going rates for even just average starters has skyrocketed this portal season. Might make sense that Barnes is working with outdated numbers in that case as you mentioned.

Players had one on one meetings last week. For the first year ever, many walked in the door with “I can make x at this university and play more”. That didn’t happen last year. The pre-portal entry hustle is something we have to have an answer for. This year, we weren’t ready.

 

[GoodTimeVol]

Players had one on one meetings last week. For the first year ever, many walked in the door with “I can make x at this university and play more”. That didn’t happen last year. The pre-portal entry hustle is something we have to have an answer for. This year, we weren’t ready.

Folks don’t listen to this guy spew garbage

 

[JCP201]

Players had one on one meetings last week. For the first year ever, many walked in the door with “I can make x at this university and play more”. That didn’t happen last year. The pre-portal entry hustle is something we have to have an answer for. This year, we weren’t ready.

anyone else going?

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Folks don’t listen to this guy spew garbage

Amen.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

anyone else going?

I think Aidoo not going today is a really good sign.

 

[GoodTimeVol]

Do you know if this is an issue of UT not having the funds or Barnes just not willing to spend the way some other teams are right now? It seems like the going rates for even just average starters have skyrocketed this portal season. Might make sense that Barnes is working with outdated numbers in that case as you mentioned.

This is the answer you are looking for quit listening to stoener..

No offense but why are you making stuff up to fit some narrative that Rick doesn’t use NIL? First off coaches have no say over the collective they might offer them input but anything else is against the rules as we know.

Second this is a false narrative the staff has interviews with each player prior to them entering the portal. There is a lot of variables at play especially when there is a set budget, but when you have young guys like Estrella and Phillips waiting for their turn and you have a guy who is undersized at the position and who is still limited on the offensive end outside of 5 feet tough decisions have to be made for both parties.

To say we are not ready when have put team after team into the NCAA Tournament a long with sec championships during the NIL era is simply false on all accounts

The roster is nowhere near set for next year, can you not wait till after summer before spreading false information about our NIL?

 

[McGeesPub]

Folks don’t listen to this guy spew garbage

Much like KingNico in football, SF is one of the very few posters here you definitely should listen to. Aside from this post, you probably shouldn’t even listen to me.

 

[Ttucke11]

Folks don’t listen to this guy spew garbage

SF is legit. So...

 

[GoodTimeVol]

Much like KingNico in football, SF is one of the very few posters here you definitely should listen to. Aside from this post, you probably shouldn’t even listen to me.

He is simply wrong about basketball NIL so no…

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

No offense but why are you making stuff up to fit some narrative that Rick doesn’t use NIL? First off coaches have no say over the collective they might offer them input but anything else is against the rules as we know.

Second this is a false narrative the staff has interviews with each player prior to them entering the portal. There is a lot of variables at play especially when there is a set budget, but when you have young guys like Estrella and Phillips waiting for their turn and you have a guy who is undersized at the position and who is still limited on the offensive end outside of 5 feet tough decisions have to be made for both parties.

To say we are not ready when have put team after team into the NCAA Tournament a long with sec championships during the NIL era is simply false on all accounts

The roster is nowhere near set for next year, can you not wait till after summer before spreading false information about our NIL?

I’m sorry to upset you. I may be the biggest orange colored glasses Barnes fan on the board. I rarely criticize him, and defend him pretty regularly. We were blindsided by the changes in behavior this year. Players absolutely have a one on one meeting after the season to review the past and discuss the future. Some players don’t fit in that future and we let them go. Some players go for greener pastures. That’s real. I apologize if that upsets you. It is what it is.

 

[GoodTimeVol]

SF is legit. So...

Lol no he is not, any person that thinks we are unwilling to spend NIL in basketball because we didn’t want to pay these players who left have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

 

[CornbreadVol]

This is the answer you are looking for quit listening to stoener..

He is simply wrong about basketball NIL so no…

Are you connected to the program in any way? If no, then we have no reason to believe you over SF who has been consistently the best insider we have on this board.

 

[Ttucke11]

Lol no he is not, any person that thinks we are unwilling to spend NIL in basketball because we didn’t want to pay these players who left have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

Your reading comprehension is bad. That's not at all what he said. Nor was he speaking of previous years which is what your initial anger was about. He's legit. Has been for a long time.