When Donnie Tyndall was hired two weeks ago, some Vol fans were wondering if Tennessee would even field a team full of scholarships players come basketball time next season.
It seems most of those concerns are being laid to rest.
Tyndall received his third signee in five days Wednesday when news broke that 6-foot-3 shooting guard Detrick Mostella had signed with the Vols.
Mostella is a consensus 4-star prospect, rated the 44th overall player according to 247Sports and 53rd overall on Rivals. He had offers from Georgetown, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Larry Brown at SMU amongst others.
The 247Sports timeline shows a convoluted path to Tennessee for the Decatur, Ala., native. It has him as an Oklahoma State signee on Nov. 12, 2012, but says he was released from his NLI by the Cowboys in July 2013. Then, the timeline shows a commitment to Pittsburgh the same day he was granted his release by Okie State.
I obviously can’t verify any of that information, nor can I explain why Mostella didn’t end up playing in Stillwater or Pittsburgh. But I do know he ended up at Notre Dame Prep School in Massacusetts, which won’t have any effect on his eligibility at Tennessee.
I also know this kid is a player. He’s a helluva athlete with a nice shooting stroke, and he looks fearless attacking the basket. At 6-foot-3, he doesn’t possess ideal size for a two-guard, but he more than makes up for it with good lift on his jump shot and off-the-charts athleticism.
He’s definitely a scorer first that plays better off the ball, but he’s also a guy that can initiate the offense in stretches if you need him to. I saw Rucker called him a combo guard and that’s probably an apt description.
Check out this video. Watch his head damn-near even with the rim on several occasions, and look at the form on his jumper — it’s textbook.
Mostella joins JUCO SG Kevin Punter, who signed with Tennessee on Monday, and PF Jabari McGhee, who signed last Friday, in the Vols completely remodeled 2014 signing class.