College basketball season is quickly approaching. The No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers are looking to turn heads after their tremendous 2022 season. The reigning SEC champions are once-again led by senior Forward; Josiah Jordan James, senior Forward Santiago Vescovi, and sophomore Guard Zakai Ziegler.

Head coach Rick Barnes is hoping to take the logical next step as a program and finally taste National Championship victory with the Volunteers. With the departure of Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and the graduation of long-time forward, John Fulkerson; Coach Barnes has some decisions to make regarding the opening night roster. The biggest loss for Big Orange was the departure of stand-out point guard  Kennedy Chandler via the 2022 NBA draft to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Fear not Vol Nation! Hope isn’t lost. Honestly, I see the program soaring to new heights this season after last year’s wonderful run. The transfer portal was kind to the Vols as they scored key pieces to bolster their rotation.

First on the list: Alec Kegler. The 6’4″ 212 pounds sophomore Forward out of Clarksville, Tennessee is technically a forward but has the mobility and versatility of a guard. Last season he averaged 17 points per game and 5 rebounds for Roane State Community College. His stellar play was enough to lead Roane State to the program’s first ever TCCAA/NICAA Region VII Championship.

Second on the list of notable transfers: Colin Coyne. Coyne (Junior) is a 6’9″ 239 pounds Forward out of Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is one of the limited few who transferred up the ladder as he was originally at a Division III school. The former University of Mary Washington product will certainly have his work cut out for him as he isn’t expected to have a large role for Tennessee this year unless he stands out tremendously.

Returning Contributors

Center, Senior Uros Plavsic

Forward, Senior Olivier Nkamhoua

Freshmen added

Five-Star- 1

Julian Phillips- 6’8″ Forward out of Blythewood, South Carolina by way of Link Academy(Missouri) He brings versatility like James, but also can shoulder the scoring load if needed. Looks to be an immediate impact player.

Three-Star-1

Tobe Awaka- 6’8″ Forward out of Hyde Park, New York by way of Cardinal Hayes High School. He reclassified from 2023 to 2022. He is a traditional power-forward in most regards: strong post-game, good rebounding, high IQ defender.

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Tennessee dominated Gonzaga in an exhibition game 99-80 in stellar fashion to unofficially kick off the season. Tyreke Key ended with 26 points, shooting 8-12 from the field and 4-7 from three-point range. As a team, Tennessee hit 13 of 28 shots from deep. That 46 percent clip was the difference, as Gonzaga’s second-half shooting fell off to just 29 percent from three-point range. Julian Phillips rebounded after a slow start to score 12 points, also draining a couple of threes. Zakai Zeigler ended with 13 points and eight assists. Olivier Nkamhoua was back to form, scoring 11 points and snagging 14 rebounds.

Tennessee will open the season on November 7th against Tennessee Tech.