Tennessee Basketball adds upside in transfer guard Justin Powell
By Matt Melton
After finishing this past season with a disappointing Round of 64 loss to 12-seed Oregon State, Tennessee Basketball is already starting to add to what will once again be a talented roster in Knoxville next season.
How does coach Rick Barnes and Tennessee Basketball start an important offseason after a fairly disappointing season? By securing a commitment from one of the top available transfers on the market in Auburn transfer guard Justin Powell.
Powell, a freshman guard, came to Auburn as the lowest-rated recruit in the Tigers Top 10 recruiting class a year ago but was arguably the talking point early on this season for the Tigers.
Powell appeared in only 10 games for Auburn during the 2020-2021 season before suffering an injury that held him out of the remainder of the season. Despite the limited number of games, however, Powell impressed when on the court for the Tigers.
Emerging as the Tigers starting point guard with star freshman Sharife Cooper out, Powell averaged 11.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 4.7 APG on 27.6 minutes per game during those 10 games played. Powell also flashed his impressive shooting as he shot 42.9% from two, 44.2% from three, and 76.5% from the free-throw line. This also included back-to-back 26 point games vs South Alabama and Memphis, a career-high for Powell.
Looking ahead to next year, however, Powell brings depth and upside to what should be a strong Tennessee team next season. Even though the Volunteers will lose multiple top players off this season’s roster to either the NBA or graduation, Tennessee should still return experience in Santiago Vescovi, Victory Bailey Jr, and Josiah-Jordan James, while also bringing in a quality freshman class including 4-star Jahmai Mashack.
The most intriguing part of Powell to Tennessee however is the opportunity to see him play alongside incoming freshman 5-star PG Kennedy Chandler. Chandler is regarded as one of the Top 3 point guards in the Class of 2021, and combining him with Powell and Vescovi would give the Volunteers arguably one of the top backcourts in the SEC.
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While the Volunteers roster still has some gaps to fill this offseason, particularly in the front-court, the addition of Powell gives Tennessee not only depth and an enticing backcourt but also one of the most intriguing upside players in the SEC for years to come.