Tennessee spent the offseason assembling one of the nation’s deepest collections of guards and wings. Yet one obvious question continued to hover over Rick Barnes’ rebuilt roster.
Did the Volunteers have enough in the frontcourt to survive the SEC and finally break through in March?
Former Vanderbilt center Jalen Washington may have supplied the answer.
Tennessee announced Washington’s addition Wednesday, less than a week after court rulings opened the door for him and other college basketball players to compete for another season. ESPN’s Associated Press report noted that Washington was the lead plaintiff in the July 6 complaint challenging the NCAA’s eligibility rules.
The unusual path to Knoxville should not overshadow what Washington could mean on the court. Tennessee just landed an experienced, productive and versatile post player at a time when most programs have finished constructing their rosters.
Jalen Washington fills Tennessee’s biggest remaining need
Washington averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds across 36 games for Vanderbilt last season after spending his first three years at North Carolina. He has now appeared in 129 college games, including 25 starts.
Those numbers do not immediately scream superstar, but Tennessee did not need another player to dominate the ball. Barnes needed a reliable center capable of scoring inside, protecting the rim and complementing his talented collection of perimeter players.
Washington fits that description.
The 6-foot-10 big man recorded 98 blocks over his first four seasons and showed substantial offensive growth at Vanderbilt. He can finish around the basket, operate with his back to the rim and step away from the paint when needed.
Barnes made it clear that Washington will be more than an emergency depth addition.
“He gives us another experienced low-post presence whom we can play through on the block,” Barnes said in Tennessee’s announcement. “He has proven he can score inside, stretch the floor and make winning plays.”
Washington should immediately move to the front of a center rotation that also includes DeWayne Brown II, Christian Fermin and Myles Rubin. That allows Brown to continue developing without being forced into an oversized role and gives Tennessee several different options against the SEC’s bigger frontcourts.
Rick Barnes now has a complete roster
Tennessee’s backcourt was already the strength of the team.
Cal transfer Dai Dai Ames, VCU transfer Terrence Hill Jr. and Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris give Barnes three proven guards with the ability to score, create and rebound. Jalen Haralson, who averaged 16.2 points as a Notre Dame freshman, adds another potential centerpiece on the wing.
Belmont transfer Tyler Lundblad could become an especially valuable floor spacer after shooting 43.4% from 3-point range during his career. Braeden Lue, Troy Henderson and several talented freshmen provide additional depth.
That group gave Tennessee one of the nation’s most impressive transfer classes. Washington gives it balance.
Barnes can now surround his new center with multiple ball-handlers and shooters, creating the space Washington needs to operate inside. On the other end, Tennessee has enough size and depth to maintain the defensive identity that has become a defining feature of the program.
There are still questions. Washington has never averaged more than 21 minutes per game in a season, and Tennessee will ask him to handle the most significant role of his career. The Volunteers must also blend an almost entirely reconstructed roster, with only two players returning from last season.
Still, those concerns look much more manageable now.
Tennessee’s latest addition changes its national ceiling
Tennessee is coming off three consecutive Elite Eight losses. That consistency reflects how strong Barnes has made the program, but it also increases the pressure to take the final step.
Washington specifically mentioned competing for a national championship as one reason for joining the Volunteers. That goal no longer feels unrealistic.
Tennessee already possessed the guard play, scoring upside and overall depth necessary to contend in the SEC. Washington provides the experienced interior presence that could keep those strengths from being neutralized against the nation’s best teams.
His eligibility situation remains part of a larger legal fight between athletes and the NCAA. For now, however, Washington is a Volunteer, and Barnes has one of the most complete rosters of his Tennessee tenure.
A late court ruling gave Washington another season. It may have also given Tennessee the final piece it needed to chase its first Final Four.
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