The last few years in Knoxville have seen the Volunteers right on the cusp of greatness, with Rick Barnes leading this program to three straight trips to the Elite Eight. Tennessee has never made the Final Four in program history and have been so close to that breakthrough during this recent run of success. However, things are very different this season if this is going to be the year the breakthrough happens.
Only four players remain from last year’s team and they averaged less than 7 points per game combined. Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie are both in the NBA, Felix Okpara saw his career end, and a few other players left town through the transfer portal. The only significant returner is DeWayne Brown, who showed potential as a freshman in the frontcourt last season and is surrounded by a bevy of new faces this year.
The big offseason highlight is a transfer class that ranks among the best in the nation. After all, Barnes and his staff had a ton of holes to fill with all of those departures. We don’t have to time run through all eight additions, but seven of them scored in double-figures last season. Terrence Hill was a star at VCU while Tyler Lundblade excelled at Belmont, while the frontcourt gets some strength with Miles Rubin from Loyola-Chicago and Kennesaw state’s Braeden Lue.
One name floats to the top and it’s one of the more recent additions in Juke Harris. A 6-7 wing and former Top 100 recruit, he had decent production off the bench as a freshman at Wake Forest before exploding on the scene last season. He was named ACC Most Improved Player for a very productive sophomore campaign, putting up 21.4 points and 6.5 rebounds a game, finishing sixth in the nation in points scored on the year.
A big part of Tennessee’s success in recent years has been the masterful use of the transfer portal. We’ve seen additions like Dalton Knecht and Ja’Kobi Gillespie turn into stars and real offensive cogs for the Volunteers. Even in a different conference and system, expect Harris to take on a major role for Tennessee on both sides of the ball, leading this new-look lineup that might be even more balanced than last season.
Harris could’ve entered the NBA Draft but instead becomes the highlight for Tennessee’s quest next season. Seeing three straight seasons end in the Elite Eight has been heartbreaking but there’s no shortage of talent and potential in this lineup. We didn’t even discuss the importance of Jalen Haralson from Notre Dame or Dai Dai Ames from California because there’s just so many moving pieces in Knoxville. If Barnes can put them all in the right place, expect big things from this team, and big things in particular out of Harris.
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