An Eagle Eye View of the 2024-25 Tennessee Basketball Team

Written By Tucker Harlin

Credit: University of Tennessee Athletics

By Tucker Harlin

Happy first day of Tennessee basketball practice!

It’s crazy to discuss basketball less than a month into football season, but Tennessee’s exhibition against Indiana in Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center is just over a month away.

The 2024-25 roster has an even mixture of transfers and returning veterans (and a freshman) that should coagulate into one of the most talented bunches across the country.

This is my breakdown of the Vols prior to tip off.

RETURNEES

Only a couple of Tennessee’s returnees this season saw the floor for extended periods of time. They are Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack, and Jordan Gainey.

We know what Zeigler is all about at this point in his career. Zeigler hardly came off the floor when healthy each of the last two seasons and has been a pest for ball handlers across the country with his smaller stature. He’s the heartbeat of the team.

Mashack has been an important staple coming off the bench in his career. He’s never been your go to guy on offense, but when you need hustle plays from a stalwart on defense or someone to pinball underneath the basket for a putback, Mashack’s your guy.

Gainey took some heat last year coming out of the portal from USC Upstate. The son of assistant coach Justin Gainey, his shooting was streaky at times last season, but his evolution as a defender and knack for getting under the skin of Tennessee’s opponents earned him more playing time.

The other returnees who Rick Barnes will insert into the mix this season more than last are J.P. Estrella, Cade Phillips, and Cameron Carr.

Unfortunately, Estrella is dealing with plantar fasciitis as practice begins, something that plagued Freddie Dilione V at the beginning of last season. Estrella proved a lot of worth in the foul fest that was the Elite Eight loss to Purdue, adding both toughness and an ability to score consistently at the five both inside and out.

Phillips saw the floor the least of anyone in this group, but the team was adamant about playing him at points early in the season. He may find his way into that category of “culture guys” that we’ve seen come through the program.

Carr would occasionally play brief minutes in conference games last season, but according to the NBA draft gurus of the world, Carr’s draft stock is expected to rise over the coming seasons. He participated in a Jayson Tatum Elite Camp in the spring and summer that upped his exposure to NBA scouts.

TRANSFERS

Last season was the first year in Rick Barnes’ tenure where he could truly say he hit on a transfer with the output of Dalton Knecht, something eye catching to prospective transfers.

With three players running out of eligibility and another three entering the transfer portal, Barnes brought in his largest haul of transfers yet.

The transfers Barnes brought in are Chaz Lanier out of North Florida, Igor Milicic out of Charlotte, Darlinstone Dubar out of Hofstra, and Felix Okpara out of Ohio State.

An Ensworth graduate, Lanier is the only Tennessean expected to see the floor regularly this season. Lanier averaged just shy of 20 points per game for the Ospreys last season while shooting 44% from the three-point line. While this is a lofty comparison, Lanier is anticipated to be the closest looking to Dalton Knecht of everyone on the roster this season.

While we’re on the note of comparisons, the word on Milicic from early practices makes him sound like he is the next on-court version of Josiah-Jordan James. Barnes said he’s been used at point guard some in practice while rotating between every position on the floor, something James did in his time in Knoxville. Barnes also complimented Milicic’s offensive rebounding, something he wasn’t aware Milicic had such prowess at.

Dubar is another natural scorer the Vols are adding to the mix. He averaged just shy of 18 points per game and 40% from the three-point line while leading the Pride in rebounds with just under seven a game. His 6-8 stature adds much needed length outside of the five spot.

Speaking of the five, Okpara is on pace to slide into that role as a starter and you should be excited about him.

First, watch this video:

Second, there’s an element of toughness in Okpara that just wasn’t there with the bigs last season for Tennessee. Anytime a Hunter Dickinson, Zach Edey, Armando Bacot, or Tolu Smith came knocking, the Vols were in for a long night. This guy made Zach Edey’s life miserable last year in Columbus and helped the Buckeyes defeat the Boilermakers.

FRESHMEN

Bishop Boswell is the only incoming freshman on scholarship this season, one of several aspects of college basketball rosters to be altered by the transfer portal.

The expectation for Boswell this season is to fill in the “backup point guard” role, like Freddie Dilione V did last season.

Boswell’s path to the floor in the future is easier than Dilione’s based on Zeigler’s remaining eligibility, so the staff will turn to him to take over the point guard spot next season.

Tucker Harlin
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