‘That is not going to be an issue this year’ – Rick Barnes has taken care of Tennessee basketball’s biggest problem
You’d never know that Tennessee Vols head basketball coach Rick Barnes is on the verge of turning 72 years old with the way he’s attacked the NCAA transfer portal this offseason.
Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols have been very aggressive in the NCAA transfer portal this offseason.
The Volunteers have already landed five transfer additions, and they’re in the mix for several others.
Tennessee’s aggressiveness comes after Barnes admitted, following the Vols’ loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the Elite Eight, that his team needs to be better at scoring.
“We’re going to have to shoot the ball better,” said Barnes after the loss to Michigan when asked what it’ll take to get over the hump in the tournament. “There’s no doubt. We’ve got to shoot the ball better. We’re so inconsistent doing that. We still have to be better finishing around the rim. You’ve watched us all year and we missed too many of those shots.
“Obviously, our defense got us here. It really did. It’s no question. We’ve had games where we’ve struggled to score, but you’re playing against an outstanding team today that was scoring. But just simply, we all have to get better. We all have to keep working at it. We certainly know what it takes to get here, now we’ve got to figure out getting through to the next level.”
Tennessee named as one of the biggest transfer portal winners this offseason
247Sports named Tennessee as one of this offseason’s big winners in the transfer portal.
Part of the reason is because of the way the Vols have addressed their scoring woes, something that 247Sports national basketball analyst Travis Branham says won’t be an issue moving forward.
“It’s fascinating to see what Tennessee has done in the portal,” said Branham. “They went out and got some freaking bucket getters. Terrence Hill Jr. can do that, but also a really mature decision maker.
“Dai Dai Ames is a high-volume shot-making guard. Jalen Haralson can play multiple positions. Tyler Lundblade is an absolute sniper. Miles Rubin can block shots, rebound, and defend multiple positions. They’ve had hard times scoring the ball under Rick Barnes, but that is not going to be an issue this year.”
Tennessee is also in the mix for Wake Forest transfer guard Juke Harris, who averaged 21 points per game last season.
Additionally, the Vols are waiting on an NBA Draft decision from Nate Ament.