Bishop Boswell: Three Thoughts on Tennessee's Latest Commitment

Rick Barnes has gotten his man, as four-star point guard Bishop Boswell committed to Tennessee on Thursday. Boswell is the Volunteers first commitment of the 2024 cycle. 

Tennessee finished No. 20 in the final AP Poll last season. They were 25-11 overall and made a run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Over the past three seasons, Tennessee has had four perimeter players, Julian Phillips, Kennedy Chandler, Keon Johnson, and Jaden Springer, hear their names called in the NBA Draft. 

Let’s discuss what getting Bishop Boswell means for Tennessee.

Who is Bishop Boswell?

Bishop Boswell is the No. 61 player in the 2024 On3 150. He is the No. 10 point guard in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. Throughout his process, along with Tennesee, Boswell took official visits to Georgia, Xavier, Wake Forest, and Missouri. 

Boswell led Team CP3 in scoring (12.8), rebounding (5.6), assists (4.4), steals (1.1), and a Peach Jam birth during Nike’s EYBL regular season this summer. Boswell helped lead his Charlotte (NC) Myers Park team to a North Carolina 4A State Championship after averaging 12.0 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. 

“I can do a little bit of everything,” Boswell told On3. “I do a good job finding my bigs, and I’ve improved this year playing in ball screens, making the right reads, and learning the game more. I’ll knock down the three, get to the mid-range, and defend the other team’s best player. Whatever the team needs to win.”

What does he bring to Tennessee?

Bishop Boswell is coming off a very productive previous 12 months that has resulted in a lot of wins and a lot of production. Something else that stands out about Boswell’s past 12 months is that he has continually progressed his game, showing continual improvement across the board. 

Boswell, who is a former Division 1 football recruit – wide receiver – has only focused strictly on basketball for the past two years. Coincidentally, the same time that he saw his biggest jumps on the basketball court. He is a very good defender, with the quickness and strength to guard the point of attack and the length and anticipation to guard off the ball. 

Boswell has improved as a point guard, and progress that continues. He has always had a nose to score the ball, but his reads and his feel are growing on the ball. He is able to consistently touch the paint, putting pressure on the defense and making plays for himself and others. While that is something that will still need to continue getting better, he is comfortable on the ball. He has a strong frame, able to absorb contact in the paint. The shooting has continued to grow; while he shot just 19 percent from three on the EYBL, he shot 42 percent from three during the high school year and 80 percent from the free-throw line during EYBL play. 

While there is still work to be done, Boswell is on a clear upward trajectory. 

How does Boswell fit in the lineup?

Rick Barnes’ teams are built on the defensive end. Bishop Boswell is a very good and productive defender. His versatility on that end of the floor will help give him the opportunity to get on the floor early. The swing skill for Boswell will be how quickly he is able to get up to speed with the decision-making and the shooting. 

Boswell is the first player in Tennessee’s 2024 class. The Volunteers have taken a very selective approach with this high school class. They are only scheduled to lose three players, with ten players on their 2023-24 roster having eligibility remaining. That includes five players who are classified as freshmen. On the perimeter, DJ Jefferson and Freddie Dilione redshirted last season, and Cameron Carr came in from the high school ranks. 

Tennessee is also set to return point guard Zakai Ziegler and shooting guard Jordan Gainey, who both have eligibility remaining. There will be an opportunity for Boswell to come in and crack the rotation, but if they are able to keep everyone around, it will not be necessary. 

All of the tools are in there for him, and he is someone who has continued to improve his game while producing even playing at the highest level. 

Boswell talks Tennessee

“They’ve got a legendary head coach, and I really like the staff…I thought Coach (Rick) Barnes was hilarious. He’s just really easy to talk to and loves to joke around. Now, when he’s on the floor with the team, he’s serious and all about the work, but when he’s off the court, he’s ready to move on and just have a good time with his players and joke around…You can tell that the coaches really care about the guys. They obviously want them to get better as players, but everyone, coaches and players, are tight off the court as well.”

“You can tell that they have a good culture there, a winning culture,” he said. “They have a bunch of gym rats on that team, guys that are going to work hard and aren’t going to get in trouble off the court.”

“Grant Williams reached out to me a couple of weeks ago when he heard that I was going to be visiting Tennessee, and we talked about that Charlotte connection. We talked some about his experience at Tennessee, what it was like to play there, and just about the recruiting process in general. He was a really cool guy.”