What's next? Resetting Tennessee basketball's roster entering the offseason

Tennessee basketball’s season came to an end in the 72-66 loss to Purdue Sunday in the Midwest Regional final at Little Caesars Arena. The Vols went to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history, but came up one win short of the program’s first Final Four bid.

Now the attention turns to the offseason and the roster turnover that comes with it. Here’s a closer look at who Tennessee will lose, who the Vols will have questions about and who could return for the 2024-25 season:

Departures

Dalton Knecht: Consensus First Team All-American. SEC Player of the Year. First Team All-SEC. The SEC’s highest scorer in league play over the last 22 seasons, averaging 25.5 points per conference game. Finished second in Tennessee single-season scoring with 780 points, behind the 806 Allan Houston scored in 1990-91. What else can be said about Knecht? He spent one season with the Vols and quickly became a program legend, averaging 21.7 points per game, scoring 39 or more points in three games, 35 or more six times, 30 or more in eight games and 25 or more 13 times. Tennessee will never find another player like Knecht in the NCAA Transfer Portal. 

Josiah-Jordan James: Started 123 times in 144 career games at Tennessee. Averaged 8.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, giving the Vols a versatile player on both ends of the floor the last five seasons. James averaged a career-high 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a junior in 2021-22.

Santiago Vescovi: Started 144 times in his 149 career games at Tennessee, averaging 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 29.9 minutes per game. He made 102 3-point field goals during a career year in 2021-22, joining Chris Lofton as the only other player in program history to hit 100-plus threes in a season. Averaged 13.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists during his junior season. 

Questions

Freddie Dilione V (Redshirt Freshman): The former four-star shooting guard in the 2022 recruiting class was never able to consistently crack the rotation this season. He enrolled at Tennessee in January 2023, sitting out as a redshirt for the second half of last season, but rarely saw the floor during his redshirt freshman season. He appeared in 17 games this season, but got off the bench only six times in February and March. He played five minutes or less in 10 of his 17 games, averaging 1.8 points and 0.6 rebounds in 5.3 minutes per game. Dilione, a Fayetteville, N.C., native, was ranked No. 44 overall as a recruit. He was the No. 3 shooting guard and the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina in 2022. 

DJ Jefferson (Redshirt Freshman): Another four-star prospect in the 2022 class that has not yet got off the ground at Tennessee. His only appearance this season was in the season-opening win over Tennessee Tech, scoring three points and grabbing two rebounds in three minutes. Jefferson sat out as a redshirt last season. The Richardson, Texas, native was ranked No. 89 overall, No. 25 among small forwards and No. 1 in the state of Minnesota, out of Minnesota Preparatory Academy.

Upperclassmen

Jonas Aidoo (Junior): Arguably Tennessee’s most improved player this season. He started every game this season, averaging 11.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 24.9 minutes per game. The numbers went up dramatically after averaging 5.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 18.3 minutes per game as a sophomore last season, when he started nine time in 33 games. Aidoo will likely go through the NBA Draft process, receiving feedback from NBA personnel, but needs to return to college for his senior season. 

Zakai Zeigler (Junior): All he did this season was come back from a torn ACL and have a career year. His 11.8 points, 6.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 31.5 minutes per game, shooting 39.3% from the field and 34.4% from the 3-point line, all career-best numbers. He’s already one of the most beloved Tennessee players in recent history and should return for his senior season with the potential to be one of the best point guards in college basketball.

Jordan Gainey (Junior): His production was up and down in his first season at Tennessee, after transferring from USC Upstate. He averaged 6.9 points in 18.5 minutes per game, coming off the bench in all 34 games. He shot just 28.8% from the 3-point line, after shooting a career-high 49.3% from three on 150 attempts as a freshman at Upstate two years ago. Gainey will need to be more consistent next season, but should be an important piece in the backcourt with the ability to play on the ball or off.

Jahmai Mashack (Junior): Averaged 4.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.7 minutes per game, starting six times in 34 games. Last season he also averaged 4.7 points, with 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 18.1 minuets per game, starting 13 times in 36 games. Would likely be a starter or at least play a bigger role next season with James, Vescovi and Knecht gone. An important piece on the defensive end as Tennessee’s best perimeter defender and one of the best in college basketball. 

Underclassmen

Tobe Awaka (Sophomore): Continued to progress as a sophomore, averaging 5.1 points, 4.6 rebound and 0.6 blocks in 12.9 minutes per game, coming off the bench in 33 games this season. Averaged 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game last season. Shot 61.1% from the field this season. 

JP Estrella (Freshman): The big man of the future for Tennessee. Appeared in 25 games this season, averaging 5.0 minutes per game, with 1.6 points and 0.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-11, 241-pound native of South Portland, Maine, was the No. 60 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class. He was ranked No. 8 among centers and No. 3 in the state of New Hampshire, out of Brewster Academy. 

Cade Phillips (Freshman): Appeared in 13 games this season, averaging 0.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game. Impressed Tennessee coaches this summer, playing his way out of the redshirt conversation, and could have John Fulkerson-like production down the road during his Tennessee career.

Cam Carr (Freshman): An uber athletic wing, listed at 6-foot-5, 175 pounds. Appeared in 13 games this season, averaging 1.5 points and 0.6 rebounds in 4.2 minutes per game. Tennessee’s coaching staff believes he could have legit NBA upside down the road. Will play an important role on the wing for the Vols in the future. 

Incoming Freshman

Bishop Boswell: The four-star point guard committed to Tennessee in September and signed with the Vols in November. The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder out of Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C., was ranked No. 71 overall in the 2024 class. He’s the No. 11 point guard and the No. 8 prospect in the state of North Carolina. So far he’s the lone player in Tennessee’s 2024 recruiting class.

Transfer Portal

Tennessee will be looking for multiple players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal. Most notably, the Vols will need a scorer to help replace the production Knecht provided this season. Tennessee could use another body in the post and possibly another ball-handling option in the backcourt.