Tennessee announces signing of transfer wing Dalton Knecht

Tennessee basketball has signed its third player out of the NCAA Transfer Portal in Northern Colorado wing Dalton Knecht. The Vols earlier this week signed USC Upstate guard Jordan Gainey and Harvard forward Chris Ledlum.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior wing averaged 20.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 35.3 minutes per game in 32 games this season, shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from the 3-point line.

“Dalton is just a terrific story of a guy whose hard work has enabled him to steadily improve his game,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “He’s grown nearly a foot since he started playing high school ball. And as he’s grown, he’s expanded his skill set as well.

“He’s a proven scorer and was one of the top offensive producers in the portal, so he immediately gives our team a boost in offensive firepower.”

Knecht, who picked Tennessee over Oregon, was the third commitment out of the NCAA Transfer Portal for the Vols, following Gainey and Ledlum all in a span of four days.

“It just felt special from the moment I landed,” Knecht said after announcing his commitment to Tennessee on April 21. “Spending time with the staff and going to the spring game stood out. Just seeing all the fans at spring game was impressive. I mean 50 thousand at a spring game thag doesn’t matter shows you how much support is at Tennessee.”

“I liked how much (Rick Barnes) told me I could fit in and help the team,” Knecht added. “He made me see it as possible home and he has put a lot of players in the league and that’s my ultimate goal.”

Dalton Knecht in two seasons at Northern Colorado: 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 29.4 minutes per game

Senior guard Santiago Vescovi also announced Tuesday night that he would be returning to Tennessee for a fifth season with the Vols.

Knecht averaged 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29.4 minutes per game over two seasons at Northern Colorado, after transferring from Northeastern Junior College in Colorado. 

Knecht describes himself as “a big guard” on the floor. He grew up playing point guard, but went through a pair of growth spurts, going from 5-foot-8 as a sophomore in high school to 6-foot-3 at graduation, then to 6-foot-6 by the time he left junior college.

“They see me being a guard and playing a 2 or 3,” Knecht said. “Helping out the team in scoring and using my length on defense. I have known about Tennessee because I’ve watched them on TV. I just felt that they played a style I could fit well into.”

Vols added three players from NCAA Transfer Portal in April

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Ledlum, a junior from Staten Island, N.Y., announced his decision on Instagram on Tuesday. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds over the last three seasons at Harvard and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Ledlum last season averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 28 games at Harvard. He averaged 16.7 points and 9.3 rebounds during a breakout sophomore season in 2021-22. 

He started 27 times in 28 games as a junior, averaging 31.5 minutes per game. Ledlum scored in double-figures 26 times this season and had nine double-doubles. He had a season-high 35 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a win at Cornell in February. 

In 70 games over the last three seasons at Harvard, Ledlum averaged 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.5 assists in 24.8 minutes per game, making 41 starts.

Gainey, the 6-foot-4, 175-pound USC Upstate guard, is the son of Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey. He averaged 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists, shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from the 3-point line over the last two seasons with the Spartans. 

Gainey in 32 games this season averaged 15.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 31.7 minutes per game, shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from the 3-point line. 

As a freshman in 2021-22, Gainey shot 47.1 percent from the field and 49.3 percent from the 3-point line. He made 74 of 150 3-point attempts as a freshman and 70 of 203 as a sophomore.