Darlinstone Dubar makes his return for Tennessee Basketball
Tennessee Basketball’s Darlinstone Dubar made his return to the court for the Vols in Thursday night’s game against Virginia in the Baha Mar Championship in The Bahamas, checking in with 15 minutes left in the first half. The Hofstra transfer had been out of practice and missed the first four games of the season due to a personal matter.
Dubar returned to practice activities in a limited role last week, working on the side with Tennessee staffers and doing individual work. He was a full participant in practice on Tuesday in Knoxville and Wednesday in The Bahamas.
The specifics of the personal matter for Dubar have not been disclosed. He remained around the team throughout, watching practice from the sideline and traveling with the Vols to Louisville for the 77-55 win at the KFC Yum! Center on November 9.
He dressed out of the Montana and Austin Peay games last week, but did not play.
Rick Barnes: ‘We just want to make sure he knows that we’re there for him’
Head coach Rick Barnes addressed the situation after Tennessee’s 80-64 season-opening win over Gardner-Webb on November 4.
“We’re leaving it up to him,” Barnes said at the time. “He’s around and he’s still here with us every day. And we just want to make sure he knows that we’re there for him and everyone around him has been.”
Dubar’s return helps a shorthanded Tennessee roster. The Vols, who entered the season with 11 scholarship players out of a possible 13, are currently down two players.
Sophomore center JP Estrella didn’t play Sunday against Austin Peay and won’t play in the Baha Mar tournament while he continues to be evaluated for a lingering foot injury that dates back to the summer. Sophomore wing Cam Carr is out 4-6 weeks after suffering a left thumb injury against Austin Peay.
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Darlinstone Dubar was one of four NCAA Transfer Portal additions made by Tennessee
Dubar was the first of four NCAA Transfer Portal additions made by the Vols early in the offseason. He committed to Tennessee on April 15 out of Hofstra, where last season he averaged a career-high 17.8 points per game in 33 games, shooting 53.9% from the floor and 39.9% from the 3-point line. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 34.6 minutes per game.
Tennessee’s other three transfer additions — guard Chaz Lanier (North Florida), center Felix Okpara (Ohio State) and forward Igor Milicic (Charlotte) — started and played big roles through the first two weeks.
Lanier is averaging 13.8 points per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and 50.0% from the 3-point line. Milicic is averaging 14.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, after combining for 41 points and 19 rebounds in two games last week. Okpara is averaging 9.3 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds.
Dubar’s status was previously described as day-to-day. He played just six minutes off the bench in the 66-62 exhibition loss to Indiana on October 27 in Knoxville.
“Tough time for him, just personally,” Barnes said, refereeing the personal matter. “But I think he has dealt with it for a while. But we love him to death and we miss him. But it’s up to him. It’s all on his time.”
