Freddie Dilione ready to be 'a natural bucket-getter' for Tennessee basketball

Freddie Dilione V knows that scoring the basketball is what he does best. And Tennessee’s freshman guard is ready to do just that for the Vols.

“I’m just a natural bucket-getter,” a confident Dilione told Volquest last week. “Scoring comes easy to me.”

And he’s just as aware that his game needs work on the defensive end.

“It’s just locking up on my man,” Dilione said. “Just getting after it on the defensive end, pretty much.”

For the last three months, Dilione got a head start on all of it. Tennessee’s 6-foot-5, 180-pound freshman guard, who enrolled early and joined the Vols in January, ran the scout team in practice and sat at the end of the bench during games, getting a detailed look at the game at the next level. 

“It’s been a great experience so far,” Dilione said, “just seeing what these guys go through. Just learning from these guys and learning different stuff.”

Freddie Dilione: 4-Star SG, No. 44 On3 Industry Ranking, No. 3 SG, No. 1 NC

Dilione was a four-star prospect out of Word of God Christian Academy in Fayetteville, N.C. He’s was No. 44 overall prospect nationally in the 2023 class according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was ranked No. 3 among shooting guards and No. 1 in the state of North Carolina.

But his prep days ended in January, when he left high school early to start his career at Tennessee. 

“It helped me get so far ahead,” Dilione said. ‘G’ (Garrett Medenwald), the strength coach, got my body right. Coach (Rick) Barnes got my mental right, just learning the game of basketball. I think I’ll just be so far ahead.”

“I think it’s huge, I do,” Barnes said back in January when Dilione arrived on campus. “You look, (enrolling early has) been going on in football forever. The fact that he and his family decided they wanted to do it. I think it’s going to really help him a lot. Gives him a big head start on things.”

Where Tennessee needs the most help is on the offensive end. Tennessee had KenPom.com‘s top-ranked defense in adjusted efficiency this season, but was just 64th in adjusted offensive efficiency.

Dilione’s offensive game is what he was known for during his prep career, according to the On3 Sports Scouting Summary:

“Freddie Dilione is a confident bucket getter. He has good positional size with lengthy arms and broad shoulders. He is comfortable on the ball. Dilione is naturally an off-guard, secondary ball-handler, although he has shown he can be a primary ball-handler in pick-and-roll-type situations. The reads are the question, decisively getting to his spots and scoring off the ball. Dilione is a good straight-line athlete, and his confidence and ability to score on the ball are notable.”

Dilione should be relied on heavily by Tennessee in the backcourt next season as a versatile piece for the Vols, with the ability to play both on the ball and off. He started playing point guard in 10th grade after growing up off the ball, but describes himself as being ready for either role.

“Very comfortable,” Dilione said. “As I got older, and bigger and stronger, my handles got better. I got way more comfortable.” 

Now he’s ready to play wherever needed next season.

“Wherever Coach (Barnes) puts me at,” Dilione said. “I can handle the ball, I can play off the ball, too. Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do.”

Vols signed three prospects in 2023, ranked third in SEC

With Dilione moving up to 2022, Tennessee finished with a three-man 2023 signing class: Four-star center JP Estrella, four-star small forward Cameron Carr and three-star power forward Cade Phillips.

Dilione committed to Tennessee in September, picking the Vols over Wake Forest, VCU and Virginia. The Vols had talks with Dilione and his family about reclassifying and joining the program before the season, but they opted to stay put at the time.

Now, after the last three months, he’s ready to get on the floor with his new teammates and start making a difference.

“Just be a vocal leader,” Dilione said. “Someone who can put the ball in the basket whenever, however. Just get my teammates involved. Just be a winner.”