Tennessee basketball adds commitment from guard out of NCAA Transfer Portal

Tennessee basketball has received a commitment from USC Upstate transfer guard Jordan Gainey, the son of Vols 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.

Jordan Gainey was Big South Freshman of Year in 2021-22

He was a two-time All-Big South pick at USC Upstate and was the Big South’s Freshman of the Year in 2021-22. 

Gainey had two points, two assists and three rebounds in 22 minutes at Thompson-Boling Arena in 2022, when USC Upstate lost 96-52 against Tennessee. In the days leading up to that game, Justin Gainey said he had never coached, or coached against, his son. 

“I’ve never coached him in a real game or a rec league game or anything like that,” Justin Gainey said at the time. “Never coached against him. So man, emotions all over the place. I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what it will feel like. I know he’s a lot more calm and a lot more excited about it than I am, I’ll tell you that.”

Jordan Gainey spent a prep year at South Kent School in Connecticut in 2020-21. He won an Arizona state championship as a senior at South Kent High School. 

Justin Gainey has spent the last two seasons at Tennessee. He coached Arizona from 2018-20 and spent the 2020-21 season at Marquette after coaching at Elon, Appalachian State and Santa Clara earlier in his career.

He was a standout point guard at North Carolina State from 1996-2000. He was a captain as a senior senior and finished his collegiate career second in N.C. State program history in starts (103), fourth in steals (190), tied for fifth in games played (128) and ninth in assists (344).

Back in December 2021, Justin Gainey said he worked with his son growing up, but was careful to be a dad first and a basketball coach second.

“You know what, we used to do some stuff in the driveway,” Justin Gainey said, “taking him to the gym and working with him. Early on I knew I couldn’t coach him just because I’m dad, and I wanted to be dad.

“No matter how much ball I played, how long I coached, no matter who I coached, I didn’t know anything. I was dad, you know what I mean?”

Vols hosted two transfer targets on official visits over the weekend

Tennessee hosted Harvard forward Chris Ledlum and Northern Colorado wing Dalton Knecht on official visits during the Orange & White Game weekend. 

The Vols are still waiting on a decision from All-SEC guard Santiago Vescovi regarding his plans for next season, with a fifth year of eligibility at his disposal. They’re waiting on a similar decision from senior wing Josiah-Jordan James. Senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua entered the transfer portal on March 30 and senior center Uros Plavsic is not expected back.

Tennessee signed three players in its 2023 recruiting class: Four-star forward JP Estrella, four-star wing Cameron Carr and three-star forward Cade Phillips. Freddie Dilione was a four-star combo guard in the 2023 class, but reclassified into the 2022 recruiting cycle, enrolling early and joining the Vols in January.