Recapping Tennessee's offseason roster overhaul after the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline

When Tennessee basketball added three players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal in April — UNC Asheville guard Jordan Gainey, Harvard forward Chris Ledlum and Northern Colorado wing Dalton Knecht — and senior guard Santiago Vescovi announced his return for a fifth season, the 2023-24 roster for the Vols seemed to be set.

Not so fast. Josiah-Jordan James on Wednesday announced that he’ll also be returning to be a fifth-year senior at Tennessee. He went through the NBA’s pre-draft process, including taking part in the G League Elite Camp in Chicago last month, and trained in Florida before returning to the Vols.

Wednesday was the deadline for college players to withdraw from the draft, leading to announcement from James, freshman wing Julian Phillips and senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua. Phillips is staying in the draft while Nkamhoua withdrew but remains in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Here’s a recap of Tennessee’s roster overhaul over the last six weeks:

Tennessee’s Roster Departures

Tyreke Key: The Indiana State graduate-transfer averaged 8.2 points in 24.4 minutes per game in 33 games with the Vols. He shot 33.3 percent from the 3-point line and 35.0 percent from the field. Over four seasons at Indiana State, he averaged 14.5 points per game, shooting 37.4 percent from the 3-point line and 50.5 percent from the field. Key recently signed with the Leuven Bears in Belgium, joining a roster that already includes John Fulkerson. The Bears also recently signed former Tennessee guard Victor Bailey Jr.

Olivier Nkamhoua: Averaged 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game for the Vols this season, shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line, where he went 18-for-54. Entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in March and removed his name from the NBA Draft on Wednesday. Possible transfer destinations could be Baylor or Michigan.

Uros Plavsic: Averaged 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game over the last four seasons, appearing in 101 games. 

Julian Phillips: Averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game this season, starting 25 times in 32 games. He shot 41.1 percent from the field but just 23.9 percent from the 3-point line. Phillips, according to a report, opted to keep his name in the NBA Draft after receiving positive feedback from the pre-draft process.

BJ Edwards: Appeared in 14 games as a freshman last season, before entering the NCAA Transfer Portal. Played a total of 60 minutes, averaging 4.3 per game, totaling 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five turnovers. Edwards committed to SMU just days after entering the portal.

Tennessee’s NCAA Portal Additions 

Jordan Gainey, USC Upstate: The 6-foot-4 shooting guard 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 at USC Upstate. He’s the son of Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey.

Chris Ledlum, Harvard: The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game at Harvard last season, shooting 47.3 percent from the floor.

Dalton Knecht, Northern Colorado: The 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing averaged 20.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 35.3 minutes per game in 32 games at Northern Colorado last season, shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from the 3-point line.

Tennessee’s Prep Additions

JP Estrella: The 6-foot-11, 210-pound power forward is a four-star prospect out of South Portland, Maine. He’s ranked No. 56 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking. He’s the No. 8 power forward and the No. 2 player in the state of New Hampshire, where he attended Brewster Academy.

Cam Carr: A 6-foot-4, four-star wing out of Manhattan, Kansas. Attended Link Academy in Missouri. Was ranked No. 54 overall, No. 12 among small forwards and No. 2 in the state of Missouri.

Cade Phillips: A 6-foot-9, 200-pound center prospect and another product of Link Academy in Missouri. The Rainbow City, Ala., native, was ranked No. 141 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the No. 28 power forward in the 2023 class and the No. 1 overall player in Alabama. He’s the most likely redshirt candidate as a freshman next season.

Tennessee’s Roster Returners

Freddie Dilione V: Enrolled early and joined the Vols in January, sitting out as a redshirt the second half of the season. Was a four-star prospect out of Word of God Christian Academy in Fayetteville, N.C., ranked No. 44 overall nationally. He was ranked No. 3 among shooting guards and No. 1 in the state of North Carolina.

Tobe Awaka: The 6-foot-8, 250-pound freshman forward averaged 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game off the bench. Grabbed 128 rebounds in 350 minutes played, including 59 offensive boards.

DJ Jefferson: Sat out as a redshirt during his freshman season. The 6-foot-5, 207-pounder out of Richardson, Texas, was a consensus four-star prospect, ranked No. 51 overall in the 2022 class according to the On3 rankings. He was the No. 17 small forward in the country and the No. 1 player in Minnesota, where he attended Minnesota Prep Academy.

Jonas Aidoo: The 6-foot-11 sophomore center averaged 5.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game, starting nine times and appearing in all 35 games. The former four-star center prospect averaged 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game as a freshman.

Zakai Zeigler: Averaged 10.7 points, 5.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game, shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from the 3-point line. Tore ACL in February 28 win over Arkansas. 

Jahmai Mashack: The 6-foot-4 sophomore wing averaged 4.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 18.1 minutes per game, making 13 starts in 36 games. Shot 42.0 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from the 3-point line. 

Santiago Vescovi: Announced his return for a fifth season with the Vols in April. Led Tennessee last season in both scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game, and minutes, playing 32.9 minutes per game. Shot 39.6 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from the 3-point line, going 91 of 246 from deep.

Josiah Jordan-James: Over four seasons at Tennessee, James made 87 starts in 108 games, averaging 27.9 minutes per game. He scored 9.0 points per game for his career, shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from the 3-point line. Also averaged 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game.