Tennessee's Tobe Awaka announces transfer commitment to new school

Former Tennessee basketball power forward Tobe Awaka has committed to Arizona, announcing the move on social media on Monday morning after opting to remain in the NCAA Transfer Portal and go through a second recruiting process. The door was left open by the Vols for Awaka to return, had he chose to do so.

Awaka averaged 5.1 points, 4.6 rebound and 0.6 blocks in 12.9 minutes per game, coming off the bench in 33 games this season. He averaged 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game as a freshman.

It was reported on April 9 that Awaka would be entering the portal. He explained it as an “extremely difficult” decision to make in a post on social media.

“Thank you Vol nation,” Awaka wrote in a post on social media, “I will always love Tennessee.”

Two days later, Tennessee junior center Jonas Aidoo entered the portal, leaving Tennessee with freshmen JP Estrella and Cade Phillips as the only two big men on the active roster and leaving the Vols with six open scholarship spots.

Tennessee Basketball replacing seven players from this season’s roster

Tennessee lost three fifth-year seniors in Dalton Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi. Tennessee currently has one player signed in its 2024 class in four-star point guard Bishop Boswell.

Tennessee is scheduled to return six scholarship players: Juniors Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey and three freshmen in Estrella, Phillips and Cam Carr.

Aidoo had a breakout junior season and was named Second Team All-SEC and made the SEC’s All-Defensive team. 

Aidoo averaged career-highs in scoring (11.4 points per game), rebounding (7.3), defensive rebounds (4.5), offensive rebounds (2.8), blocks (1.8), steals (0.7) and minutes (25.4). He was fourth in the SEC in rebounding and third in the league in blocked shots.

Tennessee’s first two NCAA Transfer Portal entries of the offseason were redshirt freshmen Freddie Dilione and DJ Jefferson. Dilione landed at Penn State and Jefferson is headed to Longwood.

Dilione entered the portal after averaging just 5.3 minutes in his 18 appearances this season. Jefferson played in just one game, with three points in three minutes in the season-opening win over Tennessee Tech in November.

Vols have added three players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal so far

Tennessee in recent weeks has added Hofstra wing Darlinstone Dubar, 6-foot-11 Ohio State center Felix Okpara and Charlotte forward Igor Milicic.

Dubar spent the last three seasons at Hofstra after playing his first season at Iowa State. Dubar averaged a career-high 17.8 points per game in 33 games this season, 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.

Okpara, who was heavily recruited by Tennessee two years ago as a four-star prep prospect, averaged 6.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks for the Buckeyes this season and averaged 5.3 points and 5.0 rebounds over the last two years.

He started 34 times in 35 games this season, averaging 23.5 minutes per game, after starting 11 times in 34 games as a freshman, averaging 15.5 minutes. Okpara shot 58.6% from the field in his 70 games with the Buckeyes.