Tobe Awaka addresses 'extremely difficult' decision to enter NCAA Transfer Portal
Sophomore power forward Tobe Awaka on Tuesday became the third Tennessee basketball player to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal over the last five days, joining redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione V and redshirt freshman wing DJ Jefferson.
Awaka, unlike Dilione and Jefferson, played a sizable role in Tennessee’s rotation the last two seasons and played some of his most productive minutes during the Vols’ to the Elite Eight last month.
He addressed the decision to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal with a statement posted on Instagram:
“The past two years have been some of the most influential of my life. The relationships gained and the experiences I’ve had will be forever life-changing. I want to start by thanking Coach Barnes, all of the assistant coaches, and the rest of the basketball staff for welcoming me with open arms and supporting me during my time at Rocky Top.
“I also want to thank my teammates — my brothers for life. It was a pleasure getting to know and going to war with you all these past two years. Last but not least, thank You Vol national for being on of the best fan bases in the country. Your hospitality and support has truly been a blessing.
“This decision was extremely difficult to make, however, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal. Thank you Vol nation, I will always love Tennessee.”
Awaka, the 6-foot-8, 250-pound sophomore power forward, averaged 5.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 13.0 minutes per game over 35 games during his second season with the Vols.
In four NCAA Tournament games, Awaka had 25 points and 18 rebounds. He had 10 points and five rebounds in just 11 minutes against Texas in the second round at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, helping Tennessee advance with a 62-58 win.
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He had five points and five rebounds in 21 minutes in the Sweet 16 win over Creighton at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. He had two points and four rebounds in 14 minutes in the season-ending loss to Purdue in the Elite Eight.
Awaka averaged 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game last season while shooting 61.1% from the field this season.
He was a former three-star prospect in the 2022 signing class out of Cardinal Hayes High School in The Bronx, N.Y. He was a product of the same New York Lightning AAU program that produced Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler, another New York native.
