Why Rick Barnes isn't worried about filling out Tennessee basketball roster with portal closed

KINGSPORT – Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes isn’t nervous about having three unfilled scholarships one week after the transfer portal closed to new players entering.

“(We are) not really (nervous). I think the key is being deliberate in terms of knowing what you want to do when you're trying to construct a roster," Barnes said at Meadowview Convention Center, the final stop of the Big Orange Caravan on Wednesday.

"I think probably the worst thing you can do is feel like you've got to do something quickly without really thinking it through. But we are really happy where we are right now. We're going to be really selective with what we have left."

Tennessee has filled three roster spots with transfers. But it still has three scholarships remaining.

The portal is closed to new players entering, so UT knows its options. Now it’s got to land them.

"I think what we're looking for now is the best player we can find," Barnes said. "And you're always looking to add some scoring if you can. That's something we look at, whether it's up front or in the back court.

"But whatever we do, it's got to be something that we think that we don't have and something that we know can benefit us."

Can the Vols land Chaz Lanier from portal?

Barnes can’t comment on players who haven’t signed with Tennessee.

But North Florida’s Chaz Lanier, a 6-foot-4 guard, is the obvious target for the Vols and any other school who’d like a premier scorer from the portal. Last season, Lanier averaged 19.7 points per game and shot 44.4% from 3-point range.

Lanier is gauging his stock in the NBA Draft process, and he’ll participate in the G League Elite Camp in Chicago on Saturday.

If Lanier pulls out of the NBA Draft pool, Tennessee and Kentucky are the likely contenders to land him.

Lanier, who played at Ensworth in Nashville in high school, is an elite scorer whose draft stock would rise if he improved his defense.

That sounds a lot like Dalton Knecht. After transferring from Northern Colorado to Tennessee a year ago, he improved his defense and transformed into an SEC Player of the Year and a projected top-10 draft pick. Barnes said Tennessee is selling that formula to prospective transfers.

“Well, I mean obviously people talk about it because a year ago this time, no one who knew who Dalton Knecht really was on the national level," Barnes said. " And so obviously when we're talking to people, his name comes up."

Here’s who the Vols have lost and gained in portal

Tennessee already has been very active in the portal.

Forward Jonas Aidoo (Arkansas), forward Tobe Awaka (Arizona), guard Freddie Dilione (Penn State) and guard DJ Jefferson (Longwood) transferred out of Tennessee after a run to the Elite 8.

The Vols added 6-8 guard Darlinstone Dubar (Hofstra), 6-10 forward Igor Milicic Jr. (Charlotte) and 6-11 forward Felix Okpara (Ohio State) from the portal.

Dubar averaged 17.8 points and shot 39.9% from 3-point range. Milicic averaged 12.8 points and 8.5 rebounds and shot 37.6% on 3-pointers. Okpara averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 70 games over the past two seasons.

That gave the Vols two scorers and one imposing post player. They likely still need a backup point guard behind Zakai Zeigler, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

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Why Tennessee could leave a scholarship open

Barnes could leave at least one scholarship open well into the summer.

That approach allowed Tennessee to land Zeigler and Awaka in the summer in 2021 and 2022, respectively. And it got Santiago Vescovi at midseason in the 2019-20 season.

"You think about how many guys are still in the portal, and we comb it every day," Barnes said. "... I always think there's somebody out there. And I've said my whole career that there's enough players for everybody. You just need to find the ones that fit you, and we still think there's a couple guys out there that will fit us."

Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack return in the backcourt. Sophomore Cameron Carr and senior Jordan Gainey also should be in the mix there. Rising sophomores J.P. Estrella and Cade Phillips return in the post. Incoming guard Bishop Boswell is the lone signee in the 2024 class.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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