Tennessee's Jonas Aidoo entering NCAA Transfer Portal, will go through NBA Draft process
Tennessee basketball’s Jonas Aidoo is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal and will go through the NBA Draft process. The junior center is the fourth Tennessee player to enter the portal since the season ended in the Elite Eight on March 31, following redshirt freshmen Freddie Dilione V and DJ Jefferson and sophomore forward Tobe Awaka.
Aidoo leaving would mean six scholarship spots open on the 2024-25 roster. Tennessee lost three fifth-year seniors in Dalton Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi. The Vols currently have one signee in the 2024 class in four-star point guard Bishop Boswell.
Aidoo had a breakout junior season and was named Second Team All-SEC and made the SEC’s All-Defensive team.
He 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.
Aidoo’s regular-season numbers didn’t translate in the postseason. In one SEC Tournament game and four NCAA Tournament games, Aidoo totaled 35 points and 26 rebounds.
He scored 15 points in the win over Saint Peter’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and had 11 against Texas in the second round. He had just four points against Creighton in the Sweet 16 and was scoreless in 10 minutes in the Elite Eight loss to Purdue, going a combined 2-for-12 from the field in the second weekend of the tournament.
Tennessee currently scheduled to return six scholarship players: Juniors Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey and freshmen JP Estrella, Cam Carr and Cade Phillips.
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.
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.
Tennessee this weekend is scheduled to host its first official visitor in this portal cycle, with Hofstra’s Darlinstone Dubar visiting Knoxville for the Orange & White Game football weekend.
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. Dubar averaged 10.3 points per game last season and 11.7 two years ago, shooting a career-high 68.4% from the field in 2021-22 and 40.4% from the 3-point line in 2022-23.
