Tennessee Basketball: Harvard forward Chris Ledlum commits to Vols
Tennessee Basketball has secured a commitment from Harvard forward Chris Ledlum. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound junior from Staten Island, N.Y., announced his decision on Instagram on Tuesday. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds over the last three seasons at Harvard.
He’s the second commitment in as many days for the Vols out of the portal, following USC Upstate guard Jordan Gainey committing to Tennessee on Tuesday. Senior guard Santiago Vescovi also announced Tuesday night that he will be returning for a fifth season with the Vols.
Tennessee’s entire basketball staff was in Boston to see Ledlum on Wednesday — assistant coach Rod Clark made the first trip to see Ledlum in Boston on March 24 — after hosting him on an official visit over the weekend. He picked the Vols over Indiana and St. John’s. Ledlum visited Indiana prior to the trip to Tennessee and was at St. John’s for an official visit on Sunday, before shutting down his recruitment.
Chris Ledlum averaged 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds in 28 games this season
Ledlum last season averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 28 games at Harvard. He averaged 16.7 points and 9.3 rebounds during a breakout sophomore season in 2021-22.
He started 27 times in 28 games as a junior, averaging 31.5 minutes per game. Ledlum scored in double-figures 26 times this season and had nine double-doubles. He had a season-high 35 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a win at Cornell in February. In 70 games over the last three seasons at Harvard, Ledlum averaged 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.5 assists in 24.8 minutes per game, making 41 starts.
Ledlum visited over the weekend alongside Northern Colorado’s Dalton Knecht. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior visited Tennessee and Oregon and is considered to be picking between the Vols and the Ducks. He averaged 20.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 35.3 minutes per game in 32 games this season, shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from the 3-point line.
USC Upstate transfer commit Jordan Gainey shot 40.8 percent from the 3-point line the last two seasons
Gainey, the 6-foot-4, 175-pound USC Upstate sophomore guard and son of Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey, averaged 15.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 31.7 minutes per game, shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from the 3-point line in 32 games.
As a freshman in 2021-22, Gainey shot 47.1 percent from the field and 49.3 percent from the 3-point line. He made 74 of 150 3-point attempts as a freshman and 70 of 203 as a sophomore. He was a two-time All-Big South pick at USC Upstate and was the Big South’s Freshman of the Year in 2021-22.
Tennessee senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on March 30. Neither senior wing Josiah-Jordan James nor five-star freshman wing Julian Phillips have announced their plans for next season. Senior center Uros Plavsic is not expected to return to the Vols.
Vescovi led Tennessee this season in both scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game, and minutes, playing 32.9 minutes per game. He shot 39.6 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from the 3-point line, going 91 of 246 from deep. Over the last four seasons, Vescovi averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 114 games, averaging 31.1 minutes per game. He shot a combined 39.7 percent from the field and 38.1 percent form the 3-point line.
