Names to know as Tennessee Basketball awaits decisions from seniors, transfer portal targets

It has been a waiting game for Tennessee Basketball ever since its season ended with the loss to Florida Atlantic on March 23 in the Sweet Sixteen at Madison Square Garden in New York. 

Nearly three weeks later, the Vols are still waiting on decisions from seniors Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James while also actively recruiting in the NCAA Transfer Portal and hosting transfer candidates on official visits.

Here’s a rundown of the players Tennessee is waiting on decisions from for next season or actively recruiting to join the roster for 2023-24:

Santiago Vescovi — Senior Guard

Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee’s senior guard, has one year of eligibility remaining dating back to the COVID season in 2020-21 and is a realistic possibility to return to the Vols for another year. 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.

Vescovi had a breakout junior year, finishing second for Tennessee in scoring, at 13.3 points per game, while leading the Vols in minutes, at 31.2 per game, the only player on roster to start all 35 games last season season. He shot 41.3 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from the 3-point line in 2021-22, going 102-for-253 from the arc. Vescovi became only the second Tennessee player in program history to hit 100 or more threes in a single season, joining Chris Lofton, who did so three times.

Josiah-Jordan James — Senior Wing

Josiah-Jordan James, another Tennessee senior with a year of eligibility at his disposal, made 87 starts in 108 games over the last four seasons with the Vols, averaging 27.9 minutes per game. He scored 9.0 points per game for his career, shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from the 3-point line. He averaged 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game, too.

Julian Phillips — Freshman Wing

Julian Phillips, Tennessee’s five-star freshman wing, entered the season with one-and-done expectations, but there are questions over what’s next after an inconsistent year at Tennessee. Phillips averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game this season, starting 25 times in 32 games, missing four games due to a hip injury in February. He shot 41.1 percent from the field but just 23.9 percent from the 3-point line. He led Tennessee in free throws made (97) and attempted (150) and was fourth in rebounding (150). He had only four points and four rebounds in 45 minutes over three NCAA Tournament games. He scored in double-figures 13 times, but only three times over his final 13 games.

Chris Ledlum — Transfer Forward 

Chris Ledlum, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound out of Harvard, averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 28 games this season. He was at Tennessee for an official visit Friday and Saturday, then took an official visit at St. John’s on Sunday. He has also visited Indiana, with the Vols and Hoosiers thought to be battling the hardest for the Ivy League big man. Tennessee was in Boston to see Ledlum on March 24 before getting him on campus over the weekend. 

Ledlum averaged 16.7 points and 9.3 rebounds during a breakout sophomore season in 2021-22. He started 27 times in 28 games this season, 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.

Dalton Knecht — Transfer Wing

Dalton Knecht, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior out of Northern Colorado, took an official visit to Tennessee over the weekend. He has also visited Oregon and does not currently have other visits scheduled. Read the full update from Knecht after his Tennessee visit here. Knecht 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.

Jordan Gainey — Transfer Guard

Jordan Gainey, the 6-foot-4, 175-pound sophomore out of USC Upstate, is the son of Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey. Jordan Gainey in 32 games this season 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. 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.