Tennessee basketball and Rick Barnes have been working the transfer recruiting trail after four Vols entered the portal, and four more are on their way to graduation. That leaves just one starter on the roster if all transfers move forward and leave Rocky Top.
Hofstra transfer Darlinstone Dubar committed to Tennessee on Monday after visiting campus Saturday and attending the Orange & White football game festivities. Barnes and company haven’t finished their work on the portal as they continue to target other players to fill out their roster.
The next player Barnes is looking to bring to Rocky Top is Igor Milicic Jr. from Charlotte. The 49ers forward is looking to join his third school in four years after starting his career at the University of Virginia and spending two years at Charlotte.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported that Milicic has just three teams left as he refines his transfer decision. The Vols, along with Nebraska and Baylor, are in the top three for transfer.
The 6-foot-10, 225-pound Croatian forward has two years of eligibility remaining. He averaged 12.8 points per game and 8.5 rebounds while also leading the team in three-point shooting with 56 three-pointers last season.
He’s not going to bring an elite defensive presence to Knoxville right off the bat, but he fits the same type of player that Barnes recruited through the portal. He’s a career 47.6 percent shooter from the field and 35.8 percent from three, which is pretty impressive for a man nearly seven feet tall.
Milicic can score all over the court. He is versatile and can play five, four or around the three-point line. Wherever Barnes and the Vols need him, he can play virtually any role on the field. The versatility combined with Dubar’s ability to play all over the court could be a game-changer for the Vols next season.
The college basketball transfer portal will remain open until the end of April. Undergraduate transfers have until April 30 to declare their intentions to transfer, while graduate transfers have until May 1 to declare their intentions. Stay up to date on all things Tennessee basketball with the transfer portal tracker.