Usually, being ranked in the top 10 of something is a sign of a lot of respect. However, when it comes to a wing collection, Tennessee basketball should be much higher than that given who they have back and who they brought in this past offseason.
247Sports’ Isaac Trotter ranked the Vols wings a No. 6 unit in the nation. Players who can play two or all three on Rocky Top fit the mold, but using that standard the team should have been in the top three.
Ahead of Tennessee basketball were the Kansas Jayhawks, Illinois Fighting Illini, Florida State Seminoles, Arkansas Razorbacks, and Creighton Bluejays. Here is a bit of what has been written about the Vols wing collection.
Santiago Vescovi is a veteran winger who just doesn’t make many mistakes on either side.
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Tennessee also has another key veteran in Josiah-Jordan James who has been through wars and can hold multiple positions. Five-star freshman Julian Phillips is the ultimate X-factor for this group.
The main reason Trotter underestimates this collection is its criteria of what makes a wing. If Santiago Vescovi is there with Justin Phillips and Josiah-Jordan James, then you have to include the Tyreke Key transfer from Indiana State Sycamores.
Sure, Key could play point guard, but Vescovi also played point guard before last year. In terms of production, before his injury, Key was almost as effective a scorer as Vescovi, and they are on the same level.
When you take that into account, Robberies should increase the list. However, let’s stick with the players named first. James was once a five-star recruit and is now a senior. How many times have you had a senior who was a five star and developed for four years in the Rick Barnes system?
That alone should put James in position to be the best wing in the country this year. Beyond James, however, Vescovi was the most effective all-rounder in Tennessee basketball last year, and as a dead-eye shooter he can lead the offense from either side or two. three.
However, Phillips is another five star joining James and Vescovi. Of the three, he’s probably the top scorer and he brings hype to the level of Kevin Durant. It’s the perfect collection of a sniper, defensive specialist, and scorer, and the marksman and defensive specialist can pass.
Putting them all together, it’s hard to say the Flights don’t have the best wing collection in the country this year. You can’t argue with experience, and you can’t argue with raw talent. You also cannot discuss how they will be trained.
Accordingly, there is no way around it. Tennessee basketball was not respected, with its wing collection ranked No. 6. There are two five-stars and three higher classes overall in this group. You can’t ask for more than that.
