The transfer portal parade continues out of Knoxville today, and this one might hurt the most for the future of the program. Amari Evans, a promising freshman guard, will enter the transfer portal and hit the open market.
The former 4-star prospect seemed to be a perfect cultural fit with Tennessee and Rick Barnes, flashing big defensive ability and toughness. Many compared him immediately to Jahmai Mashack, who was cut from the same mold as a defense-first guard. Evans won’t see that same four-year
development.
The 6-5, 220 pound guard was the 50th ranked player in last year’s recruiting cycle. Evans handled 14.4 minutes, while scoring 4.1 points and grabbing 3.2 rebounds per game. His best offensive outing came against Vanderbilt in a loss, where he scored 24 points. Evans shot just 22 percent from three-point range.
Tennessee is now left with Belmont transfer guard Tyler Lundblade, guard Ethan Burg and forward DeWayne Brown on the roster. They’ll add three freshman in the recruiting class, meaning the Volunteers suddenly have nine open roster spots available to fill. This all assuming Nate Ament turns pro, as is widely expected.
Rick Barnes mentioned how much he liked his freshman class at multiple times during the season. Now, only DeWayne Brown remains from that group.
The transfer portal officially opened today, and with all the activity out of Tennessee, you can expect the rumors and news to be flying over the next couple of weeks.
