2013-14 College Basketball Season Preview: Tennessee

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Tennessee Volunteers (Last Year: 20-13, 11-7 in SEC)



2013-14 Projected Depth Chart:


F/C: Jarnell Stokes (Jr)/Rawane Ndiaye (Jr)

PF: Jeronne Maymon (Sr)

G/F: Jordan McRae (Sr)/Derek Reese (Soph)/D’Montre Edwards (Sr)/A.J. Davis (Fr)

SG: Josh Richardson (Jr)/Armani Moore (Soph)/Quinton Chievous (Soph)/Robert Hubbs (Fr)

PG: Antonio Barton (Sr)/Darius Thompson (Fr)/Brandon Lopez (Soph)

Gone: PG-Trae Golden (transfer-Georgia Tech), F/C-Kenny Hall, SG-Skylar McBee, PF-Dwight Miller, C-Yemi Makanjuola (transfer-UNC Wilmington)




2013-14 Outlook:
Jeronne Maymon returns after sitting out all of last season with a knee injury. He and Jarnell Stokes form one of the most physical frontcourts in all of college basketball, which makes up for their lack of height since both guys are 6-8. Each player is capable of posting a double-double on a nightly basis and possesses capable inside/outside ability. JUCO transfer Rawane Ndiaye provides shot blocking and rebounding off the bench as the only other post player on the roster.

Jordan McRae had a breakout junior campaign thanks to his outside shooting and ability to break down defenders off the bounce. He is the team’s go-to offensive weapon even more so this year due to the transfer of starting point guard Trae Golden.

Outside of McRae, Cuonzo Martin has a ton options on the wing. Josh Richardson figures to start again after a solid sophomore campaign. With returning role players Armani Moore, Derek Reese, Quinton Chievous and D’Montre Edwards being joined by highly touted freshmen Robert Hubbs and A.J. Davis, there is a ton of length and athleticism that should allow Martin to play smaller and quicker.

Golden’s transfer was rather surprising and left a huge hole at the point for Tennessee. Luckily for the Volunteers, they were able to snag graduate student transfer Antonio Barton who decided to leave Memphis. Barton is not as talented as Golden, but brings an experienced floor general to the roster. Barton won’t need to do much this year, but his calming presence is important since freshman Darius Thompson is the only other scholarship point guard on the roster.

With their toughness inside and athleticism on the wing, the Tennessee Volunteers are the clear cut third-best team in the SEC. If the Volunteers’ point guard play doesn’t dip much, they can be a very dangerous team come March.





Player to Watch: Jarnell Stokes, PF
The easiest way to describe Stokes is “beastly.” He overcame double-teams on a nightly basis last season, and with Maymon back in the fold, Stokes should be freed up to do even more damage down low.



Key Non-Conference Games:
  • 11/12 at Xavier
  • 11/28 vs. UTEP (Battle 4 Atlantis)
  • 11/29 vs. Iowa/Xavier (Battle 4 Atlantis)
  • 12/1 vs. Kansas/Wake Forest/Villanova/USC (Battle 4 Atlantis)
  • 12/14 at Wichita State
  • 12/18 vs. N.C. State
  • 12/30 vs. Virginia


  • Predicted SEC Finish: 3rd







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