April Madness?
After a March that began with Tennessee winning its first outright Southeastern Conference regular-season championship in 16 seasons and ended with the Volunteers advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, April has hardly been a springtime stroll.
The Vols have lost four players to the NCAA transfer portal — reserve guards Freddie Dilione V and D.J. Jefferson and top post players Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka — while acquiring versatile Hofstra guard Darlinstone Dubar.
"This month is probably the most hectic, busiest month that we go through now because of where we are with the game, the portal and everything," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Thursday in his first news conference since a 27-9 season concluded March 31 with a 72-66 loss to Purdue in the Midwest Regional final in Detroit. "We literally have not stopped. It's where we are right now in this phase of basketball, and I'm very fortunate to have a great staff that's locked in and knows what we're doing and understands the climate we're in right now.
"We try to stay ahead of it as much as we can and don't try to get too surprised too much, but sometimes you do."
Dilione and Jefferson were the first two to enter the portal and were not considered surprises at all. Awaka's decision to leave on April 9 was understandable given that Aidoo was supposedly coming back, but Aidoo bolted two days later. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Aidoo was Tennessee's third-leading scorer this past season at 11.4 points per game and led the Vols with 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots a contest.
Barnes was asked Thursday about his willingness to take players back should the 6-8, 250-pound Awaka change his mind and want to return.
"It's based on how it happened and how I know things happened," he said. "We respected Tobe a lot, and we still do. We've had guys tell us after they left that they made mistakes, but we all love and respect Tobe for what he did for us.
"If he feels he needs to go through the process, then he needs to do it, but with that said, we're not waiting. We're going to move forward and build this roster as quickly as we can."
When asked whether Aidoo's exit qualified as a surprise, Barnes said, "Yeah, because he had told everybody he was fine."
Tennessee will have four new starters next season due to the departures of Aidoo and guards Josiah-Jordan James, Santiago Vescovi and SEC player of the year Dalton Knecht. The three guards were all fifth-year seniors this past season, with James and Vescovi having played all five seasons in Knoxville.
The next wave of veterans in the months ahead will be a trio of fourth-year senior guards — Jordan Gainey, Jahmai Mashack and reigning SEC defensive player of the year Zakai Zeigler — who have said more goodbyes in recent days than they expected.
"Obviously as a teammate it's hard, because you want to win and you feel like you can win with some of these pieces," Mashack said. "You feel like you had a good year with those guys, but at the end of the day, they're doing whatever they feel is best. I wanted those guys back, but if the feeling is not mutual, we're going to keep going and move forward."
Said Zeigler: "Those are still our brothers. We've been through a lot together. I respect everybody's decision."
Tennessee on Thursday officially announced the signing of the 6-8, 211-pound Dubar, who will have one season of eligibility in Knoxville. Dubar averaged 17.8 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds this past season for Hofstra.
"What we're about, he's about," Barnes said. "I love hearing about how excited he is to play defense with Jahmai and 'Z.' He has versatility, but he has that right mindset that he wants to get better. We're excited, because everybody we bring in here we wanted.
"He's a very special kid, and you can tell he's a worker."
A mid-April snapshot would seemingly reveal that Tennessee is struggling due to four players leaving and only one having walked through the door. Yet the Vols are the only SEC or Atlantic Coast Conference program to compete in each of the past six NCAA tournaments, reflecting that roster building is an absolute Barnes strength.
"Our phone rings off the hook because people want to be a part of this," said Barnes, who has been at Tennessee since the 2015-16 season. "The sad part of the portal is that there are a lot of guys who will go into it and will end up with nothing. Where we are and with the schools at our level, you're going to be able to put together a good team and then see what you can do with them.
"I think every year there is an excitement of putting the parts together."
Walton commits
Tennessee picked up its eighth football commitment for the 2025 signing cycle Thursday, receiving a nonbinding pledge from Sidney Walton, a 6-1, 187-pound safety from Moody, Alabama. Walton is a three-star prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings.
The Vols are 15th in the 247Sports.com team rankings, with their commitments headed by Brentwood Academy five-star quarterback George MacIntyre and Ensworth four-star defensive lineman Ethan Utley.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.