Blue Cain, Knoxville Catholic basketball star, transferring to IMG Academy for 2022-23

Emily Adams
Knoxville News Sentinel

Knoxville Catholic basketball standout Blue Cain is transferring to IMG Academy for the 2022-23 school year, Cain confirmed to Knox News via direct message on Twitter.

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard averaged 19.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 steals for the Irish in 2021-22. He helped lead Catholic to the Division II-AA state championship game and was named to the all-state tournament team.

Cain, a rising senior, holds multiple offers from Power 5 programs, including Tennessee, Syracuse and Georgia Tech. He is a four-star prospect and the No. 2 recruit in Tennessee for 2023.

IMG Academy, a preparatory athletic academy in Bradenton, Fla., finished the 2021-22 season ranked No. 4 in the country by ESPN and went 23-5. Multiple members of IMG's 2022 class signed with Power 5 schools, including Alabama, Baylor, and Michigan.

Next season looks increasingly like a rebuilding year for Catholic, which also loses Tennessee signee BJ Edwards to graduation and Auburn preferred walk-on Pressley Patterson.

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Longtime coach Michael Hutchens also retired after the 2021-22 season and will be replaced by Luke Smith, who finished his playing career at Belmont in 2021-22. He is a former Catholic basketball standout, but he has never coached a high school basketball team before.

Cain is the second Knoxville-area standout to transfer to IMG Academy this year. He follows former Webb football and basketball standout Brandon Winton, who announced his transfer in January.

Contact Emily Adams at eaadams@gannett.com or on Twitter @eaadams6.