ROSTER BREAKDOWN

The Vols’ 2022-23 roster features 18 players (12 scholarship student-athletes) representing six states as well as Finland, Serbia and Uruguay.

There are five Vols who hail from the state of Tennessee, three from South Carolina, two from New York, two from North Carolina and one each from California and Texas. UT has one graduate student, five seniors, one junior, four sophomores and six freshmen.

Tennessee’s 12 scholarship players combine to boast 503 games played (41.9 per man) and 295 starts (24.6 per man). Removing freshmen from that group boosts those averages to 62.9 games played and 36.9 starts per man.

TENNESSEE LEADS SEC IN TOTAL CONFERENCE WINS OVER LAST FIVE SEASONS

Tennessee has captured 69 total wins over SEC opponents (regular season and SEC Tournament) over the last five seasons—more than any other program in the conference.

Kentucky ranks second with 67 total SEC wins, while Auburn ranks third with 62.

During that same time frame, the Vols have also been the most successful league school in the SEC Tournament, recording a conference-best eight SEC Tournament wins

Only Auburn (122) has more overall victories than Tennessee (119) in the last five seasons.

VOLUNTEERS RIDING 17-GAME HOME WIN STREAK 

For the fourth time since the venue opened prior to the 1987-88 season, Tennessee posted an undefeated record at Thompson-Boling Arena last season, going 16-0.

The Vols also won their final home game of the 2020-21 campaign, meaning that Tennessee enters this season riding an active 17-game home win streak (tied for seventh-longest active streak in the country).

Last season’s perfect record at home included five wins over top-15 teams, including three top-10 opponents—No. 14 Arkansas, No. 13 LSU, No. 6 Arizona, No. 4 Kentucky and No. 3 Auburn. Tennessee was one of only five major-conference programs to post a perfect record at home last season, joining Arizona, Auburn, Kentucky and Texas Tech. 

For each of the last three full-capacity seasons, Tennessee has finished in the top five nationally in average home attendance. The Vols drew an average of 18,202 fans to 16 games at Thompson-Boling Arena last season—fifth-most in the country. 

The Vols have ranked among the top 20 in average home attendance for 17 consecutive years (no attendance rankings were compiled in 2020-21), including 10 seasons ranked in the top five nationally.

The Vols’ 2022-23 home slate features five games against 2022 NCAA Tournament teams (Kentucky, Texas, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas).

VOLS RETURN LARGE CHUNK OF LAST SEASON’S SCORING

Tennessee returns 58.3 percent of last season’s scoring—a mark that ranks second in the SEC behind only Georgia.

Three of the top four scorers from last season highlight the Vols’ returners. Santiago Vescovi is the leading returning scorer after averaging 13.3 points per game a year ago, followed by Josiah-Jordan James (10.3 ppg) and Zakai Zeigler (8.8 ppg).

The backcourt trio of Vescovi, James and Zeigler each saw elevated scoring totals in SEC play last season—Vescovi posted 14.3 points per game, James tallied 10.3 and Zeigler recorded 10.1.

A 2022 All-SEC first team selection, Vescovi became just the second Vol in program history (Chris Lofton) to make 100 or more 3-pointers in a season. He finished with 102 total made 3-pointers, made multiple threes in 30 of Tennessee’s 35 games and registered double figure scoring outputs in 28 of 35 games.

James was especially efficient during the second half of the season. After averaging 6.8 points per game during his first 16 games compared to 13.7 during his final 16 games.

Zeigler’s scoring production also saw an increase as the season progressed—he scored in double figures during 13 of Tennessee’s final 17 games and averaged 10.9 points per game during that span, up from a 6.8 points per game average during the first 18 games.

VESCOVI, JAMES APPROACHING 1,000-POINT MILESTONE

Tennessee’s two most experienced returners with 84 and 81 career games played, respectively, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi both enter the 2022-23 season nearing the 1,000-point mark.

Vescovi enters the season 96 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark for his career, while James needs just 271 points to reach 1,000. A total of 53 Vols have scored at least 1,000 points during their time on Rocky Top—six of which have reached the mark during the Rick Barnes era (Jordan Bowden, Robert Hubbs III, John Fulkerson, Admiral Schofield, Lamonte Turner, Grant Williams).

Vescovi has averaged 11.2 points per game during his Tennessee career, while James has averaged 8.7 points.

ZEIGLER BACK FOR YEAR TWO

The final addition to last year’s Tennessee’s roster (signing on Aug. 27, 2021), Zakai Zeigler made a major impact for the Vols as an unheralded true freshman—ranking second on the team in steals (1.7 spg), third in assists (2.7 apg) and fourth in scoring (8.8 ppg).

An eventual 2022 SEC All-Defensive Team and SEC All-Freshman Team selection, Zeigler averaged 10.1 points per game in conference play, while his .866 free-throw percentage during SEC play led the team.

Zeigler finished the regular season just one steal shy of the SEC lead in steals during conference play, averaging 2.2 takeaways per game with 40 steals in 18 SEC games. Additionally, the Long Island, New York, native ranked 11th among all Division I players in steal percentage, logging a steal on 4.54 percent of opponents’ possessions when he was on the floor.

Growing into a sparkplug role over the course of the season, Zeigler was the first player off the bench in a team-high 19 games.

VOLS’ RECRUITING CLASS BRINGS IN FOUR SCHOLARSHIP FRESHMEN

Four scholarship freshmen make up Tennessee’s 2022 recruiting class, highlighted by five-star forward and McDonald’s All-American Julian Phillips.

Guards B.J. Edwards and D.J. Jefferson and forward Tobe Awaka round out the class. While Edwards signed with the Vols in November 2021, Jefferson and Phillips didn’t sign until May, while Awaka officially joined the team in July.

Phillips, a consensus top-20 prospect in the nation from Blytheville, South Carolina, is the seventh five-star prospect to sign with the Vols during the Rick Barnes era. Phillips graduated from Link Academy in Brandon, Missouri—who he helped lead to the championship game at the GEICO National Championships and a No. 3 final ranking in the USA Today Super 25.

Edwards, a graduate of Knoxville Catholic High School, led the Fighting Irish to three state tournament appearances and the 2020 Division II-AA state championship.

Named 2021 TSSAA Division II-AA Mr. Basketball, Edwards scored 2,240 total points in four seasons as a starter at Catholic—averaging 19.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 52 percent from the field.

Jefferson hails from Richardson, Texas, but graduated from Minnesota Preparatory Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jefferson averaged 16.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.0 steals per game as a senior and initially signed with Tulsa in November of 2021 but was released and reopened his recruitment following a coaching change following the 2021-22 season.

He then saw his recruiting stock skyrocket after a standout showing at the Iverson Classic in Memphis in April of 2022.

Named the 2022 New York Gatorade Player of the Year, Awaka graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx. As a senior in 2021-22, he averaged 19.2 points and 13.9 rebounds per game.

Awaka also played AAU ball with the New York Lightning program in the EYBL—the same AAU program that current Vol Zakai Zeigler competed for.

PHILLIPS CONTINUES TENNESSEE’S STREAK OF McDONALD’S ALL-AMERICANS

Tennessee senior Josiah-Jordan James in November of 2018 became the first McDonald’s All-American to sign with the Vols under head coach Rick Barnes. That kickstarted an annual streak of McDonald’s All-American signings for Tennessee that was recently extended to four straight years with the addition of freshman Julian Phillips. 

Following James in the Class of 2019, Tennessee signed combo guard Jaden Springer in the Class of 2020, followed by point guard Kennedy Chandler in the Class of 2021. 

Phillips is the seventh five-star prospect to sign with the Vols during the Barnes era. Three of the seven—James, Phillips and forward Jonas Aidoo—are on this year’s roster.

1,650-POINT SCORER TYREKE KEY ADDS SAVVY VET TO VOLS’ BACKCOURT

In addition to Tennessee’s highly-rated crop of freshmen, the Vols also welcome Indiana State graduate transfer and Tennessee native Tyreke Key.

Hailing from Celina, Tennessee—a two-hour drive northwest of Knoxville—Key ascended to sixth on Indiana State’s all-time scoring list while averaging 14.5 points per game over four full seasons. Key departed Indiana State as the school’s sixth all-time leading scorer with 1,650 career points.

A two-time first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, Key sat out last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in November 2021. He enters this season having already earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Indiana State.

In 2017, Key led Clay County High School to the TSSAA Class A State title game, averaging 42.7 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists during three games at the state tournament.

During his senior season at Clay County, Key scored 1,380 points, breaking the 25-year-old TSSAA state record for most points in a single season that was held by former Kentucky star Tony Delk.

LEADERSHIP SURGE

Tennessee seniors Josiah-Jordan James, Olivier Nkamhoua and Santiago Vescovi each took part in an intensive year-long leadership curriculum last fall through this past summer.

The trio was selected for the 2021-22 cohort of Tennessee Athletics’ prestigious VOLeaders Academy, which culminated with an impactful summer service trip to Rwanda in July.

By using their platform in sport, student-athletes admitted into the VOLeaders Academy learn how to be a positive force for their team, campus, and local and global communities. The program aims to inspire student-athletes to find ways to use their influence and passion for sport to enact change that transcends their athletic success.

Underclassmen Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler are currently enrolled in this year’s VOLeaders Academy cohort.

-UT Athletics