Dalton Knecht commits to Tennessee basketball, rounding out Vols' transfer class
Tennessee basketball's torrid week continued Friday night as Dalton Knecht announced his commitment to the Vols.
Knecht averaged 20.2 points and 7.2 rebounds at Northern Colorado last season. He shot 38.1% on 3-pointers. The 6-foot-6 guard was a second-team All-Conference selection in the Big Sky last season and is a former juco All-American. He picked UT over Oregon.
Knecht is the third transfer to commit to the Vols since Tuesday. USC Upstate guard Jordan Gainey committed Tuesday and Harvard forward Chris Ledlum committed Thursday. Santiago Vescovi announced Tuesday he would be returning to Tennessee for a fifth year, giving the Vols their two-time All-SEC guard back alongside the additions.
Knecht has one year of eligibility remaining. Gainey and Ledlum have two each.
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Tennessee's expected roster next season features seven newcomers, including Freddie Dilione, a 2023 recruit who enrolled in January. The Vols signed four-star forward JP Estrella, four-star guard Cameron Carr, and three-star forward Cade Phillips. UT added the three transfers in addition to the incoming freshmen.
Tennessee is unlikely to make any more additions this offseason.
The additions of Knecht and Ledlum means Tennessee has roster attrition that has not been publicly announced. UT had two openings following the season, which were filled by Gainey and Vescovi.
Vols coach Rick Barnes indicated Thursday that freshman Julian Phillips is going through the NBA Draft process. Phillips has not announced his intentions and whether he intends to maintain his college eligibility.
The scholarship numbers also suggest that none of the outgoing trio of Josiah-Jordan James, Olivier Nkamhoua, and Uros Plavsic is likely to return to Tennessee.
Ledlum averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds as a senior for the Crimson. The 6-foot-6 forward was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection. He took an official visit to UT on April 13-15. He also visited Indiana and St. John's.
Gainey, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard, averaged 15.2 points last season and is a career 40.8% 3-point shooter. He is the son of Vols associate head coach Justin Gainey, who has been on Rick Barnes' staff for two seasons.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dalton Knecht commits to Tennessee basketball, rounding out Vols' transfer class
