What Rick Barnes said about Jordan Gainey signing as Tennessee basketball transfer
The first Tennessee basketball transfer officially signed Tuesday as guard Jordan Gainey joined the Vols.
Gainey, the son of Vols associate head coach Justin Gainey, was an All-Big South performer at USC Upstate as a sophomore. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard averaged 15.2 points last season and is a career 40.8% 3-point shooter.
"We obviously know and love Jordan's family, but his ability as a player stands on its own merit," Vols coach Rick Barnes said in a school release. "He plays with a high basketball IQ and is a guy who makes his teammates better. We love his offensive versatility and his ability to shoot and score the ball in a variety of ways. In addition to giving us another shot-maker, he also competes on the defensive end and led (the Big South) in steals last year."
Gainey was the Big South’s freshman of the year in 2021-22 after averaging 13.8 points and shooting 49.3% on 3-pointers. He was a second-team all-conference pick as a freshman. He committed on April 18.
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He is one of three transfers to commit to the Vols along with Harvard forward Chris Ledlum and Northern Colorado guard Dalton Knecht.
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. Knecht averaged 20.2 points and 7.2 rebounds last season. The 6-6 Knecht was a second-team all-conference selection in the Big Sky and is a former juco All-American.
Tennessee has seven newcomers next season, including guard Freddie Dilione, who enrolled in January but did not play. UT also signed four-star forward JP Estrella, four-star guard Cameron Carr and three-star forward Cade Phillips to join the trio of transfers.
Guard Santiago Vescovi announced he is returning for a fifth season on April 18.
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: Tennessee basketball: Rick Barnes on transfer Jordan Gainey signing
