Tennessee basketball completes transfer class with official signings

Tennessee was among college basketball's biggest offseason winners in the transfer portal and now the program has made it official with three new players.

The Vols signed guard Jordan Gainey, forward Chris Ledlum and guard Dalton Knecht this week after all three committed to Tennessee earlier this month to officially complete their transfer class.

Gainey, who is the son of Tennessee assistant coach Justin Gainey, spent the previous two seasons at USC Upstate where he earned Big South Freshman of the Year honors in 2022. The 6-foot-4 Gainey was a First Team All-Big South selection after averaging 15.2 points last season.

"We obviously know and love Jordan's family, but his ability as a player stands on its own merit," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said in a press 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 led (the Big South) in steals last year."

Ledlum joins the team as a graduate senior. He totaled 955 points and averaged 13.6 points per game in four years at Harvard.

At 6-foot-6, Ledlum brings versatility at the wing position. He led the Ivy League in rebounding with 8.4 per game and finished second in scoring with 18.8 points. Ledlum scored 20-plus points in 11 games.

"(Ledlum) comes from a wonderful family and had a tremendous career at Harvard playing for a great coach in Tommy Amaker, so he's coming inn with a strong foundation," Barnes said. "He'll give us an inside-outside scoring presence. And his versatility in scoring, rounding and play-making extends our ability to create mismatches."

Knecht also has one season of eligibility remaining and adds another scoring threat on the outside to compliment returning leading scorer Santiago Vescovi.

The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 20.2 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists last season. He shot more than 47% from the field and made 38.1% of his shots from 3-point range.

"Dalton is just a terrific story of a guy whose hard work has enabled him to steadily improve his game," Barnes said. "He's grown nearly a foot since he started playing high school ball. And as he's grown, he's expanded his skill set as well. He's a proven scorer and was one of the top offense producers in the portal, so he immediately gives our team a boost in offensive firepower."

With the additions of Gainey, Ledlum and Knecht as well as returners Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack, Tobe Awaka, Jonas Aidoo, D.J. Jefferson and Freddie Dillione and three incoming freshmen, Tennessee's 2023-24 roster is set at 13 scholarship players.

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