Published Apr 25, 2025
Two Tennessee basketball players land on ESPN's NBA Draft Top 100 Big Board
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Ryan Sylvia  •  VolReport
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The NCAA Tournament is in the past, with the NBA Draft on the horizon.

After Tennessee basketball's impressive season that resulted in back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, a pair of Vols have landed on ESPN's Top 100 prospects big board for the draft.

Here's who made the cut.

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A pair of transfers make the cut

The highest-ranked Vol on the list is Chaz Lanier. Coming in at No. 42 on the list, this puts him in line to be a second-round draft pick. He is the 16th-ranked player who is listed as able to play shooting guard on the list.

Lanier is coming off his first season with Tennessee after beginning his career at North Florida. With the Vols, he paced the team in scoring while setting the program single-season 3-pointers made record at 123.

He averaged 18 points on 43.1% shooting from the field and 39.5% on 3-pointers. He also contributed 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Also cracking ESPN's top 100 list was Igor Milicic Jr. He clocked in at No. 94. This made him the 25th-ranked player who is listed as able to play power forward. This puts him well outside the 59-pick NBA draft but makes him a likely pickup as an undrafted free agent for a preseason Summer League opportunity.

Milicic played just one season with Tennessee after transferring in from Charlotte. He also previously played at Virginia.

He averaged 9.4 points per game on 47.2% shooting from the field and 31.4% on 3-pointers. He also contributed 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Who is on Tennessee's 2025-26 roster

Tennessee returns one starter from the Elite Eight run it went on a year ago. Center Felix Okpara will enter his senior year after spending his first season with the Vols.

Off the bench, Cade Phillips returns after playing a role as a reserve forward. J.P. Estrella also returns as a forward despite missing the majority of his sophomore year due to injury. He is expected to receive a medical redshirt for the missed time.

At guard, Bishop Boswell is set to return after seeing sparing minutes as a true freshman.

Tennessee has also now officially signed a quartet of freshmen. The biggest headliner is five-star Nate Ament. As the No. 4 player in the class, he is expected to come in as a starter and possibly be the leading scorer on the Vols' offense.

Amari Evans joins as an elite defender with four-star status. DeWayne Brown II out of Hoover, Alabama, also joins the team as a three-star forward. Unranked point guard Troy Henderson joins the team, as well.

Out of the transfer portal, Maryland guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Vanderbilt forward Jaylen Carey have signed with Tennessee. The Vols are also looking at multiple shooting guards to help supplement the roster.

Who is leaving Tennessee basketball

No scholarship players on the 2024-25 Tennessee basketball roster have entered the transfer portal. The only believed departure is walk-on Ben Linnemeyer.

However, the Vols are taking a significant hit due to player exhausting their eligibility. Four starters will be gone including two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year Zakai Zeigler, Jerry West Award winner Chaz Lanier, SEC All-Defensive member Jahmai Mashack and Igor Milicic Jr.

Off the bench, Tennessee will look to replace six-man Jordan Gainey and depth piece Darlinstone Dubar. Walk-on Grant Hurst also went through senior day ceremonies although he does have eligibility remaining.

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