IUPUI Guard Ian Chiles Transferring to Vols
Meet the Vols’ newest commitment, Ian Chiles, formerly of IUPUI. PHOTO: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
It’s only Tuesday, but this week has already been a fantastic week for the Tennessee Vols basketball team.
On Monday, Tennessee received the news Florida Gulf Coast forward Eric McKnight is transferring to play for the Vols, and earlier today Tennessee added a fifth player to their signing class when former Southern Miss commit and JUCO guard Devon Baulkman committed to the Vols.
Now the Vols have received a stunning sixth pledge and the second in just a single day, this time from coveted transfer point guard Ian Chiles of IUPUI.
Chiles announced in late March he intended to transfer from IUPUI, but it appeared the Vols weren’t atop his leaderboard until very recently. As a starter in the 2013-14 season, Chiles averaged 15.8 points, 1.8 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. The 6-1 guard will have one year of eligibility and can play immediately for the Vols.
Chiles fills a major void for the Vols, as they were without a true point guard after rising sophomore Darius Thompson announced he wanted a release from his scholarship. Chiles will take on the role fellow graduate transfer point guard Antonio Barton did last season in leading the Vols for a season in one of the most crucial positions on the court.
Ian Chiles joins forwards Jabari McGhee and Eric McKnight and guards Detrick Mostella, Kevin Punter, and Devon Baulkman to form the Vols’ six man signing class as of now. Head coach Donnie Tyndall and his staff have put together an impressive class in the short amount of time they have been at UT, and many believe their recruits are even better than the four players former head coach Cuonzo Martin added in an entire year as head coach.
The effectiveness of this class will be seen once the season starts, but Tyndall and Co. have turned a potential disastrous offseason into one of the most effective and impressive offseasons the Vols basketball program has ever had.