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Tennessee basketball recruiting: 2019 PF Drew Pember commits to Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 09: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team against the Mississippi Bulldogs during the quarterfinals round of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 9, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 09: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team against the Mississippi Bulldogs during the quarterfinals round of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 9, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee basketball recruiting picked up a commitment from a local product for 2019. Power forward Drew Pember will join the Volunteers.

Rick Barnes secured a four-star for Tennessee basketball’s 2018 recruiting class, and despite another scholarship to give out, he’s already making moves for the future. Another step in that process happened on Friday.

Power forward Drew Pember is now headed to Rocky Top. Different recruiting services list Pember at either 6’8″ or 6’9″. On Rivals, he is 6’9″ 195 pounds. However, he still remains unrated on the site.

Pember is a local product from Bearden High School in Knoxville. He announced his commitment to the Vols on Twitter.

Related Story: 5 bold predictions for 2018-2019 Vols

Only smaller schools had offered Pember to this point, including Mercer, Samford and Wofford. But there were other teams showing interest, including the Butler Bulldogs, the Maryland Terrapins, the Michigan Wolverines and the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Despite no rating on Rivals, 247Sports says it lists Pember as a three-star. It also ranks him the No. 179 player overall, the No. 6  overall power forward and the No. 6 overall player in the state of Tennessee.

Considered a stretch-four, he is a perfect addition to Barnes’s system and will likely be another example of Barnes’s ability to scout talent. And there is a chance his ratings rise in the near future given the interest he was at least showing.

With only one scholarship left to give in 2018, Barnes has to be selective with what he does. Tennessee basketball. There are two key seniors on the upcoming roster in Admiral Schofield and Kyle Alexander.

But junior Grant Williams could definitely leave early for the NBA, and Jordan Bone and Jordan Bowden will also be juniors. That leaves things wide open for 2019.

Next: Projecting Tennessee football's 2018 depth chart

With Pember’s commitment, the Vols now have two pickups for that year. They received a commitment last summer from small forward Davonte Gaines. A 6’6″ 170-pound prospect from Buffalo, Gaines hasn’t received any rating on Rivals yet either. But he and Pember definitely bring more length to Tennessee basketball.

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