Tennessee basketball: Vols can’t miss on a PG in the 2019 recruiting class

Rick Barnes and the Tennessee basketball program are in the hunt for a couple of highly ranked point guards for the 2019 class. They can’t afford to miss on all of them.

One thing no fan ever likes to talk about when things are going great is the future. In the Tennessee basketball world, the future is bright. However, the team is going to look entirely different within the next two seasons.

As the team gets better, the players get older. Admiral Schofield will be a senior, along with Kyle Alexander. And, then the core group of Grant Williams, Jordan Bowden, Jordan Bone, and Lamonte Turner will all be juniors. That is the starting five from a season ago plus the first player off the bench.

There are high expectations for the upcoming season and looking at the roster; the Vols should make a run at a National Championship. However, there is a very concerning matter. Who is the backup point guard?

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Last season, that role was completed by James Daniel III. And, by all measures, he did a fairly decent job. Daniel III played almost 20 minutes per game while adding 5.6 points. He did score over double digits in seven games last season with his highest scoring game coming at Arkansas and LSU with 17 points.

The odds for next season is the SEC Sixth Man of the Year, Lamonte Turner will fill in as the point guard when Bone is on the bench.

Truthfully, and yes you should listen to what I have to say since I am the best armchair coach in the history of the universe, I am not sure Turner is built to play point guard.

There is no doubt he has unreal talent. But, he plays his best ball coming off screens, setting up for the three-ball which he shot at almost 40 percent on the season. In fact, there was a stretch of games where he shot 55 percent from the three-point line.

However, moving forward to the 2019 recruiting class, the Vols have to land one of the highly ranked point guards. And, they have a legit shot with a couple of guys.

Josiah James is a 6-foot-6, 195 pound five-star from Charleston, SC. James is set to visit Knoxville next month, but Duke is probably the favorite at the current moment. However, just being in the conversation shows how the program is perceived nationally.

Tre Mann is a 6-foot-3, 170-pound four-star from The Villages, FL. Unlike James, Mann’s recruitment is pretty open. He has offers from North Carolina, Florida, Kansas, and a handful of other programs. All indications show Mann likes Tennessee, but it is just making that commitment.

Finally, Issac McBride a 6foot-1, 170-pound three-star from Little Rock, AR. Tennessee is in the mix with Auburn, Kansas, and TCU, giving them a pretty decent shot at landing McBride.

At this point, any guy will do. James for obvious reason, the kid can absolutely ball. He has a long frame and can get to the basket. It seems like the Vols have a better shot with Mann and McBride. Can Tennessee still Mann away from North Carolina? We will have to wait and see.

Landing one of these three players is vital to the success of the program. Bone can’t do it alone, and he won’t be around forever. One thing the Vols will be able to offer any point guard is playing time.