Tennessee basketball: Rick Barnes pushing hard for four-star Jalen Cone
Rick Barnes and the Tennessee basketball program is pushing hard for four-star Jalen Cone. Will he reclassify for the 2019 class?
Rick Barnes and company are looking for answers at the guard position with the departure of junior Jordan Bone. Earlier this month, Bone declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, and even though he can return to school, it appears his mind is set to make money.
That’s no knock on Bone; I’m all for players making money when they can. I’ll always support that. But, from a Tennessee basketball standpoint, they have to start thinking about replacing one of the best guards in the SEC. That’s where Jalen Cone comes in.
Over the weekend, Barnes took to the road to visit the four-star point guard. Tennessee was the first team to offer the idea for Cone to reclassify and now that could be a real possibility. Jake Weingarten of StockRisers.com posted on Twitter that Cone is set for an official visit beginning May 10th.
According to the 247Sports composite rankings, the four-star prospect ranks 83rd nationally. He ranks as the 12th points guard in the country and the 4th best player in North Carolina. The 5-foot-11 guard had a crystal ball prediction to Virginia Tech with Buzz Williams. But, now that Williams is in College Station, it seems Cone’s recruitment is open.
This would be a massive get for the Vols. Cone is an impressive scorer from all three levels. He can get to the rack, pull up for the mid-range jumper, and even knock down it down from deep. Maybe his best skills are ball-handling and his ability to create plays.
10 Vols who did not benefit from 2019 spring practice. dark. Next
Right now there isn’t a scholarship available for Cone, and we still don’t know if he is even going to reclassify to the 2019 recruiting class. However, that all could change within the next month. Players have a deadline of May 29 to withdraw their names from the draft and retain their college eligibility.