Tennessee basketball recruiting: New Vols commit already proving to be a steal

Tennessee basketball got a commitment from 2019 three-star forward Olivier Robinson-Nkamhoua Tuesday. He’s already proving to be a steal for the Volunteers.

When Olivier Robinson-Nkamhoua committed to Tennessee basketball on Tuesday, the 6’8″ 210-pound forward was a little-known commodity. And consensus was that he would just be another body who may develop over time.

After all, Robinson-Nkamhoua had barely played his junior year, hurting his chances to boost his star ratings, and he hails from Cumberland, Md., which is in Western Maryland, a part of the state with limited competition. So there was plenty of reason to not expect anything from him.

But even as a three-star on Rivals who is not ranked in his own state, Robinson-Nkamhoua’s profile is quickly rising. And less than 48 hours after news of his commitment, he’s already looking like a huge steal for Tennessee basketball.

For starters, 247sports added a fourth star to his composite recruiting rating on Wednesday. So he’s now being classified as a four-star by multiple services. Then Rivals moved him into its top 150 rankings for 2019.

So overnight, the Finnish-born prospect who rightfully comes with many questions went from just another body to a guy with rising potential. Rick Barnes addressed as much in a press release announcing Robinson-Nkamhoua’s signing, which was made official Wednesday.  Barnes noted that he’s just reaching his potential. Here’s a bit of what else he said about Robinson-Nkamhoua.

"“He’s a very athletic forward who has a level of versatility on both ends of the floor. He can play inside or on the perimeter, and he guards multiple positions defensively. He’ll fit well into our defensive schemes. He can bring pressure, play up-tempo, understands good ball movement and is a strong communicator.”"

We wrote about Robinson-Nkamhoua’s versatility on Tuesday as well when his commitment was announced, and it’s clear that he can stretch the floor and has a skills set that is very fitting for the college game. Considering what Barnes noticed about him and the improvement to his ratings in just one day, it’s safe to say Tennessee basketball got a huge steal.

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Factor in his ability to become a top 150 player and achieve even this recognition as a guy from Finland who played in Western Maryland and missed most of his junior year due to an injury, and it only looks more impressive. The Vols look to be in great shape with their fourth commitment.

Finally, there’s Barnes’s ability to scout talent and develop it, as everybody in last year’s team’s main rotation was a three-star or worse. Oh, and all but Admiral Schofield were recruited by Barnes. Two others, Jordan Bone and Grant Williams entered the NBA Draft early, and Williams himself was an All-American.

Williams is the perfect example that if anybody can find a steal at forward, it’s Barnes. And Barnes appears to have found another major steal based on the way things are shaping up with Robinson-Nkamhoua’s commitment.

Four-star DJ Burns and potential transfer Kerry Blackshear are also in the mix to keep the inside game strong next year amidst the departure of Kyle Alexander and potential loss of Grant Williams. The addition of Robinson-Nkamhoua to the 2019 recruiting class bolsters that as well, and he could be the surprise steal of all of them.