One of the most successful decades in Tennessee basketball history was due to lots of talent. Here are the 10 greatest Volunteers from 2010 to 2019.
Note: This is part of a series of posts recapping the decade for Tennessee football, Tennessee basketball, Tennessee women’s basketball and other Tennessee Vols-related topics.
Despite seeing two different head coaches fired for NCAA infractions and four different coaches lead the program, this was actually among the greatest decades in Tennessee basketball history. That’s impressive given everything they have been through.
The Vols were loaded with talented guys from 2010 to 2019, and they helped play a role in UT making five NCAA Tournaments, three Sweet Sixteens and an Elite Eight. They also helped this program win a regular season SEC Title.
All of that was due to the talent that all the different coaches brought in. Each coach deserves some credit for bringing in at least one of the key players during some of Tennessee basketball’s best runs, and there’s no doubt they secured more talent for the Vols than coaches had in previous decades.
If you want proof of that, look no further than numerous players being regulars on NBA rosters, including one NBA all-star, three players taken in the most recent NBA Draft and another NBA starter. Contrast that with the 2000s, when CJ Watson was the only former Vol to have a substantive career in the pros the entire decade.
Anyway, this talent was a huge part of why UT withstood so many issues in the decade, so it’s on us to give those guys some recognition. In this post, we’re going to take a look at those players who made Rocky Top what it was on the court this decade.
It really was hard for us to leave some players off, and we could only judge players on what they delivered for UT this decade. But in that regard, it was clear who belonged on this list. So let’s break it down. These are the top Tennessee basketball players for the 2010s decade.