Tennessee basketball season recap: Vols awards for 2019-2020 year

Newcomer of the year

Santiago Vescovi

Guard; Freshman; 6’3″ 188 pounds

He didn’t even arrive until midseason, and Rick Barnes planned for him to take a redshirt this year. However, Lamonte Turner’s season-ending shoulder surgery changed everything, and by the time SEC play arrived, Santiago Vescovi had to become Tennessee basketball’s new point guard as a true freshman coming over from Europe. That was a tall task.

Over time, however, Vescovi developed into a solid guard. He did have an issue with turnovers, as he had 67 to just 70 assists. However, he showed his court vision and ability to distribute, and even more importantly, he was a major shooting threat. Vescovi shot 36 percent from the three-point line and 82.4 percent from the free throw line, averaging nearly 11 points a game as a result.

In addition to scoring and distributing, Vescovi was aggressive on the boards for a guard, averaging nearly three and a half rebounds a game. He did all of this in just 19 starts, and his future on Rocky Top is incredibly exciting. With just half a season, Vescovi has already made a huge impact on Barnes’ program. He and Victor Bailey becoming eligible put point guard play in good hands.

Newcomer runner-up: Josiah-Jordan James

Guard; Freshman; 6’6″ 208 pounds

Honestly, Josiah-Jordan James was supposed to be the obvious newcomer of the year. He was a five-star combo guard, after all. However, injuries limited him, and he only played 27 games. Still, James averaged seven and a half points and just under three assists a game, and he also had 23 blocks and 23 steals. So he was productive, and fully healthy, his potential is through the roof.