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Tennessee basketball: Will veteran or freshman lead Vols in scoring next year?

By Caleb Calhoun

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 18: Mika Adams-Woods #3 and Tre Scott #13 of the Cincinnati Bearcats defend against John Fulkerson #10 of the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half of the game at Fifth Third Arena on December 18, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Tennessee 78-66. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 18: Mika Adams-Woods #3 and Tre Scott #13 of the Cincinnati Bearcats defend against John Fulkerson #10 of the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half of the game at Fifth Third Arena on December 18, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Tennessee 78-66. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Looking ahead to 2020-2021, Tennessee basketball has a mix of returning veterans and elite freshmen. But who will be the Volunteers’ leader in production?

Expectations are high for Tennessee basketball next year. Despite losing Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner, Rick Barnes has plenty of talent returning. The real story, though, is a top five recruiting class coming in.

That recruiting class includes five-star guards Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer, four-star wingman Corey Walker Jr. and potentially four-star wingman Malachi Wideman, who committed to play wide receiver for Tennessee football. Simply put, this is why numerous analysts, from NBC to CBS to ESPN, have the contending with the Kentucky Wildcats to win the SEC Title next year..

However, that returning talent is also a big deal. One of the returning players, Josiah-Jordan James, was a five-star in the Vols’ 2019 class. Then there are three seniors: Yves Pons and John Fulkerson, who played power forward and center this past year, and with Sacred Heart graduate transfer power forward E.J. Anosike, who averaged a double-double last year.

Anosike and James could be major producers. The story, however, revolves around Fulkerson and Pons. CBS Sports listed Pons and Fulkerson as two of its top 15 players to watch in 2020-2021 who had breakout seasons this past year. And that begs the question: Who will the leading scorer be for Rocky Top be next year?

We know everything else. It’s almost certain that the interior production will be dominated by the veterans, as Anosike, Pons and Fulkerson will lead the way in rebounding and blocked shots. The same holds true on the perimeter. James and the freshmen will lead the way in perimeter shooting, assists and steals.

But who will the offense revolve around? Barnes has demonstrated in the past that he likes to play inside-out when he has the players to do it. He also loves versatile guys who can play inside-out and then also score on the perimeter. The former would suggest Fulkerson is the go-to guy, and the latter would suggest Pons is the go-to guy.

At the same time, Barnes also has preference for veterans. Once again, that favors Fulkerson and Pons, who have been in the program for four years. Anosike is another veteran who is a post player, to be fair.

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So does that means Pons and Fulkerson will be the leaders of the team? If both players show the same level of improvement into next year they showed from 2018-2019 into this past year, you would have to think Barnes will turn to them.

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But the fact of the matter is there are going to be three players on next year’s team who were five-star recruits, and all of them are backcourt players. These players are the reason expectations are so high for Tennessee basketball.

Players who commit to Barnes have shown a willingness in the past to use his program as a pit-stop for the NBA. Kevin Durant did that, after all. However, Barnes also likes to develop talent, and he prefers veterans. Can he balance those two things next year? That will dictate the whole season. And part of that will be finding a primary scorer.

Walker and Anosike could both be in the running, but they likely won’t be the leaders. Other returning guys, like Olivier Nkamhoua, Davonte Gaines, Uros Plavsic Drew Pember and Santiago Vescovi will all be producers, and Vescovi could potentially lead in assists. Transfer guard Victor Bailey being eligible adds another guy who could lead in assists or steals.

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However, there are only five real candidates to lead the team in scoring: Fulkerson, Pons, James, Johnson or Springer. Fulkerson and Pons are seniors. Johnson and Springer are freshmen. James returns as a sophomore, but he’s more of a defensive specialist. So the job for Barnes next year is to figure out if he wants a veteran or a freshman to be his go-to guy.

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