Yves Pons’ return gives Tennessee basketball best frontcourt in SEC

The inside game for the Tennessee basketball Volunteers should dominate the Southeastern Conference.

All the hype surrounding Tennessee basketball this year has largely been due to its top five recruiting class. That recruiting class in the top five because of two five-star guards in Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer.

Combine them with the return of Josiah-Jordan James, a five-star recruit from last year, and Santiago Vescovi, a point guard from overseas who showed a ton of potential as a freshman last year, and the guards are stealing all the headlines on Rocky Top. On paper, it seems well-deserved.

However, the frontcourt may be where the star power is. In fact, with Yves Pons’ decision to return for his senior season with Tennessee basketball, which he announced on Tuesday, the Vols should have the best front court in the SEC.

Rick Barnes could start three players who played the four or five last year and averaged double figures. One of those guys averaged two blocks a game, and another one of them averaged double figures in rebounds per game.

Pons, at 6’6″ 215 pounds, played the four last season and was the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year. He’s the one who averaged over two blocks a game, and he also averaged nearly 11 points scoring the ball while shooting 35 percent from the field.

This year, Pons could resume his role in the four. However, there’s a chance he moves to the three, as Sacred Heart Pioneers transfer E.J. Anosike is now in the program. The graduate transfer is a senior who averaged a double-double last season, and he stands at 6’6″ 245 pounds. Given Barnes’ past, Pons and Anosike could replicate the duo of Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams.

Then there is the best player on last year’s team over the last two months of the regular season, John Fulkerson. One of the best developmental stories, Fulkerson emerged out of Kyle Alexander’s shadow and became Tennessee basketball’s go-to scorer.

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Over the Vols’ final 10 games of the season, which began on Feb. 4, Fulkerson scored over 20 points four different times. He hit 25 or more twice, and he averaged 18.3 points per game during that time, and this was against SEC competition. For the season, Fulkerson tied Jordan Bowden as team leader in points per game with 13.7. He also averaged just under six rebounds a game.

Fulkerson, Anosike and Pons should be stealing the spotlight over the Vols’ backcourt. Barnes has an elite rebounder, an elite shot-blocker and defender, two players who can stretch the floor with their outside shooting and a collection of elite inside scorers. Oh, and all three of these guys are seniors, making them most experienced group of forwards and centers in the league.

By the way, we haven’t even mentioned the potential of the backups yet. Uros Plavsic is still 7’0″ 240 pounds, and you can’t teach that size. With another year of experience, he may be a major force off the bench. Olivier Nkamhoua developed off the bench last year as another stretch four as well.

Add in Drew Pember, who could take a leap, and the addition of four-star Corey Walker Jr., and Barnes has seven players hw could use for his frontcourt, three of whom are elite and two of whom should be very good. There’s talent, depth, experience and potential.

Simply put, Pons’ decision to return gives Tennessee basketball the best inside game in the SEC. The Vols are loaded with skill on that front, and it’s proven skill. As a result, despite all the backcourt talent, Barnes may end up relying much more heavily on his seniors.