With a local point guard already committed for 2022, Rick Barnes isn’t done shoring up the backcourt for Tennessee basketball next year. He now has the Vols trending for an elite two guard out of Southern Virginia in that class.
Judah Mintz, a four-star across the board, said that the Vols were one of the three schools standing out to him, according to Eric Bossi of GoVols247. He was initially committed tp the Pittsburgh Panthers from the middle of June until early November, when he decommitted.
Listed as a combo guard on 247Sports, a shooting guard on Rivals and a small forward on ESPN, Mintz is clearly a guy who will bring some versatility. He stands between 6’3″ and 6’4″ and weighs in the range of 165 to 175 pounds.
Coming out of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., Mintz is including the Florida Gators and the Xavier Musketeers in his top three as well. However, living in Grayson County, he borders the Volunteer State, so Tennessee basketball has the location advantage among those three schools.
In addition to the location advantage, the Vols have a player connection. Mintz knows B.J. Edwards, the local point guard committed who we referenced in the opening paragraph. Edwards is also a four-star across the board.
Taking all this into account, there’s reason to believe that UT has a great chance of luring Mintz to Rocky Top. Of course, this somewhat depends on who’s back, Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James could all choose to return if they want to. As a result, playing time might be a factor. Either way, Barnes is continuing to make sure his roster is loaded here.
Currently, Pitt is still the favorite to land Mintz. They have the only prediction on the 247Sports Crystal Ball with a medium confidence interval, they are the majority favorite on the Rivals Future Cast, and they are the plurality favorite on the Rivals Fan Future Cast. However, Tennessee basketball isn’t out of it, and based on this list, the Vols appear to be above Pitt now.