Tennessee basketball makes cut for Big 12 Freshman of the Year transfer Tyrese Hunter

Rick Barnes already added Indiana State Sycamores transfer Tyreke Key to make sure Tennessee basketball would be loaded in the backcourt next year, but appears he’s not done. Now he’s got the Vols trending for one of the top freshmen guards in the country from last year.

UT made the top six for Iowa State Cyclones transfer Tyrese Hunter, who won Big 12 Freshman of the year in 2021-2022. Standing at 6’0″ 178 pounds and initially from Wisconsin, Hunter helped first-year head coach T. J. Otzelberger reach the Sweet 16.

Joining Tennessee basketball on Hunter’s list are the Purdue Boilermakers, Kansas Jayhawks, Louisville Cardinals, Gonzaga Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns. He announced all the schools Monday afternoon on Twitter.

A graduate of St. Catherines High School in Racine, Wis., which is between Chicago and Milwaukee, Hunter was a four-star across the board in 2021. He more than lived up to those expectations, averaging 11 points, five assists and two steals while starting all 35 games.

With Kennedy Chandler gone and Santiago Vescovi testing the NBA waters, Rick Barnes is trying to add as many backcourt players as possible for proper competition. Key brings sharpshooting along with Justin Powell’s return. Zakai Zeigler and incoming freshman B.J. Edwards bring the combo guard abilities.

However, more depth is needed, even if Vescovi returns, since it’s likely Josiah-Jordan James moves to the four next year. Hunter could definitely help with that, as he and Zeigler could both man the point guard spot to make sure depth is there.

Of course, Hunter does have some things he needs to work on. Despite his numbers, efficiency wasn’t his strong suit. He shot 39.1 percent from the field, 27.4 percent from the three-point line and 68.7 percent from the free throw line.

To be fair, he’s shown he’s capable of getting red-hot, such as when he shot 7-of-11 from three in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 against the LSU Tigers, but he needs to be able to do it on a consistent basis. That’s a focus for another day, though.

Right now, the focus for Tennessee basketball needs to be all about luring this guy to Rocky Top. Barnes could work well with him, and he could help UT be a team more about experience next year with still a ton of talent than it has been in the past.