Tennessee basketball: Ranking Vols by toughest to replace for 2022-23
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield. player. 534. Pick Analysis. Forward. Transfer portal. 3. Scouting Report
Transferred to Louisville Cardinals
While Tennessee basketball doesn’t have a proven fourth player in the two or three roles, somebody who is a five-star recruit or played significant minutes last year, they don’t have any proven players at the five right now. As a result, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, is the first huge loss on this list for the Vols.
Last year, Huntley-Hatfield committed to UT as a mixture of a forward and a center. He was a five-star across all services except 247Sports, where he was a four-star, and he was initially a member of the 2022 class but reclassified for 2021. Standing at 6’10” 246 pounds, the hype behind him was real, and he brought a real post presence to the Vols.
After a slow start, Huntley-Hatfield’s role increased immediately due to a season-ending injury suffered by Olivier Nkamhoua. He started 13 games down the stretch and ended up appearing in all 35 of them, averaging just under four points and three rebounds.
In the SEC Tournament, Huntley-Hatfield emerged as an elite player, and the future was bright. Now, with him gone, the Vols have real questions at the five. We already mentioned the questions surrounding Jonas Aidoo and Uros Plavsic. Huntley-Hatfield would have alleviated those, but losing him could end up being critical. UT needs length.