The season-opener for the Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball program arrived on Monday night, with the Vols and Rick Barnes escaping with a bit of an ugly 80-64 victory over Gardner Webb. Chaz Lanier led the way with his 18 points, while Jordan Gainey chipped in with 16.
Despite the win, plenty of fans were wondering what exactly was going on prior to tipoff, though. That's because Tennessee announced that veteran transfer Darlinstone Dubar was ruled out for this contest due to a personal matter. Bishop Boswell was also ruled out due to a concussion.
In the case of Dubar, however, things are a bit more unknown. He played in the exhibition game vs. Indiana, but he also wasn't at practice last Thursday for the last session that was open for reporters. Following the win on Monday night, head coach Rick Barnes didn't provide a timetable for when Dubar will return, but it sure seems like something is going on behind the scenes.
#Vols coach Rick Barnes said senior guard Darlinstone Dubar (unspecified personal issue) has been dealing with things for a while, and that his return will be up to him. He said everyone loves him and wants him to return, but that it's up to him. He's still around the team, FWIW.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 5, 2024
There's no set return date for Tennessee guard Darlinstone Dubar per Rick Barnes
"We’re leaving it up to him. He’s around and he’s still here with us every day. And we just want to make sure he knows that we’re there for him and everyone around him has been."Rick Barnes
From the looks of that quote from Barnes, it sure looks like Dubar is going through a bit of a hard time right now with something off the hardwood. We're not going to speculate on what's going on, but Barnes made it more than clear that the Vols as a whole are showing their support during what's clearly a difficult time for their teammate.
This is Dubar's first campaign with the Vols, as he transferred over from Hofstra after last season. Dubar was fantastic for Hofstra in 2023-24, posting 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. He also shot nearly 40 percent on his 3-point attempts.
The move to Knoxville hasn't quite gone according to plan for him, though, as him missing the season-opener was not what anyone expected. Soon enough, the hope is we'll see Dubar back in action. Until then, though, Barnes isn't going to rush him back and he's ready to back his guard in any way he can.