The Tennessee basketball offseason, on both the men’s and women’s sides, has been a roller coaster, but the Vols received some positive news today. Rick Barnes has been working tirelessly on the recruiting trail, and his efforts have paid off with a highly sought-after commitment from a power conference standout.
Jahmai Mashack proves the doubters wrong once again
Tennessee has added Cal guard Dai Dai Ames to the roster. He was a Third Team All-ACC member last season, averaging 16.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, along with a ranking of the No. 49 player in the Transfer Portal according to 247Sports. All for Tennessee posted, "Predicting 2 Tennessee basketball Transfer Portal commitments this week," and we featured Ames in the story. He is a perfect fit for Tennessee, and the fact that Barnes closed the deal is huge for next season.
BREAKING: Cal transfer guard Dai Dai Ames has committed to Tennessee, @JoeTipton reports 🍊https://t.co/Im777miSMM pic.twitter.com/L2KBCbGRjM
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) April 11, 2026
Tenenssee is getting a PG1 in Dai Dai Ames
Tennessee is getting a legit power conference point guard in Ames. He isn't the prototypical floor general-type guard. Think more Ja'Kobi Gillespie liek with Ames. There might be some growing pains when it comes to running the offense, as there were with Gillespie, but he's an elite scoring threat who can hit shots at all three levels. He's shown improvement, too, since he began his college career at Kansas State a few years ago.
What Tennessee fans should love about Ames is that he plays with an edge that Rick Barnes will love. He plays with the type of edge and physicality, even for a smaller guy, that will make Barnes excited.
With Tyler Lundblade and Dai Dai Ames, Tennessee has added two highly productive scorers to its roster for next season. It’s encouraging to see Rick Barnes targeting high-level offensive players, especially considering scoring was a major issue last year outside of Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament. Even more encouraging, both players are sharpshooters, so Tennessee's high-low game will be even more effective. Barnes just needs to go out and get some low-post studs, and this team could shape up to be a very good squad. Final Four here we come.