Tennessee basketball’s Julian Phillips to remain in NBA Draft

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Tennessee basketball’s Julian Phillips is remaining in the NBA Draft, according to multiple reports Wednesday.

Phillips entered the NBA Draft and also the transfer portal following one season with the Vols, in which the five-star freshman forward flashed his potential in a few games but struggled to gain consistency.

Phillips averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 32 games. Phillips had a pair of standout games, scoring 25 points with eight rebounds against USC in the Battle 4 Atlantis in November and posting an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double at Mississippi State in January. He was one of Tennessee’s better rebounders, but struggled to find his offensive game. He shot less than 30% on 3-pointers.

BACK: Josiah-Jordan James returning to Tennessee basketball for fifth season

Phillips was one of four outgoing Tennessee players to go through the NBA Draft process. Josiah-Jordan James announced Wednesday he was returning for a fifth season. Phillips decided to stay in the draft. Forward Uros Plavsic indicated he was pursuing professional options. Forward Olivier Nkamhoua entered the transfer portal as well as the draft.

Tennessee was full on scholarships prior to James’ decision, which means the returning senior will have to be a walk-on for the Vols in his fifth season.

Phillips could not have returned to Tennessee. He also could not immediately transfer to another SEC school with guaranteed immediate eligibility because he did not enter the portal by the May 1 deadline that the SEC imposed for winter sport athletes.

Phillips was the sixth 5-star recruit to sign with Vols under coach Rick Barnes. He was the No. 19 prospect in the 247Sports Composite in the 2022 class.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/tennessee-basketballs-julian-phillips-remain-212751640.html?src=rss

Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Publish date : 2023-05-31 21:27:51

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