Already short on big men, Tennessee will be without one of their post players going forward. Tennessee confirmed on Tuesday evening that6-foot-5, 207-pound redshirt freshman forward Jabari McGhee will be moving on from the program following the fall semester.
“Jabari and I had a great discussion about what he wants,” coach Rick Barnes said in a statement. “He’s a ‘team guy,’ and what he ultimately wants is to have a more impactful role on his team, which I understand. We love him, and we want to see him be successful. We’ll do everything we can to help him find a school that is the right fit for him.”
McGhee appeared in 14 career games for the Vols after taking a medical redshirt in 2014-15 under Donnie Tyndall. He averaged 4.1 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per contest. With few post options on the roster coming into the year, the Vols will be left even further shorthanded down low going forward. The Vols have a pair of newcomers in the post in freshman Kyle Alexander and sophomore Ray Kasongo, who have seen limited action so far. Seniors Derek Reese and Armani Moore and freshman Admiral Schofield are the only other scholarship players listed as forwards on the roster, though all three have more of a wing skillset than a true big.
Tennessee has three forward signees in the 2015-16 signing class in 6-foot-8 forward John Fulkerson, 6-foot-7 Grant Williams and 6-foot-6 Jalen Johnson. Barnes will now have at least one additional scholarship to work with with McGhee’s departure.
Hubbs out indefinitely after arthroscopic knee surgery:
Tennessee guard Robert Hubbs III will be out indefinitely and is considered doubtful for UT’s next game at Butler on Dec. 12 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday to address chronic swelling issues that have been present since the preseason, according to a UT press release.
“He’s meeting with the doctors today,” Barnes said on Tuesday. “He actually came through this pretty good when you think about it. He missed a half against [George Washington] – that hurt us – he got poked in the eye and that obviously got us out of sync when we were playing pretty well. He’s with the doctors today.”
Hubbs, a junior, is Tennessee’s third-leading scorer on the season with an average of 15.3 ppg.
