Tennessee will have one open scholarship following the 2016-17 season because a freshman guard is reportedly on his way out.
Kwe Parker, a 6-0, 180-pound guard out of Fayetteville, N.C., has decided to leave the program, according to a report from Volquest.com/Yahoo.com on Thursday morning.
He leaves Tennessee after appearing in 25 games, starting one, averaging 8.1 minutes per game and just 1.0 ppg. Outside of Jalen Johnson, who redshirted last season, Parker was the least productive member of the highest-scoring freshman class in Tennessee hoops history.
Known as one of the most athletic players in his recruiting class with a 45-inch vertical jump, that athleticism never directly translated to the floor for Rick Barnes and the Vols as Parker was a minor contributor for much of the season.
His departure leaves Barnes the option to add another player in the 2017 signing class, one that already has three players – forward Yves Pons, forward Derrick Walker and center Zach Kent. Those three will take the scholarships of Robert Hubbs III (graduation), Lew Evans (graduation) and Detrick Mostella (dismissed). Barnes could opt to add a graduate transfer, make a late high school or junior college addition or carry that scholarship over to the next class.
