Tennessee’s coaching staff continues to make one of the top point guards in the 2019 recruiting cycle one of their top priorities.
Tre Mann, a four-star point guard from The Villages, Florida, visited Tennessee on an official visit last week. And according to Endless Motor Sports, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and some assistants were in attendance to watch Mann play during Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League on Saturday night.
Tom Izzo, Matt Painter, John Beilein along with asst coaches from LSU, Tennessee, Nebraska and Florida all fron row for E1T1 vs Indy Heat pic.twitter.com/9DLJxdudxy
— Endless Motor Sports (@endless_motor) April 28, 2018
Barnes was accompanied by assistants Rob Lanier and Desmond Oliver for the trip.
Mann is rated as the No. 37 overall player and No. 4 point guard in the 2019 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s set to visit Florida at the beginning of May, and he holds offers from Memphis, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Georgia Tech, LSU, and Texas A&M among others.
Mann has earned the nickname “The Steph Curry of High School,” and he’s called that for good reason. He can pull up and hit a jumper from just about anywhere on the court. He’s also undersized like Curry was heading into college, but he doesn’t let his lack of weight stop him from driving inside and getting physical in the paint. Mann doesn’t just shoot jumpers; he’ll cut inside and force contact too, as he averaged nearly five free throw attempts per game this last season in high school.
As a junior this past season, Mann averaged 20 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and two steals per game according to MaxPreps. He shot 37 percent from three and sunk 90.3 percent of his 134 free throws.
Though he’s listed at just 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, Mann doesn’t play like a small player. Not only that, but he’s proven to be a dynamic shooter who is a capable passer as well. His size may hurt his defense, though, and that will be something that Rick Barnes and his staff will want to improve if that’s the case.
Tennessee won’t be losing any guards after the 2018-19 season unless someone transfers or declares early for the NBA. Admiral Schofield is technically a guard, but he plays forward as well. But the Vols will likely lose Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden, and Lamonte Turner after the 2019-20 season. So expect Rick Barnes and his staff to try and add a couple guards to their 2019 class if possible.
Right now, the Vols have offered 11 players who classify as a guard in the 2019 class. The players they’re pursuing hardest besides Mann are five-star combo guards Jalen Lecque and Josiah James, four-star point guard Kira Lewis, and four-star shooting guards Marcus Watson and Dekeyvan Tandy.
