Tennessee basketball received surprising and good news Wednesday afternoon when Josiah-Jordan James withdrew from the NBA Draft and announced he would return to Knoxville for his super senior season.
It made for a good day for Tennessee basketball and we wrote about the move here and discussed the ramifications of the decision on the RTI Press Pass Podcast here.
But the good news for Tennessee basketball didn’t end in Knoxville. NBA Draft decisions across the SEC boded well for the Vols SEC chances entering the 2023-24 season. Let’s take a look at Wednesday’s news across the conference.
Alabama
- Jahvon Quinerly (8.7 ppg and 3.6 apg) announced he will return to Tuscaloosa for his senior season
- Synopsis: Quinerly’s return was good news for the Crimson Tide but Nate Oats still has to replace an abundance of production. Brandon Miller, Noah Clowney and Charles Bediako are off to the NBA while Jaden Bradley and Nimari Burnett entered the transfer portal.
Arkansas
- Devo Davis (10.9 ppg and 4.4 rpg) announced he will return to Fayetteville for another season
- Jordan Walsh (7.1 ppg and 3.9 rpg) announced he would stay in the NBA Draft
- Five-star Ron Holland announced he would spend next year in the NBA G-League, spurning Arkansas in the process.
- Synopsis: It was a mixed bag of a day for Eric Musselman and Arkansas. Losing former five-star Jordan Walsh was a tough break but returning the productive Davis to a talented young core is a big win for the Hogs. Arkansas has plenty of talent but still has question marks entering Musselman’s fourth season.
Kentucky
- Oscar Tshiebwe (16.5 ppg and 13.7 rbp) announced he would stay in the NBA Draft
- Chris Livingston (6.3 ppg and 4.2 rpg) announced he would stay in the NBA Draft
- Antonio Reeves (14.4 ppg) withdrew from the NBA Draft but hasn’t decided whether he will return to Kentucky or transfer elsewhere according to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim.
- Synopsis: Even if Reeves returns, Kentucky has just eight players on scholarship for next season. John Calipari has had a poor offseason as the Wildcats have struck out in the transfer portal. Kentucky brings in the nation’s top signing class but has little to work around them right now.
Missouri
- Kobe Brown (15. ppg and 6.4 rpg) announced he would stay in the NBA Draft
- Synopsis: Brown was by far the best player on Dennis Gates’ impressive first Missouri team. Losing Brown is a major blow for a Tigers team that has largely struck out in the transfer portal this offseason.
