Tennessee basketball held its first summer practice open to the media last week. Harvard transfer Chris Ledlum was sidelined with an injury but nothing was peculiar about the banged up player getting healthy.
A day later, Ledlum was back in the transfer portal two and a half months after committing to Tennessee basketball and six weeks after arriving in Knoxville.
“It was surprising,” associate head coach Justin Gainey said Wednesday. “It caught us all off guard. Something that we weren’t expecting, obviously, coming off of the knee surgery that he was going through so it kind of caught us off guard a little bit.”
Ledlum was Tennessee’s second transfer commit this offseason and one of the Vols’ immediate targets this offseason. The Brooklyn native is still in the transfer portal. New York City school St. Johns was one of Tennessee’s main competitors to land Ledlum the first time and is an obvious candidate to get his services now.
“Obviously he’s a great player,” Gainey said. “We wish him nothing but the best. I hope he finds what he is looking for, finds happiness.”
So what does Ledlum’s transfer mean for Tennessee? A lot changed from the time the Harvard forward committed to Tennessee and re-entered the transfer portal.
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Tennessee added Northern Colorado wing Dalton Knecht in the portal and Josiah-Jordan James announced he would return for his super senior season. Even with Ledlum out of the program, Tennessee has pretty of wing depth though his departure is a blow to the Vols’ power forward depth.
“As far as it goes with us, it’s been our mentality ever since I’ve been here, since coach (Barnes) has been here, next man up,” Gainey said. “We’re really excited about JP Estrella’s development. Where he is going. Obviously Tobe has taken a major jump. Josiah is looking great. He’s healthy. Probably the first healthy summer he’s had in a long time. We’re just next man up moving forward, wish him the best.”
Sophomore power forward Tobe Awaka is the story of Tennessee basketball’s summer to date. He starred for Team USA in the FIBA U19 World Cup and Gainey twice complimented his development unprompted before divulging more details into his offensive development.
“I would say last year for the majority of the year his offensive game depended on him getting an offensive rebound, put backs, those types of things,” Gainey said. “I think now he feels a little more comfortable catching it in the post and playing with his back to the basket and making a move.”
In the Vols’ Wednesday practice open to the media, the freshman Estrella didn’t look like a star but did hold his own against Awaka and Jonas Aidoo in the interior. Versatile wing Josiah-Jordan James was a full participant in practice after rarely being that while battling knee and ankle injuries a season ago.
Tennessee hits the floor for a trio of exhibition games in Italy in early August.
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Two of my favorite VFL’s, they both left it on the field. God Bless both of you!