Tennessee point guard Kennedy Chandler is the SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance in a pair of wins, the conference announced Monday.
The nation’s top prep point guard dazzled in his first showings in the bright lights, averaging 18 points, five assists and three rebounds in wins over UT-Martin and ETSU.
Chandler put up big numbers without taking a massive quantity of shots or turnovers. The Memphis native shot 13-of-19 from the field and six-of-seven from three-point range while turning it over just four times in the two games.
“I just been working on it honestly,” Chandler said of his three-point shot following the season opener. “People are starting to realize or I don’t know if they’ve realized yet but I’ve just been working on it since it’s a skill I need to work on. It’s something I’ve improved on it every single day.”
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes, who’s known for being demanding of his point guards, has made it clear there are areas Chandler has to grown. However, the coach has raved about the young freshman — especially his selflessness.
“I think that I would describe him, first, as having a great respect for his teammates,” Barnes said. “He really believes in his teammates. There isn’t any sense of entitlement on his part in any way shape or form. He is competitive, but he wants to see everyone do well. He would tell you that he’s learning a lot. I would tell you that he has so much more that he can give, and he will learn, he is making a lot of fix-it plays for us on the offensive end and I think he can do the same thing on the defensive end.”
The challenge reaches another level this week as the Vols travel to Uncasville, Connecticut for the Hall of Fame Tip-Off. Chandler and Tennessee will face preseason All-American point guard Colin Gillespie and No. 5 Villanova in game one of the event.
Tennessee will either face No. 6 Purdue or No. 18 North Carolina. The event will be a great early season measuring stick for the No. 17 Vols.
