Jarnell Stokes (6-8, 245) of Central High, practices with his AAU team, the Memphis YOMCA. The junior forward who’s on his way to being the city’s third McDonald’s All-American in three years. He’s the Tigers’ No. 1 target for 2012.KNOXVILLE — Written on the practice plan for the Tennessee basketball team’s practice Thursday was the emphasis of the day: “Don’t go home until the job is done.”
Assuming Cuonzo Martin followed the same advice he was giving his team in its preparations for tonight’s game with East Tennessee State, the Volunteers’ first-year coach slept very easily Thursday night.
Jarnell Stokes, a five-star power forward from Memphis, announced at a restaurant in the Memphis suburb of Collierville that he would play for Martin and the Vols. The other finalists for the 6-foot-8, 255-pound Stokes were Memphis, Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky. The 11th-rated player in Rivals.com’s 2012 class has graduated from Southwind High School and could be eligible to play for UT next month.
“I have spent a lot of time in prayer about what to do, and I believe that the University of Tennessee is the right place for me,” Stokes told ESPN. “I am excited about the future at Tennessee. I am going to work as hard as I can to fit in with my teammates and learn the system as quickly as I can to help the team.”
Stokes’ high school career ended after he transferred to Southwind from Memphis Central after his junior year. The TSSAA denied his appeal to be eligible to play his senior season for the Jaguars, so he elected to graduate early, enroll in college in January and play immediately.