KNOXVILLE – Detrick Mostella likely would have had his choice of landing spots.
The Tennessee shooting guard decided to give his new head coach a shot first.
After his first year with the Volunteers didn’t go as planned and the coach who brought him to Tennessee was fired, the former four-star recruit who nearly picked Oklahoma State or Pittsburgh to start with could have looked into possibly transferring elsewhere, as fellow freshmen Tariq Owens and Willie Carmichael did.
There would have been options, but Mostella hesitated before jumping ship after the Vols hired Rick Barnes as coach.
Tennessee guard Detrick Mostella (15) defends against Pikeville guard K.K. Simmons (24) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee won 80-62. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)“I was going to look around at first,” Mostella said after his Rocky Top League game Monday night. “Then I thought, ‘It’s Coach Barnes, I’m going to give him a shot before I do anything.’ I committed to Tennessee to play for Tennessee, so I’m just going to wait and see who the coach is.