Vols' 'Big Ticket' is a freshman who could make a difference this basketball season

Tennessee Athletics photo by Maury Neipris / Tennessee guard Davonte Gaines practices in June. The 6-foot-7 freshman has dealt with a wrist injury while preparing for his first season with the Vols.
Tennessee Athletics photo by Maury Neipris / Tennessee guard Davonte Gaines practices in June. The 6-foot-7 freshman has dealt with a wrist injury while preparing for his first season with the Vols.

KNOXVILLE - Just like freshman teammate Drew Pember, Tennessee Volunteers swingman Davonte Gaines was entered into strength and conditioning coach Garrett Medenwald's "skinny camp" when he joined the basketball program this past summer.

The 6-foot-7 Gaines weighed a little more than 160 pounds when he got to Knoxville. Now he's up to 178, thanks to a combination of weightlifting and, of course, eating.

Pember said the two were required to eat lunch and dinner in front of Medenwald and also document to him that they consumed multiple protein shakes and other snacks during the day.

But when Gaines was asked if there was a meal he had grown tired of, he quickly replied, "Nah."

"I've just been eating a lot, eating as much as I can," Gaines told the Times Free Press recently. "That along with weightlifting has been really good for me."

His slight build didn't seem to limit him in high school. Gaines - nicknamed the "Big Ticket" in his hometown of Buffalo, New York - had 22 double-doubles, four triple-doubles and three quadruple-doubles his senior season, when he averaged 18 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 4.0 steals and 2.5 blocks per game for Health Sciences Charter School.

He spent last year at Hargrave Military Academy, averaging 14 points, six rebounds and three assists a game as an all-around threat, but he sees his primary chance to get on the floor for the Vols coming on the defensive end.

"I've prided myself in being a great defender since high school," he said. "I want to bring energy to the team, be one of the vocal leaders on the floor and do whatever I need to do to stay on the floor and help the team win games."

Now begins the true learning curve. Gaines is trying to carve out a role on a team that needs others to step up behind seniors Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner, who helped the Vols win 31 games and reach the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 last season, and fellow freshman Josiah-Jordan James.

A wrist injury has slowed Gaines as the Vols prepare for the season - they host Eastern New Mexico in an Oct. 30 exhibition, then tip off their 2019-20 schedule against UNC Asheville - but he's still eager to earn an opportunity.

"I've been learning the system, knowing what the coaches want and playing within the offense," he said. "The injury has slowed me down a bit, but I have been in practice and doing some of the things like bringing energy to practice, staying attentive to what is going on and getting in where I can.

"It should be a good year to do things I need to do to get better and be able to get on the floor."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.

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