Late this spring, Tennessee men's basketball coach Rick Barnes expressed such satisfaction with his new roster that he said all 13 scholarships may not be used.
"It would have to be something special to add to what we have right now," Barnes said.
That something special is Handje Tamba, a 7-foot, 225-pound center from Knox Catholic who was originally a 2022 prospect but decided to reclassify and begin college play later this year. Tamba is a three-star prospect, according to 247Sports.com, which ranks him as the nation's No. 284 overall recruit and the No. 41 center.
Handje TambaHamba is joining a signing class that already contains five-star point guard Kennedy Chandler (6-1, 165), five-star power forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-9, 230), four-star center Jonas Aidoo (6-11, 215), four-star small forward Jahmai Mashack (6-5, 190) and three-star shooting guard Quentin Diboundje (6-6, 185). Huntley-Hatfield also reclassified to the 2021 class.
Even before adding Hamba, who picked the Volunteers over Auburn and Georgetown, Barnes was already touting the improved size with this year's roster.
"I would like to think that this team is going to rebound the ball better," Barnes said, 'because we're going to be bigger, and I think we'll shoot it better, which is important that we do that."
Tennessee's 2021 class is ranked second behind Michigan, with Gonzaga, Duke and Creighton rounding out the top five. That ranking by 247Sports does not include guard Justin Powell, who transferred to the Vols from Auburn.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.