Rick Barnes teased a commitment on Thursday, and less than 24 hours later, it’s here. Kennesaw State power forward Braeden Lue is the latest to join the Tennessee basketball program, which continues a near complete roster rebuild from last year’s squad.
Lue is the second big man to join the team, following Loyola-Chicago’s Miles Rubin. Those two additions will join returning sophomore center DeWayne Brown.
Lue averaged 10.5 points and 5.3 rebounds during his two-year career with Kennesaw State. The 6-9, 235 pound forward blocked nearly 1.5 shots per game this past season, earning him a spot on the Conference USA All-Defense team.
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Lue shot 43.5 percent from the field and 28.6 from three-point range, hitting 32-112 shots from deep. He’s a 64.8 percent free throw shooter. Lue will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Lue joins a handful of portal additions in Knoxville so far. Guards Dai Dai Ames, Terrence Hill Jr. and Tyler Lundblade are the start to the Tennessee backcourt. Wing Jalen Haralson and power forward Miles Rubin round out the class to this point. Wake Forest guard Juke Harris is another potential big fish on the line.
Tennessee has now added some depth to the frontcourt, which took a big hit as Felix Okpara, J.P. Estrella, Cade Phillips and Jaylen Carey all left the program. Rick Barnes could also use both Haralson and 6-9 freshman small forward Chris Washington Jr. in the post if needed.
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Tennessee has landed six out of the portal. They’ll sign four freshmen and bring two back from last year on scholarship. If the calculations are correct, Barnes has two more openings on the roster to fill. The Volunteers will be in wait-and-see mode with Harris, which will dictate the final two (or one) move.
