Fansided

Tennessee basketball gets commitment from 5-star point guard

BySteven Kubitza|
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 16: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team during the 82-78 win over the Kentucky Wildcats during the semifinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 16: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team during the 82-78 win over the Kentucky Wildcats during the semifinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Tennessee basketball just landed a top recruit.

The world of college basketball recruiting continues forward at a time when there remains uncertainty about the 2020 season. Teams are seeking to improve and a pandemic isn’t going to stop coaches from continuing the process.

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes has had a mixed tenure since his first season began in 2015. He finished the 2018-19 campaign with a 31-6 record and even got up to No. 1 in the AP poll. Then came this past season that ended with a 17-14 record before the postseason.

That made recruiting this offseason all that more important and Barnes’ work has paid off in the form of a five-star guard.

Tennessee lands a top player

Kennedy Chandler is set to become a Volunteer and Barnes will be celebrating this weekend. The point guard stands 6-foot-1 and had offers from the likes of Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, Arizona, Syracuse, and the list goes on.

The point guard’s hometown is Memphis, but he is set to finish his high school career at Sunrise Christian in Kansas. Choosing Rick Barnes’ Volunteers shows that the pitch stood out among other top programs in all of college basketball.

An ESPN.com article shared Chandler’s thoughts on Barnes and the Vols program.

"“I want to go where the school felt like it was home,” Chandler told ESPN. “I was looking for a program that could help me develop and have a strong family atmosphere, and a coach I could relate to. Tennessee and Rick Barnes made me feel that way.”"

Landing the top point guard in the country could signal a change coming at Tennessee. Other players will want to hear Barnes out and the coach can now boast that his team is set to compete with the best in the nation.

The program has never advanced beyond the Elite Eight and Barnes is looking to change that. His 2021 squad is already set up for success as the 2020 team awaits to see what will happen with college basketball in the coming months.