Tennessee will be without junior forward Cade Phillips for the remainder of the 2025-26 college basketball season, the program announced Monday night.
Phillips is set to undergo shoulder surgery, bringing an end to his year after appearing in 10 games.
“We will sincerely miss having Cade on the court and he is certainly disappointed he won’t be able to play the rest of the season, but it is essential he gets healthy,” head coach Rick Barnes said in a statement.
Barnes added that Phillips “did all he could to play through this injury as long as he could.”
Key contributor in limited action
Phillips started all but one game for the Volunteers this season before the injury forced the decision for surgery. He wraps up his third season on Rocky Top with 38 points, 40 rebounds, 11 blocks, and two steals across his 10 appearances.
A long-running issue
Phillips has been dealing with a left shoulder injury for much of the past two years. His playing time reflected the challenge of managing it. He logged nine games of 20-plus minutes in 2024, but reached that mark only once in 2025, against Tennessee State.
Tennessee will now look to adjust its frontcourt rotation as conference play continues. Phillips will now focus on recovery with an eye toward returning fully healthy.
