The Vols sport four transfers entering 2024-25 season
Knoxville, Tenn — Faster, taller, more physical, and an increased ability to spread the floor. That’s how assistant coach Rod Clark describes this year’s Tennessee basketball team.
After a successful recruiting cycle, eight new faces take the court for the Vols. Amongst the newcomers are transfers Chaz Lanier, Igor Miličić Jr., Darlinstone Dubar, and Felix Okpara.
Their speed was immediately evident during Tuesday’s workout inside Pratt Pavilion, despite only being a couple of weeks into practice by late July.
“We have a lot of guys who shoot the ball, spread the floor. A lot of guys that make decisions off the bounce. I would say probably a couple more physical drivers. Got a lot of guys that can make plays with the ball in their hands as far as dribbling, passing, and shooting at a high level. So it’s a different dynamic, something different than what we’ve had here in the past,” said Clark.
Lanier forwent the NBA after feedback from the league and decided to come home to Tennessee over other programs like Kentucky, for his final year of eligibility.
The 6’4″ guard adds needed length and size for UT. Clark stated Lanier doesn’t even realize how good he can be. Which Clark joked is a good thing for them.
“He’s a skilled basketball player that [can] really shoot the ball. The thing that we’re trying to help him with is proving to us every day how much more you can do than shoot the ball,” said Clark. “He has really good pace and feel and ball screens. He’s a really, really good passer, something that I could see on film, we saw, but you don’t know until you’re in the gym with him every day.”
Then Croatia native, Miličić Jr., comes to Knoxville after seasons at Charlotte and Virginia.
While at Charlotte, the forward averaged 12.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 32.1 minutes per game, while shooting 48.7 percent on field goals, 37.6 percent from deep, and 81.8 percent at the line.
“Igor is different. When I talk about the guys that have changed the dynamic of our team, he’s probably one of the main guys that you think about,” said Clark.
Miličić Jr. paced the 49ers in rebounding, blocks, minutes, 3-point percentage, made 3-pointers (56) and free-throw percentage.
His production leads Clark to believe that coach Barnes hasn’t had a player like him in his system at Tennessee, especially regarding his shooting efficiency.
“I mean [Miličić Jr] could possibly shoot 38 [percent] plus from three. He [Barnes] hasn’t had that and coach to be the first one to say, “never had anything like that,” the things he can do with the ball,” said Clark.
“Coach had him running point for a little bit yesterday in practice, and actually looked good. We’ve tried some different things with him, and he’s met the challenge. He’s really competitive. He plays really, really hard. His dad is a high-level coach over in Europe and his dad called the other day and said, “Igor said this is the hardest thing he’s ever done. And it’s the most fun in basketball he’s ever had,'” said Clark.
Clark continued to emphasize during the media availability that the team is practicing under an uptempo offense and Miličić Jr. has responded well to that pace.
“He’s come into practice and elevated practice completely,” said Clark.
With the addition of Okpara, the 6’1″ forward provides this team with a physical and aggressive style of play.
Transferring from Ohio State, the junior seamlessly transitioned to the team and has paired well with Zakai Zeigler.
“If I’m being completely honest, watching them play together you think they played together for years. I think that they are probably the perfect complement to each other. And I think we said that as a staff when we first got Felix, that he was going to be a welcomed addition here. Because of his vertical ability of going up and catching lobs, and Zakai being a guy that’s grown that part of his game while he’s been in college. It’s kind of like a safety valve for him.”
Clark highlighted the chemistry and reliability between Zeigler and Okpara during a sequence from Monday’s workout.
“There was a switch that happened late in practice where Zakai had a big switch onto him and Felix had a guard switch. They were on offense. Zakai, it was kind of late in the shock, and he kind of just threw the ball up to the rim. And Felix just kind of jumped up and got it and scored it over the top,” said Clark.
“I told Zakai, “Great, that’s what you should do. Great job.” He was like, “I don’t even know where he was, I just kind of threw the ball up.” I think that’s the benefit of having somebody like Felix, and that’s the kind of dynamic that he changes with us.”
Then Darlinstone Dubar rounds out the group of transfers, who despite being a man of few words makes quite the statement on the court.
The coaching staff’s main question was where Dubar would fit best into the system. Clark believes he’s developed well since arriving on campus and part of that is due to his attitude and approach.
Characteristics that led to a stand-out season at Hofstra, where the guard averaged 17.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, finishing with a 53.9 percent field-goal clip, a 39.9 3-point percentage, and a 73.4 percent free-throw ledger.
“We had a time in practice where coach [Rick Barnes] challenged him. And he probably dominated practice from then on. So he shows a really strong competitive nature that he has. I think a winning formula that kind of comes from his pedigree that he’s already brought with him that’s definitely going to be welcomed here,” said Clark.
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