Tennessee Basketball: What the Vols offer Kerry Blackshear

Kerry Blackshear has announced his top three schools and Tennessee is one of those three schools along with Kentucky and Texas A&M.

Kerry Blackshear visited Tennessee over the weekend during his final round of visits before he makes his final decision. Blackshear was reportedly blown away with Tennessee and enjoyed his time on campus and with coach Rick Barnes.

Tennessee was one of eight schools on Blackshear’s initial list. The Vols joined Kentucky, Texas A&M, Florida, Arkansas, Michigan State, Gonzaga, and Memphis.

Since then, he has narrowed his list down to three. The Vols are now competing with Kentucky and Texas A&M.

Texas A&M is an interesting choice, but if he wants to team back up with his coach at Virginia Tech Buzz Williams, then that would be the move. Blackshear would be able to get his shots he wants and pad his stats, but he probably won’t be doing much winning in College Station.

Kentucky may be the biggest threat to the Vols. We all know what John Calipari and Kentucky have to offer. They have the best of everything, including one of the best college basketball coaches of all-time.

They also offer the national spotlight week in week out along with the opportunity to contend for a National Championship. If winning is his biggest motive, then this could sway his opinion.

Tennessee offers a little bit of everything that Texas A&M and Kentucky offers. Blackshear could get his shots and his stats that he would play at A&M while also winning and competing as he would at Kentucky.

Tennessee also is the only school Blackshear brought his parents with him. That seems like it is a big deal. Maybe he felt like he needed his parents to be sold on Tennessee as well to help make his decision.

There is a problem, though. Tennessee’s roster is full, so they will have to make a roster spot available which means taking a player off scholarship.

That might not be an issue for the Vols, but it could be something that scares Blackshear away. He could see it as Coach Barnes taking a kid’s scholarship away, and that could show he’s not a player’s coach.

Blackshear might be one of the best grad transfers that hit the market this year, so if the Vols can bring him to Knoxville, it would be a massive win for the program.

It’s all a matter of what Blackshear wants, though. Each program offers something a little different, so it all depends on what his motives are in his final season in college basketball.