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Jeff Borzello
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ESPN Staff Writer- Insider yards of basketball.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Graduate of University of Delaware.
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Paul Biancardi
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Yards of basketball- National Director of Recruitment for ESPN.com
- 18 years coaching experience at Division I level
- Former Horizon League Coach of the Year at Wright State
Kennedy Chandler, the top-ranked point guard in the 2021 ESPN 100, committed to Tennessee on Friday, giving the Volunteers a five-star recruit for the third straight year.
Chandler, ranked No. 12 on the ESPN 100, chose Rick Barnes’ program over a definitive group that also included Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and Memphis.
“I want to go where the school felt it was at home,” Chandler told ESPN. “I was looking for a program that could help me develop and have a strong family atmosphere, and a coach where I could relate. Tennessee and Rick Barnes made me feel that way.”
It continues with a strong recruiting path for Barnes, who has landed six ESPN 100 prospects in the past four classes.
After Jarnell Stokes did not land a five-star recruit in 2011, Tennessee has now received such an award from Josiah James in 2019, Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson in 2020, and now Chandler.
“Coach Barnes is a funny boy and tells great stories,” Chandler said. “But he’s serious on the basketball court, and I like that about him. I need someone who will push me, and he’s someone I can relate to. He coached a point guard who is a national player. of the year was in TJ Ford, and he sees a TJ Ford in me. [Assistant] coach Kim English has recruited me hard, and we have also built a great relationship. “
Chandler is a 6-foot-1 point guard from Memphis, Tennessee, who will attend Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas) this year. He played 20 games for MoKan Elite at the Nike EYBL circuit in the spring and summer of 2019, averaging 15.1 points, 6.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds. Chandler followed that up with 22.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game for Briarcrest Christian (Tennessee) last season.
He is a fast and quick point guard who plays a downhill game. His style is to attack and try the defense. His rapid dribble of blow-by gets him into the paint on a regular basis, and he has added a float that will serve him well against the size of the SEC.
Chandler is special because he excels in the open floor, yet he understands how to perform in half court. He is also an adept distributor, delivers sharp passes, and can be defensively disruptive due to his fast hands and feet. The next step for Chandler is to expand his shooting range, especially of ball screens.
Chandler is the third highest-ranked recruit to choose Tennessee since the ESPN recruitment database began in 2007, after Tobias Harris (No. 6) in 2010 and Scotty Hopson (No. 9) in 2008.
Look for Barnes and the volunteers to stay in strong pursuit of elite frontcourt prospect Paolo Banchero (No. 3), who has a good relationship with Chandler. The two have talked about collaborating at the college level.
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