Tennessee football has received most of the attention in recent days, picking up heavy momentum on the recruiting trail.
Rick Barnes’ basketball program has also had that momentum for quite some time however, and it continued on Wednesday when highly-rated forward prospect Paolo Banchero announced Tennessee is still in the running to land him.
— Paolo (Paul-Oh)🇮🇹 (@Pp_doesit) April 29, 2020
Tennessee joins Gonzaga, Kentucky, Washington, Arizona and Duke in the running to sign the 5-star.
Banchero is a 6-foot-9, 235-pound Seattle native that rates as the No. 1 power forward prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, as well as the No. 4 prospect nationally per the 247Sports Composite.
A phenomenal rebounder for O’Dea High School, Banchero also has impressive vision for a forward, and can hit jumpers from anywhere on the floor. Barnes loves players with a high basketball IQ, and Banchero certainly fits the bill.
After landing the country’s fourth-ranked class in the 2020 cycle, Tennessee does not yet have a prospect committed to the 2021 recruiting class. Assistant coach Kim English is Banchero’s primary recruiter for UT.