Today is a big day for Tennessee basketball as they got a commitment from the highest rated uncommitted player left in the country for 2022 in small forward Julian Phillips.
The South Carolina native is ranked as the 12th best player in his class in the nation and 4th at small forward according to 24/7 Sports.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Julian Phillips is a Vol! pic.twitter.com/41zCZJN7gj
— Austin Price (@AustinPriceless) May 12, 2022
On why he ended up choosing Tennessee, Phillips said on CBS Sports HQ, “I picked Tennessee because I have a great relationship with coach Barnes, coach Gainey, and the rest of that staff. I took my visit down there a few months ago and the campus and everything looked beautiful and it’s a system that I can do well in next year. So that’s why I chose them.”
He also spoke very highly of head coach Rick Barnes.
“Rick Barnes, he has a history with great wings. He’s a great coach. Tennessee won the SEC Championship last year so they’re a hot team right now. And then coach Barnes is just a great guy overall. I have a great relationship with him. He talks to me about a lot of things. Basketball, but non-basketball related like our faith in Jesus Christ and things like that. He’s a great guy and I would be happy to play for him.”
There were a lot of teams competing for Phillips’ recruitment including, Auburn, Florida State, South Carolina, USC, G League Ignite, and Overtime Elite.
The young man is 6’8 and is said to have strong ball-handling skills as well as being a capable shooter.
With the commitment, it’ll be the fourth consecutive cycle that Barnes and Tennessee have landed a five-star prospect. Phillips joins Josiah Jordan-James, Keon Johnson, Jaden Springer, Kennedy Chandler, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield as five-star recruits that have signed with UT with Barnes at the helm.
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