Kennedy Chandler succinctly described his participation in the school Friday in a video posted on Twitter from SportsCenter.
The country’s number one leader will continue to make up his Memphis team, but will play for the state of Tennessee, his home. Chandler entered the flights, proceeding to a methetric recruiting career for Rick Barnes.
“Coach Rick Barnes, I’ve been recruiting since they knew who I was, from day one,” Chandler told Paul Biancardi of ESPN on Instagram Live. “Coach Kim English and I was recruited hard. On my official scale, I felt at home. This was my first official stopover on and I enjoyed it.
Chandler, a five-star prospect and the eleventh general rookie at the 247Sports Composite, chose flights in Duke, Kentucky, Memphis and North Carolina. He said he was looking to play for a program where “culture is undeniable” and where “the hardness and ethics of painting are a requirement of the program.”
Chandler, 6 feet 1 inches 165 pounds, is the player rated to dedicate himself to flights in Barnes’ tenure and the third in the program’s history, according to the all-time rating of 247Sports.
“Rick Barnes is a wonderful coach,” Chandler said. “Someday he’ll be a Hall of Fame coach. It tells the stories of the game makers who trained in Texas as DJ Augustine and TJ Ford and them. He said he could be the next TJ Ford and I can’t wait for him to work out.
Chandler’s engagement made three direct categories for Tennessee in which a five-star escort established a new Barnes recruiting point.
He leads Jaden Springer, who is the 16th rookie in 2020, after Springer beat Josiah-Jordan James, the country’s 22rd in 2019, as the top-ranked Barnes. Keon Johnson, prospect 19 in 2020, also committed to Tennessee.
Good luck with recruitment followed some of the most productive seasons in Tennessee basketball history. The flights earned a percentage of the SEC name in 2017-18 and ranked No. 1 for 4 weeks in the 2018-19 season.
Chandler expects even more career victories at UT.
“I’m ahead of winning and going to the Final Four, winning the national championship and bringing power and excitement to The Thompson-Boling Arena,” Chandler said.
Chandler is Tennessee’s first class in 2021, and has named elite aspiring applicants hoping to take Knoxville with him.
“I’m going to bring Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Jahmai Mashack,” Chandler said.
Banchero and Smith are forward five stars in the 2021 category. Banchero, from Seattle O’Dea, is number 3. Smith, who plays in Tyrone, Georgia, Sandy Creek, is the fourth rookie. Mashack is a four-star shooter from Rancho Cucamonga, California, which featured Tennessee on June 30.
Chandler became an officer in Tennessee in October when Banchero also made an officer.
Chandler played his first 3 years of best school basketball at Briarcrest Christian in Memphis before moving to the Wichita (Kansas) Sunrise Christian Academy for his final season.
Mike Wilson covers athletics at the University of Tennessee. Email [email protected] and stay with him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, a virtual subscription that will give you access to all of this.