The Tennessee basketball team welcomes a new coach, new coaching staff and eight new players coming into the 2014-15 season.
One of those new faces is Kevin Punter.
Being a junior college transfer, expectations are high for the 6-foot-4 guard, who played at State Fair Community College in Missouri where he averaged 20.3 points (57.1 FG) and 4.6 rebounds per game last season.
Although he originally pledged his services to the Missouri Tigers, Punter reopened his recruitment when Frank Haith left to coach Tulsa.
That’s when Donnie Tyndall came calling.
Tyndall first recruited Punter out of high school while coaching at Morehead State, establishing a bond long before Punter’s recruitment to Tennessee.
Throughout his career, Punter has played and spoken to numerous coaches. But, when asked how Tyndall compares to those coaches, Punter said, “I wouldn’t compare him to nobody.” After a Rocky Top League game, Punter called Tyndall “a great guy” who “wants to win.”
Tyndall made enough of an impression on Punter that he remembered him years later when it was time to leave State Fair.
“When I heard he got the job offer, I already knew who he was and what he brought to the table,” Punter said. “He played a major role in persuading me.”
Since coming to Knoxville, Punter has joined his teammates in the Rocky Top League, an exhibition league full of current and former Vols who come together to play a month’s worth of pick-up games to entertain fans during the offseason.
He has showcased his scoring ability and his knack for highlight-reel plays in the league, averaging 40 points per game, which leads all scorers. Last Wednesday, he scored a RTL summer-high of 54 points.
“Scoring is not going to be a problem,” junior guard Armani Moore said. “He has game. He plays with a lot of confidence and isn’t scared to take any shot.”
At State Fair, the Bronx native was primarily used as a volume scorer, asked only to shoot and create his own shot. But here, his role remains uncertain.
While the Vols welcome his penchant for scoring, they desperately require a point guard who can create and orchestrate opportunities for the team. And Punter seems up to the challenge.
“I feel like I can play multiple (positions); whatever coach needs me to play,” Punter said. “If he needs me to play the one a little bit, pass the ball, I can do that. If he needs me to be a scorer, I can do that. I can do multiple things.”
Punter’s value cannot be understated; his mix of athleticism, versatility and experience are a major asset to a team that lost over 75 percent of its scoring, 71 percent of its rebounding and 79 percent of its assists last season.
Aside from four returning players on the roster, Punter will likely prove himself a leader for this young team.
“Chemistry is going to come,” Punter said. “That’s something you can’t rush, can’t force upon a team.”
Nathanael Rutherford can be followed on Twitter at @Mr_Rutherford.
