INDIANAPOLIS – When the final buzzer sounded in No. 3 Tennessee’s 76-68 loss to No. 11 Michigan Saturday evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, one thought was on everybody’s mind.
What will Kennedy Chandler do next year?
The All-SEC freshman has a significant decision looming in front of him. Chandler has the choice to return to Tennessee next season and build off the success from 2022, or – the most likely of his options – declare for the NBA Draft and soak up the benefits – that is, a professional contract.
The question inevitably came up during Tennessee’s postgame press conference Saturday evening. Before Chandler could answer, his teammate cut him off.
“With all due respect,” Josiah-Jordan James said, “he won’t be answering any questions about his future today.”
Chandler kept his head down as the question was asked. He did not look up once, and he made no attempt to answer himself. After a disappoint end to a promising season, Chandler was overcome with emotion.
“You probably saw his emotion,” Barnes said. “It was much more than that in the locker room, because this is a group of guys that are extremely close. They really have bonded in a way that doesn’t often happen anymore.”
Immediately following the loss in which he led the Vols in scoring with 19 points, Chandler broke down into tears on the court. He could not help himself. Everything the Vols had worked for since November – their first SEC Tournament championship since 1979, a berth to the NCAA Tournament, 16 wins over their last 18 games – had all come to a screeching halt.
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard came up to the sobbing Chandler and embraced him.
Howard developed a relationship with Chandler when he played on the same AAU basketball team as Jett Howard, Juwan Howard’s son.
Howard remembered those years he had known Chandler, and he wanted to encourage him after a heart-breaking end to the season.
“Just watching his growth, I’ve always been impressed,” Howard said. “We recruited him, unfortunately, we wasn’t that lucky, but to see the output, the effort, the growth and being able to produce like that on the floor and how he led his team in a special way. I gave him words of encouragement. It shows his emotion, that he cares. As coaches, you appreciate that.”
As shown by his emotions, Chandler wanted to win with the Vols above anything else. He never once made the season about himself – something a prospect of his caliber easily could have done. He was as committed to the Vols’ success – instead of his own – as anyone else on the team.
“He never, ever made it about him,” Barnes said. “I don’t think he ever walked in acting like I’m a one and done player. I don’t think that at all. He came in wanting to win.”
Chandler did comment on his future following the Vols’ regular-season finale win against Arkansas, though he was non-committal at that time, deferring to the end of tournament play.
“I don’t want to think about it right now,” Chandler said at the time. “I want to get better every single day in practice, get ready for the SEC Tournament next week, get ready for March Madness and continue to get wins. That’s a decision I’ll make whenever the season’s over.”
Tennessee’s season is over now and Chandler will have to make a decision before long. Those decision have become increasingly common in college basketball, and Barnes believes Chandler’s growth over the season is an indicator he is ready for the next step.
“You’ve got to grow, not just offensively,” Barnes said. “You’re going to have to learn to guard the basketball and learn how to guard ball screen coverage and all that, and it took him a little bit longer from that angle, but once he decided to – and, again, locked into it, he did.”
“He started working at it. But I go back I think Santi (Vescovi) and Zakai (Zeigler) and Josiah (James) had a lot to do with him growing the way he did.”
