Rick Barnes admitted on Thursday when he met with the media that he was surprised by Jonas Aidoo’s decision to enter the transfer portal.
Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes admitted on Thursday that he was surprised by Jonas Aidoo’s decision to enter the transfer portal. Aidoo announced his intentions to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft on April 11, while also entering his name in the portal following three seasons with the Vols.
“Yeah,” Barnes told the media when asked if he was surprised. “Because he had told everybody he was fine.”
Aidoo has drawn interest from the likes of North Carolina, Baylor, Alabama, Arkansas and others. He’s already visited with North Carolina since his decision, and is reportedly set to visit Baylor this weekend.
“We have guys that literally tell us, hey, they love it, they’re here,” Barnes added when asked about how difficult it is to build a program and culture in the transfer portal era. “Then they come in a day later and they’ve talked to someone else and they’re gone.
“We’ve got a wonderful thing going here. This is a great opportunity for a lot of people. And I can tell you, our phone rings off the hook because people want to be a part of this. I just got a text from one of my former players, said a guy that just put his name in (the transfer portal) said he wants to talk to you guys.”
Aidoo earned All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Defense Team honors this season with the Vols. He was the team’s leading-rebounder (7.6 rpg) and second-leading scorer (12.1 ppg) during the regular season while his 60 blocks and 1.94 blocks per game both ranked third in the SEC. Aidoo’s 54.7 shooting percentage during conference play ranked second in the league, while his 8.28 rebounds per contest ranked second. His 3.33 offensive rebounds were tied for third.
The Durham, N.C. native finished his sophomore season in 2022-23 tied for fourth in the SEC at 1.4 blocks per game during SEC play and was Tennessee’s top offensive rebounder on the season (1.8 orpg), as he appeared in 35 games with nine starts. Aidoo posted season averages of 5.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and a team-best 1.3 blocks. He was the first Vol off the bench a team-high 19 times, led the Vols in blocks 21 times and rebounding eight times, while his 21 dunks were second-most on the team.
Aidoo averaged averaged 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game while making 19 appearances off the bench as a true freshman during the 2021-22 season.
The 6-foot-11 forward graduated from Durham Voyager Academy in 2020 and spent a prep year at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, in 2020-21. He averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks while shooting 68 percent in his lone season at Liberty Heights.
Aidoo signed with Tennessee as a four-star prospect in the class of 2021 after decommitting from Marquette. He was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 47 overall player in the country and the top overall player in the Tar Heel State.
Aidoo is one of four players Tennessee has had enter their name into the transfer portal this offseason. Redshirt-freshman guards Freddie Dilione V and DJ Jefferson did so as well, along with sophomore forward Tobe Awaka.
