How Cade Phillips Factors Into Tennessee's Long-Term Plans

Tennessee Volunteers 2023 signees J.P. Estrella and Cameron Carr are catching a lot of hype. But what about the third freshman in the Vols' 2023 class?

Cade Phillips is a part of Tennessee's 2023 basketball recruiting class. He is a three-star who played for Link Academy in Branson, Missouri and was teammates with fellow Tennessee freshman Cameron Carr. At 6'9", Phillips looks to be a post player the Vols can look for in the future. A scouting report on 247Sports details how he is "very aggressive down low around the rim" and "is a great board-getter who is light on his feet." His athletic play style makes him a very intriguing prospect on Rocky Top's frontcourt.

Phillips is a lot like Awaka because of his aggression around the cylinder area. This can help him get rebounds over bigger guys, leading to tip-in second-chance points. At first glance, the Tennessee frontcourt has great potential throughout the roster. But, the downside to this is that they are very young in that part of the floor. On a guard-heavy team, the Vols' lone old player down low is Jonas Aidoo, a junior. The remaining other returner is Tobe Awaka, who is a younger sophomore. Then, Phillips and fellow freshman J.P. Estrella are Tennessee's bench depth in the big man positions.

Granted, the Volunteers have bigger guards like Freddie Dilione (6'5") and Dalton Knecht (6'6"). This could help them create some height to defend down low. But it is reasonable to believe that Phillips will come off the bench to fill in for playing time when Aidoo and Awaka are on the bench. It is possible to see Estrella play alongside Phillips since those two will have lots of chemistry for years into the future. Either way, Vol fans will see Phillips on the floor in some facet this season. 

3-star Tennessee F Cade Phillips dunking for Link Academy on January 13th, 2023, in Springfield, Missouri. (Photo by Greta Cross of the Springfield News-Leader)

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