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With or Without Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee Has ‘Win-Win’ Point Guard Scenario for Next Season

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Something had to change. Of that, BJ Edwards was certain, as he looked around Knoxville Catholic’s locker room last Friday night, his team

Jake Nichols

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Something had to change.

Of that, BJ Edwards was certain, as he looked around Knoxville Catholic’s locker room last Friday night, his team trailing McCallie by six.

Granted, the Irish’s first 16 minutes hadn’t been bad. But they also didn’t look as sharp as a 19-3 team with several Division I prospects should — even against a 7-foot-1 center.

“Of course I want to get my teammates the ball,” Edwards said. “But I felt like we weren’t hitting shots, so I had to take over.”

And, in the third quarter, Edwards did.

He drove the lane. He made layups. He drew fouls. He converted at the line. He rose for threes. He snagged steals. He led fast breaks.

He even kept his dribble after slipping, the eagerness of another potential slice into the paint giving way to a stumble at the top of the key, before firing to 2023 Tennessee target Blue Cain, who promptly drained a floater as part of a 16-point effort.

But Edwards, on this night, was the most unstoppable.

He finished with 32 points, almost half of which came on a 14-0 solo run in the third quarter, as a game-tying three gave way to several dominant possessions from the 2022 Vols commitment.

“I was hitting everything,” he said. “I was hot, they were feeding me the ball, and I feel like that motivated us and got us going.”

Stuffing Gamecocks and Bulldogs

Roughly 16 hours after Edwards sparked a 62-51 win and uttered that statement, his future teammate gave a similar effort — now a common sight — for Tennessee.

Zakai Zeigler hit back-to-back threes on Saturday at South Carolina, part of a 10-point run for the freshman from New York, and he finished with 18 points — all in the second half — to finish as the Vols’ second leading scorer on the day.

Kennedy Chandler, meanwhile, finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds against South Carolina.

The two freshmen flip-flopped against Mississippi State, as Chandler sparked the Vols with 18 points while Zeigler tallied 11 in a 72-63 win. 

Together, they have been electric on the floor.

But Chandler, even from UT’s exhibition matchup against Lenoir-Rhyne, has long been considered a “one-and-done.”

That sentiment has not changed lately, even though Chandler’s second-half scare against the Bulldogs — “I knew right away it was a cramp,” he said — turned out fine.

Still, the moment gave Tennessee fans a glimpse at what life could be like without the Memphis native — a loss that would be especially brutal this year given Olivier Nkamhoua’s season-ending ankle surgery.

Will that nervousness remain next year if Chandler leaves for good?

Maybe for some. But not for BJ Edwards. 

“Of course, the number one point guard,” said Edwards of Chandler. “If he stays (next year), he’ll help me as well. But if he goes, it’ll just be me and Zakai, so it’s a win-win.”

Why is Edwards so confident, even in discussing the potential loss of a lottery pick?

Because, for himself and Zeigler, Edwards knows their similarities can make a difference next season.

‘The same heart’

When Zeigler wasn’t scoring on South Carolina last Saturday, he was vomiting on the Tennessee bench.

At one point during Zeigler’s 10-run, he came over to the side, “spit-up” on Barnes’ shoes, then made his way to a trash can to continue the spillage.

“He came back and sat down," Rick Barnes said. “We said, ‘You okay?’ He said, ‘I’m good.’ Then he goes out and scores a basket. It was one of those days for him. In the second half, he really responded well.”

Those moments weren’t by accident, either.

Zeigler mentioned that his stomach had been hurting last week, both in practice and on Saturday. So, knowing what would ensue, Zeigler chugged some water in Columbia, and the rest happened accordingly.

“I drunk it and it just spit out,” Zeigler explained. “I was like, alright, that’s out of the way. Now we can go on to the next play.”

Such incredible heart (with an even better story behind it) is what has endeared Zeigler to so many Tennessee fans so far, and it helped him earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors this past Monday.

But it has also made a difference to Edwards, who has spent time signing autographs “like (he’s) already on the team now.”

“Zakai, his defense, his heart,” Edwards said. “I feel like I’ve got the same heart, so it’s only going to make us better next year. We’re going to push each other in practice.”

How it translates for next season

As Edwards mentioned, Chandler staying would be all the better for Tennessee.

But if he goes to the NBA, then Edwards reiterated that he and Zeigler can carry the load.

“It’s going to hit me real hard,” he said of the adjustment to college hoops. “(Zeigler and Chandler) said it’s nothing I can’t do, and if I stay working hard, I can make it.”

Combine that with Zeigler’s mentality, which has been a basketball version of Jauan Jennings’ approach to football, and the Vols’ point guard situation will be in confident hands going into next year.

But let’s not get too far into discussions of next season.

With a six-game conference win streak, a renewed mindset and plenty of basketball left to play, it appears this team still has lofty goals for this year, too.

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Jake Nichols
JAKE NICHOLS