KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee men's basketball fans will be treated to another season of Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi after the star duo withdrew from the NBA Draft in favor of one more year with the Vols.
Vescovi and James' expected contributions to this year's team will likely take the Vols into the season with high expectations, and the pair is excited to be back together to run it back for one more year.
"[Vescovi] is my right-hand man, it's been great," James said. "He was the first person I texted, besides coach, when I made my decision to come back and he was ecstatic. The last four years have been great for us and our relationship. We have to be on our 'A-game,' but I'm excited that I get to go through this journey with him."
"[James] is a guy that I love, he's my brother. We understand each other on the court and off the court," Vescovi said. "I think it's going to be a really fun year playing alongside Josiah and all the other guys and I'm excited to see what the future has for us."
When the two announced they were coming back during the spring, some of their teammates didn't believe it at first.
"I thought they were lying," said Zakai Zeigler, a junior guard. "A few hours later we hung out in the locker room and I was like, 'Man, it's going to be a good year.'"
Their skills on the court have been proven and Vescovi is coming off a season that earned him a second-straight First Team All-SEC nod, so Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is hoping the duo can prove themselves in other facets of the game.
"I said, 'You're going to be judged more than ever on your leadership and what you do to help the young guys,'" Barnes said.
Tennessee will open its season on Nov. 6 hosting Tennessee Tech. The Vols will play a pair of exhibition contests on the road at Michigan State and home against Lenoir-Rhyne on Oct. 29 and Oct. 31.
