True Freshman Set for First Career Start With Tennessee Basketball vs. Louisville

This Tennessee basketball true freshman is set to make his first career start with the Tennessee Vols.

Tennessee forward DeWayne Brown II (6) during Tennessee basketball's media day and practice held at Pratt Pavilion on Oct. 9, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers are set for their return game after over a week-long absence. They dropped their games two weeks ago when they were defeated by Illinois and Syracuse, which dropped them to 20th in the newest rankings.

The Vols have seen some injuries this season, including an injury, which is season-ending injury. That player is Cade Phillips, who was a huge role player with the Vols a season ago, and is currently slated as a starter for the Vols.

"We will sincerely miss having Cade on the court, and he is certainly disappointed he won't be able to play the rest of the season, but it is essential that he gets healthy. Cade did all he could to play through this injury as long as he could. We love Cade, and we'll do everything we can to support him. We know Cade will continue to help us this year, even from the sideline, because that is the type of person and teammate he is," said Rick Barnes when discussing the injury.

DeWayne Brown to Start For Tennessee

Tennessee's DeWayne Brown II at basketball practice on July 14, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This forces the Vols to slide a new starter into the lineup. That starter will be a true freshman, and this will be his first start in his college career. The Vols will be sliding DeWayne Brown in as a starter. So far this season, the talented prospect has been averaging just a little over 13 minutes per game, but he has been averaging 5.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. On top of that, he has been shooting nearly 68% from the field (which is one of the better shooting percentages for someone who plays those minutes.

Brown is a guy who was on top of the class in the state of Alabama, but from a national standpoint he was a four-star prospect. It is easy to view someone like Brown as a guy with many traits. Many believe he is a defensive star, but his offensive traits have really shined through his minutes.

He will likely play the four, and if that's the case he will be tagged with Felix Okpara, who is one of the best defensive centers in the country. He is also someone who has developed in the scoring department as a whole. This includes his newly added weapon, which is his three point shot that he has been working on all off-season.

This game will confirm a lot about Brown, but there is a great chance that he will knock it out the park.

---