Breaking: Vols Land 2023 Standout PF Cade Phillips
Tennessee basketball has landed another recruit with the commitment of 2023 four-star big man Cade Phillips out of Alabama, Joe Tipton of On3 reports.
Phillips announced his commitment at Jacksonville High School, choosing the Volunteers over Auburn, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Georgia.
Phillips received an offer from Tennessee when taking his official visit to Rocky Top last November. Tennessee is the only school Phillips took an official visit.
Phillips, a member of the Class 4A First-Team All-State Roster, as voted by the Alabama Sports Writers Association, serves as a 6’9”, 200-pound addition to the post for Rick Barnes’ squad. Per 247 sports' composite rankings, Phillips is ranked as a four-star recruit and 78th nationally, the 14th best power forward in his class and the top power forward out of Alabama. Per On3's ratings, Phillips is also a four-star recruit, the best in his position from Alabama and the 16th best power forward in his class
247 Sports’ recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins’ analysis on Phillips is below.
“Phillips is a prospect who I find very intriguing because he plays a style of basketball that I find extremely exciting and translatable. Phillips is notably a ferocious player around the basket. He gets off the floor extremely well and utilizes his great length to extend and play above the rim with malicious intent. He has great athleticism and always is aggressive in trying to tip dunk offensive rebounds. With him being light on his feet, he runs the floor hard and extremely well and his bouncy athleticism allows for him to be all over the rim at any given chance. Phillips still has ways to go in terms of developing his offensive skillset, but he is one of the best there is in the 2023 national class with his basket protection and rim-running game.”
The Rainbow City, Alabama, native marks the second big man the Vols have landed in the 2023 class, joining New York product Tobe Awaka.
College athletics are in Phillips’ family, as Cade’s father is John David Phillips, a former quarterback for Alabama. His uncle, Brodie Croyle, was an Alabama and NFL quarterback, and Phillips' grandfather played for Alabama when Bear Bryant was at the helm. Phillips' mother, Reagan Phillips, played basketball at Alabama.
Phillips' impact figures to be significant for Tennessee right away, and his impact on the Jacksonville High School Golden Eagles is clear, as Phillips helped lead Jacksonville to their first state title in program history this past season.
After losing multiple scholarship players for the upcoming fall, Barnes and the rest of the Tennessee Basketball staff has done well to bolster up the 2022 class with additions of five-star Julian Phillips, D.J. Jefferson and B.J. Edwards, along with transfer Tyreke Key. And looking forward to the ‘23 class, the Vols now have one major addition with Phillips to pair with Awaka, although Awaka could re-classify to the 2022 class.
Highlights from Phillips in high school can be found here.
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Cover Photo courtesy Mickey Welsh
