Report: Santiago Vescovi to Return to Tennessee for Senior Season

After entering the NBA Draft process while keeping his collegiate eligibility following the Vols’ 2021-2022 season, Vols' guard Santiago Vescovi is reportedly expected to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Tennessee for his senior season.

The report comes from On3’s Jeff Goodman (see below).

Approximately an hour later, Santiago Vescovi took to Instagram to confirm that he will be a Vol in the 2022-2023 season, with the caption "Run it back Turbo..."

Vescovi's confirmation then sparked Tennessee Basketball Twitter to react to the positive news. 

Vescovi’s return to Tennessee is huge for the BasketVols, as Vescovi serves as an excellent and experienced backcourt option for Tennessee that just put together a career year in his junior season.

Vescovi's efforts in his third year in Orange and White earned him a spot on the All-SEC Coaches First Team Roster and the 2022 SEC All-Tournament Team. In Tennessee's SECT Championship run, Vescovi was crucial in the Vols' first tourney title in 43 years. In the Vols' NCAA Tournament opener against Longwood, Vescovi drilled six three-pointers, an NCAA Tournament program record. 

In the Montevideo, Uruguay, native's junior year, the 6'3" guard made 102 total 3-pointers—the fourth-most made threes by a Vol in a single season. Vescovi joins VFL great Chris Lofton as the only other Vol to make triple digit threes in a season. 

Vescovi is the second Vol to withdraw from the NBA Draft and come back to Tennessee for his senior year, as Josiah-Jordan James made the same decision last week. 

With Vescovi returning to Tennessee, the roster outlook for Vols basketball is booming for the upcoming season, as Vescovi and James’ returns join additions of five-star PF Julian Phillips, four-star wing D.J. Jefferson, transfer Tyreke Key and freshman guard B.J. Edwards. 

Below is Tennessee's basketball roster as of right now. Rick Barnes and the Vols still have two scholarship spots to fill for the upcoming season, unless 2023 big man Tobe Awaka reclassifies.

So. G Zakai Zeigler

Fr. G B.J. Edwards

Super-Sr. Guard Tyreke Key (transfer)

Sr. G Santiago Vescovi

So. G Jahmai Mashack

Jr. G Kent Gilbert

Sr. G Isaiah Sulack

Sr. Wing Josiah-Jordan James

Fr. Wing D.J. Jefferson

Fr. PF Julian Phillips

Sr. PF Olivier Nkamhoua

So. F/C Jonas Aidoo

Sr. C Uros Plavsic

Kennedy Chandler is now officially the lone Vol that will be in the NBA Draft.