Through the transfer portal, the Tennessee Vols have seen players come and go this week. On Monday night, another departing athlete found his new basketball home.
A brilliant forward will play for the Missouri Tigers in the upcoming season, according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.
After going down I-40 from Vanderbilt the previous season, Carey was an inconsistent player for Tennessee last season. Last season, he averaged 7.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for Tennessee.
Even though Carey and DeWayne Brown II provided the Vols with a strong, muscular presence among their forwards last season—a tandem that Auburn head coach Steven Pearl referred to as “defensive ends”—it might not come as a huge surprise that Carey is leaving. After all, Carey was the player Rick Barnes was the hardest on this season, according to Barnes.
But Missouri is undoubtedly an…interesting place. The transfer portal is definitely driven by NIL. I won’t dispute that. Additionally, the Tigers defeated the Vols in the regular season and qualified for the tournament this year.
But in terms of programs, moving from Tennessee to Missouri doesn’t seem like a positive move, even when players like JP Estrella gone on to a school like Michigan. NIL once more, and Carey is now moving on to his fourth program.
However, you wonder what would have happened if he and Brown had been able to keep Tennessee’s physical presence in the paint and on the glass for an additional year.
