Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Volunteers are coming back next college basketball season with all of their starters returning, and the team is expected to be Kentucky and Florida’s main challenger at the top of the SEC.
Well, at least they were until star point guard Trae Golden announced he would be transferring out of Tennessee. This comes as a shock because he has been so important and seemingly content with the Volunteers.
Golden averaged 12 points and four assists per game in a down season for him. He struggled in the latter half of the season, but the Volunteers still played respectably in a down year for the SEC. He was expected to be one of the premier point guards in the SEC in the 2013-2014 season.
According to reports, Golden may have virtually been forced out of Tennessee because of “academic issues.”
The Volunteers have an extremely talented recruiting class coming in next season and have already cut incoming recruit Travon Landry because of scholarship constraints. If Golden was forced out of Tennessee, the Vols will have to find a way to replace his production.
Whichever team in the NCAA that gets Golden will get an outstanding athlete and point guard who is fully committed to his school and his team. It’s a shame that he will not be starting for the Volunteers next season. Good luck to Golden and his career, wherever he ends up playing in the future.
