7 Best Tennessee Volunteers Basketball Players, Ranked

With more than 1,700 wins and 1,000 losses in program history, the Tennessee Volunteers have never made it past the Elite Eight, which came in 2010. 

Beyond the Elite Eight appearance, they’ve made it to the Sweet Sixteen nine times along with 25 NCAA Tournament appearances, making them a popular college basketball betting option those seasons. 

Of their 25 appearances, 14 have come since 2000. 

Their current head coach is Rick Barnes, who’s in his eighth season. 

While the Volunteers haven’t made the Final Four, that doesn’t diminish the team’s star power throughout the decades. 

Below is my list of the top seven players in program history. 

Best Tennessee Basketball Players of All Time

1. Bernard King

Over three seasons with the Vols, King averaged 25.8 points and 13.2 rebounds per game. He never averaged less than 25.2 points in a season and had a career average of 59% shooting from the floor. 

He was a two-time All-American, three-time All-SEC, and three-time SEC Player of the Year. The team retired his No. 53. 

2. Dale Ellis

After starting just six of 27 games as a freshman, Ellis averaged at least 17.7 points in each of his remaining three seasons. 

In his senior season, Ellis averaged 22.6 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. 

In addition to his No. 14 being retired by the team, he was a two-time SEC Player of the Year and received first-team and second-team All-American honours. 

3. Allan Houston

Houston created an impact at Tennessee the second he stepped foot on campus. He played 128 games for the team and started all of them, including all 30 as a freshman. He never averaged less than 20.3 points in a season. 

Across four seasons, he averaged 21.9 points, four rebounds, 3.6 assists, and one steal per game. He was a four-time All-SEC Player, an SEC Tournament MVP, and made the SEC All-Freshman squad. 

His No. 20 was retired. 

4. Chris Lofton

Coming in at No. 4 on my list is Lofton, who is the most recent Volunteers player on the list, breaking into the program in 2004. 

He also started 128 of 128 games and averaged 13.2 points per game as a freshman and 20.8 as a junior. 

His overall average with the Vols was 16.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. 

He was a three-time All-SEC player, two-time All-American, and the 2006-07 SEC Player of the Year. 

5. Grant Williams

Williams played three seasons for the Volunteers and averaged 15.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. 

As a junior, before leaving for the NBA, he averaged 18.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 56.4% from the floor. 

He was a member of the SEC All-Freshman team, an All-American, a two-time All-SEC, and a three-time SEC Player of the Year. 

6. Ernie Grunfeld

Rewinding the clock, there’s Grunfeld, who played alongside King for all but his freshman season. Together, they were dubbed the “Ernie and Bernie Show,” and rightfully so. 

The Ernie and Bernie Show were University of Tennessee basketball players Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King, who were one of the most potent combinations in the mid 70s hoops. They led the Volunteers to an SEC title and NCAA Tournament in 1977. Afterwards both starred in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/Hw5v1lZbYc

— Pop Culture Plane Crash (@PopCulturePlane) October 12, 2022

Grunfeld averaged 22.3 points per game over four seasons and averaged 6.6 rebounds. He shot over 50% from the floor. 

He was All-SEC every season, the 1976-77 SEC Player of the Year, and an All-American. 

7. Admiral Schofield

Coming in last on my list here, I wanted to give a nod to Schofield. He was a second-round NBA draft pick but played vital roles for the Volunteers as a junior and senior. 

Schofield averaged 16.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and two assists per game as a senior. He also shot 47.4% from the floor and 41.8% from beyond the arc while attempting nearly five shots from deep per game. 

He had 11 20+ points performances, including a 30-point outburst against Gonzaga on December 9, 2018. 

He was an AP Honorable Mention All-American and made first and second-team All-SEC in 2019 and 2018, respectively.