Tennessee basketball will be without freshman guard Clarence Massamba for Wednesday night’s SEC road matchup against Mississippi State. The Vols listed Massamba on the league’s availability report Tuesday night, citing a right hip injury that will keep him sidelined.
Massamba’s absence won’t shake up Tennessee’s rotation in a major way-at least not yet. The freshman has seen limited action this season, appearing in just nine games and logging an average of 4.3 minutes per contest.
He’s scored four points total, hitting 1-of-7 from beyond the arc and going 1-for-2 at the free throw line. Notably, he hasn’t attempted a shot inside the arc all year.
His lone SEC appearance came in the closing moments of Tennessee’s 84-66 win over Ole Miss on February 3, where he played just over a minute in garbage time.
But while his on-court contributions have been minimal so far, Massamba’s long-term potential is still something to watch. The 6-foot-6 guard came to Knoxville with a solid résumé.
Originally from Paris, France, he played for AS Monaco’s U21 team in the 2024-25 season, competing in France’s top-tier LNB Pro A league and the EuroLeague. There, he averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 44.6% from the field and 34.1% from deep.
Before his stint in Europe, Massamba spent two years at The Rock School in Gainesville, Florida, where he helped lead the Lions to a state title. During the 2023-24 season, he averaged 13 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, shooting an efficient 53% from the floor and an impressive 42% from three.
While Massamba continues to develop and now works through this hip injury, the Vols are also adjusting to the confirmed season-ending loss of junior forward Cade Phillips. Tennessee announced back in December that Phillips would undergo surgery on his left shoulder-an injury that had been lingering since last season and flared up again over the summer.
Phillips, who started nine of Tennessee’s first ten games this season, had been playing through the pain with a protective sleeve on his left arm. Despite the injury, he still managed to average 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in just under 17 minutes per game.
He shot an efficient 65.4% from the field, though his free throw numbers (4-of-13) reflected the limitations caused by the shoulder issue. His 18 offensive boards tied for third-most on the team, and his 11 blocks were second only to center Felix Okpara.
In a statement shared via Instagram, Phillips expressed the difficulty of the decision but emphasized that it was the best path forward: “I pride myself in giving my all for Tennessee not just during games, but every single day. I battled through this injury as much as possible, but it reached a point where surgery is needed.”
Head coach Rick Barnes echoed that sentiment in a team release, praising Phillips’ toughness and commitment. “Cade did all he could to play through this injury as long as he could.
We love Cade and we'll do everything we can to support him. We know Cade will continue to help us this year, even from the sideline, because that is the type of person and teammate he is.”
As the Vols prepare for a tough road test against Mississippi State-tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2-they’ll do so without two of their scholarship players. While Phillips’ absence has already forced the coaching staff to make rotational adjustments, Massamba’s injury is more of a developmental setback for a freshman still learning the ropes of high-major college basketball.
Still, it’s another reminder of how quickly depth can be tested in the grind of SEC play. For Tennessee, staying healthy and getting contributions from the next man up will be key as they push toward March.