Tennessee is still in the mix for one of the top point guards in the 2027 class.
On Wednesday, four-star guard Antonio Pemberton trimmed his list to eight schools, and the Vols made the cut alongside Michigan State, Kansas, UCLA, Boston College, Creighton, Ohio State and Marquette, according to Joe Tipton.
Pemberton’s list also came with a long group of programs that had offered but did not survive the cut, including Utah, Alabama, Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Washington and more.
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound guard is rated the No. 33 prospect in the country in the 2027 class by 247. He checks in as the No. 8 point guard in the cycle and the No. 1 player in Massachusetts. Pemberton is from Hanover, where he plays for The Master’s Academy International.
“Pemberton is a scoring guard and tough shot-maker who averaged 24 points per game in the 3SSB season,” 247 director of scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote this month. “While he also put up 4.3 assists, he plays with a distinct scoring mentality that requires a significant amount of freedom and volume. He lacks ideal size and length, but has nonetheless proven to be one of the only players in high school basketball capable of putting his team on his back and carrying them to wins, as he proved by leading the Mass Rivals to the finals of the 3SSB Summer Championships…”
Tennessee has not landed a commitment in the 2027 class yet, but Rick Barnes and his staff are building out a board loaded with high-end targets. Visits are being arranged as the Vols continue to reload after a strong offseason in the portal.
Barnes also has a track record of developing smaller lead guards, with past standouts including Zakai Zeigler, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Kennedy Chandler.
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