Tennessee’s newest sharpshooter is still waiting for his real debut.
Tyler Lundblade, the transfer who committed to the Vols in April, is working his way back from back surgery he had in August and will be limited when preseason practices open. The former Belmont and TCU guard said he’s moving in the right direction, even if the timeline for a full return remains unclear.
“No one wants to be hurt, especially going into a new place," Lundblade said during Tennessee’s first day of preseason practices on Sept. 22.
"And because it’s my last year, you want to be in a grind, in the mix all summer with all the guys. But injuries are part of it.
Thankfully, it’s nothing major. I’ll be back.
So I’m looking forward to being on the tail end of it.”
The injury had bothered him since he arrived on campus in April, then kept him out of nearly all summer workouts. Before surgery, he tried the other routes first.
"I did a steroid, I did an injection and it didn’t help and with the timetable, it was kind of surgery now or never," Lundblade said. "And luckily it was a pretty non-invasive, 45 minute clean up surgery and it’s helped a lot. I feel really good and I’m really happy that’s the route we went.”
For now, his work is pretty limited: some form shooting, stationary ball-handling and running on an underwater treadmill. He expects to progress to running on flat ground soon.
The toughest part, by his own description, is watching practice instead of being in the middle of it.
Still, Lundblade has found ways to stay plugged in. He’s active in huddles and film sessions, and Rick Barnes has leaned on him in a way that’s more assistant coach than sidelined player. They’ve gone over plays together during practice and talked X’s and O’s when things slow down.
"I’ve been able to draw up things that we did at Belmont, go back and forth and pick his brain about what he thinks of certain things," Lundblade said. "At most places, you can’t do that. But it’s been really cool with coach to be super involved in that sense."
Lundblade arrives with a strong resume, too. He was the centerpiece of a Belmont team that finished 26-4 and won the MVC regular season title.
Last season, he averaged 15.6 points per game and shot 40.6% from 3-point range. Over his career, he’s a 43.5% shooter from deep on 6.3 attempts per game.
He won’t automatically be the first offensive option in Tennessee’s backcourt, which is loaded through the transfer portal, but Lundblade believes his game can fit wherever the Vols need it.
"I feel like I can fit into any system and watching practice every day, I can get the feeling that if we had someone like me on the floor, the court’s going to be spread out a lot more or we’re going to get a lot more out of our pick and rolls, offensive rebound situations," he said. "So I definitely do see a need and a spot for our team.”
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