Tennessee Volunteers big man Jarnell Stokes will return for his junior season, according to CBS Sports' Jeff Goodman.
Jarnell Stokes returning to Tennessee for junior year
Jarnell Stokes decided to stay at Tennessee, which will return its top-four scorers from last season.
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With Stokes announcing his intention to return, the Vols now have their top four-scorers from last season secured for next year. Tennessee will also benefit from the return of Jeronne Maymon, who averaged 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in 2011-12 before sitting out last season while recovering from a knee injury.
Stokes, a 6'8, 270-pound forward from Memphis, Tenn., scored 12.4 points and grabbed 9.6 rebounds per game last season for the Vols, who narrowly missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth before losing to Mercer in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament. Tennessee head coach Cuonzo Martin told ESPN's Nic Reiner that he is thrilled to have Stokes back in the fold:
"I am excited that Jarnell is returning for his junior season. I thought he had a great sophomore campaign. He did a tremendous job of improving throughout the season. He did a great job in terms of offensive rebounding. This is very exciting news for our team and the entire Tennessee family."
Stokes, Jordan McRae and Trae Golden each averaged more than ten points a game last season. McRae, Golden and Maymon are entering their senior seasons.
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