Photo By Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Former Tennessee basketball guard Freddie Dilione plans to re-enter the transfer portal when it opens up next week, On3’s Joe Tipton reported Wednesday evening. Dilione spent the last two seasons at Penn State, starting in 43 of his 63 games played.
Dilione had a breakout junior season at Penn State, averaging 14 points on 47.3% from the field and 31.8% from three-point range. The 6-foot-5 guard also averaged 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a junior. The combo guard averaged 9.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in his sophomore season with the Nittany Lions.
After combining to win 28 games in two seasons at Penn State, Dilione is looking for a new home ahead of his final collegiate season.
Dilione was a four-star and top 50 recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, choosing Tennessee over Alabama, VCU, Virginia and Wake Forest coming out of high school.
More From RTI: Impact Analysis — What Tyler Lundblade Brings Tennessee Basketball
But the talented guard struggled to grasp a consistent role in his freshman season at Tennessee. He averaged just 1.7 points and 5.2 minutes in his 18 games played. At times during the season, Dilione was the backup point guard for Zakai Zeigler but that role was never consistent due to turnover issues.
Dilione was a part of one of the best teams in Tennessee history. The 2023-24 Vols went 27-9 (14-4 SEC), winning the SEC Regular-Season Championship outright and making the first of three straight Elite Eight appearances.
The chance of a reunion between Tennessee and Dilione is extremely unlikely. A reunion between Dilione and new NC State head coach Justin Gainey feels more plausible. Dilione is a Fayetteville, North Carolina native while Gainey was his lead recruiter out of high school.
Tennessee made a splash in the transfer portal Wednesday, landing Belmont shooting guard Tyler Lundblade. The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter was the MVC Player of the Year a season ago with the Bruins.