Freddie Dilione officially joins Tennessee basketball as mid-year enrollee
Freddie Dilione stood on the court at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday with a basketball under his arm and a Tennessee beanie on his head.
Tennessee basketball's top 2023 prospect has officially joined the Vols as a mid-year enrollee.
"I think it’s huge, I do,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said on Jan 2. "It’s been going on in football forever. The fact that he and his family decided they wanted to do it. I think it’s going to really help him a lot. Gives him a big head start on things.”
Barnes said Dilione will not play this season and will work on the UT scout team. Tennessee had an open scholarship, which allowed the Vols to add Dilione in the middle of the season. He is the No. 44 prospect in the 247Sports Composite.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Dilione played at Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina. UT will roll Dilione into working with strength and conditioning coach Garrett Medenwald immediately, focusing on his body and nutrition.
"He'll probably start out really helping our scout team," Barnes said. "As he continues to learn our system here, it’s going to be great for us and it’s going to be great for him."
Dilione is one of four 2023 prospects who signed with the Vols in November. UT also signed four-star forward JP Estrella, three-star forward Cade Phillips and three-star guard Cameron Carr.
Dilione is UT's first midseason addition since Santiago Vescovi. Vescovi joined the Vols in late December 2019 out of the NBA Global Academy. UT expected to redshirt Vescovi, but he burst into the starting lineup as his arrival coincided with Lamonte Turner's decision to end his UT career due to injury.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Freddie Dilione officially joins Tennessee basketball as mid-year enrollee
