Tennessee officially announces addition of guard Victor Bailey Jr.

Victor Bailey Jr. announced his intentions to transfer from Oregon to Tennessee a couple of weeks ago, but the school had yet to officially recognize the move. That changed on Tuesday as Tennessee officially announced the addition.

Tennessee also confirmed that Bailey will have to sit out the upcoming season due to the NCAA’s transfer rules. Bailey appeared in 73 games over the last two seasons for Oregon.

The 6-4 guard is originally from Austin, Texas. He averaged 7.4 points per game last season, while shooting 39 percent from three-point range. That mark was good enough to rank him 9th in the Pac-12.

Bailey is a former four-star prospect and top 100 player. While Tennessee certainly could have used him immediately, Bailey will provide a natural transition point for the Vols as Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden exit the program after this season. With two seasons of eligibility left, Bailey has a good chance to start in both years for the Vols, offering some veteran leadership to a roster that will get a lot younger in 2020-21.

Bailey is the second transfer that Tennessee has added this offseason, joining 7-1 big man Uros Plavsic from Arizona State. Tennessee is filing a waiver with the NCAA, looking to get Plavsic eligible immediately.

Tennessee is still going after Kerry Blackshear Jr. on the grad-transfer market, looking to add more immediate firepower for next season. Blackshear is the top option left on the market and would be a legitimate season-changer if the Vols could nab him. However, with Bailey’s official addition, the Vols currently don’t have a scholarship to give. That means someone would have to go from the current roster. Tennessee has also been involved with 2019 power forward Josaphat Bilau.