Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Wednesday that 6-9 Knoxville native Drew Pember has signed and submitted a National Letter of Intent and plans to enroll at UT as a freshman in the summer of 2019.
According to 247Sports.com, Pember is rated as the No. 7 overall prospect in his class in the state of Tennessee. As a junior, the forward helped lead Bearden High School to the Class AAA state semifinals, where the Bulldogs fell to one of the nation’s top teams in Memphis East despite a 15-point, 10-rebound performance from Pember.
“Drew is extremely skilled,” Barnes said. “He’s a tremendous outside shooter, but he really has the ability to do just about everything on the basketball court. He can pass the ball, rebound, block shots, and he’s a good decision-maker. He needs to get stronger, put some weight on. But Drew’s got a tremendous upside and a real chance to become a complete player for us. We’re really excited about him.”
Pember had been verbally committed to the Vols since June of 2018. A native of Knoxville, he is coached at Bearden by Jeremy Parrott. Bert Bertelkamp, who lettered for the Vols from 1977-80 and is currently the Vol Network color analyst for UT men’s basketball games, also graduated from Bearden (class of 1976).
Pember’s recruitment heated up during his junior campaign, as the 2017-18 first-team All-District 4-AAA honoree averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.7 assists per game en route to helping Bearden post an impressive 38-2 record for the season.
While his height makes him a threat in the post, Pember possesses elite shooting ability for his size and can score from anywhere on the court – especially from beyond the arc. On defense, his long frame makes him a successful rim protector and rebounder for the Bulldogs.
Pember played his AAU ball with the BMaze Elite program, run by former Tennessee point guard Bobby Maze (2008-10). Pember averaged 8.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per with BMaze Elite during the summer of 2018.
In addition to Pember and Bertelkamp, another Bearden graduate who has had hardwood success at Tennessee is current Lady Vols head coach Holly Warlick.
Pember joins junior guard Jordan Bowden as the only Knox County natives signed to a Tennessee basketball scholarship as freshmen in the last 30 years.
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