Georgia Tech added an 11th scholarship player, as former Tennessee guard Shembari Phillips announced via his Twitter account that he will transfer to Tech.
Phillips grew up in metro Atlanta, attending Tucker High for his first three years before transferring to Wheeler High as a senior. Phillips announced his plans to transfer from Tennessee on May 10.
Phillips played two seasons for the Volunteers, averaging 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds last season in 31 games, including 13 starts. He will have to sit out the 2017-18 season and then will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Phillips, a 6-foot-3 point guard, earned a reputation for strong defensive play, undoubtedly an appealing strength to coach Josh Pastner. His .147 rebounds per minute rate was well ahead of Tech point guard Josh Heath’s rate of .084. Heath’s assist/turnover ratio of 1.73 was superior to Phillips’ rate of 1.18.
He had one of his best games of the season last year against Tech, scoring 14 points with seven assists, five rebounds and one turnover in 30 minutes of play. The Volunteers won 81-58 on Dec. 3 in Knoxville, Tenn.
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