The laundry pile in Jarnell Stokes’ dorm room is only growing. That’s what happens a month into your freshman year in college, especially when the clothes have to fit a 6-foot-8, 260-pound frame.
A four-week college basketball crash course has taken precedent over learning his way around the laundry room for Stokes, who arrived at Tennessee in early January.
Since then, the 13-12 Volunteers have beaten then-No. 11 Connecticut and No. 8 Florida on Saturday. Stokes averages 8.3 points and is second for the Vols with 7.9 rebounds, remarkable given where he was in the fall.
He had transferred from Memphis Central to Southwind High School for his senior year and would have been starring on a team currently ranked No. 8 nationally. But a few weeks into practice, he was declared ineligible, reportedly for failing to meet 10 state guidelines to transfer.
To Stokes, who lived within walking distance of Southwind, the explanation rang hollow.
“They’re ranked No. 1 in the state right now and they’re ranked top 10 in the nation, so imagine what they would have been,” Stokes said. “That’s honestly what I think they were trying to prevent.”
To some, it might seem like Stokes took advantage of the system, entering college early. But that’s not how it felt to him.
“When I got ruled ineligible, I felt as if God was punishing me,” Stokes said. “I have faith in God, but this was more like a test. Somehow I got guided this way.”
In good academic standing, he learned that if he took an online English class, he could graduate in December. He passed it, enrolled at Tennessee in January, but with the idea that he might redshirt.
Stokes turned 18 on Jan. 7. He hadn’t played since an AAU tournament in August. And the first two days of practice at Tennessee made him wonder if he’d made the right decision.
“Those were like the worst two days of my life,” Stokes said. “That was my awakening from high school.”
But something else happened in those two days too. In the process of running suicide drills, surviving 40-minute sessions of non-stop running and coach Cuonzo Martin’s emphasis on defense, Stokes discovered he could compete.
“I realized I was just as big as those guys, just as fast and just as skilled,” Stokes said.
Stokes had just been cleared for practice when Tennessee played at Memphis on Jan. 4. He wasn’t playing but felt the ire of Memphis fans, like one who held a sign: “Jarnell is the LeBron of Memphis.” Martin sat Stokes two more games before he could make his own statement Jan. 14 against No. 1 Kentucky.
Moments after entering the game to a standing ovation, Stokes scored on running hook shot for his first basket. He had nine points in 17 minutes that night and followed it up with 16 points and 12 rebounds in his first start against Connecticut.
By the time Tennessee played at Kentucky on Jan. 31, Wildcat defenders were on to Stokes, limiting him to four points on 2-for-9 shooting. On the bus ride afterward, Stokes watched ESPN highlights of Kentucky standout freshman Anthony Davis blocking his shot.
“The week before they were praising me on ESPN,” Stokes said. “That’s a dose of reality."
Stokes hasn't scored in double-digits since but missed South Carolina and played limited minutes at Florida with a sprained hand. Eight games into his college career, he knows he’s got a lot to learn.
After displaying an array of post moves, nice range on his jumper and ball-handling skills that belie his size, double teams have become the norm. The one teammates call “Big Future” is already standing out for more than the black size 20 shoes he wears because he can't t get his size in orange and white.
“If I’m going against Tennessee, I’m telling my guys, ‘You mean to tell me you’re going to let this 18-year-old kid come in and outplay you. He still should be in high school,’” Martin said. “That’s extra incentive going against Jarnell. But he’s done a really good job of embracing every challenge because he stays humble. He continues to work.”
Stokes won’t get to play in the McDonald’s All-American game, attend his senior prom or high school graduation. But he’s well on his way. He'll have at least another season at Tennessee too since players must be 19 and spent at least one year out of high school to enter the NBA draft.
“Sometimes I just have to step back and realize where I was last month and that was looking for faith,” Stokes said. “But right now I’m living it. I think I have a lot more in store.”
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