JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- East Tennessee State has added guard Jalen Johnson as a graduate transfer from Tennessee.
Coach Steve Forbes, whose team won the Southern Conference tournament title and went 30-4 last season, announced the signing Thursday. Forbes also announced the addition of 6-foot-8 forward Silas Adheke from Northern Kentucky.
The 6-6 Johnson graduated from Tennessee in December and decided to transfer after playing in 70 games with the Volunteers, including two NCAA tournament appearances. The native of Durham, North Carolina, started two of 31 games he played this season for Tennessee and averaged 3.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He shot 85% at the free throw line.
"He's long, athletic and gives us added size and experience on the perimeter," Forbes said. "Jalen is a very mature young man and is someone I expect to provide leadership to our team on and off the court. His experience playing and practicing at Tennessee provides Jalen an invaluable asset towards his future success at ETSU."
He joins a team that was two spots out of The Associated Press Top 25 rankings after clinching an NCAA tournament berth with the Buccaneers' 12th straight win, a victory over Wofford in the Southern Conference tourney title game. But the Bucs had five seniors on that squad.
Adheke, who is from Lagos, Nigeria, played the past two seasons at Northern Kentucky, starting 28 of 62 career games for a team that made a pair of NCAA tournament appearances.
