Who is Dai Dai Ames? What to know about Tennessee basketball transfer guard
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Tennessee basketball made guard Dai Dai Ames its first transfer portal addition for the 2026-27 season on April 11.
The Vols' roster now has seven confirmed players with Ames, Belmont graduate transfer guard Tyler Lundblade, and freshman guard Troy Henderson and freshman forward DeWayne Brown II. They also have three incoming high school recruits with four-star prospects Ralph Scott and Manny Green, and three-star guard Marquis Clark.
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Sophomore guard Ethan Burg has not yet indicated a return to Tennessee or decision to enter the portal.
Tennessee will have to reconstruct its starting lineup with freshman Nate Ament expected to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft, redshirt sophomore J.P. Estrella transferring to Michigan and sophomore guard Bishop Boswell also in the portal. Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie and senior center Felix Okpara are out of eligibility.
Here's what to know about Cal transfer Dai Dai Ames.
Where did Dai Dai Ames play before Tennessee?
Ames is no stranger to the transfer portal. He started his college career at Kansas State, where he started in 16 of 31 games as a freshman.
He transferred to Virginia as a sophomore and averaged 8.7 points in 31 total games with 26 starts.
Ames had a breakout junior season at Cal in 2025-26, jumping up to 16.9 points on 46.4% shooting from the field. He's gotten close to shooting 40% from 3-point range in the past two seasons, and took 4.4 attempts with the Golden Bears.
He helped Cal to a 22-12 record and a 9-9 mark in the ACC. The Golden Bears lost to Florida State in the second round of the ACC Tournament on March 11.
How old is Dai Dai Ames?
Ames is 20 years old and was born on June 2, 2005. His full name is Darrin Ames Jr.
How tall is Dai Dai Ames?
Ames is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard.
Dai Dai Ames high school profile
Ames graduate from Kenwood Academy in Chicago in 2023. He was a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite and was rated as the No. 13 point guard in the country and the No. 2 overall recruit in Illinois. He signed to Kansas State over offers from Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: [email protected]
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What to know about Tennessee basketball transfer guard Dai Dai Ames