Former Vol Drew Pember to UNC Asheville

Former Tennessee basketball forward Drew Pember announced Wednesday he’s transferring to UNC Asheville. He made the announcement via Twitter as all the kids do these days.

The sophomore forward heads to the Bulldogs likely in search of more playing time since he didn’t get much run with a Vols team last year that didn’t have much of a post presence. That lack of size down low manifested on the boards — Tennessee finished ninth in the SEC in total rebounds and defensive rebounds per game while coming in at 11th for offensive rebounds per game.

Pember’s career never really got off the ground for Tennessee. Though he played in 22 games as a freshman and scored his career-high eight points against Alabama State, his time came primarily as a reserve. Then his burn dwindled last year, dropping from slightly more than five minutes per game to just 2.2 as he appeared in only 10 contests.

Drew is a local kid — he was a 3-star recruit and the No. 7-rated player in Tennessee coming from Bearden high school in Knoxville — so I’m sure Vol fans will be rooting for him to do well in North Carolina.