Vols' Nkamhoua to have ankle surgery, likely out for season

Updated Feb. 7, 2022 4:59 p.m. ET

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee starting forward Olivier Nkamhoua will have surgery on his left ankle that is expected to sideline him for the remainder of the season.

“It’s sad for all of us," Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said of losing Nkamhoua. “He’s become such a huge part of our program and for this team. You could see the strides he was making every game. He was getting more comfortable about who he is as a player and what he needed to do for our team.”

The junior had been tied with Josiah-Jordan James as Tennessee's top rebounder, but he went down in the second half of

Nkamhoua's injury was re-evaluated after the Vols returned to Tennessee. The 6-foot-8 forward from Helsinki, Finland, was the Vols' third-leading scorer averaging 8.6 points a game, and he averaged 5.6 rebounds a game.

Tennessee (16-6) moved up three spots to

“Whoever gets those minutes will be the defensive players,” Barnes said. "We could swing Josiah to that spot, but it’s going to be a great opportunity for some guys, and we’ll see who will be able to capture that and go for it.”

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Olivier Nkamhoua

Josiah-Jordan James

Tennessee Volunteers