Tennessee's McGhee transferring; Hubbs has knee surgery
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee guard Robert Hubbs has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery and forward Jabari McGhee is transferring, the team announced Tuesday.
''Jabari and I had a great discussion about what he wants,'' Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said in a university news release. ''He's a team guy, and what he ultimately wants is to have a more impactful role on his team, which I understand. We love him, and we want to see him be successful. We'll do everything we can to help him find a school that is the right fit for him.''
McGhee, a 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman, was averaging 3.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game this season. He averaged 4.4 points and 3.8 rebounds last season in just eight games before a foot injury knocked him out for the remainder of the year.
''I truly enjoyed my time here,'' McGhee said in the news release. ''Playing in Thompson-Boling Arena was a great experience, and the fans are wonderful. As a player, I absolutely feel like Coach Barnes is a great coach. I love my teammates, and there's no doubt in my mind Tennessee is going to have a really good team. But this is what's best for me right now.''
Tennessee also announced that Hubbs had surgery on his right knee Tuesday to address chronic swelling that's been a problem since preseason.
No timetable has been set for when Hubbs could return, but he is considered doubtful for Tennessee's next game on Dec. 12 at Butler. Tennessee (4-3) is in the midst of a 13-day break from games, which marks the program's longest layoff during a season since December 1967.
Hubbs is averaging 15.3 points per game to rank third on the team. The 6-4 junior has scored at least 13 points in each of Tennessee's seven games.