Jordan Gainey has signed with KK Cedevita Junior in Croatia after his Tennessee basketball career, the team announced Sept. 11.
Gainey averaged 11.7 points and shot 35.8% on 3-pointers in 138 games between two seasons at Tennessee and two at USC Upstate. He is the second outgoing Vol to sign with a team in Europe. Guard Zakai Zeigler signed with French basketball team Nanterre 92 on July 23.
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The 6-foot-3 Gainey played in the NBA Summer League with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 3.7 points in 10.3 minutes in three games.
Gainey averaged 9.3 points and shot 29.8% on 3-pointers at UT, where his father, Justin, is the associate head coach. He averaged 11.6 points and shot 30.4% on 3-pointers as a senior.
He ended his senior season on a tear, scoring 15 or more points in six of his final 10 games. He scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half of Tennessee’s 66-64 win at Illinois on Dec. 14, including making a buzzer-beating layup after going end to end. He was at his best in big games, scoring 24 points against Florida in the SEC Tournament title game, 16 points against Kentucky in the Sweet 16 and 17 points against Houston in the Elite Eight.
GAINEY: History of the play Tennessee basketball ran on Jordan Gainey’s winning shot at Illinois
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Gainey was an All-Big South performer at USC Upstate after averaging 15.2 points as a sophomore.
Gainey was the Big South’s freshman of the year in 2021-22 after averaging 13.8 points and shooting 49.3% on 3-pointers. He was a second-team all-conference pick as a freshman.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Jordan Gainey: Tennnessee guard to play professionally in Croatia
