Darlinstone Dubar hung from the rim Thursday.
The Tennessee basketball guard had been in the game for 24 seconds when he made his presence felt in his regular-season debut. Dubar checked in, played a defensive possession then slammed a second-chance bucket on the offensive end against Virginia in the Baha Mar Championship.
It made for a pretty sweet welcome for the Hofstra transfer after he missed the first four games while tending to a personal matter.
“The more he gets out there, the more comfortable he gets, the better he is going to be,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said.
Dubar scored four points and had three rebounds in 10 minutes as the No. 9 Vols (5-0) routed Virginia (3-1) 64-42 in their first game in the Baha Mar Championship. The Vols face No. 15 Baylor (4-1) on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network) in the title game.
What Darlinstone Dubar gives Tennessee basketball in return
Dubar declared one of the skills he can bring to the Vols on his first offensive possession. He curled toward the elbow, saw guard Jahmai Mashack heading for a layup and crashed for the rebound.
The 6-foot-6 Dubar got it, dunking Mashack’s miss for his points as a Vol with the scoring and rebounding prowess he showed at Hofstra.
Dubar’s return fortified Tennessee’s post rotations with J.P. Estrella sidelined with a left foot injury. He played the four-spot whenever he was on the court. He was paired with Felix Okpara in his first shift. Igor Milicic Jr. slid to the five with Dubar at the four late in the first half. He played alongside Cade Phillips in the second half.
“We would have played him more in the second half but they really went with four guards, so we sized down with Mashack,” Barnes said. “He gives us the versatility to do that or he would have played more in the second half.”
Versatility is another attribute for Dubar, who averaged 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. He helped provide a good matchup in the first half with his size and strength. He’s known for good 3-point shooting; he shot 38.1% on 3-pointers in his career before transferring to UT. Dubar’s floor-stretching ability helps with guard Cam Carr out four to six weeks with thumb injury.
His return means UT has nine active scholarship players despite two injuries.
Why Rick Barnes was proud of Darlinstone Dubar
Dubar hadn’t played in a game since UT’s charity exhibition loss to Indiana on Oct. 27. He ramped up his participation in the past two weeks.
“Really proud of him,” Barnes said. “He has only had two days of practice.”
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Dubar didn’t practice the week following the charity exhibition nor the week after due to an undisclosed personal matter. He returned to the court on Nov. 11, two days after Tennessee’s 77-55 win against Louisville.
He mostly did individual work but launched into full practice before the Vols went to the Bahamas.
Dubar checked in at the 15-minute mark Thursday. After his dunk, he got a defensive rebound and attempted a 3-pointer before returning to the bench after a 4-minute, 19-second shift in his debut. He came back in for the final 4:10 of the half, which featured another defensive rebound and a layup off an inbounds play.
The senior closed the game after not playing for the first 18:03 of the second half.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. 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: What Darlinstone Dubar’s return means for Tennessee basketball
