Tennessee basketball's newest addition, four-star center DJ Burns, has been in Knoxville for about a week.
Burns made his decision to play for the Vols a couple weeks ago, the process of getting to Knoxville has happened quickly.
After capturing a share of the regular season SEC title and finishing with a 26-9 record, the program seems to be on an upward trend and that's something Burns wanted to be a part of.
"I already liked Tennessee a lot so them winning just showed me that it's a place where I can come in and however I need to help my team win, I can do it," said the 17-year-old freshman.
But, Burns decision to take his talents to Tennessee went deeper than success on the court. His ability to connect with Coach Barnes on a faith level played a big role in his desire to play for him.
"We prayed together. We prayed over the situation and He was like, even if you don't come here I pray over your strength and that you succeed in life. And that was something that really stood out."
Barnes isn't sure whether DJ will play his freshman year or redshirt, but the plan is to prepare as though he'll play.
"We don't want any guy going into the year thinking he's going to be redshirted," said Barnes. If they do that, they let up, they act it's a year they can take time off. We don't want that."
Before he thinks about playing time, Burns will have to get through the program's grueling strength and conditioning program. He said his first workout with the team was the hardest workout he's ever done.
Here's a look inside a Tennessee basketball summer workout.
