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Three-star recruits stay committed to Tennessee and Donnie Tyndall

Donnie Tyndall

Southern Mississippi coach Donnie Tyndall watches during an NCAA college basketball game against UTEP in Hattiesburg, Miss., Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Hattiesburg American, Ryan Moore) NO SALES

AP

It was a Thursday the Tennessee men’s basketball program would like to forget.

A report from Jason King of Bleacher Report was published in the afternoon, stating that Southern Miss, Tyndall’s former team, was under investigation by the NCAA for possible violations committed during the former head coach’s tenure. Several hours later, Chris Clarke, a top 100 recruit, flipped his commitment from the Volunteers to Virginia Tech.

Clarke’s departure left Tennessee’s Class of 2015 without its top prospect. Whether Clarke’s decommitment from Tennessee had anything to do with the investigation is up for debate. But for the other two pledges in that Volunteers’ class -- Shembari Phillips and Admiral Schofield -- remain committed to Tyndall and Tennessee, according to Ben Frederickson of the Knoxville News Sentinel despite the investigation and Tyndall’s past rule breaking.

“I talked to the staff,” Schofield told Frederickson. “They gave me a briefing on the situation. My commitment stands. I think Coach Tyndall really has a plan for me. Anything that happened or didn’t happen at Southern Miss doesn’t affect my decision.”

“I’ve met Coach Tyndall. Anything they say he did wrong I really don’t believe any of that. You can’t really believe what you hear on the Internet,” Phillips added. " I’m still strong with my decision.”

Phillips, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard, and Schofield, the 6-foot-5 wing, are both listed as three-star recruits, according to Rivals.

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