Clarence Massamba needed three calls to make his college decision.
The French guard got a call from his agent, who said they had a call set up with Tennessee basketball. Massamba made that call and then rang his agent right back.
Massamba told him he knew Tennessee is where he wanted to go.
“I could feel a connection with the coaching staff,” Massamba said. “Coach (Rick) Barnes, I could feel that he really was looking to have me on his team. Compared to the other coaches I had on the phone, I could really feel how happy he was to have me around.
“I think it really is the thing that made the whole deal.”
Massamba signed with Tennessee April 30 after announcing his commitment.
He talked with Ohio State, Seton Hall and Virginia Tech during his recruitment. He spent two years playing at The Rock School in Gainesville, Florida, before returning to France. He played for AS Monaco last season.
The 6-foot-4 guard jumped on the Tennessee radar as an option to fill a need at guard as it rounds out the final components of the roster for Barnes’ 11th season at UT.
Massamba prioritizes connection and he found it with the Vols and Barnes. He felt Barnes was honest with him and didn’t overdo things in the first conversation.
“He was just being him,” Massamba said. “The fact of having someone being genuine in front of me and I could feel that was he was not forcing anything but I could feel how bad he wanted me to be on his team. That was really the thing.
“You are not going to get that anywhere else. I don’t believe that any other coach would want me to succeed as much as him.”
Massamba is the fifth player in Tennessee’s 2025 class.
Five-star prospect Nate Ament is the highest-ranked recruit in program history as the No. 4 recruit nationally. Tennessee signed four-star forward DeWayne Brown II and four-star guard Amari Evans in November. Three-star guard Troy Henderson signed in April.
“I was a four-star there but they changed it after I left (the U.S.),” Massamba said. “To me, I am still a four-star.”
Massamba planned to return to the United States to play college basketball after his year in France. He missed the American style of play, but is returning with more skills. He learned the European style of basketball with more movement and IQ-centric plays.
“Basketball is like a language,” Massamba said. “There are different cultures. Basketball is a living sport.”
He is the third player from France in Tennessee history, joining Yves Pons (2017-21) and Quentin Diboubdje (2021-22).
Barnes called Massamba on FaceTime after the initial conversation. The Vols coach wanted to show him around the campus and the city of Knoxville.
Massamba wasn’t available for that call. But it told him all he needed to know again.
“I was like this is a great guy,” Massamba said. “These are the type of people I want to be around.”
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.
