MEMPHIS, June 26, 2014 – The Memphis Grizzlies acquired the draft rights to University of Tennessee forward/center and native Memphian Jarnell Stokes, who was selected with the No. 35 overall pick in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft, from the Utah Jazz for a 2016 second round draft pick, the team announced.
Stokes (6-9, 263) played three collegiate seasons at the University of Tennessee, averaging 13.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.08 blocks on .530 shooting in 29.7 minutes in 87 games. The 20-year-old leaves the Volunteers ranked fourth in school history in double-doubles (40), eighth in total rebounds (836) and 14th in blocks (94). He led the Southeastern Conference in offensive rebounding in each of his final two years in Knoxville.
A First Team All-SEC selection as a junior last season, Stokes posted 15.1 points and a conference-best 10.6 rebounds on .531 shooting in 32.4 minutes in 37 games, guiding Tennessee to three NCAA Tournament victories and a trip the the Sweet 16. He upped his averages to 18.0 points and 12.8 rebounds in four tournament games, including a 26-point, 14-rebound performance on March 21, 2014 vs. Massachusetts.
Stokes was named Second Team All-SEC after posting 12.4 points and 9.6 rebounds on .528 shooting in 28.8 minutes in 33 games as a sophomore and earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds on .534 shooting in 25.6 minutes in 17 games in his first collegiate season.
A native Memphian, Stokes was an honors student at Southwind High School in Memphis and enrolled at Tennessee for the 2012 spring semester after graduating from Southwind at the mid-year mark. While in high school, Stokes was rated a consensus national top 20 prospect by PrepStar.com (No. 11), Rivals.com (No. 11), Scout.com (No. 11), CBSSports.com (No. 16) and ESPNU (No. 18) and was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state of Tennessee by PrepStar.com and Rivals.com.