Why Tennessee basketball recruit Shane Cherry said he will transfer from Austin-East to prep school

Austin-East basketball star guard Shane Cherry is transferring to the Academy of Central Florida in Orlando for his senior year, he confirmed to the Knoxville News Sentinel Friday.

Cherry, a 5-foot-10, 155-pound guard with a Tennessee basketball offer, is a three-star prospect and the No. 2 player in Tennessee, according to the 247Sports rankings for the Class of 2025. He was a first team Knox News All-PrepXtra boys basketball team selection this past season.

"I thought it was time for a change in order to better my game and just get me more ready for college," Cherry said. "I thought that would be a good thing for me, to go to a prep school. (It's) the competition. Those top guys go to prep schools. It’ll be better for me to play against those guys."

Cherry said he made the decision about a month ago. He said former UT basketball player Bobby Maze, who runs the B. Maze Elite AAU program that Cherry plays in, has a relationship with Academy of Central Florida Sports General Manager and Postgrad Basketball Director Chris Chaney.

Cherry said he's still considering Tennessee as a potential landing spot. He also has offers from Penn State, Auburn, California and Tennessee State.

Cherry was a 2023-24 Class 2A Mr. Basketball finalist, earning the honor for a second time, after averaging 27.5 points, 3.1 steals, 4.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game.

He led the Roadrunners to a 23-12 record and their third state tournament appearance since 2008. Cherry scored 14 points , to go with four rebounds and three steals in Austin-East's 72-49 loss to eventual state runner-up Douglass in the Class 2A quarterfinals.

Cherry said his brother, Condis, an Austin-East sophomore, will remain at the school for next year. Condis scored 16 points as a freshman in Austin-East's state tournament loss to Douglass.

Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Tennessee basketball recruit Shane Cherry said he will transfer from Austin-East to prep school