Phillips was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top 20 players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services.[4] He originally committed to play college basketball at LSU over offers from Florida State, Tennessee and USC at the beginning of his senior season and signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) during the early signing period.[5][6] After LSU head coach Will Wade was fired, Phillips requested and was granted a release from his NLI and reopened his recruitment.[7] He ultimately committed to play at Tennessee after considering offers from South Carolina and Auburn.[8] Phillips also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League.[9]
College career
Phillips entered his freshman season at Tennessee as the Volunteers' starting small forward.[10] He was named to the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis All-Tournament team after averaging a team-leading 13.3 points per game.[11] Phillips played in 32 games with 25 starts as a freshman and averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.[12] After the season, Phillips declared for the 2023 NBA draft while maintaining his eligibility.[13] After taking part in the NBA draft combine and receiving positive feedback, he decided to remain in the draft.[14]
