University of Tennessee Athletics
2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster | SEC Tournament Champions
Roster

Jersey Number 32
Handje Tamba
- Class:
 - Freshman
 
- Position:
 - F
 
- Height:
 - 6-11
 
- Weight:
 - 229
 
- Hometown:
 - Knoxville, Tenn.
 
- High School:
 - Knoxville Catholic High School
 
CAREER HIGHS
- Points: -- // --
 - Rebounds: -- // --
 - Assists: -- // --
 - Steals: -- // --
 - Blocks: -- // --
 - Field Goals: -- // --
 - 3-Pointers: -- // --
 - Free Throws: -- // --
 - Minutes: -- // --
 
HONORS
- 2021-22 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll
 
2021-22 - REDSHIRT
- Entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on April 5, 2022.
 - Redshirted the 2021-22 season while providing valuable practice contributions as a member of the scout team.
 
HIGH SCHOOL
- Graduated from Knoxville Catholic High School, where he was coached by Mike Hutchens.
 - An elite academic achiever, he was a high school junior in 2020-21 but announced in July of 2021 that he was reclassifying into the Class of 2021.
 - As a junior in 2020-21, he averaged 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game to earn DII-AA All-State acclaim from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association and All-PrepXtra second-team honors from the Knoxville News Sentinel.
 - Scored 22 points in a win over then-undefeated Bearden High School on Dec. 10, 2020.
 - Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tamba helped lead the Irish to the 2020 TSSAA Division II-AA state championship as a sophomore.
 - Played his AAU ball with the BMaze Elite program, founded by former Tennessee point guard Bobby Maze (2008-10).
 
PERSONAL
- Full name is Mukendi Handje Tamba
 - Name pronounced: AHN-jay TAHM-buh
 - Born March 8, 2003, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
 - Son of Romain and Catherine Tamba
 - Has three biological brothers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
 - Emigrated to the United States from Africa's Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2017
 - His U.S. parents are Brett and Jennifer Patterson of Knoxville, Tennessee
 - He is fluent in French and Lingala
 - Academic Major: Exploratory/Undecided
 - Recipient of the Richard & Melba Jackson Athletic Scholarship Endowment
 
MBB | Nate Ament & J.P. Estrella Postgame vs. Mercer (11.3.25)
Monday, November 03
MBB | Rick Barnes Postgame vs. Mercer (11.3.25)
Monday, November 03
MBB | Rick Barnes Media Availability (10.30.25)
Thursday, October 30
MBB | Bishop Boswell Media Availability (10.30.25)
Thursday, October 30

























