JP Estrella’s growth leads to Tennessee basketball future
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (BVM) — JP Estrella has emerged as one of the best centers in the country, and according to 247 Sports, the very best player in the state of Maine.
The senior stands at 6-foot-11, 210 pounds, and possesses a unique passing and shot-making ability for someone of his size. Part of this is because his size is still fairly new to him.
Highlights on recent Tennessee commit JP Estrella! pic.twitter.com/DOYXBSSqv8
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) September 2, 2022
As a high school freshman, he stood at 6-foot-2. Over the course of his time in high school, Estrella has grown a whopping nine inches.
“I can’t just go to a store and get shoes or pants. I’ve got to get everything custom made,” Estrella joked. “Planes and car rides suck.”
On the court, it has been a natural transition for Estrella, allowing him to be a center that can bring versatility to any lineup.
“I really didn’t have any growing pains at all,” Estrella said. “I could always shoot the ball really well and could handle the ball a little bit, so those traits have passed up to me now.”
Estrella was able to hone in on these fundamentals growing up thanks to the help of his mom, Allie. She won Miss. Maine Basketball in high school before playing at Boston College. Years later, JP even got to see his mom play with her Eagles teammates at a team reunion.
“It was nice to see that,” JP said. “That’s when I was really like, ‘Wow, this is pretty sick.’”
For Estrella, he was not necessarily sure if he would get to experience college basketball like his mom did. That was until this past summer when he received over 20 offers in the span of a couple of months.
“That summer was magic,” Estrella said. “It was mind-boggling to me that it happened so quick and so fast. It just blew my mind really.”
At the end of the day, he chose the University of Tennessee, which was the third school that offered him. After his official visit, he sensed the community atmosphere in Knoxville and knew it would be a great fit for him.
Our Maine man.
𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Welcome to Rocky Top @jestrella_13 #GBO pic.twitter.com/TEGbpbwEHO
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) November 9, 2022
“They talked with me every single day,” Estrella said. “They didn’t just talk to me, they talked to my family, my trainors, and my coaches every single day. They’ve been absolutely amazing to me and my family which is one of the main reasons why I chose that school.”
His commitment to the Volunteers, along with a state title run, are a couple of his favorite achievements thus far in his career. For a young man who was not sure if he’d be able to play college basketball a year ago, it was a little surreal when he finally signed.
“Going Division I has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” Estrella said. “That Tennessee commitment day made my year really.”
Estrella has goals of making an impact at Tennessee and getting to the NBA, but the most important thing for him is to give back to those who have given so much to him.
“Just taking care of my family,” Estrella said on what his biggest goal is. “My mom, my dad, my brother. Those are the most important people in my life.”
