Tennessee has offered a scholarship to 2011 combo guard Quinton Chievous, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

The Vols have signed three 2011 prospects: point guards Chris Jones and Wes Washpun and shooting guard Josh Richardson. Jones is expected to attend a junior college this fall, according to his coach at Memphis (Tenn.) Melrose High School.

That’s one reason UT is interested in Chievous, who’s the son of Missouri’s all-time scoring leader and 1988 first-round NBA draft pick Derrick Chievous.

Tennessee has signed basketball prospect Josh Richardson from Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Okla.

Richardson is a combo guard who plans to enroll at UT in June. He joins point guards Chris Jones and Wes Washpun in the Vols’ 2011 signing class.

“Josh can play multiple positions and he’s a guy who has a real passion for playing defense,” UT coach Cuonzo Martin said in a release.” He has a great work ethic and really attacks the basket offensively. He’s the type of young man we want in this program.”

Richardson also considered Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas Christian.

Kevin Ware — the Georgia guard who asked for his release from Tennessee when Bruce Pearl was fired – continued his recruitment by meeting with Louisville’s Rick Pitino last night.

Ware has said that Louisville is now the frontrunner for his services while Georgia, South Carolina and Central Florida are playing catch-up.

Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin can’t visit Ware because Pearl had used up UT’s in-home visits for Ware. Ware’s stepfather says they may still take an unofficial visit to Knoxville to meet Martin, but the Vol coach got a commitment from another guard — Josh Richardson from Oklahoma — over the weekend.