Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes met with the local media on Friday morning before the Vols open SEC play against No. 22 Ole Miss on Saturday night.
The Rebels have been one of the nation’s biggest surprises so far this season, entering SEC play undefeated under first year coach Chris Beard.
Barnes discussed Ole Miss’ improvement, what he likes and doesn’t like about his team entering SEC play and much more on Friday. Here’s everything Barnes said.
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On what concerns him the most about this Tennessee team heading into SEC play
“Consistency probably. Just the fact that, we’ll continue to improve, you know, our defense has to get better in terms of consistently, everyone pulling together when, for instance, on a ball screen, depending on how we’re playing the ball screen, the backside of it, doing what needs to be done back there consistently. And obviously, the two guys involved with it communicating and getting the coverage started, right? Because if you don’t, it puts you in a bad situation right from the beginning.
“And then offensively, execution and discipline when we call something, that we execute it. And when the guy’s open, that’s what the play calls for. He shoots the ball as opposed to trying to break it off and do something that he shouldn’t be doing.”
On what encourages him the most about this Tennessee team heading into SEC play
“Well, we got a good group of guys. They’re gonna work and they’re gonna get better. I mean, I watch ’em — I think all the younger guys are starting to be able to take more from the film room and slowly but surely, I think they’re starting to bring it to the court. The older guys certainly understand that. I think they can go in and they’re obviously more on the pages with the coaches and the younger guys because they’ve been here with us. They know what we’re looking for and what we expect, but as long as we’ll have the attitude that — we wanna win games, there’s no doubt about it. But that goes with, we’ve gotta get better. Every one of has to get better from here to the end of the year.”
On the latest on Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo (calf strain) and if he’s practicing more consistently
“Yeah, he is. He was back yesterday. And he’ll be ready today, but, he still has a slight strain there. We know that, MRI showed that, but again he’ll do everything he can to be ready to play.”
On what he likes about Tobe Awaka’s play recently
“I think Tobe is just getting started to how good of a player he can be. I mean, I’ve said many times before, prior to getting here, he was a guy that would just go rebound the ball and just play with his physicality. He’s starting to understand spacing, which had been a problem for him, knowing where he needed to get the ball, knowing when he needed to get the ball, and more importantly, knowing how to get there. But he’s getting better at that and he’s starting to maintain his balance throughout his moves, which oftentimes he’d get, he just, just throwing it up there with it, no chance to go in. But he’s a worker. When you work as hard to put the time in that he does, he’s going to, you’re gonna get results. And normally they’re good results. And, again, I think he’s just scratched the surface to what he can become.”
On Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell
“I think he’s been effective every year. I mean, we recruited Matt Murrell, you know, and his body’s in great shape. He certainly has worked on his shot through the years. He defends, he’s a good player. He’s just like, I’m sure they say the same thing about Josiah and Santi about being around for a long time. And because of that, they’ve been through a lot of tough situations. They can handle most of them. I don’t think it’s any different with Murrell.”
On if Tennessee needs to do more to get Santiago Vescovi open more or if he just needs to shoot it more
“I think he has to pull the trigger when he is open. I think it is that simple.”
On if 13 games is a big enough sample size to get a scout on Ole Miss with a new coach in Chris Beard
“Oh yeah, there is no doubt. You start the season and pretty much you feel prepared going into your first game even when you go back and take some stuff from last year and maybe even and exhibition game you get a feel. I can only (say) Chris Beard has done just an incredible job everywhere he has ever been. You know what his teams are. They take on his personality. They are going to play really hard. They execute. They definitely aren’t going to beat themselves. They don’t turn the ball over. He really does a terrific job of getting his players in position to where they can be at their best. Just have the utmost respect for him because I have known him for a long time and I know how he has worked his way up to become one of the best in the business and have a lot of admiration for him and what he has done everywhere he has ever been.”
On how Dalton Knecht has benefitted from playing alongside Josiah-Jordan James
“I think he has got another guy out there. I do think people are concerned about Josiah shooting the ball so it stretches the floor. The more you can stretch the floor and give guys the space to work in, it helps. I think also his experience. I think Josiah’s demeanor and even Santi and Zakai (Zeigler) on the court, where they are really trying to continue to talk Dalton through situations that he has never been in before. I think it is just the fact that he is really playing alongside all three of those guys.”
On what Tennessee freshman JP Estrella was able to give the Vols in the Norfolk State game
“What surprised me is the minutes he put it. I didn’t think he could stay out there that long and be effective. He ran the court. Like Tobe, he is starting to understand space on the floor and where he needs to be. We felt from Day 1, once he decides in his mind and matures and realizes this is serious and he has to be serious every minute he is out there on the court to get better and understand how hard it is. It is hard. It is hard to play this game the right way. It goes back to how much you are willing to put into it. His situation all year would be the cardio toughness, being able to play when you are tired and fight through it. That is where he has gotten so much better really in the last three weeks where he is being able to do. I think some of it is listening, understanding the importance of how you escort your man to a ball screen and you have to be there. If you are a step slow getting started, you are going to be playing three steps behind. It is just those little detail things that I don’t think he had ever thought much about it. He is starting to figure out the details are the most important thing. If he will continue to do that, he is a guy that we think can score, too. If he will continue to get his space, we know we can get him the ball and he can do something with it.”
On if he likes what Tennessee has got out of Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka when they’re on the floor together
“I like it. I don’t have a problem with it. I think it almost gives you like two different teams. We haven’t done as much as I think we will going forward. Because those guys can do what we think they can do, that their length and Tobe’s ability to go rebound it, it does make us a better rebounding team right off the bat. And what it does, a little bit with that lineup, we’re probably a little bit more reluctant to switch at times. Whereas with more of the guard lineup, we could switch about anything and make it work. But that’s the fun part, knowing that once we continue to, with each different group that we’re playing with, to get better, we can get a lot better.”
On what stands out to him about the current state of SEC basketball
“I think it starts with players for one. I mean, I’ve watched over my time here how the recruiting has just gone to a different level with not just this league, (it) has always been known for big body athletes, and now there’s a lot of skilled players in this league. And I think that obviously goes right back to the coaches that come in and that know what they want, what they’re looking for and understand what it takes to compete at the highest level night in and night out. And there’s no doubt from my very first meeting here, (SEC) commissioner (Greg) Sankey said that he would do everything from his side to put us there with the best leagues in the country. He’s done that in a lot of different ways, but one of them is our officiating has improved so much, to where you truly believe every night you go out, you know you’re going to get a good game from there. And when I first came to the league, that wasn’t so. So it’s been a lot of things that have come together, but it goes back to the coaches and the players and coaches … and I think too, our scheduling outside the league has gotten so much better than when I first got here with everybody trying to play much tougher non-league schedule.”
On Tennessee using Jordan Gainey as a point guard option more than Jahmai Mashack in recent games, what went into that decision
“We’re gonna use them all. It’s all of them. We’re going to, depending on what we think the game calls for and where it’s there, we’ve got four guys that we think we can play at the a point. Really five, you throw Santi (Vescovi) there. But if you watch us play on a missed shot, everybody’s going to handle the ball. So it just depends on what the game calls for.”
On Ole Miss being able to spread teams out
“Not only can he spread you out, but they got some guys inside you got to deal with. And they’ve got two terrific shot blockers. So, again, a lot of credit goes to the players, but again, Coach Beard is just what I said earlier, is just putting them in a great position to be effective and hard to defend.”
