As Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes prepares for his 11th year with the Volunteers, he recently took some time to catch up with Andy Katz on The Sideline podcast.
Barnes has the pleasure of watching nine of his former Tennessee players compete in the NBA Summer League this month, from Jaden Spring with the Utah Jazz to Dalton Knecht with the Los Angeles Lakers, and many more.
Throughout his career, Barnes has emphasized toughness and conditioning on the court with his players. While speaking with Katz, Barnes brought up a recent conversation that shows just how that hard work is paying off at the next level.
“Maybe the most important thing is being in elite shape,” Barnes said, referencing his coaching style with his former players. “You talk about Jahmai Mashack, Zakai Zeigler. I mean, people called us about ’em. I got a text today from a guy that’s up in Detroit and he said to me, ‘I’m up here, I was invited as a guest coach.’ He said, ‘Without question, your two guys (Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier) are in better shape than anybody here.’ And I think it’s an everyday thing, I think that’s what we try to get done every day, whatever we do we’re going to do it hard. As a staff, but it starts with the players. Because if we could do it for one, we would do it for all of them, but we can’t because not all of them are built the same way.”
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Zeigler and Lanier’s hustle and conditioning are clearly being noticed during their short time with the Pistons so far. Lanier, a starter, is third in minutes per game, while Zeigler is sixth in minutes coming off the bench. Lanier is averaging 12.0 points per game while Zeigler is at 7.5 PPG.
As media members, we get chances all throughout the season to see just how hard Tennessee’s players go on the practice court to be in shape for gameday. It’s not just talk, but real work inside Tennessee’s DNA to outlast and outwork the competition on the court.
Check out the full interview clip below:
Rick Barnes on The Sideline with @TheAndyKatz ‼️
Listen to the full episode – link in bio or anywhere you get your podcasts 🎧 pic.twitter.com/xxQPHdxyWJ
— Andy Katz (@SidelinewithAK) July 16, 2025
