Tennessee basketball stayed unbeaten on the young season Monday night, knocking off Rice 91-66 at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. The Vols got balanced contributions across the board and a career night from center Felix Okpara while JP Estrella suffered a first half injury and did not return.
Following the game, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes discussed the play of the Vols’ front court, Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s impressive second half and much more. Here’s everything Barnes said.
More From RTI: What Rick Barnes Said About JP Estrella Injury Status Following Rice Game
On what Jaylen Carey gave Tennessee in the post
“Jaylen has really been focused the last week or so. I mean, really, he knows we need him. I think he was really in tune with what we’re doing both offensively and defensively. And just really proud of him. He and Coach (Amorrow) Morgan have spent a lot of time together working on just the simple things that we need defensively and he’s out there trying to do it. And it’s all new to him. We’re asking him to do a lot of things that he hasn’t done in the past, and he would tell you that. But he’s got a wonderful attitude to try to get out there and expand his game. And I thought he was really solid.
“And I thought Felix had a great mindset. Overall, our post guys were doing a lot of switching. And with that said, when we did switch some, they were rebounding hard in the first half a lot because those switches put us in a tougher position to rebound the ball. But again, Jaylen, and I thought Ja’Kobi (Gillespie) played his best half of the season. I thought the way he worked the game for us, managed the game, was really, really good.”
On facing Rice head coach and former Tennessee associate head coach Rob Lanier
“Games like this, you know, Rob Lanier is really one of the greatest blessings that God ever brought into my life. I love him to death. And I told (the players), I said these guys are going to come in and play hard. They’re going to be aggressive. They’re really well coached. That’s easy to see them do. They did some of the things that we thought really trying to get physical with their guards. And we knew they were going to hit the glass hard. And this when we scheduled this game a year ago, it was before he lost three starters to the portal. But I know this, if I were building a program, he’d be one of the first guys I call. And the success that we had at Texas and here to start with, he’s had so much to do with it. I love the guy to death. And it’s always hard when you play guys that you feel that emotionally tied in to. But I’m really proud of him. His teams, they never quit and they never will.
And Rice is really lucky to have him. And I think he’s one of the most underrated coaches in college the country.”
On the injury status of Tennessee redshirt sophomore forward JP Estrella (left leg)
“They don’t know what it is. All I could tell you is it’s a left leg injury. It looked like when that play happened, the guy went between his legs and it looked like, from what I could tell, maybe he hyperextended it. They’ll do more tomorrow. But for now all I can tell you is it’s his left leg. Caution, I guess, would probably be the word for it, but we’ll see tomorrow.”
On how much different Tennessee can play with multiple forwards contributing
“Well, we are different. We can run them in there. And over time we hope we can wear people down. And one thing looking at the numbers, I wish we’d gotten DeWayne (Brown) on floor more tonight. I do know that. But our guards are still going to have to learn how to play with them. We went through a stretch there where we got a little 3-point shot happy. And our post guys, they can all really make plays. They know what they’re supposed to do. If they don’t get it in the right post-up spot, they’re going to dribble it out and get the guards back involved. We’re different. There’s no doubt we’re different. And we’re going to continue to, certainly, get better in there. And you said it, in five years we haven’t been able to do some of the things we’re able to do with this group.”
On what he liked about Tennessee point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie in the second half
“Well, we knew that they would be up there after them all night long and I told him, I said, there’s nobody in the country that can keep you from getting the ball if you make two hard cuts. And then it’s up to the inbound to deliver the ball. And I think he showed his cardio toughness tonight. And they went after him a couple times and I think he probably could have passed it, but you know what, with him with the ball in his hand, his speed and quickness, he can get it where he wants to. But I thought just managing the game, really having a feel for what we needed to do. Ball screens, he’s going to keep getting better with that. I mean, he’s never been in a situation where he’s had lob threats. He had one tonight. He just didn’t throw it high enough. The more he’s in it, that’s going to happen. But it’s just his demeanor was different. I thought defensively he worked at it. But just his overall, I didn’t even look at his numbers. I just, I loved his demeanor. And he went 33 minutes, 6-12 (FG), 3-6 (3PT), 2-4 (FT), eight (assists), four turnovers. The only one I thought was— the offensive foul was definitely an offensive foul. And the one in the first half, he got put in a bad situation, where he had nowhere to go, and the ball got slapped out of his hand. You look at it, it should have been eight (assists) and two (turnovers). Nut again, I just, being a floor general, tonight was his best night out.”
On emotionally dealing with a player like JP Estrella who has had multiple injuries
“For one, you’re glad we’ve got the depth that we’ve got. There’s times we haven’t had that. I mean, for JP, I mean, we all hurt for him because he worked so hard to come back from the foot injury. And that was a freaky thing. I mean, during the game, I thought, I don’t know how you can— I mean, it was an inadvertent play, but the guy just kind of fell through his legs and his knee was locked. It’s one of those inadvertent things that happened. He’ll do everything he can to get back. And we’re just hoping that it’s nothing crazy, but other than maybe a hyper extended leg.
But again, nobody wants to see him out there more than his teammates and coaches, because of how hard he’s worked his way back.”
On Nate Ament’s improvement in playing hard for long stretches
“Well, again, tonight was one of the more physical games, probably since the Duke game. Where physically guys could get at him a little bit. He’s still got to get better with the shot selection. I thought when he got lost in the game, trying to rebound, sit down and play defense, I think innately his offense is going to come. I do, but when I think he’s pressing to try to make a three. He doesn’t have to press any of that. We isolated him tonight, (he) made a really poor decision where that play is designed, it’s going to be a tough shot for him probably, but he does what we ask him to do. We feel like we got the board covered and he’s got to be more definite, but I thought he took two threes at the start of the game that weren’t good shots. Now I think when you do that, just from a human interest or you just think that, I got to make one, I got to make one. He doesn’t have to make them, he doesn’t have to make a three to impact the game. If he just lets that part come to him, he’ll be fine because he can do— I mean, you look at his numbers again, I mean, look at it, he should have been 6-for-11. He should have been 0-for-2. He should make another free throw. He had 10 rebounds, 19 points, one assist and those turnovers, maybe the one he threw away was— he had two bad turnovers that he shouldn’t have made. One of the first happened one of the worst of the year for our team. So you just a couple of those possessions there, he’s got another great night.
But he shouldn’t be 0-for-4 from three, he should be 0-for-2. But he’s learning, he’s learning. But I thought tonight he really sat down and tried to guard. I mean, again, Coach McClain had the scout and he did a great job and we knew what was coming and he got back cut and we went over that over and over. It goes back to he’ll continue to learn how to use the scouting report. I think he’ll learn how to use it. But he’s got to settle in and let the threes come to him and I think he’ll be fine.”
On what Tennessee will need from Felix Okpara if Estrella has to miss an extended period of time:
“Well, defensively — I mean, you look at Felix’s line … You know, 8-for-10 (from the floor), 4-for-4 (free throw line), eight rebounds. He picked up how many fouls? He picked up some fouls in there. And that’s another thing that Nate does really well. But Felix, just he and Jaylen both, our post guys did a pretty good job when we’re switching on those guards trying to stay in front of them. What we need from him is consistency and to keep fighting for his space. And, you know, I told him, I said, if you’ll get in there and get on the free throw. I mean, he’s a good free throw shooter. And I said, you gotta throw up shots or go up strong and get fouled. But he was locked in defensively tonight and we need that every night.”
On Okpara scoring 14 of his 20 points in the second half
“It always goes back — you know, we do what we practice, we get in rhythm where they’re used to catching the ball, where his teammates know how to get (him) the ball, it goes to him, fighting for his space, getting off those screens, getting to the rim, because Ja’Kobi (Gillespie), he’s looking for those lobs, he is. He’s looking for them, but running, you know, I think he had a turnover tonight, and he shouldn’t have taken the ball out of bounds. I mean, that’s not what we want him to do. But Fe works. I’m telling you, he’s as hard of a worker as we have on the team. He wants to be good. It goes back to him sitting down, getting his space, knowing where he wants to be. Those shots aren’t easy shots in there when you’re playing against guys that — you know, I talk about it all the time. You know, if they would protect guys in that area in terms of guys walking under, like they do on the three-point shot, Felix would have a good night every night, because there’s more fouls when guys walk under than — I watch it in every college game. I don’t care what it is, but they want to protect the three-point shooter, but they don’t protect those guys the way they should. And if they did, believe me, he’d have big nights more than you think.”
On Gillespie and Okpara beginning to connect on lobs, how long it takes players to build that chemistry
“It takes more time than you think. I mean, it’s not just the lob there, it’s the other reads. Every game can be different. Ja’Kobi himself is learning how to read different ball-screen coverages, you know, whether they’re going to jump him or whatever coverage they might be in. But he’s learning to play with a really good pace and he’s learning where that — like earlier he was getting a lot of his lobs blocked because he’s going too deep. He knows it’s got to happen pretty much before he gets to, definitely before he gets below the foul line area normally. But he’s had to go from playing down here, drop-offs, to getting it up. And he would tell you that the first day we worked on it with him, he said, ‘I’ve never done this,’ but in a short time he’s come a long way.”
On how sophomore guard Ethan Burg responded against Rice after he struggled in Tennessee’s last game out against North Florida
“Really proud of Ethan. You know what? He obviously started last game, wasn’t a good start for him, bounced back in practice, and really going into yesterday, we thought we would come back and start him again, but Moe (Amaree Abram) has really — the guy that’s going to win that fifth spot consistently is going to be the best defensive guy of the group, the most consistent guy. That’s why Bishop (Boswell) was starting. And I think defensively, Moe earned that start tonight. But again, Moe was 1-for-7. He should be probably 1-for-4, too some shots he shouldn’t take. He doesn’t have to press there, he doesn’t. He’s a good basketball player, but defensively, he’s had really two good back-to-back games where he’s really worked. But it’s really a byproduct of what he’s been doing in practice because he’s been doing it in practice more consistently.”
