As a part of its 2025 recruiting class, Tennessee basketball brings in a group of impressive freshmen.
This includes unranked point guard Troy Henderson, who is getting his first taste of Rick Barnes and the Vols during the summer session of practices. On Monday, he met with the media to discuss the transition.
Here’s everything he had to say.
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On Zakai Zeigler’s success at Tennessee, if he’s looked at what Zeigler has done at UT
“Definitely. When I was on my visit here, I actually got to speak with him and just, he’s giving me good feedback on like what to expect coming in as a freshman, because he did the same thing coming as a freshman and playing under a senior guard. So he was giving me good feedback on that. Our similar games, I feel like we got definitely similar games as far as our mindset. You know, we’re coming in as smaller guards. I thought (our) mentality is the same.”
On not having a high-profile recruitment, having a chip on his shoulder
“I was very under-recruited coming out of high school, so yeah, I feel like I use that as fuel to make a name for myself every day. Come in ready to compete.”
On playing with point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie
“I feel like we feed off each other because we both can make plays for others. And when we have the ball in our hands, we’re just so effective getting downhill, getting to the paint. And I feel like the way we just set others. I feel like it’s very special.
On his thoughts when Tennessee offered him
“Well, my coach, I was committed to an A10 school and my coach had got fired. So then the next day, it was just like Tennessee reached out. So it was just a blessing. But it was also like, I gotta get ready, get prepared. Even though you run every mile during the summer and you can work out how many times you want, but I don’t,I feel like it’s nothing you can do to prepare for Tennessee basketball practice.”
On being coached by Rick Barnes
“It’s a blessing, actually, because the way people put it, like, he’s a hard coach. I mean, I embrace that because I’m here to get better. So like when he’s getting on me. I embrace it, follow the rules and just be ready to not make the same mistake.”
On playing with Nate Ament in the past, Ament’s growth
“Nate’s been growing every day. The time he put in off the court, the unseen hours, and it’s on display during practice. It’s like he’s actually, like, he’s driving and players are trying to bump him off the spot. And he’s not bumping off the spot. He’s finishing through contact. So I feel like he’s improving really well.”
On his weight gain since getting to campus
“I came in at 175. I’m 185, now.”
