Tuesday afternoon marked the start of official practices for Tennessee basketball ahead of the 2025-26 season. To kickoff the important milestone of the offseason, Vols head coach Rick Barnes and guards Ja’Kobi GIllespie and Ethan Burg spoke to the media in press conferences to give their thoughts.
Barnes, freshly off of signing a lifetime contract with UT, is entering his 11th season atop the program. He is looking to not just reach a third-straight Elite Eight, but bust through to the Final Four for the first time in school history. Ahead of the slate of practices, Barnes was asked about injury statuses, five-star freshman Nate Ament, returning forward Cade Phillips and more.
“Nate (Ament), where he is, I mean, we’re more than pleased with what he’s done and the way he has come in,” Barnes said. “And we got everything that we thought we would get, plus 10 times more. And we’re excited about him.”
Gillespie is returning home to join the Vols. He started his career at Belmont before transferring to play for Maryland. Now, he’s finally suiting up in orange. Burg is just now joining the roster after spending time representing Israel on the national team.
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Watch the video of all three interviews below on the RTI YouTube channel:
Head Coach Rick Barnes
Guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie
Guard Ethan Burg
