Tennessee guard Bishop Boswell has been one of the brightest spots on the Vols’ roster so far this season. Whether it’s racking up the hustle stats with rebounds or steals, making timely shots from behind the arc, or making life tough for opposing guards, Bishop has been incredibly valuable to Tennessee this season.
Rick Barnes called him an unsung hero on the team last week before the Auburn game, but it’s also clear that he’s been the most improved player on the roster in his sophomore season. It wasn’t clear what Boswell’s role and growth would look like this season, but it’s clear now that he’s a key player on the court as Tennessee powers through SEC play.
As a freshman, Boswell only played in 28 games and averaged 3.8 minutes per contest. He was averaging less than one shot attempt per game and only scored seven points on the year as a whole. With a full offseason under his belt, though, Boswell’s numbers look drastically different. This season, he’s been the starter in 17 of Tennessee’s 18 games. He’s got 118 total points with nearly four shots per game. But what’s stood out most is that he’s racking up nearly five rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
Boswell embraced the advice of former Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier during his freshman season with the team last year. He spoke about his journey and offseason growth in an interview on Sunday night’s episode of The RTI Low-Down with Bob Baskerville and Chris Low.
“I definitely think it’s tough for anybody not playing,” Boswell said. “Especially as a competitor, you want to be out there competing. But I think the biggest job for me was just staying confident in myself, even though I wasn’t playing. Knowing what I was capable of and my coaches helped me remain with that confidence, as well as my family. I just kept my head down and stayed working. Something that I liked, Chaz Lanier told me, his first couple years in college weren’t what you’d say as flashy. And then he really came on late. Obviously, that year of Chaz we saw last year was amazing. So he always said, just keep your head down and keep working. That’s what I tried to do. It’s come to fruition this season and I’ve been able to impact winning and it’s been awesome.”
More From RTI: Lady Vols Basketball’s Loss to UConn is the Second-Largest Margin of Defeat in Program History
Lanier spent four seasons at North Florida before arriving in Knoxville for his lone year with the Vols. As a true freshman, Lanier only saw the court 10 times in total. He shot the ball just 16 times that year and scored 17 points as a whole. In comparison, Lanier scored a whopping 684 points in his one season with Tennessee.
Even though he earned more and more time on the court through his second and third seasons, it really wasn’t until his fourth season that Lanier began taking off. He scored 138 points as a sophomore, 145 points as a junior, and 629 points as a senior. He then brought that total to nearly 700 during his fifth year with the Vols. Lanier was the epitome of keeping your head down and keeping working. And it all turned him into an NBA Draft pick last summer.
There’s no telling what type of player that Boswell turns into, but it’s clear that he’s on an upward trajectory. He’s getting better over time, too. Boswell has two point-rebound double-doubles in his last five games. In Tennessee’s last two wins, he’s totaled 20 points, 18 rebounds, and six assists. He’s been a huge part of the Vols’ ongoing three-game win streak.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes was asked about freshman guard Amari Evans being an unsung hero for the team last week, but pivoted his answer to include Bishop.
“Well, Amari is, but the guy that you guys don’t talk about very much I don’t think — because I don’t read or listen — is Bishop Boswell,” Barnes said. “I mean, he’s the guy that, I mean, you want to talk about an unsung hero every game. Amari, I think you got two of them, and Amari as a freshman is going to keep coming. But I think Bishop’s averaging five rebounds a game. Amari knows when he comes in and he’s got to impact the game that way. We’re really excited about him, his future and what he’s doing and, you know, Bishop’s only a sophomore playing the minutes he’s playing. Those two guys have been huge for us.”
Check out Bishop Boswell’s full interview on The RTI Low-Down below:
