Tennessee basketball head coach Rick Barnes met with the media to recap the Vols win over Kentucky on Saturday and preview UT’s matchup with Georgia.
On if Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson performance on Saturday night is enough to change the way the team plays offense:
“No, when you go back and look at what we tried to do the other night we have been trying to do for weeks on end. And as we have continued to grow with this team, we have added things to it. But in terms of the philosophy and what we are trying to do, that has not changed. We still want to continue to run and take advantage of everybody that we have. But when Fulkerson was not in the game you have to think about how if he is not out there how do you want to play offense. We have done all of that. I think the key has been that we have been able to get some continual practice where we have been able to do some different things. We had talked about it probably a month ago where we had played the lineup in the game but we really have not gotten to practice with it very much. And when you do not get to practice very much, you are going to do what you have done up to that point. In the last couple of weeks, we have been able to do a little bit more in practice, because we have had guys healthy enough that we could do it in practice. By the way we played, I can tell you we have talked about playing like that since day one. In terms of getting out and going in transition. But every game is different. I mean, some teams are going to send more guys back where maybe you cannot do it. If you want to run like that, you have to get stops, and you have to rebound the ball. Because, if you are allowing teams to score that is allowing some teams to set up three-quarter court pressure or an all back zone or whatever it may be. If we are going to run like that we are going to have to get stops. And not let people slow us down when they do score to a degree. If you go back to the game the other night, we pushed the ball quite a bit. But so much of it was predicated on that we were able to get some stops.”
On how playing a transition offense where you have to run more takes away from the half-court defense that coach Barnes likes to play:
“Well it can. The other night we were getting through screens really well, we came up with some of those quick scores when we were able to get a deflection and get out and run and again, rebound the ball. I don’t think there has to be a big drop off. I really do not. We have some guys that aren’t playing offensively that could help us. But to your point, they would probably give up more points on the defensive end and we are not going to do that. We are not going to have a guy that can make a positive effect on one end, but then he is a detriment on the other end. So, we expect the guys that are out there playing offense to be able to guard and do their job on that end as well. And with this team consistently we have guarded okay. I will go back to the nights that we have struggled defensively. We have probably struggled more offensively because we don’t give our defense a chance to do what we think it can do because of poor offense and turnovers. Whatever way you want to call it, it hurts us along with bad shots. But going forward I don’t think you have to lose anything. I think that everybody you have out there knows that they have to get on the defensive end. And offensively I would like to say, ‘Yeah every game is going to be played like that,’ but I know that is not going to happen. I hope that we can make some adjustments and try to make them make some adjustments, and on the defensive end, you make adjustments. But we should not have to say that we are just going to give people points just because we need somebody on the floor offensively.”
On coach’s confidence that Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson will be able to play aggressive every night:
“I have confidence in those guys obviously and we expect them to do it. But we also know that we were going to have some success doing it. And now they are going to have to have some success doing it when people are going to try even harder to keep them from doing it. So, it is a balance there that we continue to get better at doing it. If people don’t think that we need John Fulkerson and Yves Pons to do what we know they are capable of doing, they are mistaken. I mean we have to have everybody. That is what is the best part of this team is. We have got enough guys that on any given night we have five or six guys that can do some damage on the offensive end. And we are expecting those six and seven guys that we are counting on heavily to do what they are supposed to do on the defensive end. We have confidence in them, but sometimes it takes time for those guys to realize it themselves and understand what we mean. What does running really mean? What does going strong to the basket mean? What do we mean by do not stop yourself when you have a chance to go make a great play at the rim. So, does it take time? Yes, it does, and I will go back to this. We missed a lot. And every team, not just us, I think you see it with other young players all across the country. That time missed with the starts and stops with the Covid has affected everybody to some degree. And I don’t think there is any question. The other night I thought it was the best those guys had done with fighting fatigue throughout the game because I thought they had to because of the foul trouble we were in after the first half with Santi and Fulky. Those guys I thought did a great job pushing themselves. Maybe further than they have since they have been here in the game. That was a big moment for us for those guys to know what it meant to fight through fatigue and still find a way to be effective on the court.”
On Josiah Jordan-James:
“I think Josiah is scratching the surface and finding the game that will be his game once he gets it going. He has really worked hard, and you guys know how hard he has worked at shooting the ball. We think he should be a terrific rebounder on both ends, but I think he’s embracing that. He’s worked really hard at trying to get that mentality in everything he does. He’s played every position on our team now, which very few guys have been able to do. I’m excited for him going forward, and the other night defensively, what he did in the latter part of the game was as big as anything that went on in the game. Josiah did what we asked him to do on the ball, and obviously we got help from other people, which I was happy that the other guys understood that adjustment. I’m excited for Josiah, because I think he’s just getting started to the kind of player that we know he can be.”
On what he liked and disliked about the play of E.J. Anosike, Olivier Nkamhoua, and Uros Plavsic:
“I liked their effort, because I think all three of them really made an effort. I thought E.J. executed the basket—he executed the break to perfection there where he posted up. That’s where we want guys to post up. I think Uros went in and connected some things offensively and came up with a big offensive rebound. Both of those guys were trying to do that. They were giving that effort. I thought the same thing with Olivier. Olivier took a shot that was not the right time. The more that guys will buy into roles and understand the game and understand their game where they can be most effective and how they have to play, that’s when your team really starts to come together. It also means as coaches sometimes we have to adjust in terms of what we’re teaching. We now maybe have to teach a different way and get guys doing some things, or not doing some things, that we had talked about earlier. It’s a never-ending evaluation of not only your team but also your players. I really did like that effort and the focus that those guys went into the game with and what they were able to give us.”
On teams opting out of conference tournaments:
“My thoughts are we’re going to play one day at a time, and we’re going to get ready for Georgia. I’m really somewhat oblivious to it. I don’t think about it. I won’t allow myself to go there. I’m just going to think about what we can do to try to win one more game, because that’s what we’re asking our guys to do. Let’s just worry about what we can worry about today, getting better, and getting into our preparation. We simply ask the guys to do what we do and ask them to get ready for the next game.”
On John Fulkerson and Yves Pons combining for six points in Saturday’s win over Kentucky:
“I don’t think about it as being encouraged by it, because I want to see those guys play well and do what they’re capable of doing. I’ve said for a month now that I think we have the ability to play different ways. We’ve got confidence in guys that are going to work hard, buy in to what we’re trying to get done and know the philosophy of what we need to do with our team. The fact is that we’re deep enough into the season that when we call on guys, we’d like to think that they’re going to do their part. If you would have told me going into the game that John Fulkerson would not score a basket, I’d say that it’s going to be a really tight game, which it was. The fact is, it allowed some lineups to be out there that we haven’t done a lot with. We’ve emphasized from day one about getting out and going, going and going and playing quicker and faster. That can’t happen if we don’t get stops. The fact is, we’ve got to continue build on what we’re doing right now and be able to play multiple ways. There are going to be some nights when we’re going to have to have an inside game – whether that’s through the guards, or through the post guys, we need everybody.”
On the key to Georgia’s turnaround after a slow start to the season:
“They’re terrific. I think they’ve done a really great job of getting out in transition and playing. They’ve had really good point guard play, in terms of having a very hard player to defend because of his speed and quickness. They get ball screens in different actions. They’ll play some zone. They play man-to-man, but they’ll also go to their 2-3 zone that they have and mix it up that way. I think it’s like most teams. As the season goes on, coaches and players get to know each other better and are starting to figure out what might work and what might not work. I think they’ve won three in a row now and they’re playing as well as anybody in our league.”
On when the team learned that they were playing Georgia on Wednesday and the preparation that went into an opponent change:
“In terms of preparation, we divide up scouting among Coach (Mike) Schwartz, Coach (Desmond) Oliver and Coach (Kim) English. Those guys are really out in front a week before we get ready to play those teams. We got word late Saturday or sometime Saturday that there was a possibility (of changing opponents). I think we got the email after the game late Saturday night that the switch was going to happen. Our coaches had already been starting to prepare for Georgia. I’m not even sure when we were going to play them. I’m not sure when it was originally. The guys that scout, I walked into the gym and I saw Coach English working on LSU. Those guys do a great job of being out in front this year, especially since these things can happen. They have to be way out in front of it. They’ll obviously go back and pick up their last game, such as the Vanderbilt game, and add it to the scouting report. We knew officially Saturday night that we would be doing this.”
On if he is concerned with Fulky’s level of performance right now:
“I think you’re always concerned about players when they aren’t playing as well as you want them to play, but I just think John’s been around long enough and seen guys go through it. I think he’s had a lot on him in terms of teams preparing for him, and him realizing that he was in a totally different role than last year at the end of the year when he was playing terrific basketball. I go back – we wouldn’t have won the Colorado game without him. I go back to where he hadn’t practiced all the way up to that game. Some of it too is, as your team continues to develop, I like to think that he can feel we can take pressure off of him where everything isn’t on his shoulder. With the preseason hype we have, you still have to perform. I do know that he cares as much as any player I have coached, and we still need him desperately to play the way we know he’s capable of. Again, over the years I’ve seen players go through it, but we’ve still got basketball left to play and I believe he’s going to get it back.”
On if he thinks Fulky is past the point of being someone who would ease back in to being a role player:
“No, I think he’s as unselfish as anyone I’ve been around. He will do whatever he feels is right for the team. I don’t think he’s got a problem with whatever role he has in the game. We went in the last game with him being a part of what we’re trying to do, just like he and Yves would be. I talk to both of those guys that it starts on the defensive end, and we expect both of those guys to carry that end of it. We have something in our offense where we like to think to put every player where we feel they are most effective. Depending on how the game is flowing, we are going to show them what we need to do right now and get this done. Fulky understands it, and he knows at times we need to go through him, and other times we’re not going to go through him. He’s so unselfish he’ll do what we ask him to.”
On his reflection on last year’s cancellation when they were about to play Bama, and what his thoughts are for this year’s tournament and if fans should be allowed to return:
“Well, going back to a year ago, it was a scary and unknown time for all of us because we weren’t sure what to make of COVID. When things started happening as quickly at the end of the year with the reaction of the NBA, I thought we were going there. I remember going into the arena that day strongly feeling we shouldn’t be doing it because I just felt like there was so much unknown. I felt like we did the right thing as a league at that time and college basketball did the right thing at the point in time. Do we know more now than we did a year ago? We do. We have learned a lot from other pro sports going through it ourselves with intercollegiate athletics. Not just football and basketball, but other things. Were we more prepared to handle things, I think we really are. I think one thing we realized as much as anything is players want to play, and we’ve never lost sight of the most important thing that everybody is healthy and safe and the environment created to do that. I can only tell you what we’ve done here at home. I think people have felt safe at home coming in to Thompson Boling Arena. I know that all the things we have done for protocols and our players by the SEC have worked. Going on the road, we’ve seen just a consistent amount of consistency with everywhere we’ve gone to. Every hotel we stay in has been more than accommodating, helping to make sure that we follow every protocol we make. As a society I think we should live to close as normally as we can, but we have to all know we aren’t through this yet, we’re not. I don’t think we will ever feel normal, talking about the vaccine and all that. The fact is, where we are now is in a good place. In terms of the conference tournaments I have great respect in terms of other leagues doing the right thing with their protocols and making sure the players and fans aren’t in harms way. Do I think we can have people at the SEC tournament? I do, but whatever the protocol is, we have to follow it and do it. I like to think people will continue to wear masks. Do I think masks make a difference? I really do. I don’t think it’s been an inconvenience during the game, other than hiding some frustration a bit from coaches, which might be a good thing. The fact is, players will tell you they are grateful and thankful they’ve been able to play games this year and I know we have had stops and starts. Most of us are mostly aware of what’s going on in our world. Michigan is going to be shut down for a month maybe, and I think that’s hard to believe if you think about it. I can only imagine what their players feel right now, because I know what it felt like to not the get the season started on time and how our players felt. Again, Michigan and Tennessee did what was right at the time in terms of protocol, and I think that’s what’s going to happen going forward, because some crazy things could happen. A week before the tournament there could be some teams not able to participate Could it happen? It could, but I don’t think we know that. We are all going to proceed with the caution we need to, but for anyone that thinks it’s going to be smooth from here until the end, would be really naïve to think that. We’ve got to prepared to deal with whatever is in front of us with the upmost of making sure we’re going to do right thing for people’s safety.”
On what stands out to him about Georgia:
“Impressive point guard play, a great deal. Speed, quickness, they play hard and rebound the ball well. Offensively, they can put numbers up on you. I think Tom (Crean) again will look to attack certain situations with what he sees and thinks he can take advantage of. Transition game is a huge part of what we have to deal with against Georgia, but also, every night you have to deal with that. They’re very efficient when they get out into transition. Their ball screens and actions are really good because of the speed and quickness they get from the point position.”
On where Keon Johnson is most effective on the court and where he has evolved recently:
“The first time I sat down with Keon, the first time I ever met him we were talking during our first visit and I asked him what position he saw himself playing in college. He literally did not bat an eye and said ‘power forward.’ I laughed and said ‘are you kidding me? I like that.’ But we always saw him as a guard and a player that can play anywhere on the floor. I think that about him now and I know that he’s going to continue to work. Like all young players, you don’t ever stop working at shooting the ball. But Keon feels very good, we’ve watched him through the years and he has a great finishing game around the rim, his mid-range is terrific. I don’t think it matters who’s guarding him, he feels like he can get shots off against guys. I’ve watched him grow since that time where he made the move to start playing on the perimeter, learning how to start playing the point, how to play facing the basket. But there isn’t a spot on the floor where I don’t think he’s effective. I think he can do a lot of different things and I think he can play a lot of different ways. He can play with his back to the basket, he can turn and face close in, he can play beyond the arc and make plays from there. I thought the play of the game for him was when he went in for that play where he was getting ready to dunk the ball and the guy came from the back side and blocked his shot. I thought it showed who he was that he didn’t flinch. He didn’t flinch at all. We tell our guys all the time, be aggressive, go to the basket and if a guy blocks your shot, pat him on the back and say ‘great play,’ get up and go right back at it. And he did that. If you go back and think about the very next play, he took the ball out, we got the ball back into him and he went in and scored or got fouled. I thought that was a huge play for him because it didn’t phase him that someone blocked his shot. He was going in to do what he needed to do, recognized that it was a good play by the defense, but it didn’t phase him at all.”
On teams wanting to play in the SEC Tournament to get extra games in:
“I think so. I don’t know this, but I’m just saying what I think, we have a contract. We have a contract to have an SEC Tournament. We have a contract I’m sure in Nashville with the building. We have a TV contract. So I can’t imagine that unless something happens that would give us the right to void that contract, how we wouldn’t honor the contract. I do think that depending on here at the end of the year in terms of will we get to make up games, I don’t know. I don’t know if everyone will have the same amount of games when we finish the regular season, or what that’s going to look like. I’d like to think that if we can get everybody to 20 or 22 games, that would be a successful run for us, but it would also give us a chance to all evaluate where we are in the tournament. Our league has done a great job. They really have, in terms of Florida having to shut it down and now rearranging to try to keep as much continuity and moving as much as we can. If you ask me right now how we make up games other than that one date that we have at the end of the year because we’re ending early. Someone told me that some team is getting ready to play like four games in eight days in a mid-level conference. I can’t remember what team it was but they’re getting ready to do that. At the end of the year, some of us may decide to do that to get those games that we are lacking or think we need. I don’t know how it’s going to go other than I just can’t imagine us not trying to fulfill the contract that we have with our conference tournament right now, unless something comes up to where we can’t do it. I think it’s niece to think that it would have been smooth sailing all the way through, but all I can say is that I think our league has handled it in a great way to keep us moving forward.”
On how he would assess his team’s point guard play:
“We’ve got multiple guards that we’ve put there. I think Santi still hasn’t played his best basketball yet. We’ve all had moments—you go back and look at our guards, they’ve all had good moments. It goes back to consistency, and that’s what we want to get done. The other night when Josiah was playing what would be considered a frontline player, he got the ball and brought it down. This year you’ve watched Yves Pons bring it down the floor. You’ve watched John Fulkerson. Depending on who gets the rebound we like to get out and push it ahead. In overall point guard play, I would say it’s been inconsistent, but we have confidence in the guys that we know can play that position. We work on it every day and will continue to do that. The other day, I would say our overall guard play was pretty good.”
On point guard play and team consistency
“I think that we’ve got to be more consistent at taking care of the ball. I think we’ve got to be more consistent in understanding how offense and defense is connected. Understanding that we want to be a team that can get out and run. It’s a whole lot easier when you get rebounds and stops. You’ve got to be more consistent than teams changing defenses—to where you want to stay in attack mode and continue to play at the pace you want to play at. Understanding time and score I think is really important. I don’t think we’re there yet with the younger guys understanding it, but that’s where I’ve got to help them. I could talk about a lot of different areas and a lot of different things. We’ve got an unselfish group of guys, and the more that we can get players to understand roles, shot selection, taking care of the ball, consistent defense, rebounding the ball—you get consistent there and you’ll be pretty consistent throughout.”
-UT Athletics
