Assistant Coach Justin Gainey

On if he’s ever coached against his son…
“I haven’t. I’ve never coached him in a real game, or rec league game or anything like that, never coached against him. Man, emotions are all over the place, I don’t know what to expect, don’t know what it will feel like. I know he’s a lot more calm and a lot more excited about it than I am I’ll tell you that.”

On being involved in his son’s basketball development…
“You know what, we used to do some stuff in the driveway a lot, take him to the gym and work with him. Early on I knew I couldn’t coach him just because I’m dad and I wanted to be dad. No matter how much ball I played, how long I coached, no matter who I coached, I didn’t know anything, I was dad. I think that kind of, and there’s always been a part of me saying I’d like to coach him, but I think that those times we spent in the gym and him making me feel just dad and don’t know anything about basketball put it to me quick that maybe coaching him isn’t a great thing.”

On balancing being a dad versus being a coach…
“You know it’s tough, and I’ll admit early on in life I didn’t do a great job of it. But I think as I got older and as I talked to more people, I realized it’s more important to be dad after the game than it is to be coach. Just kind of ask him if he wants any of my input, and if he wants to know what I thought, what I saw because he’s been around the game so much, and for so long, he has a great feel for what he did right and what he did wrong. So early on I didn’t quite grasp that, but as I got a little more, I guess, wiser, and I learned from people, it kind of taught me just to kind of be dad and let him get out whatever it is and then if he has any questions, he’ll ask me. He’s always been great about it, like hey what do you see? I’d say he helped me with that, but it was something early on that, and still now it’s tough, because obviously there’s games that I want to just hit him with a bunch of stuff, and I just have to sit back and ‘Hey what do you think? What is your coach telling you? What is your coach seeing?'”

On maintaining focus during the game…
“I’ve seen all of his college games; I go back and watch them. So, especially for this scout, I have a great feel for what they want to do, what they’re trying to do and obviously on him. And again, it’ll be interesting, I don’t know how it will feel, I don’t. I’m sure it will be a weird moment but also a proud moment too. I know how hard he’s worked to get to this point and to get to where he is now and he’s playing at a good level right now. So, for me as a dad I’m just thrilled and excited he’ll have a chance to play on this stage and to compete at this level. It’ll be a lot of mixed emotions, for me and also my family. You know we have a lot of family that will be in town for the game as well.”          

On the defensive success Tennessee has had this season…
“That’s a great question. I don’t think I’ve been around a defense of this level in my coaching career. I would attribute it to, one, the guys. They’re so committed to getting stops and to defending. They’re locked in to scouting reports. They get the scouting report on their devices, whether it’s iPads or whatever, and they’re studying it. You hear them talking to each other about them. When we’re going through scouts, they see things that make them say, ‘Hey coach, what about this? What about that?’ As for their effort, they’re playing really hard on that side of the ball. We’re not perfect. We’re not perfect there, but I think the effort that the guys are playing with masks the mistakes that we do make. I would give the credit to the guys and how hard they play, how hard they prepare and their attention to the details in the preparation in the scouts and the stuff on their own that they’re watching and they’re doing as a unit. Coach Barnes does a great job, also, of emphasizing the importance of being a great defensive team. If you’re not holding up your end of the bargain on the defensive side, I don’t care what you’re doing on offense. It’s going to be hard for you to be on the floor if you can’t defend and do what you’re supposed to do on that side of the ball.”

On if he’s surprised the defense has gelled together so quickly…
“Initially, yes, kind of coming into it, but then once you’re around Santi (Vescovi), once you’re around Josiah, once you’re around Fulky (John Fulkerson) and Uros (Plavsic) for a couple of days, you see why it’s where it’s at. Those guys, from a leadership standpoint, they’re on top of it. They hold everybody accountable. They’re smart players. They know where they’re supposed to be. They know where their teammates are supposed to be. A lot of times, they know where the offense is going and what they’re trying to do too. Those guys are coaches on the floor. They’re always talking to each other and directing each other. They’re true leaders. Yes, there are a lot of new faces, but those guys that have been here, they know, they’re smart and they’re locked in to the importance of being a great defensive team. Last year, they were a top-five defensive team. They know what it’s like. They know what it’s all about. They want to be the best defensive team in the country. They’re holding everybody accountable.”

On facing his son, Jordan Gainey, Tuesday…
“Fortunately, I didn’t have the scout for this game. I didn’t. As for how to stop him, I would say make I tough for him to catch the ball. I would say we need to be physical. He’s a freshman and he’s not as physical right now. I would also say to contest his shots. He can really shoot the basketball. He shoots it way better than dad did.”

On Brandon Huntley-Hatfield…
“Brandon is an amazing young man. Think about it, he’s still supposed to be in high school, so he’s just learning every day, every day is a learning experience for him. He’s been a sponge in this process. He never barks back or bites back from correction or adjustments or constructive criticism. He’s a student of the game and he understands what it takes to be good. For him, again, he has a lot of older guys in front of him. Maybe his role isn’t as big as he wants it to be right now but he understands and he continues to learn from the older guys. I’m telling you, you’re just seeing the beginning of who he is going to be and who he can be. He already has an impressive physique but for me the thing that surprised me when I first hung around him is just his basketball IQ, his basketball feel in some of the things he does instinctively on the court. He has a bright, bright future and he’s about the right things. He’s not caught up in all the outside stuff he’s locked in on us, the team, and him getting better every day. You can see him maturing every day and it’s fun to watch.”

On facing his son, Jordan Gainey…
“We haven’t talked about it. Not about the game. His brother on the other hand, he’s been on him. I think he’s super juiced for this game. Me and Jordan not much. We haven’t really talked about it other than if you need anything will you come up, bring you anything to the hotel, mom is trying to make cookies, that kind of stuff.”

On his son’s play for USC Upstate so far this season…
“I think he’s gotten off to a really good start. Their team has a lot of new faces. Him kind of walking into that situation and being able to have an early impact has been good for him. I think he’s off to a good start. If you ask him, there are some things he needs to clean up and he’s trying to work on. All in all, as I think about him being a freshman and so many new faces, their group going through the schedule that they’ve been through. It’s been tough, they’ve played some really tough games and they’ve been right there. For him, personally I think he’s off to a good start and I’m proud of him.”

Freshman Forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield Quotables

On turning the corner in practice… 
“Last week was when we played Colorado and Texas Tech. We went to Madison Square Garden and lost to Texas Tech. We looked at the film from that game and saw what we needed to adjust. Obviously, I didn’t play as much or get the opportunity, but that comes with the college game and what our team needs at a certain time. I wanted to come in, play physical and play fast and explosive. I was trying to show coach that I wasn’t going to complain or be in my feelings about playing time. I am trying to come in every day and improve. I feel like he is seeing that, and I’m trying to do that every day. I’m keeping my head down and doing what I need to do to help the team win.” 

On how strong he is and how he can utilize that in games… 
“Really imposing my will on our opponents. Most of my teammates would say that I am one of the strongest guys that they’ve ever played against. I think it’s just a matter of me realizing that and really getting what I want out of the game, being bigger than what most guys have ever played (against). I’m bigger, stronger and faster. Sometimes, I’ll play the five. Some fives aren’t as mobile, agile, athletic or strong as me. That is my advantage. I try to get easy buckets and get rebounds. I’m trying to out tough my opponent.” 

On how big the adjustment to emphasizing defense was for him coming in… 
“It was a little bit of an adjustment because I would usually be able to play just off of sheer talent and my ability to score the ball. I recognize, and Coach Barnes and the staff have helped me recognize, that you need other things than just scoring to help you get to the next level or help the team win. Scoring doesn’t always translate to the next level, but defense and your ability to rebound and play hard does. I’m really trying to learn to do those other things at a high level and wanting to do them as much as I want to score the ball. Some nights, my shot may not be falling, but I can control my effort on the defensive end, communicating, energy and rebounding. Being good at those things and trying to be the best at them can help your game all around and help you achieve what you want to achieve.”

-UT Athletics