University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Hoops Media Monday
February 05, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Rick Barnes TranscriptÂ
On what makes facing Kentucky so difficult:"Well when you go back to the game here, both teams were in foul trouble and there was more zone being played than probably anyone anticipated. I think PJ Washington got cramped up too and left the game. So we'll have to look at it, we're still doing some of the same things and so are they, but every game you go into you realize that there's going to be some adjustments that you have to be ready to prepare for and get the team ready for the process of playing another game."
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On what makes Tennessee difficult to guard:
"We're just trying to be the best team we can be, and for us to do that we look at each guy and we think every guy is important, we think every guy has a way that he can impact winning. We ask every guy to embrace what they do well, and know that we can use that role some way, somehow. There's ways that we can continue to get better, whether it's through our scouting report, or understanding that this is a tough game day in and day out if you want to be good at it. We talk to guys about practice habits and their mental approach for getting ready for practice and games, but the fact is that these are our guys, we believe in them, and we believe that they know from the time they get on the floor, it is very important. I don't care if it's two minutes to start the game, two minutes to end the game if it's a close game, or when you're up big. And the way that they approach those minutes, I do think they understand that if they don't handle it right, they may not get a chance for who knows how long. So we put a premium on those guys realizing every minute, every possession is valuable. We think every one of them can impact winning some way, somehow, and we think that each one of them, as long as they continue to have pride in themselves and are wanting to get better every day, that it'll work out."
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On the team's chemistry:
"I do think we have guys that really root for each other. I think we have a team with a lot of character, and there's a lot of things that these guys do off the court – they live together, they're around each other a lot, and some of them go to church together – there's a lot of things that go on together where I think they really like each other. There's no doubt they pull for each other. You can tell that in practice now where you see guys helping each other, talking to each other, coaching each other. That's something that we haven't had, and something that we need more of. But the fact is, there's more guys that are willing to do it now."
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On what he credits the team's chemistry to:
"I think a lot of credit goes to our assistant coaches that understand what we're trying to do and how we want to build a program here and understand the kind of person and kind of individual we want in our program, so I think their initial evaluations are important. So I think a lot of credit goes to them. I think a lot of credit goes to our support staff that's around them every day. Because I think one thing our players know is that there's people here that are really working hard for them every day. And I'm not just talking the assistant coaches and the basketball support staff, you go over the academic side, and they just see it. I'd like to think that they understand they have a great opportunity here, and they want to take advantage of it. But they understand the culture that we want, and what we're looking for and we make that clear up front. The fact is though, they still have to buy into it totally and it's a lot easier to do that when you have more guys pulling in that direction. But they all go through some ups and downs, don't think for one second that it's perfect. That's why I keep talking a lot about how we can get better in a lot of different areas. We keep evaluating every area daily, and seeing how we can improve."
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On handling the hype around a big game against Kentucky:
"Well I think our players understand, they grew up knowing about Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, the traditional teams that have been successful decade after decade after decade. So I don't think there's any doubt about that, but I like to think that our players understand that it's about what we do and it's about how we prepare. They'll have to deal with questions like that, but frankly, I don't' think about it. I'm not going to change anything. We already started yesterday and we know what we're going to do today and how we're going to do everything, and I'm telling you, it's no different than what we've done 22 times this year. But they understand. Back when North Carolina came in here, and we got asked about the buzz, I said, 'well they're the buzz' because of what they're done for 50, 60, 70 years, and I think the dame thing is true with Kentucky, because they've been successful for a long time. We just have to get ready the same way. But first of all, they've only lost at home one time this year, and they don't lose a lot of games there. Tennessee's not the only team that hasn't had a lot of success in there. But every year is a new year, and we're one of those schools that get to go there every year. But it's not something we harp about or talk about, we just try to talk about what we have to do better to play the game."
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On Kyle Alexander's recent defensive performance:
"He's been good, and we actually showed him some stuff where we think he can be better. I think what has helped Kyle is that we normally takes it to heart and looks at it and knows that we need him to be good. He's put in a lot of ball screen situations often times and he's continued to improve there. Around the rim he does a lot of fix it plays there where he's helped. But he's been good. He was the one guys we talked about yesterday when we went back and looked at the tape and said 'you were good, but you can get better'. And he's the kind of guy that wants to be talked to that way. He wants to hear that. He takes it to heart, and he wants to be the best he can be. But he's a junior now. He's closer to being a senior than he is to being a junior. He's played a lot of basketball since he's been here and it's been neat watching him continue to improve."
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On team's basketball IQ:
"At times I think it's good. Sometimes I don't. I think it can get better, our basketball IQ. I think you guys know me well enough by now that it's hard for me to throw out a lot of compliments. I think all that stuff should be saved for the end of the year when it's all said and done. We still have to get better. History tells me that when you start complimenting and complimenting guys - I don't know why they would want to read what you guys write but they do, probably - I just know that I don't want them to get complacent. I want them to continue to get better and I think when you really evaluate all those things when the year is over with and you can say this is what that team had and what it didn't have, and what it accomplished and what it didn't accomplish. But what I do like about this team, they do understand that we've got to get better. I think they really do understand that, that we can't stay right where we are right now. I think that they understand that this league is a very hard basketball league, arguably the best basketball league in the country. I think they understand that on any given night, it's a real fine line between winning and losing, whereas I'm not sure they did understand that the previous two years. Last year as a freshman group, they didn't, I can tell you that for certain. But they do understand that more."
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On what impresses him about Kentucky:
"You got to be impressed with their length. You got to be impressed with the fact that they've had guys that have had big scoring games, they've had guys that have done that too, different players. You look at them, there's a number of different guys that can put big numbers up. You start with the game here, PJ Washington pretty much had his way with us, and I'm certain that they're gonna go that way again, and why wouldn't they? An impressive win as I've seen all year is what they did at West Virginia. That was very impressive. The way they got down, the way they fought back. And the fact that they lost one game at home tells you they have the ability to do a lot. So you got to know that if you're not ready to play, they can do a lot against you."
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On freshman forward Yves Pons' performance versus LSU and Ole Miss:
"There's no doubt, those minutes are invaluable that he played, and I commented on that after the game to the team that guys that go in - he is getting better everyday and I thought he was good the other day. When we took him out early, it was the second half where we gave up a wide open three and he had broken down in transition defense and he's still learning some things that way, but from a work ethic standpoint and from a guy that cares about his teammates and cares about wanting to get better, he's got all of that, and I've said before he's gonna be a terrific player for us. There's no doubt that he's had to learn a whole new game, and I think he's getting more confident, more comfortable with what we're doing. I think he's able to fix things on the fly a little bit better now than he could, especially on the offensive end when things break down a little bit. From a coaching staff standpoint, we have confidence in him. We know he's going to play as hard as he can defensively. It's not going to be perfect. Offensively, he knows what we're looking for there right now. But each and every game will determine where his time goes. I don't go into the game really thinking of how many minutes everybody's got to play. In some ways, there's certain guys you know you like to have him out there (with), but with freshmen that haven't played a lot, sometimes they'll only determine that as the game goes on and I think that's probably how it still is with him."
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On what freshman forward Jarred Vanderbilt brings to Kentucky:
"Length. He gets his hands on a lot of balls, and a guy that gives them I think even more versatility."
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On team's second half performance versus Ole Miss:
"The second half, the basket to us, some of the shots that were going in, it looked like we were shooting into the Atlantic Ocean. The one that Lamonte (Turner) made was ridiculous, Admiral (Schofield) and those guys raised up. That's something you wish you could bottle. Those come along once in a blue moon. Looking at it, I think defensively we locked in and we did a good job against a team that really does some good stuff. We got outrebounded, that was a major thing that we keep talking about."
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On balancing sophomore forward Grant Williams' practice time with recovering from injury:
"That's tough, because Grant needs those reps in practice. He's better when he does that, his timing is better, he's better all the way around. We have to manage it. He's a guy that normally likes to get all the reps in practice, he's a guy that likes to stay in where we have to get him out every couple reps, just to make sure. To be honest with you, I don't manage it. I leave it up to (associate director of sports medicine) Chad (Newman) and (strength and conditioning coach) Garrett (Medenwald) to tell me what to do about it. Either he's ready or he's not, that's the way I look at it. They sent me a text that said he's not going to practice, so again, we'll get the other guys ready and we'll go from there and we'll expect him to be there, be on the edge paying attention to what's going on. He'll do something. He's not gonna not do anything. He's the kind of guy who can't do that. If he did that, he would drop quickly. I'm sure they leave it up to him a little bit too, but I'll let them manage it, I'm just going to coach and let those guys manage it."
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On team's mentality going into road games:
"I think that we're capable of winning every game we play and I think we're capable of losing every game we play. I don't know if I have any feelings, one way or the other, about it, other than I want us to have a grasp of what we're getting ready to do with our game plan both offensively and defensively and hope that we execute it. But also, realize that some nights you can be as ready as you can be, and teams can just go off. Like the other night, (Ole Miss coach) Andy Kennedy had his team prepared as well as anyone we've played against, but then we just started making some ridiculous shots. Those things happen, that's part of it too. I don't know all those things, all I know is that all we can control is what we can control, and that's our preparation, both mentally and physically, before the game and during the game, and go from there."
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On John Calipari's description of Tennessee head coaching job before Barnes came to Knoxville:
"I really think that Knoxville is a basketball town. I really do. I don't think there's any question that when I think of our fan base here, it's been unbelievable. We're ranked nationally in home attendance here. I go back, I think Tennessee has been ranked in the top 20 or 25 forever, and that tells you that they love their basketball here. He (Calipari) said that. I knew that too, maybe not to the extent that I do now, but I do know that. I think our fans have been terrific. I actually think you guys do a pretty good job covering us. I've been in places where you don't get that. I think it's a situation that we've seen it, it's been done before. I go back to my first year and even last year where we were just hanging on, fighting and the way our fans supported us is a fond memory to me. I've been around long enough to know that when you start winning games and people get excited, they jump on the bandwagon. I've seen that at a lot of places I've been. And then when things aren't going so well, they don't (show support). I don't think the fans here have ever jumped off the bandwagon. I think they've been with us from day one."
