University of Tennessee Athletics
@Vol_Hoops Report: Dec. 1
December 01, 2015 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- After opening the season with a whirlwind of seven games in 16 days, the Tennessee basketball team finds itself facing a 13-day layoff to start the month of December.
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Rick Barnes
On Tuesday, Barnes explained his approach to critiquing players in a constructive and positive manner:
“I don’t think players want to be demeaned. I think players aren’t afraid to be criticized, whether you call it criticism or coaching, whichever way you want to do it. I think it’s the way your present it. The way you say it speaks volumes. I’m ashamed of the fact that years ago, I don’t think I respected players enough in the way I delivered my message to them. I don’t think you’ve got to curse at players at all. I think you pretty much have the idea, ‘how would I want my son coached?’ I can tell you, what I would want somebody to do with my son would be to hold him accountable, to make him earn everything that he gets, to teach him that life’s not always going to be easy. You’ve got to handle the good and the bad, because one day when this is all done—and this is a little bit of a fairy tale world we’re living in here in terms of athletics—because there is so much more going on in the world that is so much more important than this. Can they handle that? I know that many of my core values were learned from the coaches I was around. I think coaches will always be safe if they just say, ‘how would I want my son or my daughter coached? How would I want them treated?’ And I think that we all—I would imagine many of you guys have kids—and you want your children to understand hard work. You want them to understand accountability. You want to understand when you’re part of a team, and you’re in a team sport, you want them to understand when things aren’t going well, how do you handle it? Too many times I think (what happens)—when you’re talking about recruiting—is what I said earlier. I think the reason so many kids transfer… they’re told things that absolutely are not true. It’s a lie from the beginning. They come in and they’re disappointed, because they were told this, this, this, this and this. I’ve said it before, I’ve never ever told a kid we were recruiting that he was going to come in and start. I’ve always said this, too: the best players I’ve ever recruited, they never ask that question. They know they’re going to play. So I think it gets back to honesty and respect and how would you want to be treated? And how would you want your kids to be treated? I think being honest and forthright, I think that’s a great trait to teach people, I really do.”
Tennessee’s current extended break is the program’s longest since December of 1967, when it had an equally long 13-day layoff. That squad, coached by Ray Mears, opened the season against Richmond on Dec. 1 and was then idle until hosting Illinois on Dec. 15. Mears’ Vols won both games.
This season’s Volunteers (4-3) remain unbeaten at home but are coming off back-to-back losses to George Washington and Nebraska at last weekend’s Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn.
First-year UT head coach Rick Barnes visited with reporters Tuesday at the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio, and we was optimistic about how he thinks his team will respond to consecutive setbacks.
“These guys will respond. We’ve got a good group of guys,” Barnes said. “I think we are still learning about these guys. They’re learning about themselves, too.”
One thing Tennessee learned during its Thanksgiving trip to New York City—and something that film review sessions will reaffirm—is that defense must be a focus during practice the next two weeks.
“We have to get better defensively,” Barnes said. “We have to get better at everything, don’t get me wrong. The fact is, we just didn’t defend and rebound the way you want to because we were getting blown by. We didn’t guard the ball, and it was breaking down our defense, and they were getting rotation from our post players. And then we were getting back-side rebounded.
“It all starts with the fact that we just got broken down on the ball. We didn’t guard the ball very well at all.”
Barnes added that the team may place an increased emphasis on zone defense leading into its next game, a Dec. 12 contest at Butler.
“We’ve got to get our zones right, where we are comfortable with them,” he said. “We’ve got to get better … we’re not going to be able to line up and play man every night—we’re not. Some of it has to do with our size and some of it doesn’t. But the fact is, these next seven, eight days, we’ve got to get our defense right and some of that is obviously on the zone side of it.”
HUBBS UNDERGOES SURGERY
Tennessee junior guard Robert Hubbs III underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee Tuesday to address chronic swelling issues that have been present since the preseason.
An exact timetable on Hubbs’ return is undetermined. He will not practice this week, and he is doubtful for the Vols’ Dec. 12 game at Butler.
Hubbs is averaging 15.3 points per game this season and owns a 3.67 assist/turnover ratio (three turnovers in 222 total minutes). His streak of seven straight games with at least 13 points is the longest by a Vol since current Miami Heat forward Jarnell Stokes scored 13+ in seven consecutive games in March of 2014.
SCHOFIELD SETTLES IN VS. NEBRASKA
Playing its second game in 13 hours, freshman Admiral Schofield provided the spark the Volunteers needed when facing its largest deficit of the season against Nebraska. While Schofield's season-high 12 points -- 10 of which came in the second half -- weren't quite enough to push Tennessee to victory on Saturday, they did provide some tangible evidence to the progress made by the Zion, Illinois, native through just seven games this season.
"I wish you all knew how hard (Admiral) worked," Barnes told reporters on Tuesday. "He's improved more than any player since we've been here. He's kind of where he had to get his body in shape. He's around more. You talk about a guy that cares ... he really cares."
Schofield has shown promise from Day One for the Vols, displaying a versatility that lends itself to an effectiveness at both small forward and power forward positions. But working himself into game-shape and adjusting to the speed of the college game has forced the 6-4, 240-pounder into taking some of the lumps so common to the development of most freshmen. Those lumps have taken the form in spot minutes throughout the early season, including a pair of DNPs against Georgia Tech and George Washington.
Despite spending Friday's opener of the Barclays Center Classic on the bench, Schofield was ready when his number was called against the Cornhuskers on Saturday afternoon. He finished with a career-high 17 minutes and became the first Tennessee freshman to score in double figures in exactly one calendar year (Detrick Mostella scored 13 off the bench against Kansas last season).
Six of his 12 points came from beyond the arc as he knocked down the first two 3-pointers of his collegiate career in the second half. He finished the game 2-of-3 from distance having entered the contest 0-of-2 from distance -- neither of which were particularly close -- in 25 minutes of action. Barnes attributed Schofield's steady eye from three to the disciplined shooting approach he's been taking in practice. "I'm not surprised (Admiral) made threes because we've told him, if he takes his time and he's not looking forward, if he'll just let it come to him, he'll make them, because he's a good shooter," Barnes said. "I thought he did that. And I was expecting him, after he made a couple, to shoot a quick one because he thought he had it going on, but he didn't."
Adding to the quality of his minutes on Saturday, Barnes was pleased to see Schofield pass up some open opportunities to shoot in pursuit of a better shot. Using an apparent resistance to shoot baited the defense into leaving him open, ultimately affording him the time to settle into a shot when the time came. Still, Barnes knows that a couple makes it all it takes to change the scouting report on a given player.
"I can tell you he won't be left that wide open in the next couple games, because once you make a couple shots like that, it changes the whole perception of how people are going to play you."
BENCH DEVELOPMENT
Schofield's strong play against Nebraska was just a sample of the broader development of Tennessee's bench-play in the early season. The Vols also saw encouraging signs from sophomores Ray Kasongo and Detrick Mostella as well as true freshmen Kyle Alexander and Shembari Phillips.
Fighting for minutes and the opportunity to relieve a starting five with four players averaging 30+ minutes per contest, the aforementioned group of underclassmen have worked hard to earn the trust of head coach Rick Barnes.
"What you want to see as a coach (are guys who care)," said Barnes. "You start asking guys to do things, (and you want to see) which guys really change. I'm looking at Detrick Mostella. He's really trying, harder than he's ever tried in his life. He's has a lot to learn, but he's trying really hard. Admiral is trying really hard. Kyle (Alexander) is trying really hard, Ray (Kasongo) has tried harder the last couple of weeks. I think guys are still learning how to play."
A sophomore junior college transfer, Kasongo looked his most productive in the Orange and White on Friday when he scored four points, grabbed three rebounds, and tallied one block against George Washington. He delivered that stat line in a season-best 12 minutes of play, providing valuable reinforcements against a big and post-heavy Colonials squad.
Phillips also saw extended minutes against GW as he registered 19 minutes -- his most as a Vol. Phillips was solid in his 19 minutes, with no turnovers recorded on the night.
Outside of Schofield, Alexander and Mostella each provided quality minutes off the bench against Nebraska. Alexander looked especially active, chasing down a season-best five rebounds while swatting three shots in 15 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Mostella scored six points while handing out four assists, bringing his season total in helpers to 13 (he had a season-long total of 15 last season).
Positive signs, to be sure. But depth remains a key concern for Tennessee, especially if and when key players face foul trouble.
"That's what they're doing," added Barnes. "(Nebraska) made a conscientious effort to go after KP, driving him every chance they got. They did the same thing with Armani, wanting to put fouls on them. You guys have watched it. It changes the flow. That's why it's important that our bench develops. We're only going to be able to go as far as our bench can go. We've got to get better and more consistent with (our bench)."
SCOUTING BUTLER
From the time Tennessee played its last game, until the time the Vols tipoff against Butler on Dec. 12 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1), the Bulldogs will have played three times.
In its second season under head coach Chris Holtmann, Butler owns a 4-1 record, with upcoming games against Cincinnati, Indiana State and VMI before it hosts the Big Orange.
Holtmann led the Bulldogs to a 23-11 record and the third round of the NCAA Tournament last year, and the Bulldogs were picked by the Big East Conference head coaches to finish third in the league this season (behind Villanova and Georgetown).
On Nov. 14, Butler a set a school scoring record during a 144-71 trouncing of The Citadel at BU’s Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs are currently averaging 95.0 points per game.
Butler guard Kellen Dunham is the Big East’s top returning scorer from last season (16.5 ppg) and was a preseason All-Big East selection, along with fellow senior teammate Roosevelt Jones.
Tennessee’s all-time series with Butler is tied, 2-2, but the Vols have won two straight. Last December, UT defeated the 15th-ranked Bulldogs, 67-55, at Thompson-Boling Arena. Kevin Punter Jr. had then-career-high 18 points in the win. Dunham led Butler with 16 points.
