University of Tennessee Athletics
Lanier Offers Hoops Personnel Outlook
October 25, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Tennessee associate head coach Rob Lanier recently shared his thoughts on the Volunteers' personnel heading into the 2016-17 season.
The Big Orange host their lone exhibition contest Thursday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. ET against Slippery Rock. The regular season then tips off Friday, Nov. 11, when the Vols host Chattanooga at 7 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena. Both games will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
POINT GUARD
“There’s definitely a difference from last year. We went from a situation where we asked (departed senior) Kevin Punter Jr. basically to play a position that was foreign to him—and he did it admirably—to a situation this year where we’ve got two guys who play the position by trade and another who is a good combo-guard type who has some point guard skills. So we basically have three people who play the position, where last year we were asking one person to do it almost out-of-character.
“When you have (more options) at the point-guard position, other guys can play to their natural strengths. It kind of trickles down to the rest of the team when you have someone who is natural at the position. I would say the most natural point guard we have is Jordan Bone. Jordan does play the game with a pass-first mentality. He’s the kind of player who, as he grows and develops, he’ll be that guy that other guys really enjoy playing with because they know he’s going to get them the ball. He’s got the speed, athleticism and instincts that translate to the SEC level. So it’s just a matter of experience for him, and just adapting to the competitive level that he’s going to face. But we’re excited about what we’ve seen from him.
“There’s always been a lot of talk about Lamonte Turner. Lamonté is what we would call a ‘one.’ He’s a lead guard with a scoring mentality. He’s a guy who plays well with the ball in his hands. He’s still got a lot to learn. Even though he sat out last year (as a redshirt), experience-wise he’s still a freshman. But he’s got the competitiveness, the work ethic and the commitment that we believe will give him an opportunity to come in and contribute at a very high level early.
“And then Kwe Parker also has a little bit of a pass-first mentality. He’s an athlete. Out of those three, he’s probably a guy who’s more passionate on the defensive end of the floor. It’s well documented how good of an athlete he is, but I think all of the hoopla about his athleticism kind of undersells his basketball ability. He’s got a good IQ, and he’s a good all-around player. And his game is not actually defined by his jumping ability. That’s something he has—and it’s really good when he’s in a dunk contest—but as he’s playing in a game, he’s a good basketball player.
“So we’re excited that at that position we’ve got three young guys. And the experience that (sophomore) Shembari Phillips got (in a limited backup point guard role) last year will serve him as an all-around player. So we’re much deeper and much more skilled and much more equipped to make the basketball plays that you’d expect from that position on this year’s team.”
WINGS
“Because we’ve got depth at the point guard, the guys who are wings get to be wings. Obviously, of those point guards I mentioned, Lamonté can play off the ball with some production as a scorer. And really, any of those three point guards can play together.
“Shembari and Detrick Mostella are both guys we expect to take it up a notch this year. They’ve both been working very hard. Shembari is a guy who we think can be one of the better perimeter defensive players in our league. Last year, at times, he played with a fearlessness and a competitiveness that we needed. We thought that would bode well for the future. He’s shown this year, that he’s taking steps in the right direction. We want him to shoot the ball more. He’s been a reluctant shooter so far this summer and fall, but we need him to take the shots that come to him now. With Detrick, that is not a problem. He’s always shooting the ball—it’s more instinct for him than a choice. I’m really proud of both of those guys, and in particular, Detrick. He really has grown up and started to figure out what this is all about under Rick Barnes. He’s made an effort to adapt to our culture. And as a result, you can see the improvement day-to-day. So we’re really excited about Detrick’s progression.
“And then there’s freshman Jordan Bowden. He’s got an advanced demeanor. He’s got a poise and a demeanor about him that belies his youth. He carries himself like an upperclassman. He has a really bad short-term memory, which can be a good thing. If he misses a shot, he just goes on to the next one. And he can really, really flat-out shoot the ball. He’s got the mentality that you have to have to be a scorer, and he’s a guy we expect an immediate contribution from on the wing.
“Another freshman, Jalen Johnson, is just an enormous talent, a great kid and one of our hardest workers. He’s a tremendous athlete, a really good shooter and just a young guy who is really eager to learn and grow and really wants to be good. He’s got a big-time future. We’re really excited about what he brings to the table.
“Robert Hubbs III has really conducted himself like a senior. If you talked to Coach Barnes, he would say flat-out this is supposed to be our leading scorer, and he’s supposed to be our best player. And it is our expectation that Robert Hubbs will play at an all-conference level for his senior year. He’s worked that way and gone about his business that way. And we’re really proud and excited about the kind of production that we expect to get from Robert. I think it’s well documented what he’s capable of doing. He’s remained healthy (through the off-season). He’s remained diligent. He’s always been mild-mannered. So we haven’t asked him to change a whole lot, but he’s much more engaged (this year), and he can flat-out play. He’s playing like a guy who knows that this is his last year. We’re excited about that, and we’re pulling for him. We’ve got high expectations for Robert Hubbs.
“We plan to take advantage of Robert’s versatility. He is one of the most efficient players we’ve ever been around 15 feet and in, so we’re going to try to take advantage of that. He’s great at getting to a spot and shooting over people. He is a tremendous natural athlete with a gift for putting the ball in the basket efficiently. So we’re going to utilize him around the basket, around the paint, 15 feet and in. But he’s also shooting the ball well. He’s worked really hard at shooting the ball from beyond the 3-point arc, and he’s shooting it much more consistently—and he’s much more selective in the shots that he’s taking from 3-point range. He’s kind of figured out, ‘Here is my niche. Here is where I can be most efficient and be most consistent.’ But he also recognizes that he’s put the work in to be a threat from beyond the arc. I just think this is the year where he finally puts it all together.”
FRONTCOURT
“Starting with our senior transfer, Lew Evans, obviously he has a lot of experience. He’s been at a two different four-year schools (in Tulsa and Utah State) prior to coming here. He’s a little older, he’s been well-coached because he’s been in good programs and he’s played for two very good coaches and he’s been a contributor on good teams. He’s played in the NCAA Tournament. He’s got some good ball skills and a general understanding of what goes into winning. It’s nice to be able to add a high-character guy who’s got the ability to step out and shoot the ball, who’s a good facilitator and has a really high basketball IQ—and he’s physically tough. He’s a guy who will be a crowd favorite at our home games—our fans will love the way he sticks his nose in there—and fans on the road will not appreciate him very much. And we like that about him.
“Kyle Alexander… he’s in an interesting transition stage right now where he’s really improved his skill. The game hasn’t really slowed down so much that his skill has really taken hold, but he’s made strides. He just has to be careful that he doesn’t get so infatuated with his improvements, skill-wise, that he abandons the things that have made him special: his motor, his ability to run the floor, to crash the glass, to defend and protect the rim. He’s really improved and has put the two together. He’s really making some significant strides. He’s becoming a more reliable offensive player, but he isn’t compromising those other qualities that we think will make him an effective player for us. Kyle’s growth is really starting to stand out week-by-week as we go through practice.
“Admiral Schofield’s best quality is that he plays with a high motor and a lot of energy. He’s physically an aggressive kid. What he’s starting to do right now is find a niche as a rebounder, and we think it’s a great goal for him to be one of the top rebounders in this league and for him to put his focus on that—let the rest of the game come. Focus on defending and rebounding at a high level, and he’s capable of doing that. He can defend multiple positions. He’s really aggressive at attacking the offensive glass, so he’s got an opportunity to really be a difference-maker on our team if he can focus on those things. And that will complement the fact that he’s a good offensive player. He can shoot the ball, drive the ball and he’s high-energy. Sometimes he can be a bull in a china shop. He’s going at one speed all the time. But you would rather, if someone go at one speed, that it’s fast and you work your way back from there. As we (move into his sophomore year), you’re really starting to see some growth and maturity in AD’s game.
“We’ve also got a pair of freshmen in the post. John Fulkerson is a typical freshman in a lot of ways but not typical in one way that matters: he plays hard and that’s all he knows. He’s a really tough kid; not physically strong yet… he gets banged around. He’ll take some shots, and he just gets right back up like nothing’s happened and just keeps going. He’s a delightful kid to coach. He’s still learning to pick things up and still learning to play the college game. When he gets stronger and learns what’s going on, we think he’s got a chance to be special. And we do think he can help us this year.
“Grant Williams is a guy we expect a significant, immediate impact from because he’s got the IQ, he’s got the physical toughness, he’s got the skill and he’s a great teammate. He understands winning, and he was a big part of winning at his high school program. He’s not aggressive right now offensively. He’s such a good kid that his inclination, as a college freshman, is to defer. And we need get him out of that mode. We need him to be a little bit more single-minded in his approach, offensively. We know he’s cerebral enough to make the right plays, but he’s got to want to make the impact we see for him. I think he’s capable and has the mindset, but he hasn’t totally embraced that just yet. He’s the one guy we’re saying, on the front line, that we can’t afford for you to be a ‘freshman’ for very long. And we need him to embrace that.”
WALK-ONS
“Collectively, we have a unique group of walk-ons because they work so hard at their game every day. They prepare every day is if they’re going to play. Their desire to improve really raises the level of our overall team, from a practice standpoint, because more so than last year, you see those guys—all three of them, in practice—and they’re getting a lot more reps.
"Lucas Campbell, athletically, can compete at this level because he’s such a good athlete. He’s a track athlete—he can run and jump just like the rest of these guys. He’s really got an understanding of what we’re doing and a real tremendous will to do the right thing and to help the team get better. I think I can say that about all three of them.
"Brad Woodson is such a good shooter and such a high basketball IQ player that when you put him in practice, you don’t lose anything—to the point where last year we were comfortable putting him in games. That’s a testament to his skill. He can really shoot the ball, he’s smart and he does just about everything right.
"Jacob Fleschman is really a lot like Brad, but he’s just a freshman. He can really shoot the ball. He’s one of those guys who never wants to make a mistake, never says a word, but he’ll run through a brick wall for his coaches and teammates. All three of those guys really contribute to the overall culture we’re trying to build, and I think they elevate it.”
