University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Kim English Media Availability Quote Transcript and Video
February 18, 2021 | Men's Basketball
Tennessee basketball assistant coach Kim English met with the media on Thursday morning to recap the Vols' victory over South Carolina.
On what it meant to the rest of the team to see John Fulkerson and Yves Pons be productive against South Carolina:
"It was great. Yves had been playing well since the Missouri game at home, he had a really good four-game stretch. I think at LSU was his first game not being himself that he had kinda of establish as an all-conference forward. I think it was great for us to see Fulkerson and Bailey play well. The freshmen got going, Josiah had found his role, and again I thought Yves had a really good stretch. I thought it was important for John and VJ to really get that rhythm back as we head into the end of February and into March."Â
On if he felt like Fulkerson was playing with more energy and confidence:
"Yeah, he was. We challenged the guards on the team, watching film and seeing all the opportunities that they could have gotten John or Yves the ball for easy baskets. Teams are keying in on John and I like to tell them that it's not Fulky's job to be Carmelo Anthony in the mid-post isolation and post fadeaway game. He has to get some easy buckets. I thought the guys did a really good job setting him up so he can score some easy ones. He's still an extremely talented offensive player, but it's the job of the guards to set up those forwards for easy baskets."Â
On if there was potential upside to some players being held out of practice this week and giving opportunities to other people:
"It's always good on any team, the next man up mentality. I thought the guys responded great getting more reps in practice, but more than that, Coach Barnes really just challenged and charged those guys to bring it and to be aggressive, to go hard, to kind of reestablish who they are. I think Jaden did a great job of getting guys involved, I think Keon did, and I thought Fulky and VJ were just themselves. We talk about the guys setting up Fulky and Yves, but that also requires Fulky to run hard. I think lsU and this game were there too hardest games that he ran this season. Running in transition, running to the rim after screens, running to the offensive glass."
On what he said to Victor Bailey Jr. during his recent struggles:
"I've honestly never really thought he was struggling until the LSU game. I think VJ is such a confident player because he's up there as one of the hardest workers I've ever been around. So I've never really thought he was struggling until the 0-for-3 LSU game when he shot an airball against LSU, I knew something was up and again, I didn't even really spend time worrying about it. We talked on the bus and on the flight home that night and said 'we have to get VJ and Fulky back going.' And again, he does what he does. I sat next to him on the flight briefly, called him when we landed in Knoxville when I was on my way home and he was going to TBA to shoot. The next day we had film and after film, he's in TBA shooting. Coach Barnes went out and talked to him while he was shooting. Coach talked to him and gave him some light words of encouragement. But nothin out of this world. VJ is a confident player, and again I never really thought he was struggling, I just thought he had a couple of bad shooting nights. He was good at Kentucky, he wasn't good against Georgia, so he had a couple bad games and then last night was a special night for him as a shooter and as a player." Â
On the whirlwind of the last week with a potential COVID positive test that ended up being a false positive:
"Coach Schwartz specifically challenged our guys at the beginning of the season, he said that they team that is left standing at the end of this year is going to be the most resilient team. After the beginning of the season, we've had a pretty clean season as far as COVID is concerned with no positive tests since the beginning. Our guys have just tasked everything we've asked them to do in stride. If practice gets pushed back, if a game gets pushed back, if we have to drive back from Nashville after a game in canceled—the guys have been great. They've been resilient, they've come to work every single day and there's really not much you can do. You control what you can control, and they've done a phenomenal job of that."
On if there is a difference in Victor Bailey's play coming off of the bench compared to starting the game:
"I don't think so. If it is something, it's something our players are going to have to get over. Starting, a lot of the time, is out of their control. If they want to play beyond college and in the NBA—maybe none of our guys will be starters in their first NBA game. They might start, they might not. It shouldn't matter. Your productivity when you get in a game is what matters. He also started four of the six nonconference games, which were teams outside of the top 200. It's bigger than that. I think VJ would've had the game he had yesterday if he started or came off the bench. His mindset was right. Coach had his back in a positive way. I'm happy with four assist and no turnovers. So, starting or not starting, it doesn't matter. It shouldn't matter. That's something that young players worry about. Who finishes the game? Everyone is so caught up in the starting five, I'm more concerned with what lineups were most efficient on offense. What's our best defensive lineup? What's our best shooting lineup versus a zone? So again, I think that's for fans, for young people to worry about who's starting."
On Jaden Springer's efficiency for such a young player:
"Yeah, he's special. He's special. He's mature, he was a little under the weather last night and to still play a really good, sound and efficient game? I thought he was running fast and passing the ball well. I thought he was getting to his spots. He made a three like he's consistently done. He's a special player. He sees a different game out there. We're really happy he's on our team."
On how they want the guys to finish the season and head into March:
"We want to start it with being locked in on doing what we have to do against Kentucky on Saturday. Then, we'll worry about what's next after that. I don't think you can, in this time, look too far ahead. We want to be playing our best basketball absolutely, to finish this conference slate going into the postseason. Maybe it's a bad answer, but our focus is all on Kentucky and doing what we have to do to play those guys on Saturday."
On how much better Kentucky is than their record shows:
"They're a lot better. I think that there may not be a team in the country that have not lost more single possession games. I'm not sure there is a team that has played as many single possession games as those guys. Winning and losing, the bounce of a ball, the blow of a whistle; the margin of winning and losing is so small. They've had so many games like that. At the end of the day as a coach that knows those guys from the recruiting process, when those names are being read off and you know the ability that Davion Mintz, Devin Askew, Isaiah Jackson, Keon Brooks, and all these really, really talented players have; they're a much better basketball team than their record might suggest. "
On if he likes seeing the amount of assist from last night vs. South Carolina:
"Yeah, I love it. I think Coach loves it. I think we all love it. Another game similar to that was at Texas A&M. Honestly, its kudos to our guys. Teams that are full body help teams, that's what has to happen. The lone ranger drive to the rim bucket isn't going to happen against a Frank Martin team. They're sending two, three guys to the ball if you think about some of the tie-ups that Yves and Keon might've had with the jump balls. So, it's up to our guys to drive, play in the post with their eyes up, play solid off of two feet trying to deliver perfect passes. We do something in practice called the assist game. In the assist game, it's only a point if you can get an assist. You can dribble, take somebody off the shot then dribble and pullup. It won't count. Sometimes we encourage the guys to play the assist game and last night, with 26 assists, looked like the assist game in practice.
On what Olivier has done to earn a longer leash off the bench:
"He's been continually getting better for longer periods. I think the LSU game he gave us really good minutes and it was the first time in a while that he looked settled into what he needed to do and for us that's, run hard, screen, box out and rebound. Give us a physical presence and give Fulky and Yves a break and use your athleticism. He's done that lately. I thought a really cool moment late in the game last night, coach looked to put him in and he pointed to E.J. Anosike who hadn't played. I thought that was a great testament to how special our guys are as teammates. Whereas most sophomores who are in that situation—for him to be at the back end of our rotation and to point to a teammate in that moment I thought was a cool thing."
On Josiah being in his ear all night long and his basketball I.Q:
"His I.Q. is off the charts. I was actually surprised to see him kneeling down when the game first started and I thought it would be just for the start of the game, but he settled in and he was there all game. Hearing his talk and his understanding of the scouting report I thought was a bit of a cheat code. It was his state school and he grew up playing against a lot of those guys. He was their describing who was a shooter-driver. Who wants to go left or right and his ability to sniff out some of their play calls was really cool to see. He's over there whispering stuff in all of our ears and he's talking to the guys and it was cool to hear it during the game. Now I would love to see it like that when he's on the court and in our huddles. He is undoubtedly the leader of our team. He needs to be. He needs to take it to the next level to be even more vocal and assertive. In my opinion this is Josiah-Jordan James' team. They all respect him, he's the guy that is the leader of this team."
On what jumps out to him about Kentucky:
"Their talent is as good as anyone in America. They have a roster that is filled with very good offensive players and really good athletes. Keion Brooks had a career night against us. Devon Askew got going in a really good way. Isaiah Jackson is a one-and-done talent who is just a freak athlete. Olivier Sarr made shots from the perimeter. They're a really good team. Coach Schwartz studies them great. We'll talk about strategy today, but it's a rivalry game and it means a lot to the kids on both sides."
On when Josiah's wrist injury occurred and how much it's affected him:
"He hurt it against Kansas. He went for a driving layup in the second half and fell right on his wrist. It's his shooting wrist. He's been working every day with Chad, G and our doctors to get better."
On how resilient this Tennessee team has been:
"I think they have been resilient. I wouldn't say they've responded to catastrophe or failure, but they responded to tough losses in the way you want them to. They responded to LSU with a really good game last night. They responded to Alabama well. What we need to do and the next step for this team is to handle success well. To handle a really good win at Missouri to coming home to Alabama. To understand that after you beat a team like Missouri and they come into your building they're coming in with vengeance and coming for something. Coach Barnes is as good as I've ever been around at it. He can't spell the word complacency. He doesn't allow our guys to be complacent at all. He is always on edge. He had a great line in the season after we lost. I said, 'You know coach it could be a good thing for our guys.' He said, 'I don't need my butt kicked to learn a lesson.' He knows what teams are coming for no matter if you've won 10 in a row or whatever. So, it's on our guys every night to kick it up a notch and taking it to the next level and never resting on your laurels."
Â
On what it meant to the rest of the team to see John Fulkerson and Yves Pons be productive against South Carolina:
"It was great. Yves had been playing well since the Missouri game at home, he had a really good four-game stretch. I think at LSU was his first game not being himself that he had kinda of establish as an all-conference forward. I think it was great for us to see Fulkerson and Bailey play well. The freshmen got going, Josiah had found his role, and again I thought Yves had a really good stretch. I thought it was important for John and VJ to really get that rhythm back as we head into the end of February and into March."Â
On if he felt like Fulkerson was playing with more energy and confidence:
"Yeah, he was. We challenged the guards on the team, watching film and seeing all the opportunities that they could have gotten John or Yves the ball for easy baskets. Teams are keying in on John and I like to tell them that it's not Fulky's job to be Carmelo Anthony in the mid-post isolation and post fadeaway game. He has to get some easy buckets. I thought the guys did a really good job setting him up so he can score some easy ones. He's still an extremely talented offensive player, but it's the job of the guards to set up those forwards for easy baskets."Â
On if there was potential upside to some players being held out of practice this week and giving opportunities to other people:
"It's always good on any team, the next man up mentality. I thought the guys responded great getting more reps in practice, but more than that, Coach Barnes really just challenged and charged those guys to bring it and to be aggressive, to go hard, to kind of reestablish who they are. I think Jaden did a great job of getting guys involved, I think Keon did, and I thought Fulky and VJ were just themselves. We talk about the guys setting up Fulky and Yves, but that also requires Fulky to run hard. I think lsU and this game were there too hardest games that he ran this season. Running in transition, running to the rim after screens, running to the offensive glass."
On what he said to Victor Bailey Jr. during his recent struggles:
"I've honestly never really thought he was struggling until the LSU game. I think VJ is such a confident player because he's up there as one of the hardest workers I've ever been around. So I've never really thought he was struggling until the 0-for-3 LSU game when he shot an airball against LSU, I knew something was up and again, I didn't even really spend time worrying about it. We talked on the bus and on the flight home that night and said 'we have to get VJ and Fulky back going.' And again, he does what he does. I sat next to him on the flight briefly, called him when we landed in Knoxville when I was on my way home and he was going to TBA to shoot. The next day we had film and after film, he's in TBA shooting. Coach Barnes went out and talked to him while he was shooting. Coach talked to him and gave him some light words of encouragement. But nothin out of this world. VJ is a confident player, and again I never really thought he was struggling, I just thought he had a couple of bad shooting nights. He was good at Kentucky, he wasn't good against Georgia, so he had a couple bad games and then last night was a special night for him as a shooter and as a player." Â
On the whirlwind of the last week with a potential COVID positive test that ended up being a false positive:
"Coach Schwartz specifically challenged our guys at the beginning of the season, he said that they team that is left standing at the end of this year is going to be the most resilient team. After the beginning of the season, we've had a pretty clean season as far as COVID is concerned with no positive tests since the beginning. Our guys have just tasked everything we've asked them to do in stride. If practice gets pushed back, if a game gets pushed back, if we have to drive back from Nashville after a game in canceled—the guys have been great. They've been resilient, they've come to work every single day and there's really not much you can do. You control what you can control, and they've done a phenomenal job of that."
On if there is a difference in Victor Bailey's play coming off of the bench compared to starting the game:
"I don't think so. If it is something, it's something our players are going to have to get over. Starting, a lot of the time, is out of their control. If they want to play beyond college and in the NBA—maybe none of our guys will be starters in their first NBA game. They might start, they might not. It shouldn't matter. Your productivity when you get in a game is what matters. He also started four of the six nonconference games, which were teams outside of the top 200. It's bigger than that. I think VJ would've had the game he had yesterday if he started or came off the bench. His mindset was right. Coach had his back in a positive way. I'm happy with four assist and no turnovers. So, starting or not starting, it doesn't matter. It shouldn't matter. That's something that young players worry about. Who finishes the game? Everyone is so caught up in the starting five, I'm more concerned with what lineups were most efficient on offense. What's our best defensive lineup? What's our best shooting lineup versus a zone? So again, I think that's for fans, for young people to worry about who's starting."
On Jaden Springer's efficiency for such a young player:
"Yeah, he's special. He's special. He's mature, he was a little under the weather last night and to still play a really good, sound and efficient game? I thought he was running fast and passing the ball well. I thought he was getting to his spots. He made a three like he's consistently done. He's a special player. He sees a different game out there. We're really happy he's on our team."
On how they want the guys to finish the season and head into March:
"We want to start it with being locked in on doing what we have to do against Kentucky on Saturday. Then, we'll worry about what's next after that. I don't think you can, in this time, look too far ahead. We want to be playing our best basketball absolutely, to finish this conference slate going into the postseason. Maybe it's a bad answer, but our focus is all on Kentucky and doing what we have to do to play those guys on Saturday."
On how much better Kentucky is than their record shows:
"They're a lot better. I think that there may not be a team in the country that have not lost more single possession games. I'm not sure there is a team that has played as many single possession games as those guys. Winning and losing, the bounce of a ball, the blow of a whistle; the margin of winning and losing is so small. They've had so many games like that. At the end of the day as a coach that knows those guys from the recruiting process, when those names are being read off and you know the ability that Davion Mintz, Devin Askew, Isaiah Jackson, Keon Brooks, and all these really, really talented players have; they're a much better basketball team than their record might suggest. "
On if he likes seeing the amount of assist from last night vs. South Carolina:
"Yeah, I love it. I think Coach loves it. I think we all love it. Another game similar to that was at Texas A&M. Honestly, its kudos to our guys. Teams that are full body help teams, that's what has to happen. The lone ranger drive to the rim bucket isn't going to happen against a Frank Martin team. They're sending two, three guys to the ball if you think about some of the tie-ups that Yves and Keon might've had with the jump balls. So, it's up to our guys to drive, play in the post with their eyes up, play solid off of two feet trying to deliver perfect passes. We do something in practice called the assist game. In the assist game, it's only a point if you can get an assist. You can dribble, take somebody off the shot then dribble and pullup. It won't count. Sometimes we encourage the guys to play the assist game and last night, with 26 assists, looked like the assist game in practice.
On what Olivier has done to earn a longer leash off the bench:
"He's been continually getting better for longer periods. I think the LSU game he gave us really good minutes and it was the first time in a while that he looked settled into what he needed to do and for us that's, run hard, screen, box out and rebound. Give us a physical presence and give Fulky and Yves a break and use your athleticism. He's done that lately. I thought a really cool moment late in the game last night, coach looked to put him in and he pointed to E.J. Anosike who hadn't played. I thought that was a great testament to how special our guys are as teammates. Whereas most sophomores who are in that situation—for him to be at the back end of our rotation and to point to a teammate in that moment I thought was a cool thing."
On Josiah being in his ear all night long and his basketball I.Q:
"His I.Q. is off the charts. I was actually surprised to see him kneeling down when the game first started and I thought it would be just for the start of the game, but he settled in and he was there all game. Hearing his talk and his understanding of the scouting report I thought was a bit of a cheat code. It was his state school and he grew up playing against a lot of those guys. He was their describing who was a shooter-driver. Who wants to go left or right and his ability to sniff out some of their play calls was really cool to see. He's over there whispering stuff in all of our ears and he's talking to the guys and it was cool to hear it during the game. Now I would love to see it like that when he's on the court and in our huddles. He is undoubtedly the leader of our team. He needs to be. He needs to take it to the next level to be even more vocal and assertive. In my opinion this is Josiah-Jordan James' team. They all respect him, he's the guy that is the leader of this team."
On what jumps out to him about Kentucky:
"Their talent is as good as anyone in America. They have a roster that is filled with very good offensive players and really good athletes. Keion Brooks had a career night against us. Devon Askew got going in a really good way. Isaiah Jackson is a one-and-done talent who is just a freak athlete. Olivier Sarr made shots from the perimeter. They're a really good team. Coach Schwartz studies them great. We'll talk about strategy today, but it's a rivalry game and it means a lot to the kids on both sides."
On when Josiah's wrist injury occurred and how much it's affected him:
"He hurt it against Kansas. He went for a driving layup in the second half and fell right on his wrist. It's his shooting wrist. He's been working every day with Chad, G and our doctors to get better."
On how resilient this Tennessee team has been:
"I think they have been resilient. I wouldn't say they've responded to catastrophe or failure, but they responded to tough losses in the way you want them to. They responded to LSU with a really good game last night. They responded to Alabama well. What we need to do and the next step for this team is to handle success well. To handle a really good win at Missouri to coming home to Alabama. To understand that after you beat a team like Missouri and they come into your building they're coming in with vengeance and coming for something. Coach Barnes is as good as I've ever been around at it. He can't spell the word complacency. He doesn't allow our guys to be complacent at all. He is always on edge. He had a great line in the season after we lost. I said, 'You know coach it could be a good thing for our guys.' He said, 'I don't need my butt kicked to learn a lesson.' He knows what teams are coming for no matter if you've won 10 in a row or whatever. So, it's on our guys every night to kick it up a notch and taking it to the next level and never resting on your laurels."
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Players Mentioned
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