University of Tennessee Athletics
Rick Barnes and Victor Bailey Jr. Media Availability
January 31, 2022 | Men's Basketball
Head Coach Rick Barnes Transcript
On Tennessee turning down open shots on Saturday…
"We started the game knowing they would be locked in on Santi (Vescovi), and the very first time down the floor they lost him, and he turned down a wide-open shot which he knows (he should take). John (Fulkerson) also turned down some open shots and we've talked about it and when we do that it leads to not very good offensive possessions. Defensively, we did a lot of good things, but we just have to play with the speed that we know we need to in the game."
On how Victor Bailey Jr. contributed on Saturday…
"We think that every guy we have can contribute but if you knew the inner workings of our team, VJ tries to be the best teammate he possibly can be. I've told you guys before if you ask anyone on our team if you could wish it all for one player it would be VJ. We always say you can never let go of the rope and he never lets go of it and is always trying to keep climbing. It's a testament to his maturity, his love for his teammates, and his love for this program. We knew we were going to play him and had some talks about what he needed to do on Saturday, and he did it exactly the way we drew it up. We know we're going to need him and there's not a guy on this roster that we might not need at some point and time during the season. It's important others can see how VJ was called upon and rose to the occasion so they can do the same thing when their turn is called also."
On texting Dick Vitale daily prayers and what that relationship is like…
"We all know Dick Vitale has impacted a lot of lives. When you think about what he has done for college basketball, the enthusiasm, the passion, he's been a huge contributor to our game, he's in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and has had an impact as much as any of the great players have had. When Jim Valvano gave that speech, Dick was right by his side and his involvement and what he has done for cancer research every year is remarkable. He has a gala every year that's sole goal is to raise money for cancer and has impacted so many lives. I think God is using him in a great way; from the time I've sent him a prayer every day, it has been good for me and has given me a chance to spend more time alone with the Lord. After that game, I've gotten so many texts from people saying that basketball is important, but there is a much bigger picture out there. The people who believe in Jesus Christ know what we're talking about and as I get older, I see things differently. I have great admiration for Dick, he's fighting a battle that he has fought for so many people and has been an inspiration for a lot of people. Our conversations of late have impacted me as much as they have impacted him."
On what has led to inconsistency the past couple of games…
"Well, offense. I mean turning down shots and then free throws play into that some too. I mean there is no doubt about it. When you miss those one-and-ones. They are critical, those are critical misses; but two-shot fouls you miss those. And you couple those with the fact that you turn down shots that turn into bad possessions. And you throw some turnovers in there. That is how most people get runs going. I do not ever want to take away from with what other teams are doing. We have not played against a bad team all year, a team that does not fight. They have a scheme to play. What you do not want to do is beat yourself sometimes. When you do not execute and take shots and do what you know you are supposed to do. That is helping them do what they want to get done. I think that is the mental part with players. Players know when they feel like they are going to make a shot. When the doubt creeps in, it slows things down and gets people back on their heels and that is what leads to inconsistency."
On what he needs from Kennedy Chandler...
"I would say, consistency, and then continuing to fully understand what we're doing on both ends of the court at a very high degree and the details that go into that. I have, we all have, confidence in Kennedy he has learned so much, but you think about it, he's playing the hardest position on the floor and he's getting a lot of great shots from a lot of different people. He's learning that I've said this to you from day one, that every game is a different game learning how to make those adjustments, learning how to continue to play through fatigue and all that. I will tell you; I think that he has definitely gotten much better with being alert more so defensively is where he needed it and it's not the steals. I mean he does a great job getting his hands on balls and steals, it's just the overall understanding of the details of what we're trying to do. I know this—he's trying, he really is trying, and I expect to see him continue to improve with it."
On T.J. Ford and Kennedy Chandler's relationship...
"Well, they had talked, they had texted and talked before (Saturday). T.J. would be a terrific role model for anybody at a young age that wants to learn how to play to point. He sees it in a way that no one I've ever coached has seen it before, he does. He loves to share it. I mean his whole thing is working with young people, that's where his great joy lies. Talking to him back in the spring, he said, 'I'd love to talk to him,' and we talked about it and Kennedy even said to me that he'd love to talk to him. Even after the game the other night, I think T.J. took him out on the court at Texas and said hey when you're here this is where you're good, this is what you need to be thinking about. Young guys relate to players like that. The fact that T.J. would help anybody, I don't care who it is. I remember watching T.J. Ford in high school playing against Daniel Gibson, who was our next guard coming in from Houston. T.J. and those guys, they had won like 77 straight games, they were beating Daniel's team and during the game I kept noticing T.J. talking to Daniel Gibson. I wasn't sure what it was, but afterwards I said, 'What were you doing?' he said, 'I was trying to tell him how he needed to attack our press,' during the game. But that's T.J. Ford. I think it's the conversations that'll certainly help Kennedy."
On key points for Texas A&M...
"Well, they're a multiple defensive team, a team that plays really hard, a team that plays with a lot of emotion and they're going to change their defenses. We're going to have to take care of the basketball. They're like any good basketball team, you give it to them and they're going to make you pay on the other end. Handling the ball and dealing with their change in defenses will be of importance. Just again we obliviously have to get ready for what they do. It's a different game than what we just played, but still so much of what we do is make sure we can do the things that we know we have to from out end taking care of the ball and getting a good shot selection. We're going to have to defend at a high level, and we're going to have to rebound at a high level."
Senior Guard Victor Bailey Jr. Quotables
On where his personality and mindset come from…
"I just love the game of basketball. I see these guys every day and I see the amount of work that they put in and we go through it together. The camaraderie, the things we build together when we go through tough times and struggle—it's easy to be around these guys and they are all good guys and I love them. Like I said, I love this game so it's easy to have a good mindset when you are around guys like this."
On the difficulties of this season for him personally…
"Just putting the success of the team before everything else. It's really important to me that we win games and that we are successful. Our guys work really hard, and I want to see that work paid off, so whatever I have to do and whatever mindset I have to have to make us successful that is all I really care about."
On if you think guys are afraid to shoot or if they just want the perfect look
"Guys definitely want to get good shots, and coach wants us to get good looks at the basket, we just have to try and find a rhythm. We are still kind of searching a little bit, but day by day we are getting better and when it gets to crunch time, we will have it figured out. We have a lot of great shooters on the team, and I think once shots start to click, and we start to get comfortable with our shots and stuff like that it will be good."
On what his message to Josiah-Jordan James has been since Saturday's game…
"If he gets that shot again, I want him to take it a thousand times. He was open, he is a great shooter, and me and everyone else trust him to take that shot. We just keep encouraging him to take those shots and I thought it was going in, and if he takes it again, I will think it's going in again. I'm all in for him to keep shooting."
On what needs to happen to eliminate the scoreless stretches on offense…
"We had some turnovers, and that never helps. Like I said, we are working on it. We are figuring it out, watching film. Every day we are working towards becoming a better basketball team, and we will figure it out."
On Tennessee turning down open shots on Saturday…
"We started the game knowing they would be locked in on Santi (Vescovi), and the very first time down the floor they lost him, and he turned down a wide-open shot which he knows (he should take). John (Fulkerson) also turned down some open shots and we've talked about it and when we do that it leads to not very good offensive possessions. Defensively, we did a lot of good things, but we just have to play with the speed that we know we need to in the game."
On how Victor Bailey Jr. contributed on Saturday…
"We think that every guy we have can contribute but if you knew the inner workings of our team, VJ tries to be the best teammate he possibly can be. I've told you guys before if you ask anyone on our team if you could wish it all for one player it would be VJ. We always say you can never let go of the rope and he never lets go of it and is always trying to keep climbing. It's a testament to his maturity, his love for his teammates, and his love for this program. We knew we were going to play him and had some talks about what he needed to do on Saturday, and he did it exactly the way we drew it up. We know we're going to need him and there's not a guy on this roster that we might not need at some point and time during the season. It's important others can see how VJ was called upon and rose to the occasion so they can do the same thing when their turn is called also."
On texting Dick Vitale daily prayers and what that relationship is like…
"We all know Dick Vitale has impacted a lot of lives. When you think about what he has done for college basketball, the enthusiasm, the passion, he's been a huge contributor to our game, he's in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and has had an impact as much as any of the great players have had. When Jim Valvano gave that speech, Dick was right by his side and his involvement and what he has done for cancer research every year is remarkable. He has a gala every year that's sole goal is to raise money for cancer and has impacted so many lives. I think God is using him in a great way; from the time I've sent him a prayer every day, it has been good for me and has given me a chance to spend more time alone with the Lord. After that game, I've gotten so many texts from people saying that basketball is important, but there is a much bigger picture out there. The people who believe in Jesus Christ know what we're talking about and as I get older, I see things differently. I have great admiration for Dick, he's fighting a battle that he has fought for so many people and has been an inspiration for a lot of people. Our conversations of late have impacted me as much as they have impacted him."
On what has led to inconsistency the past couple of games…
"Well, offense. I mean turning down shots and then free throws play into that some too. I mean there is no doubt about it. When you miss those one-and-ones. They are critical, those are critical misses; but two-shot fouls you miss those. And you couple those with the fact that you turn down shots that turn into bad possessions. And you throw some turnovers in there. That is how most people get runs going. I do not ever want to take away from with what other teams are doing. We have not played against a bad team all year, a team that does not fight. They have a scheme to play. What you do not want to do is beat yourself sometimes. When you do not execute and take shots and do what you know you are supposed to do. That is helping them do what they want to get done. I think that is the mental part with players. Players know when they feel like they are going to make a shot. When the doubt creeps in, it slows things down and gets people back on their heels and that is what leads to inconsistency."
On what he needs from Kennedy Chandler...
"I would say, consistency, and then continuing to fully understand what we're doing on both ends of the court at a very high degree and the details that go into that. I have, we all have, confidence in Kennedy he has learned so much, but you think about it, he's playing the hardest position on the floor and he's getting a lot of great shots from a lot of different people. He's learning that I've said this to you from day one, that every game is a different game learning how to make those adjustments, learning how to continue to play through fatigue and all that. I will tell you; I think that he has definitely gotten much better with being alert more so defensively is where he needed it and it's not the steals. I mean he does a great job getting his hands on balls and steals, it's just the overall understanding of the details of what we're trying to do. I know this—he's trying, he really is trying, and I expect to see him continue to improve with it."
On T.J. Ford and Kennedy Chandler's relationship...
"Well, they had talked, they had texted and talked before (Saturday). T.J. would be a terrific role model for anybody at a young age that wants to learn how to play to point. He sees it in a way that no one I've ever coached has seen it before, he does. He loves to share it. I mean his whole thing is working with young people, that's where his great joy lies. Talking to him back in the spring, he said, 'I'd love to talk to him,' and we talked about it and Kennedy even said to me that he'd love to talk to him. Even after the game the other night, I think T.J. took him out on the court at Texas and said hey when you're here this is where you're good, this is what you need to be thinking about. Young guys relate to players like that. The fact that T.J. would help anybody, I don't care who it is. I remember watching T.J. Ford in high school playing against Daniel Gibson, who was our next guard coming in from Houston. T.J. and those guys, they had won like 77 straight games, they were beating Daniel's team and during the game I kept noticing T.J. talking to Daniel Gibson. I wasn't sure what it was, but afterwards I said, 'What were you doing?' he said, 'I was trying to tell him how he needed to attack our press,' during the game. But that's T.J. Ford. I think it's the conversations that'll certainly help Kennedy."
On key points for Texas A&M...
"Well, they're a multiple defensive team, a team that plays really hard, a team that plays with a lot of emotion and they're going to change their defenses. We're going to have to take care of the basketball. They're like any good basketball team, you give it to them and they're going to make you pay on the other end. Handling the ball and dealing with their change in defenses will be of importance. Just again we obliviously have to get ready for what they do. It's a different game than what we just played, but still so much of what we do is make sure we can do the things that we know we have to from out end taking care of the ball and getting a good shot selection. We're going to have to defend at a high level, and we're going to have to rebound at a high level."
Senior Guard Victor Bailey Jr. Quotables
On where his personality and mindset come from…
"I just love the game of basketball. I see these guys every day and I see the amount of work that they put in and we go through it together. The camaraderie, the things we build together when we go through tough times and struggle—it's easy to be around these guys and they are all good guys and I love them. Like I said, I love this game so it's easy to have a good mindset when you are around guys like this."
On the difficulties of this season for him personally…
"Just putting the success of the team before everything else. It's really important to me that we win games and that we are successful. Our guys work really hard, and I want to see that work paid off, so whatever I have to do and whatever mindset I have to have to make us successful that is all I really care about."
On if you think guys are afraid to shoot or if they just want the perfect look
"Guys definitely want to get good shots, and coach wants us to get good looks at the basket, we just have to try and find a rhythm. We are still kind of searching a little bit, but day by day we are getting better and when it gets to crunch time, we will have it figured out. We have a lot of great shooters on the team, and I think once shots start to click, and we start to get comfortable with our shots and stuff like that it will be good."
On what his message to Josiah-Jordan James has been since Saturday's game…
"If he gets that shot again, I want him to take it a thousand times. He was open, he is a great shooter, and me and everyone else trust him to take that shot. We just keep encouraging him to take those shots and I thought it was going in, and if he takes it again, I will think it's going in again. I'm all in for him to keep shooting."
On what needs to happen to eliminate the scoreless stretches on offense…
"We had some turnovers, and that never helps. Like I said, we are working on it. We are figuring it out, watching film. Every day we are working towards becoming a better basketball team, and we will figure it out."
Players Mentioned
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