Basketball talk is almost finished. It is now time to do something.
Tennessee outlook? Maybe yes, maybe no.
The strange combination of very good recruiting and Rick Barnes’ tournament history has created a contradiction. These Volunteers might develop into champions or …
Until otherwise convinced, I think this team is a bit more talented than the previous team. It is good at guard. Post position people are a year older and better but there is no all-American (never has been). There is a genuine 6-8 wing, five-star Julian Phillips, one of the most promising freshmen in the country.
Showtime: The Vols come out to play Monday evening at 7 against Tennessee Tech at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tickets are available.
Ken Pomroy, creator of a college basketball power rating, says Tennessee is No. 4 in the country. Tom Izzo, coach at Michigan State, says the Volunteers are a Final Four team. The AP poll says No. 11. A mix of southern and national media stars put the Vols in third place in the Southeastern Conference.
Barnes seems wisely balanced between optimism and realism.
“As a team I do feel like we can shoot the ball well, but we know there’s going to be nights when shots aren’t going in, and it will be how we handle those situations?
“We expect to be a good defensive team. We think we have more depth than we’ve had in a long time, quality depth and versatility. The question anybody would have with us right now is what kind of consistent production can we get from our post players. So that’s what we’ll wait and see.”
Against Gonzaga, four center-types, Jonas Aidoo, Olivier Nkamhoua, Uros Plavsic and Tobe Awaka, combined for 37 points on 15-for-20 shooting with 22 rebounds in 73 minutes.
“Up to this point, they have proven they can do it if they get the ball in the right position.”
Consistency is more likely to come from guards. Writers and broadcasters said Santiago Vescovi is first-team all-SEC. Josiah Jordan-James and Zakai Zeigler are in the second five. No other team has more dependability returning. Kentucky does have Oscar Tshiebwe, player of the year.
Barnes added transfer guard Tyreke Key, maybe 6-3, from Indiana State and Celina, Tennessee. He can score.
“Within a week of his arrival, we knew we had something more than most people realized. If he had stayed at Indiana State, he probably would have been their second all-time leading scorer behind Larry Bird,” said Barnes.
Tough guy. Hard worker. At one time, he was considered the best player in the Missouri Valley Conference. A shoulder injury disrupted his career.
Key was top scorer (26) in the Vol exhibition romp past Gonzaga.
B.J. Edwards, Knoxville Catholic, was considered the third-best prep player in the state last season. The 6-3 point guard played in 116 games in four seasons. He averaged 19.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 52 per cent.
Phillips was the big recruiting coup, a McDonald’s all-star, a possible one-and-done. He was going to LSU until the NCAA closed in on coach Will Wade.
Ben McKee, 247 reporter-writer, had the most descriptive line about Julian: “Silky smooth athlete looks like he was built in an NBA wing factory.”
Nkamhoua, 6-9 senior, is the personification of the “maybe yes, maybe no” description of the Vols. He was lost to injury during last season. He spent the summer with the Finnish national team. It has often seemed that potential exceeds production. Maybe he will reclaim a spot in the starting lineup.
Or maybe Plavsic, 7-1, has improved enough to take ownership. Or maybe Aidoo, 6-11, gifted and maybe now strong enough, will prevail as a rim protector.
Tennessee has three secret weapons. Barnes says Jahmai Mashack may be the most improved Vol since last season. He is an outstanding defender.
D.J. Jefferson, 6-5 freshman, is a project.
Transplanted New Yorker Zakai Zeigler helped Tennessee find Awaka (6-8 and 244) in the Bronx. They once played on the same AAU team. Tobe was Gatorade player of the year who thought he was going to be a college freshman next year.
ZZ explained the mysteries of reclassification (he did it last year) and told Coach Barnes that Awaka could rebound with anybody in the SEC.
Old Vol fans who remember Howard Bayne might see a resemblance in toughness and determination around the boards. Awaka, raw by Vol standards, averaged 13.9 rebounds at Cardinal Hayes High School. Several young people got out of his way.
Marvin West welcomes reader comments or questions. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com.