NCAAM 3/1 Preview: Take #13 Tennessee (-16) Vs. Georgia
Jonas Aidoo has raised his game this month, averaging more than 16 minutes on the court in his last four games. Prior to the month of February, Aidoo only had 13 minutes of action in total in a Tennessee uniform.
After putting in the work all season, Aidoo’s contribution is starting to translate to the game court.
But with Aidoo’s rise coming towards the end of the year, it’s been difficult at times to get an idea of who Aidoo is. Over time, Tennessee’s fans have grown to love Josiah-Jordan James’ leadership, Zakai Zeigler’s personality, and Uros Plavsic’s passion. But what about Aidoo? Luckily, Tennessee solved that problem on Tuesday with a video feature on the freshman from North Carolina.
And in summary, it went like this: Jonas Aidoo will make you laugh before he swats your shot.
Tennessee Basketball: Meet Jonas Aidoo: Tennessee’s Next Big Thing
“I describe myself on the court as a shot-blocker,” Aidoo said in the feature. “I can alter shots at the rim. I run the floor, I play hard every time I get on the court.”
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has been very complimentary of Aidoo’s progress throughout the season, and Aidoo is thankful for the way that Barnes has molded him as a player.
“Coach Barnes, he’s pushed me,” Aidoo said. “He’s pushed me to a point where no one else has really pushed me to. I’m glad for it and I’m really thankful for it too.”
As grateful as Aidoo is, though, it hasn’t come easy in his first year in Knoxville.
“Everything has been hard here, to be honest,” Aidoo said. “Everything. Nothing has been easy whatsoever. Everything has been challenging. But my parents always have their hand on my back just telling me to play basketball. I do this. I’ve been doing this for a long time. Just go out there and play hard and have fun with it.”
That is Jonas Aidoo on the court. Off the court, well, he’s a little more of a comedian.
“[Aidoo] jokes around more than anyone I’ve ever met,” teammate Josiah-Jordan James said about him. “And him just being so tall, he sticks out. And the way he acts and how he is around people, he sticks out even more. He just loves to laugh.”
It has been evident that Tennessee’s unity among the players on the team has been a big factor in their dominant stretch late in the season. The way Aidoo has been able to impact the team on the court this month has been great for Tennessee, but his personality and high spirits have been beneficial to the squad all year.
“You always gotta have that one person who just makes everyone laugh and always keeps their spirits up,” Aidoo said. “If I don’t know you, I’m just going to come off as shy because I just like to observe things. But if I know you, get to know you, you’re going to know that I’m really goofy.”
“Goofy is definitely it,” James said in agreement. “Very goofy I would say. He loves to make people laugh and is a joy to have around the team and in the locker room.”
