Tennessee basketball got back in the win column on Tuesday night, defeating George Mason 88-66 at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
The Vols turned in a complete performance, nearly leading wire-to-wire and getting double-digit scoring performances from four different players.
Ninth year head coach Rick Barnes discussed Jonas Aidoo’s big night, the Vols’ ball movement and much more postgame. Here’s everything Barnes said.
More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways From Tennessee’s Win Over George Mason
On Jonas Aidoo scoring a career-high 17 points
“I think that you gotta give a lot of credit to Jonas, but his teammates, too. We’ve talked about it with our team, establishing an inside-out game as much as we can, but we still haven’t had a great night yet shooting the ball from the perimeter the way I think we’re capable of. But if we can get the ball in there to him. And we think Tobe (Awaka) can score in there. We think JP (Estrella), Cade (Phillips) those guys, tonight’s the first time I can remember that we’ve actually played with two big guys at one time.
“But proud of Jonas. He should expect a lot from himself because I tell him all the time, he has no idea how dominant he can be on both ends of the court. His teammates believe in him. When he does and fights for his space inside, I think he’s a difficult handle for people. And we certainly have confidence in him shooting the ball facing (the basket) when he gets his spots on the floor and shots that he practices.”
On what’s allowing Josiah-Jordan James to play at such a high level to start the season
“I think maturity. Jo’s been around a long time and he understands the game and he understands what we’re trying to do. But I just think that, he and Santi (Vescovi) coming back, we expect a lot from them. Mostly, we talked about it earlier in the year, their leadership, but Josiah has played at an extremely high level in Hawaii and I thought North Carolina, (he) was the one guy that carried that over and really played too many minutes, but he still fought through it. He just gives us a different dimension.
“We gotta get — when we’re playing with a smaller lineup — we gotta get more rebounding from not just (him), I mean, I think he’s trying to go (rebound) most of the time when we’re in that lineup. We gotta get our wings to go make it up when we don’t have two big guys out there.”
On assists numbers being up tonight
“I think playing the right way. I told them at halftime, I thought we took three shots in the first half from the perimeter that I didn’t think were good shots, guys searching it out. We don’t have to search out shots. If we do the right thing and play the right way, we’re going to get looks. I think we had a chance to be versatile and you’d think tonight we scored 87 points against a team that really tries to control — the first half, I think they pretty much called a set every time down the court. When you look at the pace that we play on offense, where we’re ranked in the country, it’s somewhere around the 20 and under, but then defensively we’re up in the 300’s because we make people play long possessions.
“They’re a good basketball team. We knew they could shoot it, but we also knew they would count on their isolations. I thought once we settled in defensively and we started getting our hands, (Jahmai Mashack) came in and came up with five quick deflections that were important. We did rebound the ball better in the second half on our misses. But when we are playing the way that we want to play moving ball, we expect an assist on a lot of our baskets.”
On how much of Josiah-Jordan James’ success is about shot selection
“I look at him and when he is really playing his best basketball offensively, I would call him a connector. He connects the offense. Again, you would expect it with his experience that he knows when to shoot it. He knows the flow of the game. He knows if he has an advantage where he can get down inside. We are asking him to do different things and he feels like he can get up and shoot shots that he work on. We expect him to do it. If not, different things he can do coming out of the post. He sees the court. I think he is really starting to really see the court in a way you would expect him as time goes on. I think the game has slowed down for him a lot offensively. A lot of guys out there can only see two or three things. When you get a guy that can see 10 guys, eight, nine guys, those guys can really connect the whole offense together. I do think Josiah is starting to see the court in a great way.”
On redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione V returning to action after missing the last four games due to injury
“I think he’s gotta get out there and get more comfortable. Freddie’s gonna grow, going to go through some tough growing pains of understanding that it’s harder than he probably thinks it’s going to be. Taking care of the ball. People are going to press up on him as they did tonight and going to the basket. Probably in high school, he would have made that layup, but he didn’t. He’s working his way back. He’s the only guy that we knew we were gonna limit (his) minutes tonight, but he’s gonna learn. I mean, he’s young, he’s realizing what it’s about, I think. And I think defensively he’s trying, but he’s gotta learn how to not be screened, but I do think he’s putting in an effort there and now he’s just continue to smarter in terms of understanding what’s coming, having more anticipation. He’s a good passer. I thought he threw a great pass to Jonas there — that should have been a layup. Jonas slowed down, but Freddie led him perfectly. Freddie’s a good passer. When he settles in and he wants to think pass first, he can see over a lot of people and he’s got a really soft touch with his passes. It’ll come down to him understanding from a point guard position when he should get aggressive and when he shouldn’t.”
On how much of improving ball movement is a result of everybody being healthy
“It’s been difficult because, I mean, even coming into here, you guys were here yesterday. Dalton (Knecht) did a little bit. Jordan (Gainey) did a little bit, but they didn’t do anything on, I think Sunday. Players need practice. Very few guys can — you get in a rhythm and you go back to Josiah. I think that’s one thing, I think he’s been in a really good rhythm in practice. But I think when you don’t get the reps you normally get, I thought Dalton and Jordan were okay tonight. They wanted to play. I thought Dalton took a couple shots he shouldn’t have taken. It’s one thing when he’s making them, but, he shouldn’t have to settle.
“Jordan is great moving without the ball. We put him down there in a kind of triangle type of offense, where he really moves well without the ball and got some good screens from his teammates.
“But we’re still, I think the biggest thing is understanding, and I came in saying we played the game the right way. I thought for the most part, guys really did try to do that, but we don’t have to shoot a quick hurry three. We’re too good of an offensive team to feel that we have to do that and we’re still early in the season, but I also think the competition we play has made us look at a lot of different things and find out about a lot of different guys, but we know where we gotta get better and we’re gonna have to do it.”
On how Jahmai Mashack can avoid pressing, instilling confidence in him
“I think if Jahmai would just be who he is— I mean one, I definitely have confidence in his shooting. I think he’s worked as hard as anybody. I just know this, he’s another guy that can impact the game without taking a shot and he can guard. He’s competitive. I do think that he’s still mentally trying to find his way on the offensive end. And it goes back, I told Dalton— and I was really proud of Cam Carr tonight because he went in at North Carolina and played 10 seconds because he had no idea what he was doing. I thought he made one of the best plays we’ve had all year. I’m telling you, a week ago he had a jack that shot up and you know what? I would’ve been okay with it because, I mean, he was open and he had worked a little bit.
He just didn’t come off the bench. But then he made a great play and just showed his ability. That was an unbelievable pick find. Because he can pass the ball. And I think the biggest thing is, again, with Shack is, and Dalton, I told Dalton the same thing, man, just play the right way. Just move the ball and get lost in the game and do what you do well. And I have the ultimate confidence in Jahmai Mashack. I really do. But we’re a different team than we were a year ago. I think Santi and Jo would tell you, they love the addition of those two older guys. But I would tell you those two guys, and I told them tonight, they’ve gotta continue to get better defensively. As much as we need them to think offensively, they need to get better. And as the season goes on, people are going to, people always try to go after your guys you think you score. I thought Santi settled in tonight. I thought he made a couple really good basketball plays and I thought Zakai was really good. He could have shot the ball a few more times, but he was really working to lead this team. So again, I just talk about playing the right way and I think that we’ve got the group when they do that, we can continue to get better.”
On how much they needed this win, hosting Illinois on Saturday
“I don’t know. It’ll be interesting. I mean, they’re a hard nosed, physical team as you would expect. It’s gonna be a hard fought basketball game. (Brad Underwood is a) Great basketball coach, great scheme, physicality is gonna be there. I know they’re gonna play extremely hard. I have confidence in our guys, but it’s basically, if you think about it, it’s gonna be our what fourth or fifth ranked game in what, less than 10 games? I still believe it’s gonna help us in the long run, but you’re basically talking about a conference game here in December. I don’t think there’s any question the next year or two we’re going to be playing, like the Big 10, a conference game this time of year. I think the Big 10 opened up conference play tonight. I think it’s going to happen to us. So might as well get used to it and know that it’s gonna be a tough, hard fought game.”
On Zakai Zeigler getting back to form working back from injury
“Well, again, I think that, and you guys have watched him play, you know he’s such a competitive person and his DNA, I mean, there is no doubt in my mind the entire time he was out, he truly thought he would be able to walk back out on the court and pick up exactly where he was. And I kept telling him, it’s not going to happen. You can’t miss seven, eight months, even as hard as you worked in the gym to get healthy. But also he worked on a lot of different things. As much as they would let him go. I mean, he went up 100%, but still you can’t miss that much. And he came back and again, because of who he is— he’s like a fire that just wants to roll and go. And he was trying way too hard. He was trying to do too much. But he didn’t do it out of being selfish. He just did it because that’s just how he thinks. You know, I gotta help my team. I gotta do this. I gotta do that. But again, I thought the second half of North Carolina, he started settling in and now he, what did he have six? Was that six assists and one turnover? I think that’ll go up. I mean, he had a couple where he made some good passes and we didn’t knock down the shot, but he wants to be a point guard. And I thought tonight I might have said it to Bob, but didn’t say it to you guys that he actually turned down a couple shots that a week ago he wouldn’t have. And tonight, if he had shot it tonight, I’m not sure I would’ve been upset with it.
But he definitely wasn’t thinking that. I know he was seeing the court tonight trying to get everyone involved. And do I think he’s back a hundred percent? I don’t. Is he going to get closer to it? He will, but I think just mentally and emotionally, I think he’s getting into a good place knowing that what I said to him earlier— it’s going to take a little time, but he’s trying. And obviously we need him to be the player that we know he can be. And, there’s no doubt he’ll get there.”
On Tobe Awaka’s return to the court from his ankle injury
“Well, he’s a difference maker. When, again, I wasn’t happy with him and I told him in the first half, you can’t shoot those shots if you don’t have your balance. You just can’t throw it up there. When he does the things that we ask him to do, he can be a high level scorer. Offensive rebounding, he’s as good as there is. And when he’s focused there, he’s great at it. He goes and gets it. But, again, it all goes back to consistency. Not with Tobe, but with every one of our players. Can we consistently know that we’re going to get what we need to get every time we go out?”
On Santiago Vescovi’s response to a bad game at North Carolina
“Well, again, I mean, the guys would tell you I was not very happy with practice yesterday. I wasn’t. They knew that last night (when) we had our last team meeting. And, there’s no doubt they knew exactly how I felt. And, I didn’t speak to any one of them during shoot around today. I thought they were great during shoot around. I expect Santi and Josiah and Zakai to lead this team. I expect it to come from them. And when things aren’t going well in practice, I expect them to be the voice, but if I have to be, I will. I’m gonna do what I do every day. But I thought tonight those guys, and I gotta give them credit, I thought they were locked in. I thought they had everybody else locked in. And, again, we just won a game against a good basketball team. They were a confident team coming in and a well coached team. But do I like the way as Santi responded today? I did. I liked the way Jo responded. I didn’t think the older guys were very good in practice yesterday. And I do hold those guys at a very high level. We’ve been together a long time. They know what our expectations are as a program. They know that it’s always gonna be about us and what we do every single day and what we do in the game (when) the lights come on. And I don’t wanna waste any time this time of year and not get any better.”
