NASHVILLE, Tn. — Tennessee coaches discussed the possibility of double teaming Texas star Tre Johnson during the Vols’ walk through before they faced Texas in their SEC Tournament opener. It was a reasonable idea. A projected top 10 pick, Johnson is the main man for the Longhorns and torched the Vols for 26 points in the regular season.
A reasonable idea to most was unreasonable to Tennessee guard and defensive stopper Jahmai Mashack.
“Shack was like, ‘nah, that’s not going happen,'” Igor Milicic said postgame.
Mashack was “definitely cheering for Texas” as the Longhorns faced Texas A&M on Thursday afternoon with the winner advancing to face Tennessee. There was one reason why.
“I was cheering for Texas to win that game because I wanted a chance to guard Tre Johnson again,” Mashack said. “Knowing I didn’t do what I was supposed to do the first game, I wanted to do that and then some.”
The senior guard rewarded his coaches’ confidence in him. Mashack spent most the afternoon guarding and holding Johnson to 11 points on three-of-eight. It was nine points under Johnson’s average but the eight shots the freshman phenom took that was most important.
Johnson is a tough shot maker. Keeping him from attempting shots in the best chance of slowing him down. The 6-foot-6 wing’s eight shot attempts was half of his 16.3 he averages per game.
“Shack also did what he does and he locked him up.” Milicic said. “Was in front of him like a brick wall. That’s what Shack does.”
“He’s the best defender in the country and is really good at what he does,” Jordan Gainey said. “I know he was locked in as soon as we left the A&M game yesterday and how badly he wanted to face them.”
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Mashack was not lacking motivation. Johnson got the best of him in Austin back in January and the SEC’s coaches voted Zeigler as Defensive Player of the Year over him. Mashack has nothing but respect for Zeigler while also believing he’s the best defender in the country and should have split the award with his four-year teammate.
“Absolutely,” Mashack said on if not winning SEC DPOY motivates him. “My goal is to leave no doubt. To leave no doubt in anybody’s head. I don’t care if it’s media, I don’t care if it’s coaches, I don’t care if it’s players. … It’s not really cocky. It’s confidence because I put in so much time, so much effort to what I do.”
Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark sent Mashack a video before the game of former Kansas City Chiefs and current Tennessee Titans cornerback L’Jarius Snead winning a rep and trash talking Tyreek Hill.
Mashack, who studied the commonalities in Johnson’s turnovers prior to the game, roared in jubilation when forcing a Johnson turnover earlier in the game. The video of Snead helped Mashack funnel his fire in the right direction.
“I think that he came out and was really trying to make a statement today,” Clark said. “Actually, I don’t think, I know he was. He was mad. I think he wishes he could have been a co-defensive player of the year, so that kind of gave him a little bit of more fuel to the fire, trying to come out and prove that he’s the best perimeter defender in the country.”
Mashack’s defense on Johnson was the headlining act but the senior guard was phenomenal across the board against Texas. He outscored Johnson with a season-high 13 points while making seven-of-eight free throw attempts.
The versatile veteran grabbed seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end, while dishing out four assists when he played point guard with Zeigler battling first half foul trouble.
“Today was just the Jahmai Mashack game,” sophomore forward Cade Phillips said. “Rebounds, points and then that wasn’t even the most important part of his day. The defense he played today was unreal.”
“Jahmai was awesome today,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “He was the MVP in the game.”
Tennessee’s veterans didn’t want to repeat its SEC Tournament fate of the last two years when they lost on Friday. Mashack made sure recent history wouldn’t repeat itself against the Longhorns.
