INDIANAPOLIS — Sitting in his locker with a towel over his head shortly after his college career came to an end in a 69-50 loss against Houston, Jahmai Mashack discussed the disappointment in Tennessee coming short of its first Final Four appearance in program history.
But Mashack’s disappointment wasn’t for himself but for Vol fans who “deserved better than this” and for his head coach Rick Barnes who is in the waning years of his career. Mashack embodied Tennessee’s program motto “It’s not about me” and that selflessness is rare. Not just in sports but all of life.
“You use the word different, he is the definition,” Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark said of Mashack. “I always tell him you’re strong, you’re powerful and you’re different. … Because he is. His energy is infectious. He cares.”
Mashack committed to Tennessee sight unseen. He moved across the country from California to Tennessee and stuck it out despite playing little as a freshman and not starting until he was a senior.
“A lot of guys, especially coming from the west coast, would have said I’m out of here,” Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey said. “A lot of guys would have bailed but he’s not that type of guy. One high school team, one AAU team, one college team. That’s his mindset. He’s going to figure it out.”
At Tennessee, Mashack found a program and coach that valued what he did best— defense. He found a consistent role early in his career with his ability to shut down opposing guards. He turned himself into one of the best defenders in the entire country.
“I think what Shack did was he was an extension of who coach (Barnes) is,” Gainey said. “Defensive minded and loved to play defense and made it be known that I (he) want to be the best defender in the country. You don’t see a lot of high school and college guys wanting to do that. Everyone wants to score the ball but his mindset was I want to be the best defender in the country.”
Mashack is a high level athlete and his 6-foot-4, 201-pound frame allowed him to effectively guard players that are different sizes and have different skillsets.
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But it was Mashack’s attentiveness that made him a truly elite defender. His understanding of the game went beyond others and he studied opponents for any weakness he could exploit.
“The IQ that he has on defense,” Chaz Lanier said of Mashack. “I haven’t played with anyone like him either. I just remember when I first got here and he was breaking down defense and angles and cutting. It was things I’ve never heard before I met him. He’s so detailed oriented on defense. I’ve never seen anything like that. He’s a defensive mastermind.”
“He held the coaches accountable too, your game plan better be on point because Shack is watching film too and he’s studying and asking questions on why you’re doing this and not doing that,” Gainey said. “His defensive thoughts. His willingness to defend will be something we talk about for a long time.”
Mashack’s approach to defense made him different. As did his leadership. Clark knew that when Mashack and Zakai Zeigler became the main leaders, Tennessee would win a lot of games.
Not only did Mashack never transfer but he helped recruit transfers that play the same position as him and could have lessened his role.
“When I first got involved with Tennessee, Jahmai called me for two hours,” Lanier said. “You don’t hear that happening often. Tennessee is special. The culture here is special.”
Mashack leaves Tennessee one of the winningest players in program history. He was apart of two trips to the Elite Eight, another to the Sweet 16 and multiple SEC Championships— playing different roles throughout the process. Mashack is different. Tennessee basketball is better because of it.
