It’s a weird spot in the overall timeline of the Tennessee basketball offseason. There’s plenty in the rearview mirror and plenty on the horizon. One thing is for sure, though, and that’s the season being just a few months away.
In the last few months, Tennessee has welcomed in freshman players and watched as Tobe Awaka competed with the USA National Team at the FIBA World Cup this past month. Tennessee redshirt freshman Freddie Dilione also took part in the Team USA tryouts but fell just short of the 12-man roster.
On the flip side, though, Tennessee has a big international trip coming up in the month of July. The Tennessee basketball team will travel to Italy for a 10-day trip in which they will also play three games.
With so much happening around Tennessee basketball right now, head coach Rick Barnes and sophomore forward Tobe Awaka met with the media on Tuesday. Barnes spoke about the injury recovery of Zakai Zeigler, the newcomers that Tennessee added, what the summer really looks like, and the benefits of Awaka and Dilione spending time with Team USA.
Awaka, meanwhile, spoke about his experience playing overseas, what was working for him during the World Cup tournament, how Dilione will fit onto the team, and much more.
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Check out both of the interviews from Tuesday afternoon in Knoxville below: