Tennessee assistant basketball coach Gregg Polinsky met with the local media on Tuesday morning ahead of the Vols trip to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Tournament later this week.
The Vols (4-0) enter the event unbeaten and ranked 11th in the AP Poll. Tennessee will face Virginia in the first game of the event Thursday night before facing either Baylor or St. John’s in the second game Friday night.
Polinsky discussed the Cavaliers without long time head coach Tony Bennett, where Tennessee has improved most over the first two weeks of the season and much more. Here’s everything Polinsky said on Tuesday.
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On Tennessee’s biggest areas of growth through the first two weeks
“A little bit more of an identity on offense, I think we still have to clean up some things on both ends. Defensively, still not as clean as we need to be on some areas, but we’ve played hard. I would say, probably the biggest thing now is continuing to find our identity, having guys mesh, finding the best units to play together, who’s kind of in synergy the best as a group. We’ve rebounded the ball better, but obviously the competition is going get a little bit bigger, stronger. So we’re going to see if we can continue doing that.”
On the offensive identity that this Tennessee team is developing this season
“I think it’s like most of Coach Barnes’ teams. I think last year was a little bit of an anomaly with Dalton (Knecht) because he was such a terrific scorer. But (scoring) by committee, sharing the basketball, making that one more (pass), finding guys, getting the ball to guys in location where they can really be effective. And we’re still figuring that out, right? Like in the last couple games, Igor (Milicic has) been more productive. He slowed down a little bit, something that Coach has been preaching to him. I think Zakai (Zeigler is) starting to feel a little more comfortable with this group. Felix (Okpara) is finding a niche. Chaz (Lanier), it was good to see when he scores 5 points in a game, we could still score a 100 points. So there are some good things happening.”
On what he liked from Igor Milicic and his production in Tennessee’s last two games
“I think Igor is a guy that’s got a very high skill set. Now, learning when and where to use it based upon what we expect and what this offense does in terms of its flow and continuity is something he’s gotten (better with). But we’d like to see that he was confident, that he was aggressive, he was assertive. That was big for us in that game.”
On if there’s an update on sophomore center JP Estrella’s foot injury
“No idea on that. Day to day is the best way to put it.”
On if sophomore wing Cam Carr suffered a thumb or hand injury in the second half against Austin Peay
“Not sure. We were off yesterday, probably would know more when I walked downstairs (for practice).”
On Tennessee’s confidence in sophomore forward Cade Phillips being able to play center if needed
“Well, he is physically tough enough to do it. That’s for sure … Cade is a physically tough strong guy, but weight is an issue. But he’s going to give us all he has. And again, Igor’s big enough to give us some minutes there. And there are times we’re gonna switch off and we’re confident in those guys. The great thing about all three of those guys is that they’re all capable of moving their feet. They’re light on their feet. They’re fairly athletic. I would call Felix even an elite athlete for his position. And then you always have Jahmai Mashack in your pocket, which is a great feeling.”
On the biggest growth for Zakai Zeigler as a senior this season
“I think all the hard work. I think when you see Zakai struggle, it’s because he’s so hard on himself. And I know he and I, Coach, and everybody’s had conversations with him about, you know, it’s not a perfect game. There’s going to be mistakes, so don’t feel like it’s all on your shoulders. I think him understanding that. We call it point guard heavy when he wants to because he’s so competitive. And coach has said this many times, he wants to create or make up for what happened on the last play, instead of letting the ball move freely and and let other guys help him out. I think that’s where he’s getting a little bit better and improving.”
On if he likes playing in early season tournaments like Baha Mar
“I love it. I think it’s great preparation. Coach talks about it like a NCAA bracket. Right? NCAA brackets are two game tournaments. Although this is back to back, that is fine. The competition will be stiff. It’s really good. And it helps us find out where we are.”
On if Virginia looks like it always does even though Tony Bennett is gone
“They’re a little different and I’m not quite sure. I mean, we all split scouts and this happens to be one that fell to me. And watching them play, they are very similar. They’re a team that’s a well oiled machine. They play with a great sense of identity on both ends of the court. I always thought, even in my previous days (as a scout), when I saw teams that have a sense of identity, know who they are, what they want to get done, those are well coached teams, and this is one of them.”
On Virginia guard Isaac McNeely shooting so well from three-point range, if it’s an anomaly
“All our analytics tell us that it’s not an anomaly, that he’s real. I got to see him up close, but my first inclination is he’ll have a chance to play basketball for a while because he can make contested shots. And that’s what that league is. Right? With the length. NBA or Euroleague or Eurocup, whatever he ends up playing. He’s a really, really good basketball player. I would call him an elite level shooter. Last year, he was about 45% from three. This year, he’s about 65% on threes. And if you watch the shots he makes, they look like shots that guys make to the next level.”
On what Dalton Knecht is doing in the NBA
“Yeah. If he came back to the door, we’d welcome him with open arms. We’d be happy to have him. One more year and then one more year.
But, no, it’s not surprising. I think that knowing some of the guys, one of their scouts that they called me during this process was asking a little bit the other day. It was kinda interesting. I think he had struggled a couple of games. And my comment was I’m not there with you guys, but I wouldn’t worry about it.
Hey guys, (Lakers coach) JJ (Reddick) will figure it out, he was a shooter. DK is more than that as we all know, but it’s not shocking. He’s got that mentality and that mental toughness to get through this. I think learning how to play with great players, I mean great players, legendary players, is something new. You’re not always getting it when you are open because those guys are so good. They’re gonna do what they do. But I think he’s starting to acclimate to the situation, and you’re seeing some great performances.”
On how different it is playing a team like Virginia that plays with such a different tempo than most
“The biggest thing is, you know, we’re not gonna shut them out. We’re not gonna keep them from playing at the tempo they play. They practice it every single day. I think last year, they led the country in off-ball screening actions. They get guys open. Right? So the thing for us to do is make every catch a tough one, every shot a tough one. Almost half of their attempts are from three, so can we limit that or at least make them tough? Louisville took 39 of them, but at least we made a lot of them tough. So you’re not gonna keep them from getting those shots. It’s making them tougher. And, you know, I think we have the kind of team that can grind through possessions, which is what they do. We know that they embrace using the shot clock.
So, it’s gonna be a different challenge for us, a unique challenge for us, but also a very good one.”
On where Tennessee needs to take a step forward defensively
“I would say, you know, two areas would be level of concentration, communication. Because we’re gonna get effort. We’re fortunate enough to have, like, the guy that just walked in, Jordan Gainey, Jahmai Mashack, Zakai (Zeigler). You know, our seniors that have been here that do a great job of doing everything we talk about, right? Talking, switching. Things that cause confusion, we gotta get a little better with. But overall, we’re getting a good effort from our team.”
On freshman guard Bishop Boswell’s season to this point
“Boy, Bishop is a tough dude, as I say about, like, Shaq (Mashack). And some of those guys, I hope I look like him when I grow up. He is already physically a man. I think just his ability to defend at such a young age is rare. Most guys coming (in) — he came from a great high school program, which helped, Myers Park. You know, terrific in that regard. I think for Coach (Barnes) and for Bish, just being a better decision maker, and that comes with time. You can’t rush that.”
On center Felix Okpara always seemingly being in the right spot
“He’s played off the ball a lot, played off of others, and learned to do that. I think here, we’ve tried to develop and we are — just take the word try out — Felix is really working to develop. We’re really working to develop an inside game with him because we think he has that ability. But at the same time, he’s smart enough to realize the quickest guy on the court is number five. He can get to spaces in relation to the ball where I need to be to be effective and simplify the game.”
